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Restoration of Glacier Girl, Part 3
Reprinted by permission of the Arkansas Educational Television Network
In Flight USA has run the story of Glacier Girl in three parts. The first part, the history of Glacier Girl, ran in the May Issue. The second part covered The Recovery of Glacier Girl and ran in the June issue. Here we present the third part that tells the story of the Restoration of Glacier Girl. This story leads us to AirVenture, July 25-31, where Glacier Girl will be on display.
Glacier Girl during restoration in Roy Shoffner’s hangar in Middlesboro, Kentucky.Restoration of Glacier Girl began in January of 1993, after all shipments of aircraft parts from the dig were finally gathered together. The restoration was being done in Roy Shoffner’s (project financier) hangar in Middlesboro, Kentucky. Under supervision of Bob Cardin (project coordinator for the 1992 expedition) warbird specialists began their task by disassembling the massive center section. After initial deconstruction of the plane began, it was evident that damage was more extensive than what appeared on the surface. The more they took apart, the more damage they found. The plane had to be taken apart down to the smallest manageable pieces, making sure each piece was marked for later identification. Parts were then cleaned and checked for functionality to determine if it could be used again, repaired for use, or replaced entirely. Damaged parts served as templates for construction of replacements.
Recovery of Glacier Girl, Part 2
Reprinted by permission of the Arkansas Educational Television Network
In Flight USA will run the story of Glacier Girl in three parts. The first par, ran in the May issue and told the history of Glacier Girl. In this issue we run Part 2, The Recovery of Glacier Girl, and finally in the July issue we will cover the Restoration of Glacier Girl. This story leads us to AirVenture, July 25-31, where Glacier Girl will be on display.
On July 15, 1992, fifty years to the day after his rescue, 74-year-old Brad McManus stood on the ice cap surrounded by the recovered pieces of his late friend Harry Smith’s P-38, as chronicled in the documentary “The Lost Squadron,” and was flooded with memories of his wartime experience and the lifetime friendships that he held dear to his heart. A new mission was about to begin.
How do you get a P-38 out of the ice? Simple…melt the ice!
Well, maybe not as simple as that, seeing how it was 268 feet of ice. Basically, you start with a six-digit budget, followed by transporting tons of equipment that include arctic survival gear and heavy construction machinery, and top it all off with adventure-minded individuals willing to take the hardships and risks associated with one-of-a-kind expeditions to a hostile environment. That’s what it took to recover a P-38 from “The Lost Squadron.”
The History of Glacier Girl: Part 1
Reprinted by permission of the Arkansas Educational Television Network
Owned by Rod Lewis this flight of the P-38 Glacier Girl flown by Steve Hinton, and the two F7F Tigercats flown by Stewart Dawson and Rod Lewis, were photographed from the ramp of an Alaska ANG C-130 over Pyramid Lake, Nevada during the Reno National Championship Air Races last September. (Jim Dunn)Editor’s Note: In Flight USA will run the story of Glacier Girl in three parts. This first part is the history of Glacier Girl. In the June issue of In Flight USA, Part 2 will cover The Recovery of Glacier Girl, and finally in the July issue we will cover the Restoration of Glacier Girl. This story leads us to AirVenture, July 25-31, where Glacier Girl will be on display.
As “Europe first” was the policy declared by then President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Operation Bolero began its phase in history as a massive buildup and movement of Allied aircraft into the European theatre. It was Tuesday, July 7, 1942, just seven months since the attack on Pearl Harbor that had thrust the U.S. into the war.
The most daring aspect of Operation Bolero was the actual flight overseas in stages, refueling in Labrador, Greenland and Iceland. Only the second of many flights to come during this operation, none of the pilots of what has now become known as “The Lost Squadron” knew their flight to England would end on the ice cap in Greenland.