Tim Fries was the Chief Restorer on the Firefly Project.

Tim's first job in aviation was short lived, when the man who he replaced at a general aviation maintenance facility, decided to return six weeks later. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as a friend of Tim's needed his T .34 restored and arranged with Ray Middleton to use his hangar. After the T.34 project was completed, Ray liked Tim's work and decided that he would give him a try.

Tim's first project at Q.G. Aviation was assisting with restoration work on Bill Greenwoods' two seat Spitfire. Over the next few years Tim assisted with the repair of a ground looped Spitfire, a Hawker Hurricane restoration and a Mk IX Spitfire project.

When Ed Kurdziel's Fairey Firefly arrived at the hangar, little did Tim know that he would spend the next seven and a half years restoring it to its original condition, including modifications to make it safer. After restoration Tim got to share in the Firefly's first flight to Oshkosh, where the Firefly won Grand Champion and Q.G. brought home the Golden Wrench Award. This was the first time a non American airplane had won Grand Champion. Tim also got to make the journey to Reno in the Firefly, where the Firefly won the Rolls Royce Heritage Trophy and the Peoples' Choice Award.