B-17 Swoose Restoration Hangar
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- This aircraft is the oldest surviving B-17 Flying Fortress and the only D model in existence. Originally named Ole Betsy, this B-17D participated in several bombing missions in the desperate weeks after Pearl Harbor. Later named The Swoose, it also served as a transport for the commander of Allied air forces in the Southwest Pacific, Lt. Gen. George Brett.
The Army Air Corps accepted this aircraft and assigned it to the 19th Bombardment Group at March Field, Calif., in April 1941. In May it participated in the first mass aircraft flight from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii. In September, the aircraft flew from Hawaii to the Philippines in the longest mass flight to date.
Within hours of the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, Ole Betsy flew on the first U.S. combat mission in the Philippines. During the following three weeks, it struck at the Japanese forces invading the Philippines. After transferring to Java, it continued to fly combat missions.
On Jan. 11, 1942, three Japanese fighters caused heavy damage to Ole Betsy -- but lost two of their own in the process -- during a running 35-minute engagement off the coast of Borneo. Maintenance personnel in Australia replaced the damaged tail with one from another B-17D, replaced the engines, and converted the aircraft into an armed transport. The new pilot, Capt. Weldon Smith, gave it a new nickname after a then-popular song about a half-swan, half-goose called the "Swoose."
In the spring of 1942, Capt. Frank Kurtz, the personal pilot for Lt. Gen. George Brett, took over The Swoose. (His daughter, famed actress Swoosie Kurtz, was named after the aircraft.) The Swoose traveled to forward air bases in the combat zone, and sometimes the crew had to man the guns against enemy fighter attack. The aircraft also set two point-to-point speed records and carried several famous passengers, including Lt. Commander Lyndon B. Johnson (future president of the United States).
Gen. Brett came back to the United States in the summer of 1942 and brought The Swoose with him. The aircraft was stripped of weaponry and unnecessary equipment, overhauled and used as his personal high-speed transport until he retired in late 1945. Remarkably, The Swoose had perhaps the unique distinction of being in operational service from Pearl Harbor to the end of the war.
The Smithsonian Institution accepted possession of The Swoose in the late 1940s and it remained in storage until the National Museum of the United States Air Force acquired it in 2008. After a complete restoration, The Swoose will be placed on display at the museum.
TECHNICAL NOTES (B-17D bomber configuration):
Armament: One .30-cal. and six .50-cal. machine guns and 4,800 lbs. of bombs
Engines: Four Wright R-1820-65 turbo-supercharged radials of 1,200 hp each
Maximum speed: 323 mph
Ceiling: 37,000 ft.
Range: 3,400 miles
I’ve been to the USAF Museum and saw The Swoose in the back of the restoration hangar,the Memphis Belle was being restored in the front part.They no longer have the restoration facility on the tour since they opened the 4th building. The Air Force Museum is the best military aviation museum in the world. Amazing place,I recommend anyone that has any interest in military planes visit it.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
So fascinating to see this , and ALWAYS makes me wonder if this plane could talk to tell us stories, the people it saw during the war and the sky's it flew in, its silent history will never be audibly told, but the metal, the fabric, the plane itself will always hold the history within itself, we can only imaging what it saw. Thanks for this. so great to see.
Glad for the chance to see this. It's been awhile since I visited the restoration hangar; heightened security restrictions prevented it on a few visits. Finally saw Building 4 last November and hope to visit the restorations this summer.
That was brilliant. Just wish there was more of it.
The "D" was found to have a dangerous weakness in the design of the tail after a crash in rough weather which broke it's back. The "E" was the first to have the cyma- recta curve dorsal fin which strengthened the assembly as well as affording the installation of a tail gun position.
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These Gentleman are Doing a Outstanding Job !
This was 5 years ago. Is the Swoose being actively restored today in late 2022? I was there in 2014 and the Swoose was sitting on the floor in the back of the hangar while the Memphis Belle was being finished. From what I’ve been told the restoration facility is no longer open for tours to the public. For me that was one of the best parts of going to the Museum. An amazing place for military aviation buffs.
Totally amazing to see something like this!!
