B-17 Restoration Thread...

[Wittpilot]

Okay, here are just a few photos from the last few weeks... Tail was removed for a bit, and now has been replaced for good. Mounts for the cheek guns... & my brother making a bombing run somewhere over the Third Reich....

-witt

 

[Bushpounder]

It the third picture part of the vertical tail structure, center, maybe?

Don

 

[Bomber_12th]

Witt, I too would love to continue to see more progress photos and reports from the restoration! I've of course been following the progress posted to the WIX forum as well (noting a familiar individual in a couple of the latest photos). ; )

Don, the third photo in Witt's last post is one of the rear inboard wing spars getting built up.

 

[StormILM]

Wish I lived close to you guys, if I did, I'd volunteer every spare moment to the effort!

 

[Bushpounder]

Thanks, John! I wasn't sure on the length of the piece due to the angle. Great shots!

Don

 

[Wittpilot]

Yep, Sorry I missed a photo there... John your knowledge still astounds me to this day... I can see you seriously being a large figure in the decades to come as our parents and the previous generation of warbird keepers begins to move on...

Yes... Dad took some photos of those infamous seats...

If some of you remember, the very first thing I started working on were the seats...that was close to a decade ago now.... since then they have been brushed aside... & we have worked on a few things since. Well I was tired of making ribs for the elevator so I suggested we test fit those seats to see if the mechanics work correctly.... forward and back, and up & down.... We have the pilots seat in, and the copilots seat will get fitted this week...

-witt

 

[Wittpilot]

Here's the photos Bomber was talking about....

 

[Bomber_12th]

It's pretty astounding to see the pilots armor plate panels fitted, since none of the B-17's currently flying have those!

 

[stansdds]

It's pretty astounding to see the pilots armor plate panels fitted, since none of the B-17's currently flying have those!

I agree, it's really nice to see any warbird restored to as close to 100% authentic as possible.

 

[Wittpilot]

It's pretty astounding to see the pilots armor plate panels fitted, since none of the B-17's currently flying have those!

The ultimate goal is to have the most accurate B-17 flying in the world. Since everything is essentially being built from the Boeing drawings, that is why a lot of stuff you will see in this aircraft that has been removed over the years in other airframes. I must say I am not a huge fan of the armor plating. I think it just looks odd with it in there, and coming from the flying standpoint, it's right there in your face if you are standing in the cockpit. It is obviously aluminum and not steel because of the ease of build and weight... It's accurate, but I'm not a huge fan of it....

-Witt

 

[Wittpilot]

So we attempted to put the co-pilot seat in.... lo and behold, the holes didn't line up... We tried lots of different things...no go. So we ended up switching the seats. Even though the measurements told me that wouldn't work, it worked...so both seats are in for the first time. They need a little use I think to get the movements right (up & down & forward & back). Tough to get a shot of the seats, but just took a few anyway...Must need to move my screen protector on the front of the phone...

Threw in a shot of the B-25 as I was walking out...

 

[stansdds]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Wittpilot]

I have had some health issues for the last 12 months... Finally got it diagnosed as a herniated disk, that is basically crushing the nerves down into my leg... Got my first round of steroid injections today, so I didn't tinker in the airplane... Dad and another volunteer began laying out the rest of the tail for paint...

 

[stansdds]

A herniated disc? Owwwww!

 

[Wittpilot]

Yeah, I have been battling it for forever because I didn't have pain in my back... and they thought it was muscles in my hip..... so I did a lot of PT for the wrong thing...Hoping and praying I will not need back surgery...That terrifies me at 32... I did lead a pretty active lifestyle...but haven't moved hardly at all in well over 7 months....

 

[Wittpilot]

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Many thanks to Dave for helping me get squared away and getting my account set back up!!

I have been on an absence from the site, but with MSFS's arrival here at the house, and maybe some renewed interest in warbirds for the coming 2021 year, I thought I needed to poke my head in again to the nuthouse, I mean Outhouse and say howdy!!

 

[huub vink]

Two questions:

• How is the back?
• What is the status of the B-17?

Cheers,
Huub

 

[Wittpilot]

Two questions:

• How is the back?
• What is the status of the B-17?

Cheers,
Huub

Howdy Huub!,
2 Answers!

The back... well, it has been a very long road. Initially after surgery in mid-2015, the pain was pretty severe. As I began to heal, I began to realize that the surgery just didn't take. Well it did, and it didn't. After 6 months I went back for another MRI because I was still having pretty bad pain. That MRI showed that while my herniated disk was no longer pushing on the nerves in my spine, the scar tissue from the surgery replaced it and now it was pressing on the nerves. I asked the doc if it was somethign I might have done. Whether it was not doing enough therapy or whatever, he said no... I was just lucky. Humpff... they wanted to keep seeing me and trying different things but by that time I was pretty much done dealing with them. Id say that winter I had a pretty tough time. It was about as deep down the rabbit hole of depression you could get. I always tell people. I wasn't at teh point of suicide, but I could see that point from where I was. Pain does horrible things to the mind and body. I refused any pain killers, mostly because they honestly made me more sick than relieve any pain. I am 6 years post op now, and while the pain still lingers, I am a lot better. I will never be 100%, maybe 70% tops, but I think I have come to terms with it. One big thing for me was never getting to play soccer again in a competitive manner. That hit hard. I had played for 25 plus years... and then had to suddenly stop. This past winter, I played my first game of indoor in 6 years. There were parts where knees gave me fits, but my back surprisingly held up. I still get sore and I refuse to honestly lift anything more than 25 lbs usually. And people think I'm just being a dick at work, but I'm just like, "would you like to see the scar?" lol... So a semi-success story. A success in that the pain is less than before surgery. But it is just one of those, "this was the hand you were dealt" kind of things! Thanks for asking!!!!


The B-17. I am hoping to post more and more updates. I have sadly been absent from volunteering for all of COVID essentially. I was back last weekend to take a safety class for our B-25 ride program. Engine nacelles are done. Fuselage is almost complete. Tail is done. We are turning our attention to the wings now. The museum added an extension last year which is amazing as it moves almost all of the "shop" stuff out of the "hangar".

I will post some photos here maybe later today and some tomorrow hopefully!

Stay Tuned!

I'll also give an update maybe in another thread about my adventures in "Ye Olde Pub"!!
-Witt

 

[Wittpilot]

Quick overall photo and a shot of the finished nacelles.

 

[Wittpilot]

Hey everybody!

Is there still interest in thread? I would like to get it going again if folks would still be interested! Considering the original post looks like it dates back to 2008!!!!

-Witt