12-05-2024
Pioneer Aero has had to remanufacture all of the skins covering the SBD’s Wing Center Section. This article covers the process, using the upper skin spanning Spars #2 and #3 as an example.
11-14-2024
The latest CCKW Fuel Truck restoration update shows significant progress taking place with the vehicle’s cab, which is now very close to being structurally complete.
11-10-2024
Pioneer Aero has now fully disassembled the SBD’s Wing Center Section and is making great progress with the refurbishing/refabrication of its components to airworthy standards.
11-07-2024
The Military Aviation Museum has just acquired a pair of WWII-era Clarktor 6 aircraft tugs along with eight examples of the Cletrac M2. We will be restoring at least one of each type for moving aircraft at the Museum to add to the authenticity of visitor experiences.
10-25-2024
Pioneer Aero is rebuilding Spar #3 for the SBD’s Wing Center Section. They have also been working on the upper skin panel between Spars #2 and #3.
10-22-2024
Pioneer Aero is rebuilding the internal support structure for the SBD’s bomb displacement mechanism while also adding through-ports to the leading edges for the spent shell casing chutes associated with the nose-mounted .50-calibre machine guns.
10-19-2024
Pioneer Aero has worked hard on the inboard wing leading edges over the past few months, with the righthand example nearly complete and the lefthand side now also well advanced, as this article reveals.
10-14-2024
Pioneer Aero’s team has completely stripped down the SBD’s upper fuselage and is now repairing or refabricating parts from the forward section. Numerous original structural items were of sufficient quality to reuse after refurbishing.
10-07-2024
Museum volunteers are very close to completing the restoration of the Link C-3 Flight Trainer, a key instrument to the Allies victory in WWII. This article describes the history behind the device’s development along with a detailed breakdown of its significant components.
09-25-2024
Keegan Chetwynd, the Military Aviation Museum’s Director and CEO, expresses his thanks to the people involved with our August 2024 trip out to Paine Field in Everett, Washington to work on the Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero.
09-22-2024
In late August, a team from the Museum traveled to Paine Field in Everett, Washington to work on the Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero, hoping to perform the first flight. Learn what happened on this epic journey.
09-17-2024
Structural restoration of the SBD’s elevators is nearly complete. Trial-fitting them against the stabilizers (under rebuild off-site) will allow the final parts to be added, followed by the application of a new fabric covering.