Keep up the Great work 👍 kudos
Man, that's a lot of work. But well worth it. It will be good to see her where she belongs; in the air. Thanks for sharing a bit of history with us. If I recall correctly, (and I might not because I seldom left KLNC entirely sober, these things just happen when the Coke machine is stocked with beer,) B-17's were rather popular with ranking officials for personal transport.
Wrench245
Unfortunately, this is a restoration to static only. But the people rebuilding the 'E' model 'Desert Rat' have "title" (whatever that means!) to a 'C' model that will fly again-in a good few years!
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
I always found it amusing when actress Swoosie Kurtz said she was named after this bomber. Apparently her father flew it and gave it it's name. I've heard of plenty of bombers named after girls, but this is the only instance I know of where a girl was named after a bomber.
Television and film across Swoosie Kurtz is the daughter of Capt. Frank Kurtz owes her namesake to this aircraft.
very cool! cant wait to see her in her former glory.
btw i painted up a 1/200 version of her for ares games miniature air combat game "wings of glory".
Part of the reason the US Air Force wanted Alexander The Swoose was the field installation of the tail gun position
AWESOME work guys. Please pass down those incredible skills to a new generation.
Yes agreed, pass it on, or else it will die out with history.
I've heard that since Memphis Belle has been completed, they've put Swoose on hold. I guess they think that no museum needs more than one B=17. Such a shame...
Now that the Memphis Belle is finished have they actually started on the Swoose? Looks like they really haven’t done much on it since I was there in 2014.
At what point, parts ratio-wise, does the airplane stop being an original restoration and become a newly manufactured airplane with some old parts in it?
" After a complete restoration, The Swoose will be placed on display at the museum." Does this mean that all the patina and originality will be restored out of this aircraft? Will it keep its old paint, or will it be meticulously repainted?
If you have seen the videos about the Memphis Belle, they have repainted her to make her look exactly like she looked the day she completed her 25th mission. Flaws and faded paint and all.
The paint she's wearing isn't original at all. When she was sent to L.A. for display, they put a coat of camouflage on to masks her more presentable. Luckily, they painted around the Swoose logo and they retained the flags on the nose. But everything else isn't original.
Gonna be at the Mid America Museum on the 24th? I was also gonna ask if it costs to get in? Hope to see you there!
ryan moeller hey Ryan, I probably won't be there as I have to work that day. The museum is free to get in and there's a good chance the guys will be there to meet you. Remind me closer to you coming
ErikJohnston Will do! I hope we can explore around on the aircraft. I can't wait to go!
Is it gonna be at the Smithsonian or the National Museum of the USAF?
Clark McKee Air Force museum
This beautiful shark tail B-17D was originally called 'Ole Betsy', and it should be that way again; with its beautiful early aluminum finish, and red & white rudder stripes. 'The Swoose' is just a late offense to him .-
Does anyone know about the other B-17 being restored? At 3:00 with unpainted, unpolished aluminum skin. It's not a B-17G because the waist gunner windows are not staggered.
Oh, nevermind. This was filmed in 2017 so it's most likely the Memphis Belle still undergoing restoration. Darn! I was hoping it was another B-17 to add to our list. :(
Bummed that the restoration has been put on hold, it's such a special and unique plane 😞
Not happy with them reverting the aircraft to its pre-WWII configuration. The aircraft is The Swoose for a reason and ignoring its wartime history is a blunder. It becomes a reconstruction, not an original.
Returning the aircraft to its origional condition is exactly what needs to be done instead of restoring it as a butchered hack for some flag officer.
@@terrysmith4831 You are wiping out the aircraft's history. If the aircraft had been restored by the Smithsonian, it would have been left alone.
Music wire holding the fabric on the SB2C rudder -- Tell him the F4U wing is that way. Better than rib-stitching, but not hard to break off the "hooks" that the wire gets pressed into when installing the fabric.
Will you keep the original artwork??
Eric can you tell me what the red like solution is called that you dip nuts and bolts in to prevent corrosion? And where can I get it at?
Where did he get the extrusion that holds the fabric down.
I live near the museum and would love the opportunity to come down and get to volunteer to help the restoration project if you need any help. I would love the opportunity if I can have it. I hope someday to own my own private collection of aircraft and this would be a learning opportunity for me. I hope I might hear something soon. Good luck guys.
Great, thanks for posting! I was told they hadn't started work on the old girl yet.