Barksdale's B-17 and B-24 getting some attention...

[Steve Nelson]

Agreed, Chris..I was just indulging in a little wishing. I don't know if Yankee has ever explored the possibility of getting the Barksdale Lib, or the the Lackland B-24, for that matter. And as you say, right now Yankee has enough on their plate just getting a new hangar built for the current collection.

SN

[APG85]

I don't know if Yankee has ever explored the possibility of getting the Barksdale Lib, or the the Lackland B-24, for that matter.
SN

The Lackland B-24 went to Duxford years ago in a trade deal with the NMUSAF. The B-24 on display at Lackland is a fiberglass fake...

[Steve Nelson]

Sorry..I wasn't clear: I meant I don't know if Yankee ever enquired about the Lackland B-24 BEFORE it went overseas.

Heck..I wonder if the molds still exist. Even a fiberglass replica would make a nice addition to the Yankee airpark.

SN

[Mark Peterson]

Happy to see some of those birds are going to get some attention. I visited the museum in January 2006 and although it was a nice collection, it was a little hard to see them falling apart in the weather. The B-24 had been blown off its parking pads and was sitting in the mud. The fabric was all gone off the control surfaces on the B-17. I hope they can restore them and get them inside where they can properly show their stuff.

[mtpopejoy]

Dang, that bites! I'd heard there was a possibility you'd get evicted last winter, but thought the situation had been resolved. I assume the B-24 project is in storage somewhere..where is the Cariboo currently tied down?

SN

The B-24 project was/is being moved to a T-Hangar across the field so they can continue working along with hangars for the AT-11, the PB4Y turrets and the Spad project. Our Van Ette is in cold storage still at Hangar 2 for the time being and the Caribou is still tied down in front of the hangar door at Hangar 2.

And like the rest I would be interested to know if YAM has ever contacted NMUSAF about acquiring a Liberator.

Regards,
Mark

[mustangdriver]

I did my NVG training there and had a free morning to see the museum. Very nice people and a great collection. They had plans on a building to house most of it. I feel for their struggle but also feel that we are at the point where at the very least the WWII era stuff needs to come in. That includes all the bases.

[seabee1526]

Dang, that bites! I'd heard there was a possibility you'd get evicted last winter, but thought the situation had been resolved. I assume the B-24 project is in storage somewhere..where is the Cariboo currently tied down?

SN

The B-24 project was/is being moved to a T-Hangar across the field so they can continue working along with hangars for the AT-11, the PB4Y turrets and the Spad project. Our Van Ette is in cold storage still at Hangar 2 for the time being and the Caribou is still tied down in front of the hangar door at Hangar 2.

And like the rest I would be interested to know if YAM has ever contacted NMUSAF about acquiring a Liberator.

Regards,
Mark

When is the move in date at the Michigan Aerospace building YAM purchased? Will restoration be moving into that building? I understand that electric is getting very close to being installed at the schoolhouse bldg.

[mtpopejoy]

I belive the timeline is April/May for the move into the MIAT building followed by some "rearranging" so sometime next summer. The shop area in that building is very nice (actually the whole building is very nice) and big. I don't know how they are going to lay it out as far as restoration goes but I am excited to get in there and work again.

As far as the schoolhouse goes you are correct. The county and airport has finally gotten things figured out with the electric company to get the electricity hooked up out there. We are, "on the schedule" for DTE, whatever that means. The work done on the schoolhouse is outstanding. Can't wait until we can start using it!

Regards,
Mark

[seabee1526]

How much land does YAM own in that area, could they constuct a hangar on the MAIT location? I guess that would be quite a trip to get to the ramp though.

[mtpopejoy]

I don't know how much they own versus how much the airport allots them. I think that there would be plenty of room at the MIAT site for a large hangar but the logistics of ramp access conflicting with vehicle traffic in the area would be difficult to overcome.
Regards,
Mark

[CrewDawg]

I heard a rumor from a well connected source that there is a possiblility of moving the entire museum to the east side of the base near a new highway that is going in and that the move might include buildings for at least some of the collection. They are currently in transition from one curator retiring and a new one taking over. Keep your fingers crossed!

[mtpopejoy]

Hadn't heard any of that. I will keep my eyes and ears peeled and my fingers crossed.

[Rob Mears]

I heard a rumor from a well connected source that there is a possiblility of moving the entire museum to the east side of the base near a new highway that is going in and that the move might include buildings for at least some of the collection. They are currently in transition from one curator retiring and a new one taking over. Keep your fingers crossed!

I imagine that would be the final segment of the FM-3132 loop that currently travels around the south side of Shreveport. The extension would carry the road east into Bossier City through the vast wooded area that borders the AFB to the south and east, ultimately joining up with Loop 220 on the east side of town (check it out in Google Earth). This would be a wonderful location for the museum, and would probably incorporate a dedicated entrance for visitors since there are no other AFB facilities in that area. Barksdale has such a great collection of historic planes on hand, I imagine they could create a very special museum unlike anything anywhere in this region. Other than Barksdale, I can't think of any air museums in Louisiana, Arkansas, or Mississippi that are worth a lick!