DarrenW
Staff Sergeant
Who else heard about this? I think it's about time for me to visit the museum again... 
Memphis Belle™ Exhibit May 2018
Memphis Belle™ Exhibit May 2018
Memphis Belle Exhibit
- Thread starter DarrenW
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Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Great to see her finally properly restored and in a permanent home at last.
buffnut453
Captain
+1
Crimea_River
Marshal
I agree. Might be worth a trip down there.
- Thread starter
- #5
DarrenW
Staff Sergeant
I'm only a couple hundred miles north of Dayton so I'm sure there's a trip in my future. But I plan to wait until the initial mad rush to see it is over and I can actually enjoy it without all the craziness of the crowds.
Good to see!
wilbur1
Tech Sergeant
Wow gonna put that on the bucket list
Well if I still lived up north I would this on my list of things to do.
at6
1st Sergeant
Oh how I wish I could go.
Somebody take pictures....lots of 'em...
Next week! The National Museum of the US Air Force will unveil the newly restored Memphis Belle in a three-day celebration at the main museum complex on Area B of Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio.Who else heard about this? I think it's about time for me to visit the museum again...
Memphis Belle™ Exhibit May 2018
The events start on Thursday the 17th with the official unveiling of the Memphis Belle opening a new exhibit on strategic bombing, and there will be special displays and activities in the museum hangars, and even a few flying warbirds (3xB-17s, 6xP-51's, and one each PT-22, PT-19, and T-6) in static display on the ramp to mark this event. The local Air Force band will be playing a concert of Glenn Miller music Friday night at 1800. There will be re-enactors, vintage military and civilian vehicles on display, special evening showings of both Memphis Belle movies, the museum cafes and food trucks for sustenance, and plenty of parking to accommodate visitors. Of note, the flyable warbirds will be arriving Wednesday the 16th between 0800 and 0900, and will depart Friday the 19th sometime around 1630.
All events are subject, of course, to the weather cooperating.
The parking and museum admission are free; there are admission fees for the movies. You can google the NMUSAF website for all the gory (or glory) details.
I know this reads like an ad, but it's hard to wrap up everything that's going to be happening without sounding like a copy writer. This is just a helpful (I hope) reminder...
Disclaimer -- I serve as a volunteer in the NMUSAF galleries, and will be on hand each day to help visitors enjoy this special event.
T Bolt
Colonel
I'll have to make a trip to Dayton this winter.
I saw her there a few years back in the restoration hanger when I took the behind the scenes tour
I saw her there a few years back in the restoration hanger when I took the behind the scenes tour
I'm gonna team up with Nick Cage and steal it
- Thread starter
- #15
DarrenW
Staff Sergeant
I was wondering that myself. According to these older on-line articles the nose art is original, with some of it applied while on it's post 25 mission war bond tour:
Restoration of famed WWII bomber Memphis Belle flies high
The Memphis Belle comes back to life (pictures)
There's also parts of the plane as it exists today that might be tempting to keep but have to go because they're not original. An example is some of the plane's nose art. Today, it features the plane's model, B-17F, painted on, as well as a series of swastikas representing Nazi planes the Memphis Belle shot down.
Originally, the "B-17F" designation was a decal, Hassler said. In order to make that right, the restoration shop will source up a decal from a specialty company that uses the same font Boeing used when making the plane. But the swastikas and the name of the navigator and bombardier -- all added during the war bond tour -- have to go. The painting of the pilot's girlfriend and a single swastika that was on the plane when it was in combat will stay.
Maybe someone who has been close to the restoration can elaborate more on this....
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
From what I remember, the original nose art had faded when the aircraft was on display in Memphis, and was restored, by the original artist, I think around 1990.
N4521U
Plastic Pirate
Good to see it's the Authentic MB and not the Speedway lettering of the name like they used in the movie.
- Thread starter
- #18
DarrenW
Staff Sergeant
Thanks for clarifying that. I thought the paint looked way too fresh after withering in a boneyard all those years. Still cool that it was restored by the original artist though....
Excellent links. Thanks!
Had the opportunity to meet Bob Morgan and his copilot (who's name eludes me at the moment) a few years back at a signing symposium I brought Jimmy Goodson to . All first class gentlemen.
