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Illinois B-17 restoration progressing one piece at a time.

Nearly 40 years ago, Michael Kellner of Marengo bought a B-17 bomber. He’s been painstakingly putting it back together ever since.

As a young man Mike Kellner of Marengo dreamed of flying a B-17 bomber. When no one would let him, he bought a scrapped plane in a junkyard in Maine in 1984. He's been putting it back together ever since.

Rome may not have been built in a day, and restoring a B-17 is something that takes time.

B-17E ‘Desert Rat’ – March 2021 Restoration Update B-17E ‘Desert Rat’ – March 2021 Restoration Update Image courtesy of Lucas Ryan Mike Kellner and his team of volunteers in Morengo, Illinois have been steadily working away on the restoration of Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress 41-2595 for much of the past four decades, and we have covered their remarkable grassroots effort from time to time. Recently, we had the opportunity to catch up on progress with the Vintage Aviation Museum‘s Director, Sean O’Brien, who shared the latest developments with us which we thought our readers w...