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Post by mit on Nov 25, 2018 19:57:16 GMT 12
Two bits of Auster lift strut ready to be packed and sent to you Michael. I am taking them into work in the morning to linish off the burrs from the cutting and wrapping them in corrugated cardboard ready to post. 20181125_165906 by Barry Tod, on Flickr you will have a lot of anhedral on the auster with the struts shorted that much Baz?!
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Post by kiwi285 on Nov 25, 2018 20:42:36 GMT 12
Two bits of Auster lift strut ready to be packed and sent to you Michael. I am taking them into work in the morning to linish off the burrs from the cutting and wrapping them in corrugated cardboard ready to post. 20181125_165906 by Barry Tod, on Flickr Thanks to both of you - we really appreciate your help.
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Post by baz62 on Nov 27, 2018 9:23:10 GMT 12
you will have a lot of anhedral on the auster with the struts shorted that much Baz?! Ha ha. I nearly had heart failure Saturday as the strut Anthony had cut looked like a good one.....til I glanced at the fuselage end and saw it was all bent and twisted. Ah so it was one of BRA's ones. Phew. Tell you what a lot of rust came out of what was on a flying aircraft 6 years ago!
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Post by agalbraith on Nov 27, 2018 9:51:26 GMT 12
Yes mate, I bet you looked a little sick when you came in and saw my handiwork.....Dang, I thought it was a good one too LOL.
I agree, that sure was a big pile of rust pour out wasn't it!
Oh and Mike, I cut them at 800mm, so you have extra to play with
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Post by kiwi285 on Nov 28, 2018 14:27:49 GMT 12
Yes mate, I bet you looked a little sick when you came in and saw my handiwork.....Dang, I thought it was a good one too LOL. I agree, that sure was a big pile of rust pour out wasn't it! Oh and Mike, I cut them at 800mm, so you have extra to play with Thank you squire - Dave will have plenty to play with and will be as happy as a sandboy.
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Post by kiwi285 on Nov 28, 2018 15:17:33 GMT 12
The team working on the engine installation are making good progress as you can see with sections of the cowl being hung in place. Alan is building an airbox to fit on the carb as it is different from the -8 engine normally fitted. Lance is working on a pump unit to form part of a pre-start oiling system to ensure the cylinders have lubricant for the first starts. The removal of rotten material from the last wing panel is progressing and Robin was busy with the scrubber removing the old paint from the skins. We had no pitot head and support structure for the aircraft but I could remember that we had a spare from 23505's restoration. I searched high and low but couldn't find it, so decided to make the support strut from wood. I had it ready to assemble this morning and was looking for a packing piece to fit the tube into the timber and on looking thru the box of timber offcuts guess what I found. So that was a waste of time. 281118 005 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 281118 006 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 281118 012 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr
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Post by kiwi285 on Nov 28, 2018 18:14:14 GMT 12
I had a great surprize today. Just before lunch a lady walked up to me at the workbench and asked if I was Mike. Turns out she (Maureen Massey) is the Vice President of the HARS museum in Wollongong and was visiting off a cruise ship at Tauranga. (still haven't figured out how she knew my name) however she was keen to see what we were working on. The Air Chathams crew were running up the Dak engines in preparation of a couple of sightseeing trip and she mentioned that she owns one currently at the HARS museum. She is also type rated on the Connie and regularly fly's it to displays around the country. Quite a coincidence, as on Friday 7 December I am giving a talk to the BOP branch of the RAeS and the subject is my recent trip to the HARS museum. Maureen arrives home from the cruise on the Friday and has promised to email me some info and photos to include in my lecture. How quirky is that. I managed to get a couple of photos of her and Des standing in front of the Dak. 281118 009 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 281118 010 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr
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Post by kiwi285 on Nov 29, 2018 15:15:56 GMT 12
The Auster strut material has arrived today so Dave will be able to get his teeth into completing the Yagi aerials. A couple of photos show the new aerial beside the old one and the supporting strut that he needs to copy to create the set. IMG_6848 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr IMG_6849 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr
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Post by kiwi285 on Nov 30, 2018 14:11:54 GMT 12
Dave had the parcel open as soon as he arrived and was measuring up the length required. By the time I was ready to leave he told me that it is all ready to be welded up and someone is lined up to do this for next week. Everybody else is progressing their areas - some times you spend hours figuring out how to tackle a certain job and then finding the required material to make a start. Sometimes if we cannot find the material, a rethink finds them doing it another way. I have become well known at the local branch of Metalco and they greet me like a favoured customer and let ne scavenge around in the various piles of material. It is amazing the material that ends up there but at least it is getting recycled (at least the stuff that I don't take away). I have been working on the inboard end of the port wing panel where it is cantilevered out so that as the wing unfolds it sits down on top on the centre section. I think on every wing panel we have used this area has been stretched, crushed or just mangled and has required quite some work to get it fitting again. In the four odd hours I was working on it today I repaired about 2 1/2 of the support ribs. Time consuming but satisfying when it comes together. I also gave Cal a hand to test fit the new rear fuselage windows and get the surround plates back on the right window.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 30, 2018 15:11:48 GMT 12
It's nice to see Baz has finally found something practical to do with some of the junk from his piles of Auster cartons.
