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HEBER CITY — An aircraft that served as a trainer for the Army Air Corps during WWII is in the process of being restored at the Utah Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in Heber City.
The 1941 Boeing PT-17 Stearman served as a crop duster after WWII and was fully restored in 1980, according to Utah Wing of the Commemorative Air Force media coordinator Beth Ann Schneider. Then in August 1986 while on a cross-country flight to California, the aircraft suffered a "catastrophic crash in the trees of the Oquirrh Mountains west of Salt Lake City," Schneider said.
The Utah Wing of the Commemorative Air Force completely rebuilt and restored the aircraft in 1988.
"Since then, hundreds have flown in her, thousands have touched her or sat in her," Schneider said. "She has thrilled crowds at countless air shows, flown over numerous parades and cemeteries and honored veterans of all branches of the military."
The aircraft is once again undergoing an extensive restoration project. The four wings were removed in November and are being repaired and repainted. The bottom two wings were finished by the end of December and the fabric was removed from the top two wings on Jan. 2, revealing beautiful undamaged wood ribs and spars, Schneider said. Volunteers and experts have been working together to quickly restore the historic aircraft.
"Our volunteers weren't ready to quit," Schneider said. "'Bring it on,' they said. And so we did. We have had an unbelievable amount of volunteer support from our unit for this project. It has moved beyond the restoration of a very cool historic airplane. Friendships have formed, and our membership has unified around a common cause. They are anxious to get started on the final phase of the restoration."
Plans are underway for the four wings to be put back on in the next few months, Schneider said. The aircraft is already scheduled to fly at numerous air shows this summer and will appear at a few local events at the Heber City Airport.
The wings will come off again Nov. 1 in preparation of the completion of the restoration. The fuselage will be sand blasted and repaired as needed, rewiring is planned and the exhaust system will be replaced. Recovering the fuselage and control surfaces will likely be completed by March 2017.
