The Devil Dog -- a historic war-plane in Georgetown -- is in trouble.

The bomber has been flying above Georgetown and Central Texas for 10 years, but not now. It is missing one of its twin 17-hundred hp engines. Putting one back will take several thousand dollars. Until then the Devil Dog remains grounded, and may stay that way if money isn't raised to pay for the engine repair.

The Devil Dog is kept at the Pilot’s Choice Aviation Hanger which is located on the north end of the Georgetown airport. It’s been there since smoke started coming out of an engine during a recent inspection flight.

“Something like this, the engine could have had a catastrophic failure,” said mechanic Wade Castellanos.

A piston had blown deep inside the Number 2 engine. The force of the explosion tore a quarter sized hold out of the side of the piston head. The engine was removed and shipped off to be rebuilt.

The repair bill could exceed $50 thousand. That’s a lot of money for the non-profit group that owns this historic aircraft.

Devil Dog is a nickname for Marines. The B-25 was restored as a tribute to all WWII Marine bombers.

It rolled off a Kansas City assembly line in 1944. The plane and her crew were in the process of being assigned to the Pacific War Theater when Japan surrendered. It did not take part in any combat missions, but the war-bird now carries the registration numbers to one that did.

That B-25 and her crew sank 4 Japanese ships during WWII. It was lost in action over the Pacific.

After the war the B-25 that would later become the Devil Dog was sold and flown to a location Near Rockdale. For several years it was used as a cargo plane. It was eventually sold to the Commemorative Air Force, a national non-profit group that restores vintage airplanes.

Those who have been taking care of the plane believe the Devil Dog is one of only about 20 B-25’s still in flying condition. Another B-25, the Yellow Rose, is based at the San Marcos Airport.

For more than 2 decades, the Devil Dog has been showcased in several air-shows.

It attracts a lot of attention when it is in the air but few realize it makes its home in Georgetown.

The public can see the plane as it sits in its Georgetown Airport hanger. Georgetown High School senior, and pilot, Ronny Tippet spends a lot of time at the airport and says the plane is worth saving.

“It’s done a lot of fundraisers. Boy Scouts and all those organizations, it is real motivating,” said Tippet.

The campaign to raise money goes beyond fixing the number 2 engine. The goal is to purchase a third back-up motor.

“We want to maintain this airplane for years to come” said Castellanos.

October 20th there will be a fundraiser dance here at the airport. Among those scheduled to attend will be Lt. Col. Dick Cole. He is one of the surviving “Doolittle Raiders” who used B-25s to attack Tokyo 4 months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Advanced ticket purchases are $10.00 and can be made at the Pilot’s Choice Aviation office at the Georgetown Airport.