Staff at the Yankee Air Museum are making steady progress on their restoration of the four-engined giant
Consolidated P4Y-2G Privateer 59876, based at Willow Run, Michigan’s Yankee Air Museum, is slowly but surely taking shape.
The 1945-built aircraft served the US Navy and Coast Guard before embarking on a civilian career as N6813D. Flying as a fire-bomber, the charismatic machine was retired following a 1975 accident in Alaska. Its substantial remains were donated to what is now the Yankee Air Museum in 1986.
Late last year the museum’s team successfully installed the last of the Privateer’s four engines and is close to completing a functional front turret. Prior to that they had corrected damage sustained to the airframe during its accident and recovery; this involved making new formers at the bottom of the port fuselage and changing the landing gear, among much else. Both Martin top turrets are now in place, with attention now turning to the front.
