A Belated Update from volunteer Dick Perry

August 29th, 2008

"The road appears to be essentially complete. The equipment was being moved out this morning. The pads for three aircraft (B-52, B-29, F-105) are all poured. The B-52 and B-29 pads have the forms off and the excavations are backfilled. The F-105 is finished, but the supports for the pole and the top forms will not come off until next week. The forms for the A-7 are set, and the rebar appears ready to be installed. The fill on the bottom of the forms needs to be built up and compacted before the rebar goes in. You'll see from the photos that the concrete is set quite low in the ground for the F-105 and especially for the A-7. There is a "hill" in that area of the outdoor exhibit park that still needs to be leveled. When that is complete, the pads will be at the correct height relative to grade -- they promised! I have confidence. If the hill remains, we will likely have a pond on the south side of the building when we get a good rain.

For those who have not been to the site in the latter part of this week, I offer the attached photos. The windows are in except for the one closest to the entrance. Insulation is going up on the roof and walls, and it looks as if the first of the HVAC equipment in the ceiling is being installed in the entry area. There is plumbing appearing above the floor -- looks like the start of restroom drains.

The drains around the inlets have been excavated (adjacent to the settling pond, at least), and there are the beginnings of forms and rebar for the inlets along the road and in the staging area. Let's hope we don't get too much rain this weekend."

The photos referenced will be added to the photo page today, in addition to some great shots of the limo - now under restoration! More blogs to follow! check back!

Update on the Aircraft Move

from our friend Richard L. Perry, P.E.
Senior Manager, Corporate Engineering Practice
Sandia National Laboratories


Board member Jerry Adams will lead a team of volunteers over the coming weekend to start cleaning the B-29. We need to remove the rather massive amounts of pigeon remains from the aircraft in order to reduce the likelihood of corrosion and preserve the structural integrity of the airframes. After this weekend's activities, we will have a better idea of the extent of the cleaning required.

Worldwide Aircraft Recovery has returned to Nebraska to collect some required tools for the B-52 disassembly and move. They will return in a couple of weeks with towbars and additional trailers for the move.



This week NM Millwrights used the largest crane in New Mexico (100 ton capacity) to move the Atomic Cannon and Mk17 shape to make room for maneuvering the B-52 so that the wing can be removed. The center section of the Atomic Cannon weighs 110,000 pounds, and the Mk17 weighs 41,000 pounds.



Board President Chuck Loeber and Project Manager Harry Mumma report that the work to pour the concrete pads on the new museum site for the first aircraft displays (B-52, B-29, A-7, F-105) has begun. WWAR will fabricate the steel stands needed for the displays as part of their contract.

First planes, no trains, now automobiles!

One of the new exhibits for the new museum will be a life size diorama of the Trinity Testing site, enclosed in the Manhattan Project exhibit. This exhibit will be packed with valuable information, but also filled with valuable artifacts! Two of those items are our Atomic Autos. We’ve been lucky to have come across two vehicles that were used by the US military in the 1940’s.

1941 Packard Clipper


Parked at the Trinity Testing Site in 1945.

“Ask the man who owns one”

This was the famous slogan that stood for one of the finest automobiles produced in America. It’s no wonder that a 1941 Packard Clipper, converted into a custom limo by Fitzjohn Coach Company, was chosen to transport Manhattan Project Scientists from the railway station in Lamy to Los Alamos. It also carried personnel to the Trinity base camp for the testing of the first atomic bomb. The car was donated to the Museum and requires extensive restoration.


Sitting on a flatbed in Albuquerque, NM. Waiting to be restored.

1942 Plymouth Special Deluxe


Plutonium being unloaded, on the Trinity Testing Site in 1945.

This is the type of vehicle utilized by the US military during the 1940’s. This particular model was the vehicle used to carry the plutonium core for the “device” – the first atomic bomb – to the Trinity site for the historic test that would change the world. This particular model was purchased by the museum to be restored to military function and look for this exhibit.

We were lucky enough to have this vehicle painted by Car Crafters here in Albuquerque, New Mexico - just in time for our annual fundraising event. It was towed to and from the event with the help of Macy's Towing. The annual Einstein Gala was a one of a kind event, partly due to the presence of this beautiful vehicle. All our donors, friends, and volunteers got the pleasure of a vintage photo opportunity with the Plymouth.


Fresh paint and on display with long time volunteer Dick Justus at the annual National Atomic Museum Einstein Gala fundraising event, March 2008.

More pictures of the Atomic Autos project can be found here.

The most vital support beam in this whole project.

