B-17G "Chuckie" Update
B-17G "Chuckie" Update
Here are some pictures from this weekends work. We washed the airplane in preparation for our Big Band Hangar Dance in two weeks.
Before and after
Before and after
Bill Gorin
Crew Chief B-17G "Chuckie" S/N 44-8543
Vintage Flying Museum
Fort Worth Texas
www.vintageflyingmuseum.org
Crew Chief B-17G "Chuckie" S/N 44-8543
Vintage Flying Museum
Fort Worth Texas
www.vintageflyingmuseum.org
- hang the expense
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- Location: North of Atlanta, Georgia
- Second Air Force
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- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:26 am
Eventually we'd like to install a chin turret. The accident photos from early '45 show that she was fully armed except for the ball (H2X instead). We aren't certain, but the theory being kicked around at VFM is that she lost the chin turret and astrodome installation when the nose was repaired after this accident. We are in need of an astrodome casting for future installation and at least some of the chin turret equipment. I don't think we have the fairing or turret cover as yet.
I'm personally working out the engineering of the radome and radome stanchion and would like to have something to install early next year.
Scott
I'm personally working out the engineering of the radome and radome stanchion and would like to have something to install early next year.
Scott
- Chris Brame
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- Second Air Force
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Just a reminder to anyone who might be near the Metroplex this weekend, we're having our annual Hangar Dance at Vintage Flying Museum this weekend.
http://www.vintageflyingmuseum.org/events.htm#dance
We'd love to see you there Saturday night!
Scott
P.S. to sthara:
We won't be working on a chin turret installation for a while. We're working on getting her annual inspection done and want to do some flying before we start big projects. Most likely we'll work on the radio room/H2X installation as our first large undertaking. One nice thing about the chin is the fact that some PFF airplanes had the turret deleted during the latter part of the war in the ETO. Chuckie will still be representative of a combat Pathfinder with or without the turret.
S
http://www.vintageflyingmuseum.org/events.htm#dance
We'd love to see you there Saturday night!
Scott
P.S. to sthara:
We won't be working on a chin turret installation for a while. We're working on getting her annual inspection done and want to do some flying before we start big projects. Most likely we'll work on the radio room/H2X installation as our first large undertaking. One nice thing about the chin is the fact that some PFF airplanes had the turret deleted during the latter part of the war in the ETO. Chuckie will still be representative of a combat Pathfinder with or without the turret.
S
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- Second Air Force
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Dr. Hospers (who pays the avgas bills) says he isn't crazy about a chin turret either! We were visiting about turrets soon after I started working with the VFM folks and someone mentioned the drag created by just installing the top turret shell. I'm sure the chin will dirty it up a lot.
On the subject of the radome, I've read somewhere that it was about the same drag as a ball turret until you deployed it, and then it acts like an anchor. We'll hopefully have some experience with that next summer......
Our hangar dance last weekend was quite a bash. It was my first VFM dance and it certainly appeared to be a success to my rookie thinking.
Scott
On the subject of the radome, I've read somewhere that it was about the same drag as a ball turret until you deployed it, and then it acts like an anchor. We'll hopefully have some experience with that next summer......
Our hangar dance last weekend was quite a bash. It was my first VFM dance and it certainly appeared to be a success to my rookie thinking.
Scott
- MarcKyle64
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- Second Air Force
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I've been told that some of the General's barges were real speedsters after being stripped. I wonder if anyone has knowledge of how fast The Swoose was as an executive transport? I'd bet she scooted right along!MarcKyle64 wrote:IIRC, the surviving F's with the later paddle props and up-to-date engines used on the G would fly 20-25 kts faster. If you're REALLY worried about drag, then the small remote controlled turret and sighting dome used on the first E's would have less drag than the Sperry.
The guys who've been around Chuckie for a long time told me that it was pretty fast before they started to add wartime equipment to her, and I'd guess that goes for all the remaining flyers. I'd sure like to see a remote turreted E in airworthy condition someday.........we can dream, huh?!
Re: B-17G "Chuckie" Update
WOW , any one of those fine photos would make good wallpaper !! ( maybe even a nice calendar)
- Chris Brame
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Re: B-17G "Chuckie" Update
Didn't it set some kind of cross-country or trans-Pacific speed record during the war?I wonder if anyone has knowledge of how fast The Swoose was as an executive transport? I'd bet she scooted right along!
- Second Air Force
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Re: B-17G "Chuckie" Update
I believe The Swoose set several speed records during her time as General Brett's aircraft.Chris Brame wrote:
Didn't it set some kind of cross-country or trans-Pacific speed record during the war?
We're still plugging away at the maintenance items on Chuckie and hopefully we can give a better update on our progress soon.
Scott
- Second Air Force
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Re: B-17G "Chuckie" Update
The VFM crew ran all four engines on Chuckie on 7/18 with only a couple of little squawks. The airplane is inching closer to airworthy status.
Scott
Scott
Re: B-17G "Chuckie" Update
Yes, as Scott (Second Air Force) said, we ran all 4 engines yesterday with great success. This is a major milestone in our progress towards flying again. I can't say thank you enough to the amazing crew that I have the priveldge of being "chief" of. We all put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this and we're starting to see the fruits of our labor. We ran each engine individually and shut it down and checked for any problems and then we started all 4 engines and listened to the sweetest music I've heard in a long time - 4 R1820's purring along beautifully! We only had 4 minor write-ups when it was all said an done. Next on our to-do list is the landing gear inspection, including a gear swing and then it's just a matter of closing up the few remaining panels and fixing some more write-ups.
Here's the video of the "second" engine run when we started all 4, it literally brought tears to my eyes and lump in my throat that still hasn't totally gone away.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gi ... 106&ref=ts
Here's the video of the "second" engine run when we started all 4, it literally brought tears to my eyes and lump in my throat that still hasn't totally gone away.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gi ... 106&ref=ts
Bill Gorin
Crew Chief B-17G "Chuckie" S/N 44-8543
Vintage Flying Museum
Fort Worth Texas
www.vintageflyingmuseum.org
Crew Chief B-17G "Chuckie" S/N 44-8543
Vintage Flying Museum
Fort Worth Texas
www.vintageflyingmuseum.org