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Garber Facility

Wed Aug 20, 2025 6:00 pm

Does anyone have a list of what is still in storage at the Garber facility?

Re: Garber Facility

Wed Aug 20, 2025 10:42 pm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... nstitution

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 6:03 am

Some assets might be in storage at Dulles. I don't see the B-25 "Carol Jean" listed. There was one or two utility buildings at Dulles that once had the Space Shuttle and SR-71 in storage.

I always thought the new restoration facility at Dulles should have been named for Paul Garber. He was instrumental in saving dozens of aircraft...some of the most important ones.

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 6:59 am

APG85 wrote:Some assets might be in storage at Dulles. I don't see the B-25 "Carol Jean" listed. There was one or two utility buildings at Dulles that once had the Space Shuttle and SR-71 in storage.
I seem to remember the B-25 was in storage in one of those utility buildings at Dulles along with a B-17 now at the Natl Museum of the 8th Air Force.

I always thought the new restoration facility at Dulles should have been named for Paul Garber. He was instrumental in saving dozens of aircraft...some of the most important ones.

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 7:03 am

OD/NG wrote:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_in_the_Smithsonian_Institution


Thanks for that list. There is still an incredible amount of stuff at Garber. I wonder what will happen to all of it? It certainly wont all fit into the UH.

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 8:52 am

I don't see the B-25 "Carol Jean" listed.


The B-25 is in the Ramsey Building, which is the old building near Udvar Hazy (UH) where the shuttle Enterprise was stored in the years before UH was built. This building is now used mostly for conservation work, but still houses the B-25 (and almost nothing else in the manner of large aircraft).

I wish I knew the long term plan for "Carol Jean" display. That airplane was originally a B-25 trainer, then dressed up to military standard for use in airshows. I think it would be a great idea to take this back to its trainer roots - certainly an underrepresented model - but I think that would be too much trouble. Perhaps this should be displayed as is, an airshow airplane. We will see...

There is A LOT happening in the UH restoration hangar at this time. The Flak Bait is moved into the open for more work, the Lincoln-Standard biplane is moved from the north to the south part of the hangar, which now includes the just-arrived F-15C. Most of the Transformation restorations have been finished. Now might be the time to get back to work on the Garber survivors. The restoration hangar interior is being well photographed on flickr.com by Redripper, check there!

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 9:11 am

I made it to Garber once @1991 when they did tours on certain days. Felt like I was in on a secret tour of an ancient tomb or something. Very special with the highlight of being asked to touch the preservative coating on the Enola Gay fuselage as they were determining which of the four coatings would hold up the best.

Pretty please bring the F-4 Sageburner and the POGO to UH! Don't even wash them!

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 9:26 am

We visited U-H last week. Flak Bait looked about the same as she did on our last visit in 2014, but it looks like the parts may be staged so actual conservation and reassembly of the airframe t itself can finally begin, rather than just piecemeal work on components. The restored rudder is on display and looks incredible. Sadly, I doubt any actual Marauder crewmen will still be alive when she's finally back in one piece.

SN

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 9:31 am

old iron wrote:The B-25 is in the Ramsey Building, which is the old building near Udvar Hazy (UH) where the shuttle Enterprise was stored in the years before UH was built. This building is now used mostly for conservation work, but still houses the B-25 (and almost nothing else in the manner of large aircraft).

For anyone else curious like I was, it's the building located about 150 feet northeast of MWAA Fire Station 302 at Dulles. There's a picture of the inside showing the B-25 on a page on the website of a contractor that renovated it.

Building 23 at Silver Hill is apparently also called the "Ramsey Building" and in the process of looking for information I found a page with excellent panoramas of the inside.

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 11:19 am

Noha307 wrote:
old iron wrote:The B-25 is in the Ramsey Building, which is the old building near Udvar Hazy (UH) where the shuttle Enterprise was stored in the years before UH was built. This building is now used mostly for conservation work, but still houses the B-25 (and almost nothing else in the manner of large aircraft).

