‘Hollywood Bomber’ Conducts Engine Test; To Premier at AirVenture 2025

Story and photos by Gary Daniels

This is the latest in Vintage Aviation News updates on the return-to-flight program of the 1954 Beechcraft E18S-9700 “Super 18,” nicknamed Hollywood Bomber. The aircraft is undergoing an extensive restoration at the Vintage Flying Museum (VFM) located at Meacham International Airport (FTW) north of Fort Worth, Texas.

November 23, 2024, marked a major milestone in the program, as the engines were ready to test. On the crisp and sunny Saturday morning, Bill Goebel, owner of Vintage Aircraft Services in Rhome, Texas and the restoration program manager for the Hollywood Bomber, gathered the volunteers around the aircraft to brief them. Bill is extremely proud of the volunteer base that has come together around this aircraft since the return-to-flight program began in September 2022. Bill bragged, “Today marks 104 weeks since the restoration program began, and our volunteers have worked all weekends except Christmas 2022 and 2023 and AirVenture 2022 and 2023! To date, they have contributed more than 9000-hours on the project.” Bill continued with a smile, “Forty percent of our volunteers are women ranging from high school to retired, not just a bunch of old guys!” The importance of the day was felt by all, and the excitement was contagious.

The wingless airframe was towed onto the tarmac, and safety measures were taken. Fire extinguishers were placed near each engine, while the FTW fire department stood by with an airport crash tender. Mains were chocked. A heavy web strap was secured to the tailwheel and tensioned to the tow tug to secure the airframe. Bill and volunteer Mike Borkhuis briefed in the cockpit on startup procedures and goals to accomplish. Finally, with volunteers manning both fire bottles, the crash tender looking on, and more than two dozen volunteers and museum staff watching, it was time for the engines to come to life after last running in 2013. Bill shouted from the cockpit window, “Clear!” and began the starting process. The left engine (1) spun and even coughed at times but would not catch. After a few tries, Bill and Mike decided to let the left engine rest and turned their attention to the right engine (2). After just a few spins the engine spun to life! The applause of the onlookers was drowned out by the radial rumble of the Pratt & Whitney R-985. The engine ran well, meeting the parameter goals. A hose developed a minor oil leak, spraying on the tire and a clean, bright white undercarriage. A quick turn of a wrench solved the issue. With the number two engine idling, Bill and Mike tried starting the left engine again, but no joy. Number two was shut down and they called it a day. After a quick debrief, the 70-year-old Beech was pushed back into the hangar. Bill was satisfied and commented, “As far as initial runs go, we are bolstered by the engine’s performance. The team can be exceptionally proud of the hard work they have put in to get us to this day. The level of workmanship put into this project is first class.”

The Saturday of week 106, December 7th, was cold with deteriorating weather as the aircraft was tugged to the tarmac for another attempt to start the left engine. The gremlin that had prevented engine number one from starting on November 23 had been chased down. The mags were found to have been out of time and were now adjusted. VFM Director of Operations Bill Gorin had the honor to start the engine. Number one protested for several turns before catching and then ran perfectly. The engine test was cut short as a light rain began to fall and the aircraft was rushed back into the restoration hangar. With the successful test completed, the happy team of staff and volunteers headed to the main hangar for the annual Vintage Flying Museum Christmas luncheon where the atmosphere was cheerful. It had been a good morning.

The Hollywood Bomber is in Phase One of a three-phase program. Phase One is to achieve airworthiness in the first quarter of 2025 and attend AirVenture 2025. Phase Two will be the complete interior restoration in time for the AirVenture visit, and Phase Three will be a new livery when funds are raised. Attending AirVenture will garner much publicity and, hopefully, additional funding for the completion of Phase Three. To refresh the reader, VFM acquired the airframe after it had been used for decades as a maintenance trainer at a local junior college. While in the care of the college, it was discovered that the Beech had once been owned by Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Cochran. Jackie’s aviation career, accomplishments, and contributions are legendary. Most notably is that she was instrumental in the creation of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during WWII. Further research revealed that after Jackie’s ownership, the Beech was purchased by 1970s television personality, Merv Griffin. Merv used it to fly numerous stars of the day.

In August 2022, VFM Founder Chuckie Hospers and Bill Gorin made the decision to prioritize the restoration of this iconic aircraft. With Jackie’s lineage traced to the aircraft and because of its celebrity history, the restoration team nicknamed the aircraft the ‘Hollywood Bomber. To read more about this aircraft, visit these links of the previous Vintage Aviation News updates: First coverage in 2023, and updates with more photos in December 2023, and more details in August and September of 2024. The VFM team’s work can be viewed in weekly video updates on the HangaRatz YouTube channel. If you would like to donate to the project you can do so on our website or GoFundMe page. You may also contact the team directly at [email protected].