Firebee drone makes its Pueblo debut at Weisbrod Museum following year-long restoration

A newly refurbished Ryan BQM-34F Firebee drone now hangs from the ceiling of a hangar at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum , marking the latest addition to an impressive collection of historic military and aviation artifacts.

Firebee drones, which primarily serve as jet-powered gunnery targets for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, entered service in 1951 and still function as one of the most widely used target drones ever built.

The particular Firebee that was hung Sunday from the ceiling at the Weisbrod, 31001 Magnuson Ave., has been in the museum's possession for almost a year. It's finally getting its day in the sun after an extensive restoration, according to Richard "Dick" Wood, a 30-year volunteer at the museum.

"It was basically in a box, one of the wings was almost off of it — it was beat up pretty bad," Wood said. "They rebuilt one wing almost entirely and the little rockets on the wing tips, they rebuilt those. And a few other odds and ends, we had to redo," he said.

Wood and other volunteers at the nonprofit aircraft museum spend many hours each year refurbishing old vehicles and equipment donated to the Weisbrod. Along with the new Firebee came an MQ-1 Predator drone and an MGM-13 Mace cruise missile , both of which still need to be restored.

"There's a skill level involved in that (restoration)," he said. "The more skilled you are in this stuff, the less time it takes. When you have to sit there, analyze, learn, do this, that, and the other, it takes a lot of time and a lot of people.

"If you have people who can train other people, you're doing good. If you don't, you're basically spinning your wheels."

The correct hardware is also required to have an accurate and attractive restoration, he said.

"If you find a countersunk screw just out in the world, odds are it's 82 degrees countersunk. All these airplanes are 100 degrees countersunk. If you put an 82-degree countersunk in there, you're going to see the head stick up (a little bit) — that's one of the many little details you have to know."

Military equipment and parts are also more expensive, and while the Weisbrod has a "reasonable budget, we also know starvation is right around the corner," Wood said.

What to see and do at the Weisbrod Aircraft Museum

The Weisbrod has several hangars near Pueblo Memorial Airport, which contain aircraft from World War II to the modern day. Among the highlights of the one-of-a-kind collection are a rare surviving B-29 Superfortress bomber called "Peachy," named after a B-29 flown by Pueblo native Robert T. Haver over Japan in WWII; an F-16C Eagle that shot down a MiG during the First Gulf War; and a variety of other planes, helicopters, and even military ground vehicles.

Wood said he's not aware of any major public events lined up at the museum this summer, but he noted the museum can be rented as a private event space for weddings, funerals, banquets, and other special events.

"The Weisbrod seems to be a very closely guarded secret out here," Wood said. "And when people come out and actually see what we have, and start looking around, they are absolutely amazed. So it's more getting people in the door out here, even if they do nothing more than pay their entrance fee, walk around and see the neat stuff we have."

The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military veterans, and free for active duty military veterans and children under 7 years old.

For more information, visit pwam.org

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter@jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com .

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Firebee drone makes its Pueblo debut at Weisbrod Museum following year-long restoration