For anyone else curious like I was, it's the building located about 150 feet northeast of MWAA Fire Station 302 at Dulles. There's a picture of the inside showing the B-25 on a page on the website of a contractor that renovated it.

Building 23 at Silver Hill is apparently also called the "Ramsey Building" and in the process of looking for information I found a page with excellent panoramas of the inside.


Cool finds! Nice to see some of the aircraft labeled in the photos too. In addition to what's labeled, I think I see an Arado Ar 196, the XP-56 Black Bullet and maybe a B6N Jill fuselage in Building 22.

Re: Garber Facility

Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:41 pm

sandiego89 wrote:I made it to Garber once @1991 when they did tours on certain days. Felt like I was in on a secret tour of an ancient tomb or something. Very special with the highlight of being asked to touch the preservative coating on the Enola Gay fuselage as they were determining which of the four coatings would hold up the best.

Pretty please bring the F-4 Sageburner and the POGO to UH! Don't even wash them!


I was there on a tour in 86 as you say, it was like Aladdin's Cave. They were still uncrating a lot of the birds and the rarest stuff like the BV.155 and Ta152 were so close together it was impossible to take pictures of them, but to see them untouched since they were boxed up was extraordinary. I did get a few photos, however. here's a couple and the rest in the Flickr album linked below

ImageConvair XFY-1 'Pogo' (SH) by Paul Stroud, on Flickr

Image1Martin 162A 'Tadpole Clipper' NX19168 (SH) by Paul Stroud, on Flickr


https://www.flickr.com/photos/191578449 ... 327368203/

Re: Garber Facility

Fri Aug 22, 2025 7:04 am

old iron wrote:
I don't see the B-25 "Carol Jean" listed.


I wish I knew the long term plan for "Carol Jean" display. That airplane was originally a B-25 trainer, then dressed up to military standard for use in airshows. I think it would be a great idea to take this back to its trainer roots - certainly an underrepresented model - but I think that would be too much trouble. Perhaps this should be displayed as is, an airshow airplane. We will see...


I saw the B-25 "Carol Jean" at the Sussex Airshow in New Jersey (around 1981). She looked good on the exterior (never got s look inside). I had always hoped they would put it on display "as is" until a time that it could be fully restored. Maybe there's a plan to eventually swap it for a combat vet B-25 and that's why it has remained stored?

The B-25, named "Carol Jean," which appeared in the movie "Catch- 22" as "Luscious Lulu," was received eagerly by officials at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.
"We have long been searching for a B-25. We've been purposely holding back to find a good one," said Tim Wooldridge, the museum's aeronautics department chairman
.

https://b-25history.org/aircraft/4429887.htm

Re: Garber Facility

Fri Aug 22, 2025 9:30 am

SHOO SHOO SHOO baby?

Re: Garber Facility

Fri Aug 22, 2025 10:12 am

APG85 wrote:
old iron wrote:
I don't see the B-25 "Carol Jean" listed.


I wish I knew the long term plan for "Carol Jean" display. That airplane was originally a B-25 trainer, then dressed up to military standard for use in airshows. I think it would be a great idea to take this back to its trainer roots - certainly an underrepresented model - but I think that would be too much trouble. Perhaps this should be displayed as is, an airshow airplane. We will see...


I saw the B-25 "Carol Jean" at the Sussex Airshow in New Jersey (around 1981). She looked good on the exterior (never got s look inside). I had always hoped they would put it on display "as is" until a time that it could be fully restored. Maybe there's a plan to eventually swap it for a combat vet B-25 and that's why it has remained stored?

The B-25, named "Carol Jean," which appeared in the movie "Catch- 22" as "Luscious Lulu," was received eagerly by officials at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.
"We have long been searching for a B-25. We've been purposely holding back to find a good one," said Tim Wooldridge, the museum's aeronautics department chairman
.

https://b-25history.org/aircraft/4429887.htm

I agree, Carol Jean should go on display as is! The sooner the better.

Re: Garber Facility

Fri Aug 22, 2025 11:38 am

Thank you Noha and Paul for the links and photos from Garber. While a few have made it out, still indeed some treasures there!
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