Hangar Thirteen Foundation

10/14/2026

Today is the 83rd anniversary of Schweinfurt II and, in honor of the occasion, we have an incredible update to share -

We have a new video. This one is a collaboration with FlightLineMedia, building a 1/48 scale model of "Lucky Thirteen."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jRcexZZgig

This is a project long in the making. To ensure the replica was as accurate as possible, modeler Daniel Sawter kept in close contact every step of the way. The result is absolutely incredible.

I was asked to join on the build video, advising on the script and recording some dialogue of my own. It was truly an awesome experience.

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Regarding updates on the real "Lucky Thirteen," I apologize for the hiatus. There is a LOT going on right now, but we are just not in a position to share everything. Once I can get the photos and videos taken, I will get them online as soon as I can.

But rest assured, we have made some incredible leaps forward.

Modeler Daniel Sauter, and historian Gerad Blume, team up to bring ...

09/30/2026

FOR SALE -

This Type K-4 Gunsight has become excess to the project's needs so we are offering it for sale.

The K-4 was designed by Sperry Gyroscope for use with the Type A-2/A-2A/A-13/A-13A Ball Turret. Some examples were license built by National Cash Register but this one is an original Sperry.

This particular K-4 is an early variant, as evidence by the flat switch panel, so it is accurate for late-1942 through early-1944. Because of the AC number on this one, I lean toward the former.

Asking price is 500 USD plus shipping. Just let us know if interested!

09/27/2026

09/17/2026

Wanted to share these awesome photos from volunteer Bob Hachmann.

These are 3D prints of our ball turret CAD models at 1/2 scale.

For those not familiar -

Back in 2022 we had an original, early-ball shell 3D scanned. It was a major effort with multiple groups pitching in to make it happen. However, a simple scan is not enough to cast a new ball. The scans have to be reverse engineered - which is a laborious, time consuming process.

Working with our friends at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, we were able to confirm that some of the turret's original blueprints still exist. So, we got copies of those pertaining to the shell. These drawings only show the shell in its last configuration (the A-2A), so there are small differences between it and the A-2 (which is appropriate for Boeing B-17F "Lucky Thirteen). But having the scans in hand, we can see exactly what those differences are and account for them.

The models used in these prints are taken directly from the original blueprints. You can even see pieces on the shell that were designed to be machined away after casting.

Which is exactly what we plant to do.

This half-scale test print is to help us in preparing molds for the full-scale casting. Make no mistake, "Lucky Thirteen" will have a ball turret.

09/11/2026

Twenty five years. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.

I was in high school. By the time I got to my first class it had already started. Everyone was talking about it but first period was Spanish, and she hated us. Class as usual. Come second period, English, all the TVs from the library had already been checked out, so we listened to the clock radio on our teacher’s desk.

Some of my classmates panicked: “SRS is next. We’re all gonna die.” SRS is a nuclear weapons facility near us. It’s not a building or anything like that - it’s the size of a county. Still, logic was not part of the equation that day.

When we got to third period, physics, we could finally see what was going on. He had a TV. Just in time to watch the towers fall.

It took time for me to comprehend that this was going to be the defining moment of my generation. Things would never be the same. It’s a trite statement, but it’s true.

With my love of history, I was convinced that our country would be filled with righteous indignation and see that justice, a reckoning, would be done. “Remember the Maine.” “Remember the Lusitania.” “Remember Pearl Harbor.” “Remember 9/11.” That was true at first, but it withered away quickly, almost overnight.

It is painful to look back and see a wound that will never heal. It still boggles my mind to meet people born after 9/11, people who will never know a world where Islamic terrorism wasn’t part of everyday life. But here we are.

Keep the show on the road.