Inside a pole barn, a dedicated group of aviation enthusiasts has undertaken a monumental endeavor to resurrect a piece of history. The rare B-17E, fondly known as Desert Rat after the name found painted on the side of the plane’s fuselage, was initially built as a bomber aircraft delivered to the Army Air Forces on April 14, 1942, before being converted into a cargo plane.
The restoration project is led by Desert Rat’s owner, Mike Kellner, who first found the plane chopped up into pieces back in 1984 in an overgrown field near Bangor, Maine, according to Desert Rat restoration volunteer, Bill Stanczak.