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Post by denysjones on Mar 31, 2018 20:01:34 GMT 12
Going on from the Mar 10 post today the small non-Wanaka team gave a hand and into the accessory bay we loaded the gearbox and then I carried on with peripheral items so now as you see things are all coming back together. The control cables are a concession item in that to avoid removing them I've resorted to treating them with Blackguard, one of those rust conversion products, and then painting them silver-grey. Obviously the alternative would have been to remove and then reinstall..not a viable option, as it would entail further access to the centre section than we're planning. as always HTIOI
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Post by baz62 on Apr 2, 2018 7:51:36 GMT 12
Hi Denys I got Anthony's text about seeing if I could measure the F27 for you. After a half hour trek across the airfield I found they had fenced off access to that side of the airfield so they coukd park all the jets and RNZAF Black Falcons. The only way I could see to get there was another trek outside the airfield but as the F16 display was imminent I'm afraid I selfishly slunk away,back to my vantage point. Sorry mate.
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Post by denysjones on Apr 2, 2018 8:56:38 GMT 12
Thanks for trying Baz, it was an opportunistic idea when Ants dropped by on Saturday anyway so one can't hope to succeed with those everytime!
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Post by denysjones on Apr 7, 2018 21:38:18 GMT 12
Just another day at the factory as the expression goes but of course things move on. Wee bit of a background story here. A local Heathcote supporter of ours (Heathcote is the valley where Ferrymead is located for those not familiar with the geography of Christchurch) takes a stand every year at the vintage car swap meet at McLeans Island. For several years the guy whose stall is always next to our man's had been coming along with the same item for sale and never selling it. So a couple of years ago at the close of sale our chap says "that Friendship alternator you've got and no one is ever going to buy is going to a better home in the Friendship at Ferrymead"..."oh ok" says the vendor and so we acquired a donated alternator. So this week it has undergone a refurb and today began the population of the gearbox from last week with it along with the cleaning of the wiring loom to attach it. To round things off the hatch to the bay got added as you see here. We're now after the DC generator (Bendix 30E02-21 H or G suffix) and the compressor that also goes here so any leads please respond. as always cheers
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 7, 2018 23:20:36 GMT 12
It's always neat hearing how parts come to projects like this from the most unlikely places.
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Post by denysjones on Apr 21, 2018 21:54:45 GMT 12
Time for a report from the coal faces methinks. Firstly some Hudson stuff. In the floors of the aircraft are a number of cutouts which provide access to the bombbay, especially to the electrical sockets that the bombrack fusing units plug into. As there are five in the main cabin and two in the radio operator's compartment these holes have to have plugs/lids to seal them off for walking over. The plugs consist of a pressed metal dish with a wooden insert which is fitted with a pull up handle. Underneath are two metal fixtures which, when the plug is rotated, lock it into metal plates fitted to the floor underside. We luckily had one complete unit, albeit somewhat battered, and remains of another. So we've made up a pressing jig and now are going through the process of making the seven units required. While this has been going on our intrepid younger member Tim, previously mentioned here after building up a C20, has moved onto bigger things in the form of Rolls Royce Darts. Three of the nacelles in BRF have units which only consist of enough casings to attach to the engine frames and support prop shafts in made up brackets so as to allow props to be mounted but not rotate. Along with BXG we acquired somewhat more complete casings which most importantly have the bearings to allow the prop shafts to turn. So Tim is now well on the way with the refurbishment of the first which will then of course replace one of the existing units in BRF. ttfn
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Post by denysjones on Apr 28, 2018 21:30:22 GMT 12
Just a crappy day on site with rubbish weather so only a small team on the job but with the assistance of Tim, Paul, and Warren we got another step along the road with BXG. This was the installation of the first/upper elements of the undercarriage in the wheel well that has been the on-going process. We wanted to get this unit installed before the centre section goes back onto the a/c as getting this up several feet in the air was going to be more major than when down close to ground. We had to slide the unit in under the bay on the flat, then rotate it onto it's long edge, then feed it forwards to that end of the bay whilst rotating it vertical, and then turning it 90degrees to be across the bay and finally lifting it vertically onto the mounts and getting the pins in place. All done with Tim and myself sharing the confines of the bay with said unit in the course of the manoeuvre. The end result belies the effort!
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Post by agile on Apr 28, 2018 22:14:15 GMT 12
Huh, I wondered where everyone was when I ducked out of the Mossie cave into the main workshop at one point this afternoon. Nice work!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 28, 2018 22:25:30 GMT 12
Well done guys!!
