Wright R-1820 Cyclone

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was the instrument of this strategy.

Four engines, powered by Wright R-1820 cyclone radials, nine cylinders each, producing around 1,200 horsepower per engine.

She was a big airplane for her day, with a wingspan of over 103 feet, and she could carry a heavy bomb load on missions that stretched for hundreds of miles.

13 .50 caliber machine guns defended her when she was fully crewed and fully armed.

The nose art was reproduced based on period photographs.

The aircraft's specific markings, the identification codes, and the unit insignia were restored to their correct 1943 configuration.

The four Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines needed complete teardown and rebuild.

This is not a casual undertaking.

The crewman in the rear seat was armed with a flexible machine gun.

Power was provided by a Wright Cyclone 770-horsepower engine, and in spring 1936, the prototype achieved a top speed of 254 miles per hour and had a range of 1,000 miles.

Not bad for a first effort.

After testing, the SBN got some tweaks such as a revised empennage, that's the tail and rudder, and a more powerful Wright engine, which pushed its speed up to 263 miles per hour, which made it either the fastest or one of the fastest single-engine bombers in the world.

They found ways of neutralizing the Brewster's disadvantages.

The fighter would have trouble with overheating engines elsewhere, but this was not a problem in chilly Finland.

They also made modifications to the Wright Cyclone engine by flipping over one of the piston rings in each cylinder to help with oil circulation, and this had a great effect on reliability.

But it turns out that the Brewster was just about the perfect machine for the geography, tactical doctrine, and the specific weaknesses of early Soviet opponents.

the bombardier's compartment in the nose where the Norden bombsite sat, all of it restored, all of it stabilized and presented so that a person walking through the gallery in Dayton can stand next to that airplane and begin to understand what 25 missions in 1943 actually cost.

The four Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines, the nine cylinder radials that pulled her across the North Sea and back were addressed as well.

Not to flying condition, this is a static display aircraft and she should be, but restored to the condition where you can look at them and understand exactly what you're seeing.

The Memphis Belle was unveiled on May 17, 2018.