The Rebuild History Yankee Lady

yankee lady tail turret



yankee lady top turret

a comprehensive inspection , repair/rebuild program initiated after b-17 arrived @ yam. primary goal return aircraft safe flying condition, secondary objective of reinstall authentic combat equipment obtainable , practical.

upon close examination, found plane quite literally shadow of world war ii combat configured b-17. turrets , guns missing. floors had been lowered , bulkheads removed during long , varied post war career. large cargo door had been installed in left side of fuselage.

the vertical , horizontal tail surfaces removed in order repair areas of corrosion. control surfaces recovered using modern fabric, , control cables inspected , replaced necessary. floor in radio room raised original position , authentic radios installed along table radio operator.

the 2 1000 gallon fire retardant tanks removed, , bomb bay doors re-installed along equipment required able open , close them in flight. bomb racks built scratch. roof above bomb bay removed repair structure had been modified when chemical tanks fitted.

the outer wing panels removed allow replacement of aileron attachment channels, corroded. long-range tokyo auxiliary fuel tanks removed. 4 wright r-1820-97 9 cylinder turbocharged radial engines dismounted , 2 outboards overhauled @ cost of on $25,000 piece. every hose , electrical wire in airplane has been replaced.

a sperry ball turret , bendix chin turret acquired, renovated , re-installed in aircraft. top turret dome has been fitted along cheek guns in nose compartment. replacement cheyenne tail turret obtained , restored world war ii configuration.

the aircraft has been painted in markings of typical b-17g assigned 534th bombardment squadron ( gd ), 381st bombardment group (triangle l), 8th air force flying out of raf ridgewell in england in late 1944. color scheme memorial late joseph slavik flew 35 missions pilot 381st. mr. slavik , brother stephen made significant financial contribution yankee air force helped purchase plane.

the “yankee lady” name , nose art not replicate of known combat veteran b-17, rather meant representative of era.

the restoration work , much, more accomplished entirely dedicated yankee air force volunteers generously donated time, talents , financial resources has been labor of love.

the first post restoration flight took place on july 13, 1995.

yankee lady offers flight experience rides middle of may through september crew of 3 , additional 12 people. proceeds support yankee lady , yankee air museum.