Health
B-17 Restoration needs Funds
Fans of the workhorse B-17 bomber that helped pound Germany into submission in World War II say time -- and a foreign buyer -- are threatening their plans to acquire the last Seattle-built model of the "Flying Fortress" destined to remain airworthy.
Jeff Thomas, director of The Air Station at The Arlington Airport in Washington state, says if the group can obtain final financing of $2 million over the coming week, they will "be able to return this heroic aircraft home to the Pacific Northwest where it belongs."
The rare B-17E, discovered in South America, is currently in Florida undergoing restoration to flight standards. But, Thomas says, "There is a foreign buyer waiting to move this honorable lady overseas, and we simply hate to see that happen."
Following more than 10 years of planning, design and aircraft acquisition, Thomas and fellow members of The Air Station (a private non-profit organization) have achieved a number of milestones in developing their museum concept for the Pacific Northwest: placing the former WWII Air Station at Arlington Airport on the National Register of Historic Places, building a membership base of enthusiastic aviation and history fans, and locating and pinning down the B-17E, to be the centerpiece in The Air Station's collection.
Jeff Thomas, director of The Air Station at The Arlington Airport in Washington state, says if the group can obtain final financing of $2 million over the coming week, they will "be able to return this heroic aircraft home to the Pacific Northwest where it belongs."
The rare B-17E, discovered in South America, is currently in Florida undergoing restoration to flight standards. But, Thomas says, "There is a foreign buyer waiting to move this honorable lady overseas, and we simply hate to see that happen."
Following more than 10 years of planning, design and aircraft acquisition, Thomas and fellow members of The Air Station (a private non-profit organization) have achieved a number of milestones in developing their museum concept for the Pacific Northwest: placing the former WWII Air Station at Arlington Airport on the National Register of Historic Places, building a membership base of enthusiastic aviation and history fans, and locating and pinning down the B-17E, to be the centerpiece in The Air Station's collection.
