A unique view of a unique aircraft.
The wing spars are pre-drilled to fit the stainless steel splices that will be used to hold the wings in place once the airframe is delivered and reassembled.
The skin is removed only from the areas where the wings will be cut.
Here the pitot tube has been removed, as have the rudders and outer engine nacelles. The engines themselves are on carts behind the aircraft.
Because the airframe's skin is held on by screws, removing it is easier than it would be if it were riveted in place. Still, this involves the removal of thousands of special "swastika-head" philips screws. A drill press mounted on its side makes the job a little easier.
all photos on this page by 2003 by Tony Landis
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