#1
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1:1 scale B-25 Project
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is restoring its 1943 B-25 Mitchell "Berlin Express" to flying condition. As an EAA member and longtime volunteer, I will be spending a few afternoons a week helping with the restoration. I spent this afternoon and evening "getting intimate" with one of the aircraft's 14-cylinder Wright Cyclone engines, pulling exhaust stacks from the cylinders so the engine can be removed and overhauled.
On the airplane, the rear of the Cyclone is a rat's nest of pipes, tubes, and shrouds. Getting a socket wrench onto a bolt hidden deep in the maze and then finding room enough to swing the ratchet wrench was often a real challenge. I really could have used an eyeball on the end of my index finger. Several years ago, I worked on the repair/restoration of the EAA's B-17, "Aluminum Overcast," pulling, cylinders, cleaning landing gear bays, installing guns and ammunition boxes. and other tasks. Crawling in and around that airplane, I gained a heightened appreciation for the young men and women who built, maintained, and flew these historic warbirds. This B-25 has been on static display in the EAA's AirVenture Museum for many years. After restoration, it will be flown on tour as a "flying museum." I feel very privileged to take part in returning this beautiful aircraft to the air. You can read about "Berlin Express" here: https://www.eaa.org/…/1943-north-american-b-25h-mitchell---… You can read about the restoration project here: https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/contribut...25-restoration
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I'm an adult? Wait! How did that happen? How do I make it stop?!. My Blog: David's Paper Cuts My paper models and other mischief |
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#2
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That is cool! A once in a lifetime to opportunity to get frustrated with historical significance!
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Screw the rivets, I'm building for atmosphere, not detail. later, F Scott W |
#3
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Good wishes for your work on restoring this historic aircraft.
I suppose it's a little too big and noisy to use to lead cranes on their migration flights? Don |
#4
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That made me laugh. Thank goodness I'm not paying the bills for this bird.
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I'm an adult? Wait! How did that happen? How do I make it stop?!. My Blog: David's Paper Cuts My paper models and other mischief |
#5
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Is always great news when a classic warbird is restored. And very nice that a member of our forum participates in the process.
Good news indeed
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Rubén Andrés Martínez A. |
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#6
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Before I left the hangar last night, I crawled inside the B-25 for a few minutes. It was a tight fit for my 6-foot, 200-lb frame, even with much of the interior hardware removed for the restoration. Thinking back to wartime photos I've seen, I got a real sense of how cramped it must have been in combat with guns, ammunition, oxygen bottles, and crew. I thought about what it must have been like to be under fire from fighters or flak. Talk about "no place to hide"!
These photos are not "Berlin Express." I will post photos as the restoration proceeds.
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I'm an adult? Wait! How did that happen? How do I make it stop?!. My Blog: David's Paper Cuts My paper models and other mischief |
#7
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Sakrison, thank you for sharing your experience and those photos. That is beyond cool! That looks incredibly cramped. I work on Paine Field, and when John Session or Paul Allen fly either of their B-25s I have to stop work and watch in awe.
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#8
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Fascinating!
Wyvern |
#9
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On October 7 the B-25 "Yankee Warrior" came to Elkhart and offered rides. Went to see it, but unfortunately didn't have $ 400 lying around. Nice to see you're helping one of Yankee Warrior's sisters return to the sky.
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Recent builds: RMS Queen Mary 2, Paris Opera House In the shipyard: USS Missouri, DKM Graf Zeppelin, RV Calypso. Future builds: IJN Akagi, SS United States, HMVS Cerberus, and lots more! |
#10
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Quote:
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