Warbird Information Exchange

Somewhat off-topic, but I hoped someone familiar with the New England Air Museum might be able to tell me if the Burnelli CBY-3 is still at the museum. Last I heard it was stored outside partially disassembled and had been since 1964. It would be a shame to let this one-of-a-kind aircraft rot away due to neglect.

Thanks for any info you may be able to provide.

Walt

Still there and as of last spring still outside.





Tim

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www.tailhookstudio.com

Yep;
She's still there and NEAM has two QEC's from a B-25 to help put her back together. The twin tails and control surfaces are stored inside the airframe.

When I was an Associate Curator there 16 years ago, it was on the back burner. Unique and worth saving, but not a hi-drawing item for the general public, kind of a side-story of aviation, and difficult to sink money into when you have B-25, B-17 (at the time) B-29, VS-44 etc. in queue ahead of it.

I think it would be very unique to restore it, as once the puiblic see's it's restored, it will become quite a conversation piece. NEAM has most of the Burnelli Archieves also.

The late test pilot, "Slick" Goodlin, was a big proponet of Burnelli's aircraft designs for airline safety reasons, and he tried numerous times to aquire the CBY-3 from us to restore and fly around the country promoting the virtues of the lifting body design.

I love the plane and wish it could be restored soon. Do you realize that it is almost as wide as a 747?
How cool is that?!!!

One day, we'll see here on display in all her splendor, when I'm not sure>
Blue skies,'
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Cool machine. It's not gonna win any beauty pageants, but it would be neat to see it completed.

Gary

When the engines are on, it has a real "Beaufighter" look to it, as the engine nacelles stick ahead of the cockpit.
Pretty cool looking!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

I was eating dinner at a friends house in Sugarloaf Key, FL and he was telling a story of a really unique airplane he saw at College Park airport when he was a kid. It was called a Burnelli!

I looked across the table and said, "Ive seen it!"
You should have seen the look on his face when I told him it was a "Lifting Body airplane" and he realized I was serious.

A few months later I went there for a WIX gathering, took a picture of it while walking around outside and sent it to him.

Get it together while some people can still remember it!

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"Hindsight is usually 20% off!"

Wicked!

I didn't knew one survived.

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Olivier Lacombe -- Harvard Mk.4 C-GBQB

Anybody know where the engines are?

NEAM recovered the aircraft from Baltimore without the engines. They were, however, B-25 QEC units from the firewall forward. It had been modified for the Polar trip with them. NEAM aquired the needed 2600's, mounts and cowlings back in 1984, so basically it is all there now and just needs a lot of TLC and small parts!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

In Scott Thompson's B-25 in Civil Service, one of the B-25s listed was reported as sold to Vincent Burnelli with no further record after that - I imagine he bought it for the engines; were there any other B-25 parts used on the CBY-3?

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

No other B-25 parts that I'm aware of, but I'm not an expert.
I don't know where the original powerunits went, but NEAM got it engineless, so we traded for the engines.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Hi Guys,

I saw that airframe several months ago for the first time. I recently made a cross country move from Minnesota to Connecticut for a new career. In my opinion the plane is a very unique piece of history from it's design point of view. But, when I see aircraft, especially rare examples such as this one, sitting outside exposed to the ravages of Mother Nature, it saddens me to see it slowly sink into a bad state. I think, if it were to be put back together and given a little TLC, I think it would be a very interesting display aircraft.

Paul

The whole outside display/storage issue is critical in the Northern climates.
NEAM recently let two birds go so that someone else could restore them and get them better protection. The B-47 went to Hill AFB Museum and the F-8 Crusader is already restored and going on display at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.
Tough balance and one that we're always working on.
Jerry

_________________
"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."