B-17G Flying Fortress 44-8543/N3701G Chuckie made its first flight in nearly three years on 5 December. Ray Fowler, regular lead pilot for B-17G Liberty Belle, had the honour of performing the test flight. It performed beautifully, without any significant issues to remedy according to those present. This wouldn't have been possible without the dedicated efforts of crew chief Bill Gorin and his volunteers, who have worked diligently over the past couple of years.This included such arduous tasks as performing the spar and propeller Airworthiness Directives and replacing the port main undercarriage. Built under licence by Lockheed Vega in late 1944, 44-8543 received modifications to house an H2X navigation radar, located in a retractable dome where the ball turret would normally be stowed. H2X was used by the Army Air Force on so-called 'Pathfinder' sorties to guide bombing missions accurately over enemy territory in poor weather.
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