B-52 restoration nears completion

Valley Press on ^ | Saturday, December 22, 2007 | ALLISON GATLIN

[BenLurkin]

PALMDALE - The latest, and largest, addition to the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Air Force Plant 42 is readying for its debut.

The massive B-52 Stratofortress bomber is undergoing restoration and reassembly at the airpark at Avenue P and 25th Street East.

Thanks to mostly favorable weather conditions and speedy work, the project is expected to be completed by next week, about half the originally estimated time, said Tim Hughes, deputy Public Works director.

The city hired Oklahoma-based Turnlow Company to complete the project.

"They were highly recommended," Hughes said.

The company, one of three which submitted bids to the city for the project, was chosen in part because they were the subcontractor that transported the bomber from its previous display site at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City to Palmdale, Hughes said.

"They were very good to work with. They did a very good job (before)," he said.

For example, the company was very conscientious about the little details, such as touching up the aircraft before transporting it.

The company specializes in warbird restoration, typically getting aircraft into flying condition.

One of the men on the crew working the restoration was part of the original team that mounted the bomber for display at the fairgrounds.

"There's a little bit of history there," Hughes said.

...

Although none of the 1950s-era bombers were built at Plant 42 by The Boeing Co., some have been modified at the military facility for the testing of other aircraft, and some B-52s assigned to Edwards Air Force Base have used Plant 42 for refueling as well as practice takeoffs and landings.

Once completed, the airpark eventually will house more than 40 aircraft and a visitors center. The landscaped grounds already include a shaded picnic area alongside the aircraft.

[BenLurkin]

At the airpark, a work in progress, displays include an F-86 Sabre, an F-100 Super Sabre, an F-104 Starfighter, an F-105 Thunderchief, an A-4C Skyhawk, an F-4 Phantom, an A-7 Corsair, an F-5 Tiger, an F-101 Voodoo, an F-14 Tomcat, a C-140 that once saw duty for NASA, a T-38 Talon, a trainer related to the F-5 fighter, and a Burt Rutan-designed Triumph. Alongside is a scale model of the B-2 stealth bomber, appearing as if in flight.

[NonValueAdded]

There is a B-52 on display outside of Orlando International Airport in Florida, formerly McCoy AFB, hence Orlando’s MCO designation. I haven’t figured out how to get to it, though. The BUFF is barely visible from the entrance road.