A North American B-25 is Restored to Its Former Glory
A labor of love by Boeing employees and suppliers has brought new life -- and a 21st-century paint job -- to a World War II-era B-25J Mitchell bomber.
Forty-seven Boeing employees in St. Louis, including managers, engineers, artists and members of the International Association of Machinists, worked 600 hours over a two-week period in late January and early February to make the twin-engine aircraft look new. Working after hours, they washed down the aircraft and applied about 20 gallons of paint to the wings, the fuselage, the engines, the nose art and the markings.
Suppliers donated paint, tape, spray guns, masks, primer and other equipment for the job. The B-25's gray-and-camouflage-green paint scheme was the first practical test of a new paint developed by Boeing supplier PRC-Desoto International. The quick-drying, high-durability paint worked so well on the B-25 that Boeing officials decided to have it certified for use on production aircraft, such as the F/A-18 and the F-15.
"The B-25 thus became a testbed for us," said Tony Ham, manager of Boeing ramp operations in St. Louis. "We were able to try a lot of new things that worked out very well."
Ham and others who participated in the restoration found it a rewarding experience. "We looked at this as an opportunity for all of us, union members and company management, to work together," he said. "That airplane is older than most of us, and there's so much history wrapped up in it. It was fun for us to do this."
Working to restore the B-25 reminded Mike Kerr of his late uncle, a pilot during World War II. "My uncle flew a B-25 that looked a lot like this one," Kerr said.
The restored B-25, named "Show Me," is owned by the Missouri Chapter of the Confederate Air Force, an organization dedicated to the preservation of combat aircraft flown from 1939 to 1945. The organization flies and displays the "Show Me" at air shows around the country
North American Aviation, which is now part of Boeing, built the aircraft in 1945. The Army Air Force used it as a trainer in the latter stages of World War II and the years immediately thereafter.
It's a later version of the 16 B-25Bs that participated in the famous raid on Tokyo led by Lt. Col. James Doolittle from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet on April 18, 1942. The "Show Me" is a salute to the men and women who gave their lives in defense of the United States during World War II.