Great stuff!
Barn Finds!!!
- Thread starter gumbyk
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #22
I've been helping out one day a week when I can, cleaning up various parts of the aircraft, and have been amazed at the condition its in:
The tyre still holds pressure, and every moving part still moved freely. The tailwheel assembly just needed a small bit of surface corrosion removed, and cleaned up. The intention is to present the aircraft in an "in use, but looked after" condition, i.e. not make it a pristine, factory fresh aircraft, but to still have small marks, weathering, etc that it would have had when it first arrived in New Zealand.
Another small detail that I hadn't realised was the amount of copper static bonding straps that are in the aircraft. They can be seen here on the inside of one of the fuselage side panels:
I just wish the builders had thought to bend the ends of the lock-wire over - it's still sharp 70 years later!
The tyre still holds pressure, and every moving part still moved freely. The tailwheel assembly just needed a small bit of surface corrosion removed, and cleaned up. The intention is to present the aircraft in an "in use, but looked after" condition, i.e. not make it a pristine, factory fresh aircraft, but to still have small marks, weathering, etc that it would have had when it first arrived in New Zealand.
Another small detail that I hadn't realised was the amount of copper static bonding straps that are in the aircraft. They can be seen here on the inside of one of the fuselage side panels:
I just wish the builders had thought to bend the ends of the lock-wire over - it's still sharp 70 years later!
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
That is just so cool
- Thread starter
- #26
Yeah, even the repairs that John did to stitch the aircraft back together are hard to see if you don't know where to look.
But, every time we think something is only going to take 10 minutes, it ends up taking hours. Taking a cooler housing off the side of that fuselage panel took almost an hour and a half,, and it was only a dozen bolts. The tail wheel, in contrast, came apart as if it had been assembled a week earlier.
Crimea_River
Marshal
What FB page is this on guys? Avspecs?
- Thread starter
- #28
There's a dedicated group for this project: Facebook Groups
They're keeping it as a private group to try to keep some control of the idiotic comments that inevitably come out, but if you PM me your facebook user name I'll sort it if there's any problems.
Still the same today! Get caught out all the time with lockwire tails digging into your skin!
Great work Aaron and am envious as hell that you get to do that! Have donated funds as part of the Give-a-little page.
- Thread starter
- #30
Haven't been able to get out there for a couple of weeks now - work's too busy. But I'm feeling the need to get back out.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Better hurry as it seems things are moving quickly!
- Thread starter
- #33
Yeah, its a testament to the state of preservation that the aircraft was in.
- Thread starter
- #34
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Brilliant !
The only thing I've ever found in barns is rotting straw !
The only thing I've ever found in barns is rotting straw !
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Herman1rg is right. I think we have the GB 50 winner.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Look at the detail on the landing gear!
Bloody faaantastic!
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
I found an antique Marlin lever-action .30-30 in an old collapsed barn.
I would gladly trade it for one of these gems, however! (As if that would ever happen, right?)