Warbird Information Exchange

Well Folks, yesterday was a busy day as we traveled up to Urbana Ohio to check on the progress on the Flying Fortress that is being reassembled there. Good weather but was a little on the chilly side.

here's the thread from my last trip up there for you review:
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10558&highlight=urbana+b17



Before we get started, saw this on the air field, any guess as to what type aircraft these wings go to?



Unfortunately due to the long Holiday weekend the B-17 hangar was locked and no work was being done. Kind of a let down but I should have called ahead to ask if that was the case. I did check the website, but didn't see any mention of it. Anyways when handed lemons you make lemonade right? So we decided to poke around the air field and see what we could see. Apparently from what we saw and were told Grimes is turning into a mini-Chino with up to around 8 Warbirds homesteading there. Which is huge when considering the size of the field.

So like I said no B-17 but look what we found just next door to the Hangar:

Air Spray Tanker 32, A-26C Ser no. 44-35948 and DC-3? NC105CA


I’m a big fan or Fire Bombers going all the way back to first seeing “Always” as a kid, so seeing this Invader there was a big deal for me. Apparently Tanker 32 was ferry'd down from Canada but upon arrival the FAA promptly yanked their paperwork due to the Spar concerns with this type. So it's waiting it's turn at restoration in which it will be returned to Mil-Spec condition. She was workhorse and a little ruff but she's beautiful in my eyes. Can't wait to see this one develop.













Any guess as to what this mount is for?


Tons more pictures here, inside and out: http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/ChimChim3/Grimes%20Field%2029%20Nov%202008/?start=all


Next we have DC-3? NC105CA. As I was told this aircraft languished for many years up in Columbus until the airport said it needed to go. So here it came. The only thing I came up with when doing a N-number search is that this is a DC-3. But then you look at the when panels you can see the faint outline of USAF and the "Stars and Bars" So maybe it is a C-47 that served with the Air Force after 1947 or a DC-3 with C-47 wings. Anybody know? Still a very cool aircraft and the plan is also to restore her to Military configuration.













More pictures here: http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/ChimChim3/Grimes%20Field%2029%20Nov%202008/?start=all










So as we headed back to the car thinking that was all there was to see. I spotted a sign on a Hangar the said "Grimes Flying Lab" with the silhouette of a twin tailed C-45 on it. So of course we had to stop by and see what was up.

Operated by the Grimes Flying Lab Foundation Beechcraft Ser No. 52-10580, as I was told, was built prior to 1952 then being refurbished and re-serial numbered delivered to the USAF. When discovered by the Grimes group it was sitting down in Waynesville, OH (sauerkraut festival Yum!!) derelict after a skydiving group had tried to use it in that role. After being made serviceable it was used for many years as a test platform from Grimes Aerospace testing aircraft lighting systems as Flying Laboratory 4. (Flying Laboratory 3 is a T-28 now flying in Australia as VH-CIA, it was reclaimed during Vietnam and used throughout the conflict. The registration tells you who used it.)

It’s neat aircraft and is lovingly maintained by it’s volunteers. Missed seeing her fly by one day and now she is down for maintenance until March.









More pics: http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/ChimChim3/Grimes%20Field%2029%20Nov%202008/?start=all



So that’s it for our trip to Urbana,……………………………or so we thought. As we were pulling a out of the parking lot I noticed a vehicle parked out in front of the B-17 hangar. And in one last ditch effort to accomplish our primary target we stopped to see if they were open. Lo and behold they were. It just so happened that a volunteer named Dale was showing some out of town friends and was awesome enough to allow us as well. I cannot express enough the hospitality that was conveyed to us. Dale talked our ears off and the nicest part was that they weren’t afraid to let people get inside and climb all over the aircraft to get a close look. A real class act.

They’ve accomplished a lot in the almost 2 years since I was there last, with tone more work yet to go. Last time I was there they were still in need of a 4th engine to make a complete set. Now they have the 4th along with a spare. In the pictures you will see a worn but complete engine. That engine came out of some old man’s barn where it had sat for years and said that it came off a B-25. And the spare is the engine partially torn down. One neat thing about this trip, is that this time I got go into there back room where all the parts, forms and bit and pieces are kept. Lots of neat stuff, including a T-6 that is torn down to Parade-Rest.

