"Flak Bait" restoration and a surprise.

[Lightninglover]

Interesting article from The Smithsonian on the restoration of "Flak Bait". The found a German Round in the Radio Operator's table.

http://insider.si.edu/2015/06/to-preser ... o-science/

[Steve Nelson]

Great to see the old girl's finally getting the TLC she deserves! I'm wondering how they'll handle the fabric-covered control surfaces. The originals have got to be incredibly fragile.

SN

[Richard W.]

Anybody identify the chunk embedded in the wood?

Looks like threads. Maybe piece of a 20mm shell casing?

[quemerford]

Wasn't this all discussed a few years ago? Or did they find some more stuff?

[Jerry O'Neill]

With those screw threads it looks to be anti aircraft shell some what larger than a 20mm or even a 40mm.

[Ken]

1. Love this.

2. I think it will be worth the wait.

3. I'm surprised the paint stabilization/preservation issue comes across as news - I figured there were any number of other artifacts (the P-38 comes to mind) where this has already been an issue.

4. Go Smithsonian!

Ken

[quemerford]

Well this is a strange conversation from 2015.....

Anyone want to talk about Obama winning his second term?

[pjpahs]

It may have been discussed before , and I wish when a photo like the expended round part is shown it includes a scale or something next to it of known dimensions.

[sandiego89]

I think it would be great to display that section of the wooden floor, with the round still in place, in a glass case in front of the aircraft. It would tell quite a story.

Good arguments could be made either way- she gets put back together with the round forever hidden as per the plan, or the floor section gets left out for display. I am just glad she will be in one piece, and just preserved as best as possible.

Wish we had more time capsule combat vets that were just pulled off the line and parked.

[Stoney]

I think its a piece of shrapnel, not a bullet, I see threads on it.

[pjpahs]

Many years ago a family friend gave to me a USA 20MM dummy round, inert case with a projectile in case mouth. Being only about 12 yrs old I noticed that the bullet head was screwed to body . Put in vise and removed the threaded tip and found it empty of course, it was marked "Practice or dummy" I printed on a pce. of paper
the current number of states and current President , Kennedy, my name , etc. a time capsule. Yes the case was demilled, hole thru case. Looking thru the Luftwaffe Resource Center here in WIX you can look under Armaments and do more searching on 30mm rounds WIKI and find that many if not all had threaded tips or bases to contain the hot stuff inside. Got to reopen that round and show the grandkids. But not knowing the size of that gouge and hole we can only guess.

[Pogo]

I think it would be great to display that section of the wooden floor, with the round still in place, in a glass case in front of the aircraft. It would tell quite a story.

That, to my mind, is the only logical thing to do. I can understand the conservation point of view of including in the airframe as it originally came back here with for posterity, but it seems rigid unto pointless, if hidden and only a select few ever know about it. Be much wider artifact appreciation/appeal if everyone gets to know about it.

But what do I know?