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Show t r :. ' -.- . ,'vv.-.. Ji. 4 r. MiV f V , 'rt 4 . : .: i.. 2rm ".V v. rv 1 i ; . V i -- lFoantnnire- mmM W t' - !V J g Thursday, October 6, 1983 - -- i 1 ? .3 u '. www.y-- 7- -i . . - I " .v ? J -- i n v' ? fizrTHr?rr7 V' Sasrcir.: -' I rr v5 - V-ii'- -- fti:. . ' ". t if.. - . - x.:?t 9 ,i; &' 2 Hi -- : ' - - ' - c- ' . - VJ; rf b'e y 1 v sir - '' '' " T J "v- rt f t ' $'- - . ...... . f.i;- - - ' Mslihai mMMM PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE. . . the hard way! Workers from the Hill based 2952 Combat Logistics Support Squadron (CLSS) are in the process of dismantling the has been a Dueway landmark for nearly 30 years. The plane is destined to be a static display alongside as part of the new Hill Air Force Base Museum. B-2- bomber that ' 9 1-- 15 Dugway landmark leaving Giraimd oSd By Dick Whitaker lady any experience working on an aircraft as old as this World War II model. Normal-- , ly they are predisposed with and the likes of Technical manuals abound in the area, and are often referred to by these modern day technicians. The wings, engines, horizontal and vertical stabilizers will be removed and shipped separately by truck. Then the fuselage will be cut into three sections for the trip. Williams estimates the entire process will take about three weeks to complete. He said it will take considerable more time to reassemble the bomber. One of the most difficult tasks facing the crew is removing all the various pieces . without damaging them. He B-2- 9, of dismantling the old 9 that for years sat in the desert just west of Michael Army Airfield. The "Old Lady' will become one of the star attractions of the planned museum at Hill. According to some of the old timers on Dugway, the Superfort was flown into the airstrip near Granite Peak in 1953, and was subjected to a number of tests, most involving chemicals. A few years later the huge bomber was towed to. the' area near Michael where it sat till now. A number of organizations. B-2- F-1- 6s F-10- 4s. . hence the methodical mantling. The 12-m- dis- crew sent from an Hill AFB, are member of the 2952 Combat Logistics Sup- port Squadron (CLSS). Their chiefs, MSgts. Robert L. Johnson and Ed Williams say it is quite an experience for their men. None of them have . ; ; I . : L number painted on the plane. He said the main structure of the aircraft had deteriorated to the point that he feared it could not even be towed away. However, the crew presently involved in the dismantling inflated the tires on the main landing gear prior to towing it to the auxiliary runway where the work is being performed. When they attempted to inflate the tires on the front landing gear, they both blew out. The front of the aircraft had to be raised off the ground before it was towed to the auxiliary run- the ship will be ready for display. Twice in recent years the Confederate Air Force in- quired about the plane, with the idea of rebuilding it for flight. When it was inspected it was. determined to be too deteriorated to rebuild. One of those who visited Dugway a couple of years ago to inspect the 9 was Gen. Paul Tibbetts. He was the pilot of the Enola Gay that dropped the nuclear bomb on' Hiroshima that brought an end to WWII. In an interview with the Sampler at the time of his visit, Gen. Tibbetts said that the Dugway 9 had rolled off the assembly line shortly after the Enola Gay. That was B-2- Daily Herald newspaper.: Visitors have stripped every instrument and everything else that could be re- !i-i moved over the years. Even d one of the huge four-blade- props was taken, returned and taken again. Another has been placed over the en- trance to the terminal at Michael AAF. Superchargers were taken from the two of the engines, and griffiti had been spray painted over the exterior. For those who remember the B-2- as the grand and 9 glorious Superfort that did so much to bring a speedy end to the conflict against Japan and Germany, it is gratifying to see that this wonderful relic of the past will not continue to disintegrate in the desert, but will instaed be one of the focal points of interest to the visitors at the Air Museum way. The old ship has long been the focus of. interest- to - visitors. On several occasions newspapers and television stations have done feature stories. The latest was a reChannel 5 by port on KSL-T- B-2- ; ture stories in the Provo determined by the serial said their instructions were to do as little damage as possible. Hill AFB officials say they have no time schedule when I : ; the desert ..to grace Hill, myseym off museums and individuals have expressed an interst in but up to obtaining the now the cost of hauling the huge bomber from Dugway has been a deterrent. The fact that it had been the subject of a number of chemical tests, and was rated triple X, also hindered those interested. The Air Force has paid for the complete check of the ship to verify that no chemical residue remained, Members of an Air Force Squadron from Hill Air Force Base began the tedious task 7 : ? i (M : .: i r : - V Richard Bingham, and fea t i 2 ' .. v 'If kif V i . J fVv- - r-- Tp; U , v31Kw5 ..; t TT' V i j ,T . f!v. v . ? -- - ; ; ' rrr I . ) ; i V i . , - it . ( ' . c$gr v 1' Wm-- ' i jz). A fa 'rr i - v ' ' . ' ... mumvAiaiiiek T1' . . ' .f. ...... .... - ' ' 'r-- .ri AV. nW'yrii . W if - :. 'is . ' "'.Vti i' 4: s.v' ct fc r ' 1itf Vw.. :;r V ""s 7, inU ''' m crew prepare to reMINUS ENGINES AND OUTBOARD WING SECTIONS 3 of the move the rear portion of the engine cowlings. As you can see, the nose gear is flat, but surprisingly the rear or main landing gear wheels held air after 30 years in the desert and enabled the crew to tow the plane to the inactive runway for dissassembly. 12-m- an V j - V- v VV V-- " . V '4 ' yTU rj,' j ' a- - J t .. .4 CHECKING A TECHNICAL MANUAL older than the oldest member of the team, this, member of the 2952 CLSS checks to see that he can remove the bomb-ba- y doors so " be they later. Books such as these were scrounged from several sources at Hill Air Force Base which used to service the bombers, and from the Air Force Historical Society at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. re-attach- ed four-engin- THIS AIRMAN is shown unbolting the horizontal stabilizer of the 9 while standing on an wj GO ON SALE AT 8 A.M; TOMORROW rr?!5?!rTr-r- ? o o o snI pG s i s j y. vv-- "' M ANTES CH EV RO LET CO 23 South Main 4- f 1 - t?'''o A ( O s. 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