NASM moving their B-17

[Shay]

saw this on aerovintage posted yesterday:

All but confirmed that the NASM B-17G, 44-83814, is indeed going to the Mighty Eighth AF Museum at Savannah, Georgia. In fact, it may be happening as we write.

Anyone got any recent pictures of her?

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[hang the expense]

Yup, got to be moved before january.This is going on as we speak.She will need some work for sure but oh what a sweet thang.

[RickH]

I see this as a missed opportunity.

NASM could have had a public reserve auction and the money raised could have gone back to fund additional restorations. We don't really need another static B-17, do we ? Aren't there B-17s out there that are controlled by the NMUSAF that could benefit from a little TLC ? Wouldn't it have made more sense to transfer one of those B-17s to a new location where fresh funding, interest, and new blood could be positively applied in repair and restoration ? Will this NASM carefully preserved(?) B17 be relegated to outdoor display in the coastal sea air of beautiful Savannah, GA or will they build a climate controlled indoor display area ? Seems to me the 8th the AF Museum at Barksdale already has a B-17 that needs some serious attention, do we really need 2 ? http://www.8afmuseum.com/

Don't mean to belittle the Savannah folks' efforts but a full sized fiberglass replica would probably work just as well and be more durable in the long run.

[APG85]

Unless it is going to be on indoor display (which I doubt), this is disappointing news. I was hoping the NASM would restore that plane and display it in the Hazy Center...

[k5083]

Rick, I don't understand how what the NASM does with its B-17 has anything to do with what the NMUSAF does with its B-17s. There's no overall B-17 czar to coordinate these things (thank goodness!).

I assume that this will remain the NASM's airplane and that this is part of NASM's loan program. So it could come back to Hazy eventually.

August

[RickH]

August, they really do have a relationship. Smithsonian is giving up this B-17 because they ultimately have a restored example on the way ( Shoo Shoo Baby ) from NMUSAF. The Mighty 8th is a museum commemorating a specific Army Air Force, the NMUSAF is charged with preserving the USAF history and is the owner of more examples of the B-17 than anyone else in the world. Would it have been so far fetched for General Metcalf to decide to pull one of the less better cared for examples in their inventory and reallocate to a Museum that might be better able to care for one iof its charges ? A precedent has certainly been set for this type of action, or do they only care about the high profile examples ?

Last edited by RickH on Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Robbie Roberts]

I visited the Mighty 8th AF Museum in Savannah about 5 or 6 years ago, and I thought it was a great place- They seemed to have plenty enough room for an indoor B-17 display, as I recall. I am looking forward to an other visit there sometime in the near future...

Robbie

[Glen]

So is move because of Shoo Shoo Baby coming to DC or is this just house cleaning ?

[Pat Carry]

So is move because of Shoo Shoo Baby coming to DC or is this just house cleaning ? Probably a little of both. I was told just recently by someone who works for the NASM that their B-17G in storage would never be placed on dislay at Udvar Hazy with Shoo Shoo Baby eventually coming. Personally I think moving the B-17 to Georgia is a good move. Otherwise it would langish in storage for who knows how many years.

[n5151ts]

[P51Mstg]

Rick H......... Your link was to the wrong 8th AF Museum.

Savanaha is

http://www.mightyeighth.org/word/index.php

Mark H

[Django]

It hasn't been touched since it's fire bomber days, correct?

[RickH]

No, Mark , the link is not to the wrong museum. The link I provided was to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale AF. A museum which currently is the caretaker of a B-17 dedicated to the 8th AF. A B-17, that , along with many other air craft need a great deal of maintenance. Maintenance that the museum , despite their good intentions, has been unable to provide. According to a recent article that was discussed on WIX there may be a move afoot by the NMUSAF to relocate some of those aircraft.

This current thread discusses sending the NASM aircraft into potentially the same exact situation. I just think that NASM and the American public which pays the NASM's bills would be better served if the current B-17 were deassessed and sold at auction with NASM being the benficiary. That money could then be recycled into other projects thereby saving the taxpayer money and allowing the Museum to expand their current restoration projects.

On the flip side, selling the aircraft would probably result in the private restoration of an additional b-17 that would ultimately add to the flyable population of B-17s and it would be done to the benefit of the American public at no cost to the taxpayer. A win win situation for all.

[Robbie Roberts]

Rick- There are a couple 8th AF museums across the country- Savannah is the one where the 8th AF was technically founded- their HQ section was formed at the NG armory there, if memory serves. Never knew that till I hit the museum!

Have you ever been to mighty 8th at Savannah? Real nice BIG place, very close to I-95(literally right next to it, and right off the exit) so the venue is great for educating the public. And they have a huge gallery, with a few hanging aircraft, and other stuff. (The waist gunner demo exhibit is really a blast)

Robbie

[mustangdriver]

Rick what about the B-17's that are with flying museums that don't fly? I can think of about three right now? with all of the moving around of B-17's it is hard to keep track. Last I heard was that the deal with the NASM was for a B-17G. Not for a specific one. I have heard that the NMUSAF is giving one of the outdoor B-17's from Tulare or Barksdale to NASM, Shoo Shoo Baby staying where it is, and NASM B-17 is going to the 8th and being placed indoors during and after restoration. There has been no verbage what so ever of Shoo SHoo baby going anywhere from Dayton, actually just the opposite.