# Another B-17 to be restored!



## seesul (Feb 18, 2009)

Restoration of B-17 recovered from Labrador will take at least 10 years, owner says.
TERRY ROBERTS
The Telegram

A rare Second World War vintage bomber that was recovered from a lake in Labrador nearly five years ago is still at least a decade away from flying again, said the man who now owns the wreck.

Don Brooks of Douglas, Ga., a wealthy aviation buff who rebuilds classic airplanes, financed the successful recovery of the B-17 in 2004 at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars. The search and recovery garnered international attention, and was chronicled in a television documentary that was broadcast on the History Channel.

Brooks waged a lengthy legal battle with the provincial government over his right to salvage the plane, and eventually won permission from the Federal Court of Canada.

A salvage team located and recovered most of the plane in Lake Dyke, approximately 435 kilometres northwest of Goose Bay, during the summer of 2004, and trucked it back to Georgia. It has since been disassembled and sits in a hangar at an airport in Douglas.

Brooks and his team have been preoccupied with the restoration of a Curtiss P-40 fighter plane that was recovered from the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean. That plane is expected to take to the skies again in about two months and Brooks said his full attention will then switch to the B-17.

"I look forward to making that our primary project," he said last week.

Brooks couldn't say how much the restoration project might cost, but noted that a fully restored B-17 could fetch upwards of US$10 million.

The Labrador B-17 was en route from Greenland to Goose Bay in December 1947 when it made an emergency landing on the frozen lake. All nine people on board were safely rescued two days later, and the plane eventually sank.

It's believed there are only 14 airworthy B-17s in existence, and Brooks owns one of them, the Liberty Belle. The Liberty Belle toured the province in September 2006, making stops in Labrador City, Goose Bay, Stephenville, Gander and St. John's. Thousands of people boarded the plane.

Brooks arranged the tour as a way of expressing his gratitude for the support he received in his efforts to recover the B-17 in Lake Dyke.

"We were able to visit with some great people," he said.

The B-17 is special to Brooks because his father served as tail gunner in the "Flying Fortress" during the Second World War. Nearly 13,000 B-17s, a four-engine heavy bomber, were made before, during and after the war.

The Telegram - St. John?s, NL: Local News | Rebuild to begin soon


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## Geedee (Feb 18, 2009)

Hey, thanks for posting this info. Absolutely great that another '17 will eventually fly again.

Lucky bloke, fancy owning two 'Forts !...not really jealous !. You can bet this will be a very thorough and painstaking resto if its to be done by the same crew who got 'Liberty Belle' up where she belongs. 

Have to keep an eye on this topic !


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## ToughOmbre (Feb 18, 2009)

Always great to hear that another "Fort" will live again, especially since the B-17 is my all-time favorite aircraft.

TO


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## seesul (Feb 18, 2009)

Yep. I got the same passion!


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## Gnomey (Feb 18, 2009)

Great to see another one being restored!


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Feb 18, 2009)

Cool, great to see another 17 restored.


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## Airframes (Feb 18, 2009)

Marvellous, great news!


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## fly boy (Feb 20, 2009)

yes another one to fly like an eagle or other fly bird


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## Bill G. (Feb 20, 2009)

Restoring this lost B-17 is an economic recovery program I can believe in. And no federal pork money is involved. Think of all of the jobs that will be created.

Bill G.


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## Thorlifter (Feb 20, 2009)

That's great news.


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## Trebor (Feb 20, 2009)

if I may be so bold as to say....that fortress doesn't seem like it can be restored to flying condition.


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Feb 20, 2009)

Maybe not, but I'll bet it can be restored for display.


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## ToughOmbre (Feb 20, 2009)

If there's enough money and passion to go into the project, she will fly again someday.

TO


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Feb 20, 2009)

Great news Seesul. Thanks for the info.


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## seesul (Feb 21, 2009)

My pleasure and my duty


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## pbfoot (Feb 21, 2009)

how'd they haul it out , thats several hundred miles from a road


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## seesul (Feb 21, 2009)

pbfoot said:


> how'd they haul it out , thats several hundred miles from a road



I don´t know, but sent an e-mail to Don Brooks webmaster few days ago...I´m curious if he will respond to a poor Czech guy...8)


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## Heinz (Feb 21, 2009)

Awesome news  Thanks Roman!


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## RabidAlien (Feb 21, 2009)

Awesome! Fly-worthy or not, its great to see a forgotten treasure restored and not forgotten!!!


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## pbfoot (Feb 21, 2009)

When I was up there we used to take the skidoo's out to a B36 crash the guns and ammo were still on board in 1980 
The crash map was awesome including 3 F84s that ran out fuel Hudsons, B24's you name it if it flew it crashed there, most aircraft got lost ran out of fuel


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## Trebor (Feb 21, 2009)

I"m sorry for being so skeptical, but where are they gonna get a tail section? that whole tail is gone. are they gonna ask Boeing to make one?