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Post by baz62 on Apr 29, 2018 10:50:13 GMT 12
Looks great in place. Must be the cleanest Friendship undercarriage bay in the world!
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Post by kiwi285 on Apr 29, 2018 14:32:32 GMT 12
Looks great Denys - congrats to you and the team. You are making amazing progress.
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Post by denysjones on May 13, 2018 20:56:17 GMT 12
After a bit of a break last weekend, whilst up in the bay with Mike and the Classic Flyers team, back onto thing this weekend. So in the popular vernacular following on from getting the undercarriage head into the bay we now move on to "pimp the bay up with some techo bling". That is to say we can install fixtures and plumbing that were of course removed for the refurb or had, in several cases, just simply ceased to be present with age over time. It was easiest to leave these out prior to installing the head least they get in the road of that process and get damaged therein. So in these views show the plumbing, wiring, and brackets relocated to their appropriate positions as per. We've also now go the tail end of the nacelle and after removing the tailcone found the aft side of the bulkhead to be a universal charcoal brown-black shade and after cleaning were pleased/astounded to find that the wiring looms were in fact the cream colour they've now cleaned up to be. We can't be sure if it was heat in the bay alone that perhaps charred the paint etc or if the cone connection was sufficiently non-rigorous that it permitted combustion soot to get in. Whatever we've dealt to it now!
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pete
Sergeant
Posts: 15
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Post by pete on May 22, 2018 10:35:34 GMT 12
Woah! Excuse my ignorance, but as a relative newcomer to Christchurch I had no idea about the Ferrymead Aeronautical Society. Love seeing the restoration work, thanks for posting the photos. And I'll definitely be over for a visit soon...
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Post by agile on May 22, 2018 20:11:47 GMT 12
For best results make it a Saturday between 10 and 4. We look forward to meeting you!
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pete
Sergeant
Posts: 15
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Post by pete on May 23, 2018 22:58:04 GMT 12
Will do. Unfortunately away this weekend, but keen to become a regular. I've emailed about membership but haven't heard anything? Either way, looking forward to having a look and see if I can be useful
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Post by agile on May 24, 2018 22:26:18 GMT 12
Email inbound.
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Post by denysjones on May 27, 2018 14:50:05 GMT 12
Now that the majority of the work on the centre section of BXG is in hand its time to turn our attention to the top of the fuselage where it was removed from prior to the reinstallation. As to be expected this area has suffered somewhat during her years outside and so it's more of the old clean, prime and paint routine. The centre portion has been done first in this shot and what also shows is the fact that the centre section actually intrudes into the roof line so when you take it off you've got a fair old hole..bit like a targa top sports car. Of course one of the first tasks before taking the centre section off was the removal of the fairings between it and the fuselage. This wasn't all that easy as the majority of the attachment screws were rusted solid and as we were under time pressure, to meet the date to put the aircraft in the building, we drilled the offending screw heads off and so now face the task of either drilling out the stems and retapping the anchor nuts, or if we have clear access to them we are simply replacing the anchor nuts in those cases. Looking along the lower edge of the fairing surround shows the numbers involved.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 31, 2018 9:27:09 GMT 12
Interesting to see this area of the aircraft, I'd never seen or even thought about it before.
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Post by denysjones on Jun 18, 2018 19:49:28 GMT 12
Over the last couple of weeks it's been the continuation of the prep work around the centre section building up to it's reinstatement. The blending of the fuselage and c/s is effected with fibreglass panels which screw down to the anchor nuts previously mentioned. Much of the periphery that those nuts are mounted on has rubber buffer strip on it for the panels to sit on. Lots of the original rubber had either gone, or was in bad order, or had to be removed so we could replace the underlying nuts. So there's been metres of strip rubber to be cut and then holes punched to match the nuts and then glued in place. The painted areas of the nacelle have come in for attention seeing it is far easier to deal to it at low level. The original paint had of course suffered in the elements over the years and corrosion bubbles were popping up in numerous places plus rusting of screws but now job done. In that shot you can see again the mysterious porthole window in the accessory bay hatch that was mentioned a couple of months back. Well we can now save Baz from more sleepless nights wondering what it is. On Saturday we were told that it is for a light that shines on the leading edge of the wing to aid airborne inspection of ice buildup. Pretty damn obvious really once you know it! Things have also been happening in chopper land as a week back the Hiller 12 got her rotor mast installed by Rob and a couple of our mates whose digger moonlights as a crane. cheers for now
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Post by shorty on Jun 18, 2018 20:50:12 GMT 12
HS 748s have a similar light for ice detection
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