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B-1
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Our B-1A "Lancer", S/N 76-0174, pictured at Wright-Patterson
AFB, Ohio. This B-1 was first flown in February 1979, and was
used primarily as the avionics test bed for the B-1B Program. This
aircraft is the fourth and last B-1A built.
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| Our B-1 with the tail section removed.
The vertical fin fairing contains various antennas and radar beacons,
lights, and static discharge wicks that dissipate static electricity
from the aircraft in flight. |
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The disassembly of our B-1 continued
with the removal of the engines. They are General Electric F101-GE-100
afterburning turbofan engines, rated at 30,176 pounds of thrust each. |
| Our B-1 continues to get smaller after
the removal of the aft fuselage section. The aft fuselage contained
a large avionics bay equipped with a comprehensive electronic countermeasures
suite to provide protection against surface-to-air missiles and fighter
aircraft. |
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Trucks of B-1 parts begin to arrive at
the Museum. Here, two cranes unload a B-1 wing. In the background
behind the wing are two engine nacelle sections. |
| Restoration
volunteers sand the engine nacelles prior to installation and painting. |
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Changing
the wing configuration by sweeping the wings inflight required
massive wing-hinge pins made of titanium. |
| Inserting
the titanium wing-hinge pins to attach the wings during re-assembly. |
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Two
cranes were required to attach the aft fuselage section to the
main center section. |
| World
Wide Aircraft Recovery employees attach the vertical stabilizer
to the fuselage. |
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The
aircraft is moved into the Restoration Hangar for the many hours
of sanding required to remove four previous coats of paint. |
| Sanding
the underside of the wing in preparation for painting. |
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Painting
the B-1 in the "Strategic Camouflage" configuration, consisting
of three shades of gray, green and black. This project used 38-gallons
of primer paint and 34-gallons of finish paint. |
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October 2004, after 7,100 manhours of employee and volunteer labor,
the Rockwell B-1A Bomber restoration is completed. The aircraft
is currently displayed in Hangar "B". |
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If you are interested in becoming
a Restoration volunteer, contact John McLean at (402)944-3100 ext 201.
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