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There are bad days and there are bad days

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kellysguy said:
I saw that years back and it made me misty eyed too.

( you would think after freezin' your arse off for two years getting it to run SOMEBODY woulda been checkin' it out for things like FUEL LEAKS... wouldn't they ?!?!?!?!? "Na Bob, we'll wait till we get 'er of the ground 'fore we start doin' any of that stuff.")

But hey, those other guys got the P-38 out though.
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I may be mistaken, but I recall that they didn't want to wait any longer for replacement bits for the APU pump, so the gravity feed was rigged up. As stated, the APU wasn't supposed to be running at that point (it's for starting the engines) and the rigged can should have been disconnected and properly stored. The shaking and banging around during the takeoff run caused the fuel spill-the APU had been run up previously and was not leaking.

I don't remember the steering being locked, but it was facing forwards so it could have been managed on touchdown-once the plane is on the ground and stopped, moving it around is easy!

There is also a great book about the recovery of <span style="font-style: italic">Glacier Girl</span>, called <span style="font-style: italic">The Lost Squadron</span>. It also details the excavation of one of the B-17s at the same site.

-Wm.
 
These are two of my most favorite planes. Too bad a shmoe like me will NEVER be able to afford one.
 
I don't know about the B-29, but APUs are typically located in the tail, so any bumping or swaying would be magnified by the long arm at the tail.

Taking risks in order to meet a time deadline and aviation safety do not mix well.

By the way, the recovery of Glacier Girl was started, but not completed, by a Triumph TR4 vintage racer.
 
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