The restoration of the Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless Bu.36175 at the Military Aviation Museum continues to advance steadily, marking significant milestones across several key structural areas. As a reminder, the Museum acquired the aircraft in early 2021 from the National Naval Aviation Museum, along with a large cache of related parts from noted restorer Kevin R. Smith. The restoration was divided between two expert facilities: Aero Trader in Chino, California, tasked with rebuilding the outer wing panels, and Pioneer Aero Ltd in Ardmore, New Zealand, responsible for restoring the remainder of the airframe.
At Pioneer Aero, the upper fuselage rollover structure is nearing completion. New fuselage frames and extruded beams have been fabricated and riveted in place using original techniques and large “icebox” rivets. Supporting components like splice plates, decking panels, reinforcing rails, and the direction-finder tray have been primed, trial-fitted, and are now ready for final installation. Restoration work has also begun on the lower rear fuselage, with disassembly starting on June 16, 2025. This phase involved removing skins and stringers back to frame #13 while preserving the keel stringers. Frames #9 and #12 have been carefully bead-blasted, inspected, and either repaired or replaced as necessary.
Simultaneously, major progress is being made on the wing center section. All five main spars have been fabricated, and Spars #1 and #2, along with their inter-spar ribs, are now being installed in the assembly jig. Upper skin panels and ribs for Spars #3 through #5 have also been trial-fitted and back-drilled for precise alignment. Additionally, many small but essential components—such as brackets for bomb racks, fuel tanks, the aileron servo, and rudder cable guides—have been restored or remanufactured and are now primed for installation.
This well-orchestrated international effort reflects the Museum’s commitment to historical preservation and accuracy, steadily bringing this iconic World War II dive bomber back to life. For more detailed updates and in-depth restoration features by the museum’s curator of digital content, Richard Mallory Allnutt, visit the Restoration Updates page on the Military Aviation Museum’s website.
