The Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base near Warner Robins, Georgia is used to dealing with big and historic planes.
Since August of 2015, they’ve been restoring one of America’s World War II icons. It’s called the B-17 Flying Fortress.
Right now, the plane sits in pieces. It was de-constructed to get de-painted. 15 workers put in time and intense attention to detail to try and make this plane look like it did in 1945.
The museum opened to the public on November 9, 1984 with 20 aircraft on display in an open field and another 20 were in various stages of restoration. The Museum of Aviation has grown to become the second largest museum in the United States Air Force and the fourth most visited museum in the Department of Defense. The museum is a place that honors our veterans and their families and reminds our Airmen of their legendary Air Force heritage.
The Museum staff says the B-17 will be a big attraction when it is completed. They say it is already bringing in more guests who want to see the restoration in progress.
Note from Storm: My father was a navigator and bombardier in B-17s, B24s, and B-29s during WWII, so this restoration project has significant personal interest.