401st Bomb Group (H) Association
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General Posts #349

PostedMessage
Paul Bellamy


9/27/2008 10:46:20 AM
At last, the day I've been waiting for for some time......
The yellow paint has gone onto the fin of 44-85813 in Urbana!



Counting the days until the Triangle S appears now.

Paul Bellamy

EDanaII


9/28/2008 9:21:01 AM
Yea, but it's still the wrong serial number. 😛

(Grins Evilly)



Paul Bellamy


9/28/2008 7:14:26 PM
Aye....

But would you really want to have another Fort "pretending" to be your Dad's plane?

Or have an fresh new B-17 allocated to the 401st, albeit a tad later than the previous ones?
After all, we've got to catch up with those 1CBW guys with their red fins all over the place. ; -)

TTFN,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

Phoenix


9/29/2008 11:42:51 AM
Gonna have to rain on someones parade here, coz having studied the photo I'm not convinced that is diagonal yellow as it looks more like aircraft primer to my 26 year unexpert eye commonly know in RAF circles as Yaks s*%t!!!! 😛

improvise, adapt, overcome
Paul Bellamy


9/29/2008 12:34:18 PM
I think you're right Dale, and it may well be the primer ready for the final yellow stripe and black triangle on the bare-metal fin, which would account for it covering the area where the triangle will go. The edges of the stripe and triangle have been masked up for a number of weeks now prior to the painting process.

Not the final markings by a long way..... but there is a yellow-coloured stripe of sorts on the fin now at least. ; )

EDIT:
Looking back at the older screen-grabs I posted in the main Restoration thread, the fin has already had a coat of grey primer where the markings will be. I'd have thought a (zinc?) yellow primer would have gone underneath a grey primer, not on top........

Top: July 2008, fin masked up, grey primer in the areas of the insignia and fin leading edge/de-icer boot panels.
Bottom: September 2008, yellow coat added in the stripe and triangle areas, not on the leading edge this time though.


TTFN,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

EDanaII


9/30/2008 9:23:01 AM
But would you really want to have another Fort "pretending" to be your Dad's plane?


What? Is this a trick question? :shock:

Or have an fresh new B-17 allocated to the 401st, albeit a tad later than the previous ones?
After all, we've got to catch up with those 1CBW guys with their red fins all over the place. ; -)


Bah! There's only ONE 401st plane that counts! :mrgreen:



Paul Bellamy


12/5/2008 1:36:22 PM
Dorsal turret test-fitted today! 😃



Some splendid recent photos are in THIS thread over on Warbirds Info Exchange.

TTFN,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

donaldbyers


12/5/2008 4:51:39 PM
Those are some great pictures!!!!! Well let's see 10 years huh I'll be 70 you think I can get a free ride???

Don

Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
Paul Bellamy


12/5/2008 7:04:43 PM
I hope 10 years is the outside estimate for Flying Status, of course the aircraft will appear cosmetically complete quite some time earlier. 😉

As an example, here's what the waist section looked like at the end of 2006:



By the summer of 2007 it was reframed and reskinned.

Looking like this in October:



TTFN,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

donaldbyers


12/5/2008 7:40:29 PM
Roger that Paul and will see that some day and when it is added to the flying B-17's still around by that time......

Tks
Don

Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
Paul Bellamy


12/5/2008 8:11:42 PM
Ta Don,

If I manage to "cross the Pond" before the 2010 reunion, it'll be to Ohio, to visit the Dayton museum, our twinned-town of Kettering, and travel the few miles to Urbana to visit the "Champaign Lady" rebuild.

