Years in the making. The restoration of the Memphis Belle B-17F Flying Fortress.
Beautiful pics.
My son and I visited Wright-Patterson a few yrs ago. We saw the plane being restored.
The attention to detail was just incredible.
Even the wiring, they had to use cloth insulated wire. It's actually still made? Cloth wrapped wire?
Amazing .
Beautiful! I wonder if it looks better than new.
Fabulous set James - very interesting also.
They did a beautiful job.
Outstanding series for sure !! Very impressive captures of an iconic military plane. Thanks for sharing your travels with us.
That's a great story and very good looking plane.
James, wonderful images and presentation! There's a wiki page for the plane that explains several of the markings. But, I couldn't find an explanation of the several stars and colors above the mission count. Do you recall?
James, these are wonderful! Some I saw on your Facebook post but some were new I believe too. Regardless, terrific photos. Thank you much for posting. I now want to visit Dayton!
I have been to the air museum at Pensacola Navel Air Station as it is much closer to home and our favorite weekend vacation area. No Belle there but also a great museum for those who love planes and flight! I believe anyone here would enjoy it as well.
Tom
Those are wonderful pictures. I saw the movie. She really took a beating. I'm surprised they could do this good a job restoring her.
James56 wrote:
In 1946, The Memphis Belle was sitting in a field in Oklahoma destined to be chopped up for scrap. A newspaper reporter learned of it's fate and informed Mayor Walter Chandler of Memphis Tennessee. He bought the plane and had it shipped to Memphis. But after
60 years sitting outdoors, local groups conceited they didn't have the funds or ability to restore the Belle.
In 2005, the U.S. Air Force had the plane shipped in pieces to its repair shop in Dayton. During the War, the Memphis Belle had 5 engine changes, had portions of it's tail splintered to pieces. Its body was riddled with hundreds of holes from flak damage.
Now after 13 years in the shop, the Memphis Belle has finally been completely restored
and is now on display at the USAF National Museum in Dayton Ohio. One of many B-17's that helped to free Europe from the grips of the Nazi war machine. Hoping you will enjoy these photos I took during my visit to see this historic aircraft. Oh, and Thanks for looking...! PS: Got to meet fellow Hedgehogger "PhilGPS" while here in Dayton. A wonderful knowledgeable gentleman, great fellow photographer and a pleasure to have met. Thanks Phil...
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In 1946, The Memphis Belle was sitting in a field ... (
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Thanks for sharing some great images of a great plane. Looking forward to my second visit with a DSLR instead of a point and shoot. What a great museum.
Simply awesome shots of the Belle! Thanks for posting them. I intend to get out there myself and try to get the same ones!
Magnificent photos of a magnificent restoration.
Great images and story of your visit. A plane and crew that made history and inspired a movie about them. Great stuff!
A great set of photos along with a wonderful restoration story. Mahalo for sharing.
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