This weeks blog post is about our esteemed board president Chuck Loeber. Chuck has worked diligently on this project, but also spent many years working diligently in our field. Chuck is the author of Building the Bombs: A History of the Nuclear Weapons Complex. (which is available in the museum store)



About the Author:

"Charles Loeber worked as an engineer on the design and production of nuclear weapons for more than 40 years. He served in a variety of organizations, including the Department of the Army, the Department of Energy, and Sandia National Laboratories. Over time, his interest in the history of the Nuclear Weapons Complex grew into a hobby, and he became an authority on the subject."



This book is known as being one of the difinitive resources on the topic, being ordered and shipped every day from our store to buyers all over the world.


Take a moment to listen to this great radio interview he did. Scroll down or enter "loeber" in "find a page" to hear his spot on the show.


Resources like Chuck are one of the many reasons that this museum is truly a treasure. We are lucky to have experienced individuals with decades of knowledge as partners, docents, board members, and volunteers. We can't thank them enough, but hope to at least honor them by the creation of this new museum. It will be filled with information and knowledge of fields and topics that they themselves pioneered.

And don't forget to check out our photo page. This project is really moving - thanks to Chuck and his team!

A good looking crew

We'd like to introduce you to the crew of Worldwide Aircraft Recovery. This is the team responsible for relocating eight external exhibits from our former museum location on Kirtland AirForce Base to our new site. As mentioned in the prior post, these exhibits include the B-29, B-52, F-105, and A-7 airplanes along with the Bomarc, Mace, Matador, and Snark cruise missiles. In addition, we plan to relocate a MiG-21 from Tucson, Arizona to our new site.

Ben Nattrass and his team from WWAR arrived at KAFB on Wednesday July 16th, and they immediately began work. The photo shows Ben and his team starting to disassemble the B-29.

If all goes well, they will complete their disassembly work by the end of August and move these exhibits onto our new site in September. They will then reassemble everything.

Big thanks to Ben and his team for taking on this project! The staff, board, and volunteers of the National Atomic Museum can hardly wait to be reunited with our planes and missiles when we move and become the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History next year.

The New Museum Takes Flight!

The National Atomic Museum has contracted with Worldwide Aircraft Recovery Ltd. of Nebraska to move two of its largest artifacts: a B-29 and a B-52 bomber, both of which have been stored at the Museum’s previous location on Kirtland Air Force Base. The planes will be moved in early September, after disassembly.

The planes will be hauled by tractor-trailer 2 miles to the new Museum location at Eubank and Southern Blvds. SE in Albuquerque, adjacent to the Sandia Science and Techology Park and KAFB. The route will take the planes from their current location off of Wyoming Boulevard to the new site, where a new Museum is under construction. The B-29 is expected to be moved first, on a Saturday in early September.

“Moving these significant artifacts represents a huge step toward becoming the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History,” said Jim Walther, Director of the Museum. “We know the public will appreciate having these giants available for viewing. We hear repeatedly how eager people are to see these important historical aircraft.”

The B-29 was a revolutionary aircraft, the first intercontinental bomber. At 70,000 pounds, it was the heaviest production bomber built. Its 135,000 pounds fully loaded required an 8,000-foot runway for takeoff. It could cruise above 30,000 feet, out of range of flak and most enemy fighters.

The Boeing Stratofortress B-52 has been the main long-range heavy bomber of the Strategic Air Command. Affectionately known as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fella), the B-52 first flew on April 15, 1952. Nearly 750 B-52s were built when production ended in October 1963. On January 18, 1957, three B-52Bs completed the world's first non-stop round-the-world flight by jet aircraft, lasting 45 hours, 19 minutes, with only three aerial refuelings en route. A B-52 also made the first known airborne hydrogen bomb drop over Bikini Atoll on May 21, 1956.

Worldwide Aircraft Recovery Ltd. has provided assistance in a number of projects, including the entire Strategic Air Command Museum and its B-52, B-36, B-58 and an Atlas missile. They will move eight pieces for the Museum: four aircraft and four missiles. In addition to the B-52 and B-29, they will move an F-105 and an A-7 airplane along with the Bomarc, Mace, Matador, and Snark cruise missiles. There are also plans to relocate a MiG-21 from Tucson, Arizona, to the new site.



Photo of exhibits waiting to be moved, currently on display outside the old National Atomic Museum at Kirtland AFB. Photo taken by flickr.com user marz0.

A long dusty road to our new home

First, it was the prairie dogs. Next, came a transient owl. And finally, it was fugitive dust.



Fugitive dust? Yes, dust that is created by preparing our property for the building of a brand-new museum.



But, before grading could start (with a permit requiring us to water down the dust being created), a prairie dog relocation effort was underway. Prairie dogs, it turns out, must be assisted to find new living quarters.



And that transient owl? One day it was gone, presumably on to a new place.



Prairie dogs, owls, and even dust...all making way for our new home. A home that, as of last week, has all of its' steel roof installed.