The “ALBA” Bomber

Working from an HU-16 fuselage, American Aero Services transformed the airframe into an immersive bomber exhibit for the museum. The team removed the keel and lower hull, mounted the fuselage on a mobile frame, and crafted a new glass nose complete with oxygen bottles and twin flexible .30-caliber guns. Inside, they fabricated a bombardier’s station, installed replica 100-lb bombs in the former gear wells to create a realistic bomb bay, and added .50-cal waist-gun positions with ammo boxes.

Constructing the “ALBA” Bomber

Preping the nose The skins and nose bumper were removed so the structure could be used to resemble the glass nose of a bomber

Removing the hull The HU-16’s keel and lower fuselage was removed to accept a frame on wheels that could be moved around the museum

Nose and glass After the skin was removed a glass nose was fabricated with oxygen bottles, flexible 30 cal machine guns and other items found in the nose of a bomber

Nose glass After the skin was removed, new glass was formed to fit the structure

Inside the nose glass

Bombadier controls A control box was fabrocated to hold all of the bombadiers instruments

Completed panel

Bombadiers position Bombadiers position with it’s “bombsite”. Since Nordan bombsites are rare collectables, a drift meter and imagination was used to finalize this position

The bomb bay The inner gear wells were used on the HU-16 to act as the bomb bay for the bomber. Replica 100lb bombs were added to give the look of a functioning bomb bay

Waist gun positions 50 cal. waist guns were added along with ammo box’s and other items found in a World War Two bomber

50 cal. ammo boxes 50 cal. ammo boxes were added to each waist position along with ammo

Saftey lights Lights were added of safety during power outages

The bomb bay finished Replica 100 lb bombs were hung in the “bomb bay” from shackles while the radar operators position is being built up

Looking from the waist forward

Nose section Completed nosesection with two 30 cal. guns in the elevated position

Fuselage paint and markings The fuselage was painted and marked as requested by the museum