A U.S. Navy Icon Takes to the Skies After a 17-Year Restoration

The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, Minn., announced that on July 22, 2024, its SB2C Helldiver returned to the sky, completing a 17-year restoration project. The restoration team, led by Brandon Deuel, sought to return an aircraft that hadn’t flown since 1945 to airworthy status.

The test flight was piloted by Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Colonel Ed Vesely, who has extensive experience flying the only other airworthy Helldiver owned and operated by the CAF and assigned to the West Texas Wing.

Two days after a successful flight test, Ray Fowler flew the airplane from Granite Falls to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. Then, on July 25, it was featured in the “Warbirds in Review” panel alongside Fagen Fighters’ P-47D Chief Ski-U-Mah II.