The P-61 Black Widow in June 2103. According to MAAM’s director, Russ Strine, the aircraft looks much the same externally today as the museum is working on the outer wings and systems.
Most of our readers will be aware of the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s Herculean efforts to restore Northrop P-61B Black Widow 42-39445 back to flying condition. The museum and its volunteers have been working on this project since their epic 1991 recovery of the Black Widow from its crash site atop Mt. Cyclops, Indonesia, where it had lain since January, 1945. It’s a complex beast indeed, and the original, overly-optimistic 3 year restoration plan has stretched somewhat. But today, the aircraft is roughly 70% complete. The fuselage, tail booms, and wing center section stand upon their own undercarriage and the outer wing panels are the last major hurdle in completing the structural restoration work.
