Restoration Update: Extremely Rare! Northrop P-61 Black Widow, Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, Reading, Pa.

Four P-61s are known to survive today. Northrop P-61B Black Widow, Serial No. 42-39445, with the 13th AF 13th FG 550th Night Fighter Squadron, on display as it is being restored, at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum 2024 World War II Weekend in Reading, Pa. (At the 8:25 mark, hear Greg Holmes describe more in detail the plans for the P-61)
Here is a look at the entire Black Widow aircraft in 2024:
• Update: Extremely Rare...
See what the same aircraft looked like in 2022:
• Extremely Rare! Northr...
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P-61B Serial No. 42-39445 is under restoration to flying status by the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania.
The aircraft crashed on 10 January 1945 on Mount Cyclops in Papua (province), Indonesia and was recovered in 1989 by the museum staff.
The aircraft has been undergoing a slow restoration since then with the intention of eventually returning it to flying condition, with the civilian registration N550NF.
When finished, it is expected it will be over 70% new construction. By May 2011, 80% of the restoration had been completed, with only the installation of the wings and engines remaining.
In June of 2019, both engines had been overhauled and two brand new props had been hung. In July of 2023, most of the major restoration work has been completed with the installation of wiring harnesses, control cables, oxygen tanks, and other components.
The elevator has been completed, but due to limited hangar space it has not yet been installed. Work continues on the rudders and outer wings which, with the addition of newly built spars, comprise of mostly new build components
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The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s 30th annual World War II Weekend took place at Reading Regional Airport.
(Video by Dan’s Cool Videos)
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[@way2sh0rt07grad]

I've been watching the progress on this aircraft for years. As slow as it's been, you can definitely see milestones being made. Can't wait to see the maiden flight.

[@LINJ638]

Wait until another fucking 1,000 years later.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@LINJ638You sure are cool just kidding

[@kerryholcomb6781]

My Dad was a crew chief on a P-61 with the 427th NFS in the CBI. I had always shown him the progress updates on that bird. He loved again seeing parts of the plane he once worked on as a young man. He had hoped to see that bird fly someday, but unfortunately, we lost him a few years ago. He was probably the last of the 427th. He always loved the 61's!

[@philipcollura2669]

I'm a proud MAAM member, been a Tour Guide since 2018. Frankly I get goosebumps when I do my best to decribe the undertaking to retrieve it off the mountain. Picture climbing up Mt. Cyclops, 4700' through dense jungle just get to it. No electricity meant they had to cut it in pieces with hand tools. My first look at the P-61 was about 1996, when only the front section of the fuselage was in a cradle on the floor. My recollection is thinking "how are they going to make an airplane from this?" And here it is today. Amazing.

[@danscoolvideos6024]

The MAAM does an incredible job each year with WWII weekend. There is immense interest in this P-61 restoration. Thanks for your efforts and for your comment.

[@KhanIlkara]

I've also been keeping tabs on this project and I'm glad that it has kept moving along. Seeing a lot of the workmanship done to both reverse engineer and re-manufacture components, this is definitely a careful labor of love. Also, "Like Star Wars" is a bit funny to me since a lot of the ships are based on those aircraft. Personally, I love the fork-tailed devil and I will not ignore it's big sister.

[@andrewmacdonald4833]

It's been a long time coming...but boy is this a masterpiece...and certainly worth the wait...amazing restoration.

[@troymolitor7766]

Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing this. An interior shot would be most welcomed. Thanks for posting.

[@danscoolvideos6024]

thank you Troy

[@MarkRenn]

I would give anything to be there to see this fly again.

[@jeffapplewhite5981]

Awesome airplane! Thanks.

[@danscoolvideos6024]

Thanks Jeff

[@Bryan-cs9to]

Great to see a P-61 being restored

[@bessie1854]

Would love to see this bird make it to Airventure in Oshkosh.

[@stephenhill560]

Fantastic. Would love to see her fly. The 425th NFS formed at a base near me in the UK but didn’t receive their aircraft until they moved to France

[@stanleydomalewski8497]

Wow, I Didn't Know That Someone was Restoring a " Black Widow " I would Love to See it Fly When They Are Finished ! Best Wishes to Them! What They Have Restored looks Magnificent !❤

[@thurin84]

this is the one pulled off the mountain???? wow! i remember watching that show back in the day!

