The Museum's B-52G, Midnight Express, was repainted in its original Vietnam-era livery in 2017. It was disassembled up at Paine Field in Everett and transported down to the Museum's main campus over the following summer, and the aircraft's fuselage - the largest and final piece of the B-52 - was officially "welcomed home" in June 2018. The B-52 was reassembled and moved into the Memorial Park in time for the park's dedication ceremony over Memorial Day weekend on May 25, 2019.
The Museum of Flight is grateful to the leadership and enthusiasm of Bob Bogash, without whom this project would not be possible.
Restoration & Transport Timeline
- May 2019: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park officially opens to the public!
- March 2019: The landscaping is complete enough for the B-52 to be moved into place in the new Memorial Park.
- December 2018: Site preparation and construction begins on the new park.
- June 2018:The B-52 wings and fuselage - the largest and final pieces of the aircraft - are transported in the middle of the night and a welcome party is on-hand to celebrate this historic delivery. The team begins reassembling the B-52 right away so it will be ready in time for the Museum's "Wings of Heroes: Honoring Those Who Served in Vietnam" Gala at the end of June.
- April 2018: Some of the smaller pieces, like the engine covers, begin to arrive at the Museum's main campus at Boeing Field.
- March 2018: World Wide Aircraft Recovery arrives on-site at Paine Field to begin disassembling the B-52 to make it easier to transport down from Everett to Seattle.
- August 2017: The restoration team preps the B-52 by power washing the exterior and outlining the color blocks for the camouflage design, and painting was completed by the end of August. The Museum extends a big “thank you” to the skilled experts of Global Jet Painting, Sterling Lacquer Manufacturing and AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings, without whom this project would not be possible.
- July 2017: The aircraft is relocated within Paine Field to begin restoration work, from the grass behind Castle & Cooke Aviation where it has sat for the past 24 years, to Boeing’s Kilo-6.
