Aircraft Update: Diamond in the Rough– A Call for Understanding & Support
Dallas, TX. April 11, 2024 An update about the CAF Air Power History Tour from B-29/B-24 Squadron Leader Jeremy S. Lashbrook.
Dear B-29/B-24 Squadron Members, Friends, and Supporters,
During the annual inspection of the B-24 Diamond Lil this off season, we made the determination that Diamond Lil needs some new feathers. Due to weathering, the cloth covered rudders, ailerons, and elevators, required new paint which also meant replacing the underlying fabric. During this process, we also felt that now would be a good time to replace the flight control cables that connect the control surfaces to the pilot’s yokes and rudder pedals. Unfortunately, this is an extensive project which will preclude our beautiful B-24 from being able to travel the country with the Air Power History Tour this summer as there have been unexpected delays in completing this project. Our maintenance team takes the utmost care of all our squadron aircraft and we feel the need to take these steps now in order to ensure that the world’s only regularly flying B-24 is in tip top shape so that it can continue to fly for generations to come. We are currently anticipating this project to take an extensive amount of time to complete - possibly up to 5 months.
Attention Riders - If you have purchased a ticket for a ride on the B-24, the Squadron is currently working on contacting all of the riders with information about refunds. Everyone's patience is appreciated as they work through this process.
We will continue to update everyone on Diamond Lil’s progress throughout this project. As always, we could use additional volunteer assistance in the hangar to help with this large undertaking. If you are unable to support us with your time, any financial help would also be greatly appreciated. The unexpected loss of revenue from Diamond Lil not being out on tour is going to hit the squadron hard. All of the income made while touring goes directly to the operation, support, and maintenance of our Squadron aircraft so that we can continue to share them with the American public. Please visit us at www.diamondlil.org to donate directly to Diamond Lil or join the Diamond Lil Century Club which provides a variety of fun perks for those able to provide a monthly, sustaining contribution.
Finally, the show must go on! We must continue the Mission! We will continue to tour this summer and you can still see the world’s most famous flying B-29 Superfortress FIFI P-51 Mustang Gunfighter, WASP T-6 Texan Nella, RC-45J Expeditor Bucket of Bolts*, PT-13 Stearman, and others during our scheduled stops listed on our website at www.airpowersquadron.org.
