The first half of 2025 has been busy with lots of progress on some of our signature historic aircraft restorations. We have already reported on the progress of our Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina restoration taking place at American Aero Services in New Smyrna Beach, FL earlier in the spring, so we are happy to report some updates on three more aircraft restorations taking place at workshops around the world for aircraft that will eventually be brought to the American Heritage Museum for display.
Heinkel He 111 – WWII German Medium Bomber
Thanks to major support from the Prescott Foundation, the Heinkel He 111H-3 project at American Aero Services in New Smyrna Beach, FL is finally getting underway. This historic German medium bomber from early in WWII is a combat veteran of the German Norwegian Campaign during the Spring of 1940. After attacking British Royal Navy forces in Bjerkvik on May 15, 1940, it was attacked by Blackburn Skuas launched from the HMS Ark Royal and was forced down on a lake in Sweden. It remained there until it was recovered in 2008 by Swedish volunteers – read the full story in our 2021 article in our magazine at this link.
Acquired as a project by the American Heritage Museum in 2021, the He 111 and many recovered parts came to the United States for restoration by American Aero Services in 2022. The restoration will bring the bomber back to static display condition with a very complete interior configuration as it was in 1940 – eventually allowing museum guests to see the unique engineering used by the Germans that, in many cases, is radically different than Allied aircraft of the era.
Current work on the project involves de-skinning sections of the fuselage and inspecting stringers and longerons and making repairs where needed. The fuselage and center section of the wing have been mated for stability and repairs are being done where needed in the connections. Next steps, after structure repairs, is to begin re-skinning the fuselage with period correct rivets and restoration and re-installation of original equipment.
Some photos of current progress are displayed below. Please click on a photo for the larger version.
Junkers Ju-87 Stuka – WWII German Dive Bomber
Arguably one of the most exciting restoration projects we are currently involved in is the iconic Junkers JU 87D-5 Stuka German dive bomber taking shape in the Czech Republic. One of the most iconic aircraft of World War II as it is often featured in films and documentaries as a screaming terror weapon used effectively in the infamous Blitzkrieg campaigns early in the war. Only two complete and restored examples are on public display in the world, with none currently in flying condition… so it is as rare as it is iconic to be sure! Read the full story about the project in this 2023 article in our annual magazine – including photos of the recovered airframe.
The complexity of this restoration to flying condition requires the unique skills of different craftspeople around the world. After a year of disassembly, cataloging, sourcing parts and documentation, and 3D scanning of project components and other surviving aircraft and projects, the actual restoration work has begun in workshops in the Czech Republic. Major progress is being made with the horizontal stabilizer as original and newly fabricated parts are combined and test fit before being heat treated and anodized for final assembly. Once all the components are ready, the reassembly will be done using recently sourced Metric rivets using the period accurate metallurgy as would have been found at the Junkers factory in the 1940’s.
Some photos of current progress are displayed below. Please click on a photo for the larger version.
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt – WWII U.S. Army Air Force Fighter
The P-51 Mustang may get a lot of the acclaim as the iconic American fighter aircraft of WWII, but there is no doubt that the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt should certainly share the spotlight as a rugged, powerful, and versatile workhorse of a fighter during the war. Slated for eventual return to flight and display at the American Heritage Museum, our P-47 project is currently underway in New Smyrna Beach, FL at American Aero Services led by project manager, Ashley Ezell. Read about the origin of this project in the 2023 article in our annual magazine at this link.
Though the P-47 was cosmetically restored for display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in 1981 and recently repainted as “Five by Five” as flown by Colonel Joe Laughlin, Commanding Officer of the 362nd Fighter Group, 9th Air Force in 1944, upon disassembly it was determined that the fuselage and wing structure needed restoration and repairs as needed to bring it back to flying condition. The cockpit has been stripped and cleaned and the internal fuselage has received the same treatment. While in this state, corrosion control and repairs are underway and the next step will be priming and paint. The team will preserve areas where the original primer has markings made during the manufacturing process, including some signatures of “Rosie the Riveters” on the production line… so these connections to the past won’t be lost.
Some photos of current progress are displayed below. Please click on a photo for the larger version.
It goes without saying that these projects would not be possible without the support of our donors and members. We are thankful to all who have donated to move these projects forward and bring history back to life!
We encourage you to join those who have helped and keep the momentum going! Make a donation to support these restorations through the options at this link!
