Inside the rusted skeleton of a warbird once left to decay in an Alaskan riverbed, a powerful story is unfolding—a story of dedication, technical mastery, and the passion of the next generation of aviation enthusiasts. The WWII-era North American B-25J “Sandbar Mitchell” is undergoing a painstaking restoration in Michigan, at the Warbirds of Glory Museum, spearheaded by young students and guided by Patrick Mihalek. Since Vintage Aviation News last reported on the project in late 2024, significant strides have been made. Please consider a donation at this link.
Major Progress on the Center Section
“The focus has really been on wrapping up the center section,” said project leader Patrick Mihalek. “We’ve been working on it since the recovery.” The most complex part of the aircraft’s rebuild—its bomb bay—has seen tremendous headway. Decades of damage caused by both its 1969 crash and years of scavenging made this section especially challenging. In November, a team traveled to AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota, where they press-formed ribs using custom-made dies and conducted necessary heat-treating. By the end of the year, Pat noted that “the whole top of the bomb bay was about 98% complete.” Only six extruded parts remain to be formed using updated fabrication techniques.
The B-25’s front spar, the critical structural beam that supports the wings, is already painted and awaiting precision scanning. “We’re working with Faro Technologies to use a laser tracker to match the front spar against our CAD models,” said Pat. “Once that’s done, the entire front spar will be riveted together and completed.”
A Youth-Powered Effort With Professional Results
The restoration effort—part of a larger youth mentorship program—has allowed students to take part in every step of the process, from inspecting subassemblies to fitting and painting custom-fabricated parts. “Each master assembly drawing has all the different subassemblies,” explained Pat. “We’ve gone through and accounted for everything. What had to be made, has been made. It’s all in paint and ready to go.”
Students are now preparing to disassemble and rebuild the lower and upper skin panels, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated milestones: the reassembly of the complete center section. However, as with many restoration efforts, progress is tied to resources. “Mentoring the kids is the easy part. Restoring the airplane is the easy part,” Pat emphasized. “It’s the fundraising that’s the hard part.” With long lead times—up to eight months—for manufacturing rare materials like L-channels and T-channels, acquiring funding in a timely manner remains one of the largest hurdles. Please consider a donation at this link.
Other Projects: Engines, Trainers, and Tugs
While the B-25 is the flagship effort, it’s far from the only project keeping the team busy. Volunteers recently tore down a damaged Curtiss-Wright R-2600 engine after it suffered a catastrophic failure during flight. “It had a broken articulating rod that wiped out the front row of cylinders,” said Pat. “Now, everything’s cleaned, painted, and in the process of being reassembled for a static display.”
Other museum restoration efforts include the overhaul of a 1946 Clarktor tug—a small but powerful aircraft towing vehicle. “The engine’s been rebuilt, the transmission’s ready for paint, and the frame is heading to the media blaster next week,” Pat reported. With luck, it’ll be parade-ready by July 4th. Work is also progressing on a WWII-era Link Trainer, a flight simulator essential to pilot training during the war. Pat credited volunteer Dick Green and a student-led team for taking it apart and beginning structural repairs. “They’re rebuilding sections of the octagonal base now,” he said.
Looking Ahead
Excitement is building for the museum’s May 17th open house and fundraising gala, featuring special guest Catherine Wyler, producer of the 1990 film Memphis Belle. The event aims to raise critical funds to keep restorations like the “Sandbar Mitchell” moving forward. As the B-25 project approaches one of its biggest milestones—the full assembly of the center section—it’s clear that this aircraft’s second life is being shaped by skilled hands, youthful energy, and a passion for preserving history. “She’s coming back together,” said Pat. “It’s a long road, but every rivet we set brings us one step closer to seeing her fly again.” Please consider a donation at this link.
To learn more about the project and donate to the restoration, visit the website at WarbirdsOfGlory.org.
Here’s a video from 2013 documenting the recovery of the B-25 bomber known as the Sandbar Mitchell, filmed by documentary producers Adam and Kara Martinelli. The couple produced The Restorers, an exciting series about warbird and vintage aircraft restorers and the planes they resurrect from the graves of history. Kara recalls: “You may have heard about Todd and Patrick, the guys from Michigan who raised money to rescue a B-25 bomber called the Sandbar Mitchell. They’ve definitely been getting the word out about their efforts—that’s how we found out about them. We saw a post on Facebook from another aviation-related page, read their story, and immediately thought it would be perfect for our show. It was completely different from our usual features, which typically focus on completed projects—especially those that are flying. When we learned about this recovery in progress, Director Adam White and I thought, ‘We never get a chance to actually film a recovery while it’s happening.’ So we reached out to them and asked if it would be okay for us to tag along and document it.”
What a super project to do ,learning history, all sorts of trades ,team building ,intergenerational working all rolled into this project !!