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## Coors9 (Feb 21, 2009)

I walked through the Liberty Belle when it was here on St.John's. Sweet Bird.


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## pbfoot (Feb 21, 2009)

Coors9 said:


> I walked through the Liberty Belle when it was here on St.John's. Sweet Bird.


A townie


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## seesul (Feb 21, 2009)

Coors9 said:


> I walked through the Liberty Belle when it was here on St.John's. Sweet Bird.



Me too. Last year in Duxford...
That boy is my son...


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 27, 2009)

i helped out with the restoration of Liberty Belle ( not much ) but acording to Tom Reily who restored the Liberty Belle the fort salvaged from labrador is in better condition than liberty belle was before they startet restoring that..so i am sure they will get that baby airborne


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## seesul (Mar 28, 2009)

Junkers, you´re lucky guy!
Where and when was this pic taken?


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 28, 2009)

that picture was taken in Kisseemee in Florida where the B-17 was restored.
It was taken in 2004 or 2005.. have so many trips there i am not 100% sure what year i did what..hehe
need to look in my photoalbums..have tonns of more pictures from the erstoration but all in papers
here are a few from when it was nearing its first tour and flight around USA.. the picture of me with sunburnt nose is taken inside the wing between the fuselage and the wing itself..the lightgreen cover over my head is the fairing between fuselage and wing..the one with the ammo was when we fittet the bird out with guns and ammo.. 
lovely bird to fly  I ahve plenty of pictures from the early stages of restoarion of Liberty belle and all the way to complete if interested..also some of the B-17 from Labrador.. but i need to scan them to get them on my computer


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 28, 2009)

heres anotherone from its final stages of restoration in Florida
and the first testflight


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## seesul (Mar 28, 2009)

Holy sh1t! 
How did you get on this job?
And do you own a pilot´s licence?
And does Don Brooks know you were behind the stick?


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 28, 2009)

Don Brooks knew very well i was behind the stick..he gave the stick to me  I got to know him in Florida as i was there often with the restoration of Fw 190 A3 Black 3 that has been restored for the norwegian armed forces museum. ( brought back two weeks ago )
I only got a gliderlicense in my younger days but flown the P-51, T-6, B-25, B-17 and various other WW2 planes ( one get to know a lot of guys when restoring old aircrfats and from time to time a ride is presented often woth sticktime..my most proud moments are the B-17 and the P-51 ( actually a TF-51 so i even did the take of and landing myself with Lee lauderback in front seat )

here is a few more pics of the final restoration of Liberty belle and some pics of the one brought out from Labrador. sorry for the quality..but they are glued in a photoalbum and i tried to remove some for scaning but that just ruined them so i took some pics of them in the album. on these pics we are cahning the sparkplugs ( they were not good ) wireing the flaps motors, compressiontest on the engines and things like that. onone picture yous ee mee squezed inside the wing..not a easy spot to work..hehe


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 28, 2009)

a couple of shoots from the one from labrador..and Don Brooks by the controls on flight to New orleans. I looked in my photoalbum and the pics from florida are from 2004


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 28, 2009)

the B-17 at its homebase..Douglas in georgia. Don brooks inspecting the woork and me and my brother on the arrival in New orleans.. now that caused some bigs eyes..the B-17 landed..lots of people came tos ee and the first thing theys ee is two norwegian " tourists" with suitcases wondering how to get to the international Airport


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 28, 2009)

about the tailsection. I know Don has a "spare" and he also might get another from norway stored in the museums storagearea. not sure what is happening there but we will see


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## seesul (Mar 28, 2009)

Don´t you know if Don is thinking about making and selling a DVD about Liberty Belle´s trip to Duxford last year?


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 28, 2009)

I will email him and ask


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## seesul (Mar 28, 2009)

How many years the restoration lasted and when the restoration was finished?
I´m a bit curious- the fuel and oil consumption per hour?


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## seesul (Mar 28, 2009)

Junkers88A1 said:


> I will email him and ask



O.K. and let me know then. I sent him an e-mail few weeks ago (thru his webmaster as I don´t have Don´s e-mail address) and no answer so far.
With you I guess I have a bigger chance8)


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## Junkers88A1 (Mar 28, 2009)

the restoration started in 1992 and was finished in 2005. so it was a long time project.
A B-17 will easily burn 200 gallons of fuel per hour, plus about 10 gallons of oil per hour. Consumables and wear items cost an estimated $3,000 per flight hour. For each hour a Flying Fortress spends in the air, ten are spent on the ground in maintenance. An engine overhaul can cost $40,000 and FAA required wing-spar inspections and repairs will cost each Flying Fortress in excess of $100,000.


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## seesul (Mar 28, 2009)

thx for those interesting numbers!


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