By Scott Thompson of Aero Vintage
Restoration efforts on historic B-17 bombers are progressing at multiple facilities, with significant work underway at the Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon, and other locations At Erickson, B-17G 44-85718, formerly known as Thunderbird and soon to be renamed We The People, is undergoing extensive restoration. Owned by Scott Glover’s Mid-America Flight Museum since December 2020, the aircraft is receiving particularly notable attention on its wings. The restoration team has replaced the aft spar tubes on both wing inner panels—a challenging procedure never before attempted on a B-17. These spar tubes are known for cracking and corrosion, requiring frequent inspection and repair; their replacement represents a major advancement in B-17 maintenance and restoration. The reassembled spar sections are now being installed into the wing structure using custom jigs. Once complete, the aircraft will emerge from the Erickson hangar in airworthy condition, featuring a new paint scheme and its new name, We The People.
Meanwhile, B-17G 44-85829, formerly known as Yankee Lady, has completed its journey from Madras, Oregon, to the AVspecs facility in Auckland, New Zealand. Owned by Charles Somers of Sacramento, the airframe—minus the wing inner panels and engines—will undergo a full restoration to its original World War II configuration, including operational military equipment such as gun turrets. This restoration is projected to take at least five years. The wing inner panels will remain at Erickson for inspection and repair before being returned to the U.S. for final reassembly. Once restored, the aircraft will be based at Somers’ Sacramento facility at McClellan Airport.
Elsewhere, reconstruction efforts continue on B-17G Liberty Belle in Douglas, Georgia. This project combines parts from 44-85734, 44-83790, and newly fabricated components. The slow but steady work represents a significant engineering effort to reconstruct B-17 components from both original and new materials. Notably, Ray Moore of Asheville, North Carolina, has fabricated the aft fuselage for the project, contributing to the painstaking process of returning the aircraft to flying condition.
These restoration projects highlight both the complexity and dedication involved in preserving B-17 bombers. From pioneering wing spar replacements to full airframe reconstructions, teams across the United States and abroad are ensuring these iconic World War II aircraft remain part of the living history of aviation. Many thanks indeed to Scott A. Thompson for allowing us to reproduce this article… his book, Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors as well as other titles are the gold standard when it comes to the airframe history it describes!