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Post by kiwi285 on Nov 30, 2018 18:11:57 GMT 12
They might have been only 800 mm long but they were heavy little suckers. Going to be interesting when they get hung on the wings. I have never seen the aerials in the flesh before.
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Post by baz62 on Dec 1, 2018 13:08:43 GMT 12
Yeah now imagine how heavy the Auster is with 4 of those (and on mine the front and rear ones are the same size profile) around 3 metres long! And with fittings welded on each end! Look forward to seeing the completed aerials.
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Post by kiwi285 on Dec 2, 2018 11:09:15 GMT 12
Baz - Dave is keen to get them completed and mounted so I wouldn't expect that they will take too long. The base plate are going to be welded on this weekend so will see what Wednesday brings.
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Post by kiwi285 on Dec 5, 2018 18:28:17 GMT 12
No photos today- sorry. I was one of a team who went up to North Shore yesterday to start packing up Meteor parts for transport to Tauranga in the next day or so. I was also given some tasks to do regarding the Meteor so I didn't spend a lot of time in the hangar. Everyone had their heads down so work is progreaaing at a good pace so Friday I will have a wander round with the camera.
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Post by kiwi285 on Dec 7, 2018 13:38:53 GMT 12
We all had a productive day today and I think everyone was happy when we knocked off. Alan has finished the trunking that joins the intake duct on the cowl to the top of the carb. Bob was working on wiring up the mags and the job is progressing well. The team working on the wing skins are progressing well with removing the corroded metal and in a lot of cases the underlying structure that has been affected too. I have just about completed the repair of the support structure on the inboard end of the wing and have only one rib to straighten out. Lance is cutting out the last of the Perspex panels for the rear of the canopy and getting that ready for test fitting. Noel has completed the replica .5 Browning and has mounted it in the turret and it looks really smart. He has a small section of the ammo belt ready to go into place when the cupola goes on. Des has pulled out the A S Cheetah engine and has been looking for accessories and the hardware to bolt it in place so I guess the next couple of weeks will be spent degreasing, cleaning and painting this engine ready for display. 071218 009 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 071218 010 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 071218 007 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 071218 004 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 071218 005 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 071218 008 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 071218 001 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 071218 003 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 7, 2018 21:06:30 GMT 12
I don't comment often Mike but I always check in on this and the museum thread each time there are new posts. It's great to see each update.
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Post by baz62 on Dec 8, 2018 17:22:03 GMT 12
Great work fellas. You better hurry up and find a prop as it looks like the engine guys will be ready soon!
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Post by kiwi285 on Dec 13, 2018 10:54:27 GMT 12
Noel has finished the turret .5 Browning and is currently working on a couple of ammo boxes and a belt of ammo for display. I have finished repairing the top fairing over the wing fold area and will have to wait until the wing is attached and put into the open position to see how it all comes together. Des and I have started work refurbishing the AS Cheetah IX engine that came from Blenheim earlier in the year so will take a break from the Avenger. Unfortunately Flickr will not allow me to unload and post any photos so I have to wait for my computer expert to see what is going on.
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Post by kiwi285 on Dec 14, 2018 14:41:19 GMT 12
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Post by kiwi285 on Dec 14, 2018 14:56:48 GMT 12
Dave has finished the two Yagi aerials and test fitted the starboard one today so that I could get a couple of photos just to show that we are cracking on with the replacement of missing or broken parts. Alan and Dion are working in the wheel well area of the port wing and replacing a lot of corroded metal there. 141218 002 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 141218 003 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 141218 006 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 141218 007 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr
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