The aircraft will be composed of 4 or 5 Serials combined into making one Flying Fortress. The forward fuselage was once part of a B-17 used for Turbo-Prop development. Most have seen the pictures of a B-17 with a large engine and prop in place of where the nose was. One significant picture is one where all radial engines are shut down and feathered with only the Turbo-Prop pulling the bomber through the air. Ironically I saw this picture a lot growing up as it is part of a large photographic mural in the Lobby/Foyer of the Wright-Patterson AFB “O”-club (Officer’s club).

Anyways without further ado’ I present B-17 Ser No. 44-85813 “Champaign Lady” Hopefully she’ll be flying in under 10 years time.

















Hand made Cheyenne turret:












A Radio Room section has proven to be non-existant in locating so the team will be building from scratch as per the Boeing supplied drawings. So in the mean time that gap in fuselage allows freedom of movement in between the assemblies and will be fabricated after the other major portions of the fuse are completed.







These are for Gary, as in the last thread he asked what kind of equipment they used.




And as always more pictures here:
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/ChimChim3/Grimes%20Field%2029%20Nov%202008/?start=all

Along with a slideshow of everything above if you wish: http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/ChimChim3/Grimes%20Field%2029%20Nov%202008/?albumview=slideshow



Hoped Y’all enjoyed the Show,……………………stay tuned.




Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

I was there a few weeks ago. What impressed me the most is that the people were so great.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

What's the R-2600 for? That ain't no B-17 engine.




Thanks for the pics,

Gary

Well admittedly I may have misheard what it's intended use was. But I do recall Dale telling me it came off a B-25 (as they were told by the donor)

They do have a B-25 as well. Perhaps the engine is for that project. It too was locked up in another hangar. So cause for a return trip hear shortly.





This more like it? I may not have seen precisely where he was pointing as we were behind the engines.



Little Helper



Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

Their B-25 is not a project, but the one that was named Carolina Girl. IT is fully restored and a flyer. It is in that hangar to the left of the DC-3. Very sweet looking plane.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Great place to visit. I was there about a month ago and I was even allowed to climb up in to the cockpit of the A-26 and sit in the pilots seat. I was told that the A-26 was a former On Mark exective version. The airplane was flown down to Urbana with its spray tank in place. It will take some work to the fuselage where the tank was removed to make the airplane airworthy. Great photos Shay Thanks Carl

The mount you're asking about on thr A26 is for the fire bottles


Is the mystery wing from an N3N?

_________________
Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

you can see some of the window patches here



Anybody know where a pair of Invader turrets cn be had? Will be awesome

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

Nope, its not N3N, thats for sure!

_________________
Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

Great report, Shay. Thanks. I may have missed it, but do they have a nose section for the Fort?

Hey george. I didn't see a nose section.

What I did see there was this huge half-sphere aluminum cap. Asked dale what is for and he told me when they flew the B-17 without the 5th engine in the nose they installed the dome cap. I saw an old picture of it installed and man it looked goofy. Pretty much where you see the cockpit stop in the restoration pictures is where it installed. The dome didn't protrude past the propeller hubs. I'll try to get a copy of that picture.



I plan on going back maybe as soon as next weekend. I can ask. Why you gotta line on one?

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

I wish I knew where one was for them, Shay. But since they built that rear turret from scratch, hopefully they can do the same with the nose if they don't locate one. I don't guess that place in Troutdale, Oregon that used to carry all the B-17 parts has a nose. I don't know if they are in business anymore.

I'm the guy that built the tail gun.She was very rough but the yoke and the top skins were usable.They may get the major front frames from me as they are done and sitting on the shelf.The bulkheads are done correctly and would sure speed up the nose build.The window frames are next.

_________________
Hang The Expense

Your very talented, my friend. Dale didn't mention who made it by name, only that is was hand made by someone down in Georgia. That turret is a peice of art.

I guess the idea is to have all the turrets functioning with the excepton of the top or dorsal turret. He said there was a crack in the ring gear or that it was cut, something along those lines. So some weight savings plus additional room in the aircraft. But they do have one and i think they plan to make a display out of it on the ground, ala NMUSAF.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

A question: how did you manage to get such unrestricted access to all that stuff? I'd have thought that being on an active airport would have security restrictions up the wazoo! I think I'll need to take a trip down there sometime-I'm in Columbus, so it isn't far