The completed Enola Gay at the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Center
Current and former staff who worked on the restoration of
the Enola Gay.
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The restoration of the Enola
Gay was the largest restoration project ever undertaken
by the National Air and Space Museum. Restoration work on began in 1984 and involved
a total of some 300,000 staff hours.
The
forward fuselage alone took nearly 10 years and 44,000 staff
hours. The forward fuselage was placed on public display
at the National Air and Space Museum from June 1995 - May,
1998.
Meanwhile,
restoration work continued on the remaining parts of the
enormous aircraft. The aircraft was shipped in pieces to
the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
between March and June, 2003, where it underwent months
of assembly and preparation work. Completely assembled for
the first time since 1960, the Enola Gay restoration
was officially completed and announced on August 18, 2003.
The aircraft was on display to the public when the doors
to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Center opened December 15, 2003.
Official
Press Release
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Enola
Gay aft fuselage in Dec., 1999. Smithsonian Institution, #W1999CM0021 |
The
aft fuselage of the B-29 Enola Gay was restored
in the Garber restoration shop during much of 1999.
During that time, photos were taken of the interior and exterior. |