I have a couple of mint-condition access panels I've picked up over the years at Deenethorpe. If there is any way these are useable in the rebuild then there will eventually be a real physical connection to the 401st other than the paint scheme. :mrgreen:

So..... how about we start putting pressure on the French to do something with B-17G 44-8889 which has been gathering dust in storage for the best part of the last 10 years......... :twisted:





And finally, here's a rare photo of 44-83735 painted up as IY-G "Mary Alice", outdoors at IWM Duxford a few years ago alongside "Sally B":



All the best,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

donaldbyers


12/7/2008 4:18:23 AM
Glad to see those pictures, nice. As far as the French "Par la Vue" they seem to have the own opinion of what they do or don't do. Why would they have it gathering dust unless someone doesn't have the money to restore it or no one has an interest to do it.

Don

Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
warbirdguru


12/7/2008 2:06:25 PM
Does anyone know who painted the painting on the wall? I was curious if it was professionally done by any known aviation artist. It looks immaculate!


win-win


12/7/2008 2:47:59 PM
Paul:
The outdoor photo of 'the girls' is outs-sight! 'Visualize their crews ready and awaiting 'clear'...
Wow! Never thought little 'pixels' could be so powerful.
Win


UrbanaB17


12/16/2008 7:52:51 AM
"warbirdguru":
Does anyone know who painted the painting on the wall? I was curious if it was professionally done by any known aviation artist. It looks immaculate!



The flying B-17 wall painting in Urbana was done by Frank Drain and his son. His father was on a B-17 crew. He is a very good artist and sells some of his work as a hobby.

Dave Shiffer
Urbana, Ohio


Paul Bellamy


12/16/2008 10:26:24 AM
Welcome aboard Dave,

The work everyone at Urbana has put in so far has been great, here's looking forward to more of the same. 🙂

All the best,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

Paul Bellamy


8/9/2009 1:17:20 PM
Paint's on!! 😃



TTFN,
PB

Paul Bellamy

donaldbyers


8/9/2009 5:00:19 PM
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (ah 401st BG Aircraft but that didn't fit in the song).

Don

Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
EDanaII


8/11/2009 10:52:25 PM
But wait! That serial number isn't the Hard Seventeens! What's WRONG with those people!

:twisted:



MaryAlice


3/15/2010 8:06:06 PM
"Paul Bellamy":
Ta Don,

If I manage to "cross the Pond" before the 2010 reunion, it'll be to Ohio, to visit the Dayton museum, our twinned-town of Kettering, and travel the few miles to Urbana to visit the "Champaign Lady" rebuild.

I have a couple of mint-condition access panels I've picked up over the years at Deenethorpe. If there is any way these are useable in the rebuild then there will eventually be a real physical connection to the 401st other than the paint scheme. :mrgreen:

So..... how about we start putting pressure on the French to do something with B-17G 44-8889 which has been gathering dust in storage for the best part of the last 10 years......... :twisted:





And finally, here's a rare photo of 44-83735 painted up as IY-G "Mary Alice", outdoors at IWM Duxford a few years ago alongside "Sally B":



All the best,
Paul


Must be my LUCKY day (aside from losing out on the Blue Book on ebay that is, LOL) I found this thread in a manner of short time, all things considered anyways. But you are right again Paul, Mary Alice looks ALOT different/shade of color...yikes!!

Derrick Morris, Grandson of S/Sgt Engr/Top Turret William "Dale" Sartor, 615th BS 401st BG, "Mary Alice"
MaryAlice


3/16/2010 7:58:49 AM
Paul....question....First of all, how is your "model" coming along? Looks like it has been awhile since last updated, so figured i would ask, as this seems to be a HUGE undertaking. So, how is she coming along?

2nd...Do you know WHY they chose to make a "Mary Alice" replica? Was there something special to her that I am not aware of? Did teh person responsible in givng the "OK" to make a replica, know someone on the Mary Alice? Or other? Or was it the "luck of teh draw"? Just pulled a name out of the hat, and said, OK, this is the one????

I figured YOU would be the man to know the answer to that.

Thanks

Derrick Morris, Grandson of S/Sgt Engr/Top Turret William "Dale" Sartor, 615th BS 401st BG, "Mary Alice"