Work continues in earnest to restore a rare North American B-25J Mitchell Bomber 44-30861.The outboard wing sections which were heavily corroded are nearing completion. The outboard wings have been laid down to enable access to restore the leading edges. Meanwhile great progress is being made on the cockpit section which is almost corrosion free! Final repairs are being carried out on the canopy which suffered corrosion due to water ingress having spent many years neglected outside at North Weald airfield in Essex.
Meanwhile another area has been opened up behind the scenes at the museum to enable work to begin on the inboard wings and engine nacelles. One engine nacelle has already been removed and awaits restoration.
There are three teams currently working on this airframe, Team 1 is restoring the cockpit section, Team 2 is restoring the outer wings and Team 3 is working on the rudders and cowling panels.
We hope in the next 12 months or so we can assemble a fourth team to begin working in the new work area created to enable the engine nacelles to be fully restored.
We are always on the lookout for new engineering volunteers to join the team to bring back this iconic WW2 Bomber to static display condition.
I have 30 years auto body experience, including fabrication, electrical, collision repair, full restoration, factory/custom paint, body/structural repair experience. I love vintage aircraft and have never had an opportunity to get involved in such an important restoration! What an honor it would be!!!