From there he set up the visit to come out and survey the aircraft for parts they need.”Īfter a meeting and a few phone calls, the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum was on board and happy to support the Warbirds of Glory project and student program by allowing us to trade the static yokes for the originals. He then asked if we knew of any B-25 he could pull from and we mentioned we had a cutaway B-25 that we owned. He noticed we had a B-25 in our collection and reached out to myself and Andy (Museum Restoration Manager, Andy Beemer) to see if we had any leftover parts from the restoration. Not long after, the aircraft was offered to the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum at Offutt AFB where it was moved, modified and displayed.Īs Museum Curator, Brian York describes, “Patrick reached out to us as he was searching for B-25 parts that were salvageable and met FAA regulations. The Museum’s B-25 was left at the South Omaha Airfield until redevelopment in the area forced it to be moved to Eppley Airfield. The business closed and the other two aircraft were sold. Fortunately or unfortunately, during early training flights, the aircraft experienced a hard landing and needed some repairs. The business actually purchased three B-25s. It was purchased by a private business in the Omaha area to serve as either a crop duster or aerial fire fighter aircraft. That B-25 cutaway (42-8738) sits right next to the B-25N “Mitchell” in Hangar A and took an interesting, albeit unfortunate path to the Museum.

“When we learned that the cut-a-way display at SAC was owned by the museum, we had hoped that maybe we could trade,” says Mihalek. While the Museum was able to procure some parts, including new casted replicas of the yokes (the originals were taken out of the Sandbar Mitchell sometime after its crash), those parts were made for display only and not suitable for flight.Īnd when reviewing the list of static B-25 “Mitchell” aircraft, they were all property of the USAF.Įnter: the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. “This is one of the key items from a B-25 that is very hard to replace.” “Sadly while Sandbar Mitchell was abandoned on the sandbar someone had removed the control yokes from the aircraft,” says Mihalek. Students work alongside aircraft mechanic volunteers to restore the Sandbar Mitchell to flying condition to honor the crew of ship 8Z of the 340th bomb group and 488th bomb squadron.Īs Mihalek’s project began to gain traction, as with most restoration projects, there were some expected and unexpected challenges. Those students are a part of the Museum’s Kittyhawk Academy program. Located in Brighton, MI, the Museum’s mission is to restore and fly period aircraft and present a unique educational opportunity to understand the Second World War experience and to mentor students in mechanical skills, aircraft restoration, and American values.

With the completion of the recovery, the Warbirds of Glory Museum was born. Sending them on a recovery mission in Fairbanks, AK, where the Sandbar Mitchell crashed in 1969, while fighting the Manley Hot Springs fire. With the acquisition of this airframe, the recovery of Sandbar Mitchell had legs.įor just $1, Mihalek and his team were able to secure ownership from the original family who owned the aircraft. “This is how I learned about the ‘Sandbar Mitchell.’”Īs one stroke of luck after another fell into place, Mihalek was able to acquire a partial airframe from a B-25 that was once on display in Florida. “While attending college for my degree in aviation maintenance technology, I spent many evenings researching B-25 wrecks that were here in North America,” explains Mihalek. For Mihalek, the love for the B-25 Mitchell all started when he was 9 years old drawing pictures of them for his grandfather.Īnd as he drew those pictures, a dream was born to start an aviation museum and restore a B-25. It’s the lifelong dream of Warbirds of Glory Museum Director, Patrick Mihalek. Never to fly again.īut, what if? What if we could fire up both Wright engines and take it up? Turns out, we will do just that…sort of. Tucked away in the east end of Hangar A is our B-25N “Mitchell.” Manufactured by North American Aviation in Kansas City, KS and delivered to the USAAF on January 17, 1945, the Museum’s “Mitchell” was dropped from inventory and delivered to the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum on November 9, 1959.

Warbirds of glory