[@VictorJohnson-x1s]

I can't wait to see it fly again, that's just awesome !

[@davidroberts2777]

Amazing work Get her airborne again.

[@garyspencersalt9449]

Cool

[@BeeLineEast]

Wow he mentioned New Guinea that's were my father saw the Black Widow I asked him a few weeks ago. Cool and interesting video

[@danscoolvideos6024]

He tells an interesting story about how the museum got the aircraft and what the plans are for it

[@yes_head]

Hopefully the owners have deep pockets. I love this plane, and it would be AMAZING to see it flying again, but it's going to be crazy expensive to get and keep it airworthy. I'm thinking of what Kermit Weeks has put into his A-26, and that's probably been a magnitude easier restoration job than this will be.

[@thurin84]

you guys should name it "bouncin betty" in honor of how it came to be preserved all these years!

[@thurin84]

fun fact a p-61 black widow was used to distract japanese guards into looking up while the 6th ranger battalion crawled into position to commence the great raid on cap cabaanatuan in the philipines to liberate allied pows so the japanese couldnt execute them.

[@kat13man]

A couple of questions but first kudos for saving the Black Widow. Can't you put the wings on just so we can look at it with wings even if they are not structurally perfect for flight? Also, green spinners? Where did that come from? Thanks if advance for any replies to these questions.

[@maxwedge5683]

I heard the wings were about $600,000 each. How much are you willing to contribute?

[@toddw6716]

Should be done in another 30 years

[@robertspence831]

Neato!

[@shortribslongbow5312]

What size engines did it have R 2800, 3350, or can't be a 4360?

[@jamesweaver1370]

2800

[@MrMarkus49]

Spokesman sounds like he had a few beers. LOL

[@guaporeturns9472]

So?

[@maxwedge5683]

It was about 100 degrees that weekend so I'm sure he was enjoying a few beers when he got home.

[@lebaillidessavoies3889]

it would have made a good water bomber.

[@brucefelger4015]

They used them to fly into thunderstorms after the war.

[@Tom-wp1gm]

There was a reconnaissance version of the P-61 known as a F-15, one of those was converted into a tanker and crashed in 1968. Northrop F-15A Reporter 45-59300 (c/n 3201)

[@slowery43]

I always fee sad for having to answer most of those ridiculously silly questions, like a sports star asked "you just lost, do you feel bad?", this guy was aked "what is the goal of this restoration?" ugh

[@danscoolvideos6024]

asking questions is the point of air shows/open houses/WW2 weekend. Regarding what is the goal?, the goal is to make this the only flying P-61 in the world, which is better to hear from the mouth of a restoration team member, than to superimpose in type over the video or add to the description-it carries much more weight and credibility.

[@Wannes_]

Maybe because there are different goals in restoration ? To static condition To operating but not flying condition (which is more of a thing in the UK though) To flying condition To flying condition, but ... not flying

[@Wannes_]

Granted, it's been 16 years since I visited MAAM, but they come a long way since on the P-61 restoration It was never going to be a quick & easy restoration anyway

[@wateverit8ks342]

I am so excited this is happening . My absolute favorite World War Two aircraft.

[@SpectrumRob]

There is a variant called the F-14A Reporter, that crashed landed in Greenland and is still there somewhere.

[@MrStoney61]

Many thanks for this update. Been following from the beginning.

[@dawnsokolik7837]

MJ Would love to buy a ride when its finnished.

[@JeffKolln]

Great aircraft and a great story. Thanks again to Mid Atlantic Museum for the great help/information they gave me in my P-61 book. This is only 2 P-61Bs that exist. The other one is rusting away in China.

[@danscoolvideos6024]

Yeah, he specifically mentions the remaining Black Widows and the one in China. Super-Rare

[@jimmylieb5225]

there is another at the USAF museum at Wright Pat. at least there was back in 1981. same green black color scheme as this P61.

[@danscoolvideos6024]

@@jimmylieb5225 You are correct. The museum has a P-61 C-model. From their website: "The Black Widow on display was presented to the museum by the Tecumseh Council, Boy Scouts of America, Springfield, Ohio, in 1958. It is painted and marked as a P-61B assigned to the 550th Night Fighter Squadron serving in the Pacific in 1945."

[@echohunter4199]

Thank you very much sir.

[@danscoolvideos6024]

you are welcome