Chasing Happiness at 25,000 Feet: The Desert Rat Restoration Story
What if happiness isn't something you find, but something you build, one rivet at a time?
That's the surprising truth at the heart of this week's episode of Bacon Bits with Master Happiness. Host Marty Jalove sat down with Mike, a volunteer from the B-17E Desert Rat Restoration Project in Marengo, Illinois. Together they turned a story about an old WWII bomber into a masterclass on purpose, passion, and the joy of chasing a dream that refuses to die.
Grab a seat in the hangar. This one will stick with you.
With Special Guest:
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A Pile of Rusty Parts, a Dream That Wouldn't Quit
Here's the setup. Back in the 1980s, a man named Mike Kellner drove to Maine to look at an old airplane sitting in a junkyard. Most people would have seen scrap metal. He saw a Flying Fortress ready to soar again.
That plane is the Desert Rat, serial number 41-2595. It's one of only 35 B-17s left in the country, and only nine are flying. The volunteer team isn't just restoring it to sit in a museum. They want it back in the air, where it belongs.
Our guest Mike joined the project after touring the plane with his car club. He jokes that he "converted from tires to propellers." Now he's the voice of the mission, writing letters by hand, knocking on doors, and spreading the word any way he can.
What makes this episode special is the chemistry. Marty brings his signature curiosity and warmth. Mike brings raw honesty and deep love for the work. The result feels less like an interview and more like two friends discovering something bigger than themselves.
Five BACON Lessons for Chasing Any Dream
At Master Happiness, we say everything bacon touches gets a little better. So Marty and Mike broke the whole conversation down into one word you won't forget. This isn't bacon for chewing. It's bacon for doing.
B — Believe in Your Vision
Mike Kellner saw an airplane where everyone else saw junk. That's belief in its purest form. Before the tools, before the team, before the money, someone had to believe.
Mike put it simply: when you truly believe in something, it shows. It's not a canned pitch. Your enthusiasm becomes contagious.
Your takeaway: Your dream starts the moment you decide it's real. Name it out loud. Believe it before anyone else does.
A — Adapt When Plans Change
Thirty-five years ago, you could find B-17 parts. Not anymore. So the team learned to build them from scratch, working off original Boeing blueprints.
Then came the engines. One shop told them they'd need 12 engines just to make four work. Wild, right? Last count, the team was up to nine. Progress, one part at a time.
Your takeaway: Obstacles aren't stop signs. They're detours. Bend without breaking, and keep moving toward the goal.
C — Community Makes It Possible
No one flies solo here. A small crew of four or five skilled hands does the heavy work. Volunteers step up. Even Mike's own sons pitched in, one on the videos, one on the logo and flyers.
And remember that single dollar? During the show, Ronald Curtis Grace handed over a buck. Mike wanted to frame it. Because every dollar, every hand, every voice moves the mission forward.
Your takeaway: Big dreams need many hands. Ask for help. Build your team. Let people in.
O — Originality Honors History
The FAA won't let this plane fly unless it's rebuilt to Boeing's original 1936 specs. Even the pilot who once flew it, Officer Taylor, wanted it restored as a transport. But the rules said bomber, so bomber it will be.
There's beauty in that respect for the past. Mike even had a friend hand-paint the Desert Rat logo onto a leather patch, just like WWII artists once did on bomber jackets.
Your takeaway: Honor where you came from. Your roots give your dream meaning and depth.
N — Never Give Up
Forty years. That's how long this dream has stayed alive. Mike Kellner started in the '80s. Co-owner Bill joined in 2000. And they're still going.
As Mike said, when you're passionate about something, it's not a job or an obligation. You look forward to it every single day.
Your takeaway: Persistence isn't about grinding. It's about loving the work so much that quitting never crosses your mind.
Where the Magic Happened
The best moments in this episode weren't scripted. They were felt.
There was humor. Mike joked that the owners had been "carrying this around for 40 years," while he'd been carrying it for "40 minutes." The two laughed about needing "9,999,000 more people" to each chip in a dollar.
There was vulnerability, too. When Marty asked how Mike would feel watching the plane's first flight, he paused. "I don't know how I'd react," he admitted. "I don't know if I'd start crying." That honesty landed hard.
And there was that unforgettable line Mike kept returning to: "Get next to the plane, and the plane will talk to you." You could hear the goosebumps.
This is where Marty shines. He doesn't just ask questions. He listens, connects, and pulls out the deeper meaning. He tied Mike's bomber story to every listener's life, turning a restoration project into a mirror for our own dreams.
Bacon Bits: Your Quick Takeaways
Belief comes first. See the treasure before anyone else does.
Adapt or stall. When you can't buy the part, build it.
Community carries the load. Even a single dollar matters.
Respect your roots. Originality gives your dream its soul.
Passion beats pressure. When you love it, it never feels like work.
Your Turn to Take Flight
Here's the part most people miss. This story isn't really about an airplane. It's about you.
You have something inside you that you can do better than anyone else. But you have to find it, name it, and chase it. That's your bacon. That's your reason to get up in the morning.
So do three things today. Tune in to the full episode of Bacon Bits with Master Happiness and hear Mike tell it in his own words. Share it with someone who needs a spark. And reflect on one question: If your dream were an airplane, what would you do today to help it fly?
The Desert Rat still needs help to reach the sky. You can support the mission or learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/12595DesertRat or on YouTube at @desertrat1936.
To help or contribute email them at: fundthefortress@gmail.com
Your dream is waiting on the runway. Let's take flight.
Chasing Happiness at 25,000 Feet:
The Desert Rat Restoration Story
To learn more about Chasing Happiness at 25,000 Feet: The Desert Rat Restoration Story, go to: www.MasterHappiness.com/live or “Bacon Bits with Master Happiness” on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
See it on YouTube
Or catch us LIVE on "BACON BITS with Master Happiness" on 983thelife.com, Monday Night at 7:00 PM and start making your life SIZZLE!
Marty Jalove of Master Happiness is a Company Coach, Business Consultant, and Marketing Strategist that helps small businesses, teams, and individuals find focus, feel fulfilled, and have fun. He helps businesses struggling with communication issues between co-owners, staff, and customers grow a happier and healthier business.
Master Happiness stresses the importance of realistic goal setting, empowerment, and accountability in order to encourage employee engagement and retention. The winning concentration is simple: Happy Employees attract Happy Customers and Happy Customers come back with Friends.
Want to learn more about bringing more happiness into your workplace and life? Contact Master Happiness at www.MasterHappiness.com or www.WhatsYourBacon.com
Tune in to "Bacon Bits with Master Happiness" now on your favorite podcast platform and learn how to bring home the B.A.C.O.N.!
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