Shoo Shoo Baby

[mach7]

Sometimes in life we make connections with inanimate things.

The B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby is one of mine.

www.a-e-g.org.uk/shoo-shoo-shoo-baby.html

Back in the summer of 1981 I was in AFROTC field training for 6 weeks at Dover AFB.
Saturday mornings we had additional duty, a friend and I found out that the base was restoring a B-17. Shoo Shoo Baby.
We volunteered to help. So for 6 Saturdays we worked  from 8 until noon.
We just did gofer work, whatever was needed while the restorers did the real work.

In January 1988 I was based at Dover. One of the 1st things I did was track down Shoo Shoo Baby. She was almost 
done! In October she flew from Dover to the Air Force Museum to go on display. A proud day!

In 1991 I flew a mission to the Air Force Museum to deliver some war booty from the Gulf War, I went right to see Shoo Shoo Baby.
She was beautiful on display!

She was happy at the Air Force Museum Until the Memphis Belle came along. The bitch!

Anyway, The Udvar-Hazy museum is getting Shoo Shoo Baby. 

I thought she was going to fly to Dulles, that would have been appropriate. 

I was at Udvar-Hazy last week and saw this.









They busted her up and trucked her there!


 

[Joe Rix]

Cool bit of personal history. Thanks for sharing that. Hopefully Shoo Shoo wil be fully assembled very soon.

[stikpusher]

Very nice to see! I wonder how long it will take them to reassemble her in her new home?

[kyledehart5]

Indeed. Very cool. Thank you for sharing. Hopefully they get her out back together and on display again quickly.

[handiabled]

Very cool to see projects like this going on. Thanks for sharing!

[mach7]

As soon as I saw her I found 3 museum employees, They seemed really put out that I was asking about Shoo Shoo Baby.

I was told she would take 2 years to rebuild her. I asked a few more questions but It was obvious they could care less. To them it was just a pile of aluminum and steel.

I explained my connection to her, but they were not interested.

I hope she gets the attention she deserves in the future.

[buddho]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful bird. I cannot understand how some don't understand the historical significance these birds have and with many of those who have that connection like you do.

Years back, I visited an airport southside, that had 2 Commemorative Air Force bombers,
a Heinkel 111 and B17-G.

Unfortunately, that Heinkel crashed in July 2003, and both pilots were killed. I remember talking to them earlier at the airport. Very tragic news.

[mach7]

I've never seen a He-111 in the wild! I saw one in a museum in the UK in the '80s I think.

Very cool that you saw one and very sad that it was lost with its crew.

[Steve Zuleski]

Wow, good to see one getting back in shape, awesome!

[adt70hk]

Thanks for sharing!

[stikpusher]

Oct 1, 2023 7:18:44 GMT -5 mach7 said:

As soon as I saw her I found 3 museum employees, They seemed really put out that I was asking about Shoo Shoo Baby.

I was told she would take 2 years to rebuild her. I asked a few more questions but It was obvious they could care less. To them it was just a pile of aluminum and steel.

I explained my connection to her, but they were not interested.

I hope she gets the attention she deserves in the future.

I have a strong feeling from reading this and other folks interactions with Smithsonian employees, that they do not have any personal connection to aircraft like this, nor any passion for the subject. I'll leave my comment at that.

[mach7]

Amen brother.

[keavdog]

That's awesome. I had the pleasure of doing a tech off-site at the Dulles museum. I wondered around there for hours. It's a fantastic place with so many great aircraft. I recall seeing Enola Gay and a ME-163 Komet in particular.