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Post by agalbraith on Dec 25, 2012 7:41:00 GMT 12
Yes good interview Craig.
By the way I have an AH here for you. With comps of course!
Cheers
Anthony
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 25, 2012 8:28:07 GMT 12
I meant to reply to this to say I found the interview most interesting, well done Craig.
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Post by corsairarm on Dec 25, 2012 10:06:36 GMT 12
It is certainly worth listening to. It gives inspiration to any one of us that could find by chance any old airplane that is direlict somewhere, complete or just cockpit, to obtain and restore to say static display.
It could be a type that is still common but one day soon it wont be.
Good on you Craig
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Post by craig on Jan 23, 2013 14:59:25 GMT 12
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Post by craig on Jan 23, 2013 15:08:40 GMT 12
 The idea is to fit as much as possible myself and then when it goes to the LAME for final assembly it should be fairly straight forward. The skins attach to the tube frame via a rail which runs the length of the frame and is attached to the top longeron with alloy castings and U bolts. A lot of the skins are removable via Dzus fasteners. So the fitting of this rail needs to be precise or the panels wont fit correctly. |
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Post by craig on Jan 23, 2013 15:12:44 GMT 12
  Outside view of rail. The large holes are where the removable panels attach and as you can see the front panel has been attached to confirm alignment |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2013 16:44:26 GMT 12
Good luck!
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Post by mstokes on Jan 23, 2013 19:39:49 GMT 12
Nice Craig, I was out a Bankstown today but I couldn't see the old engineer at the AirAg hangar who used to work on these. Reading through your thread however it seems your contacts are probably more useful. That seat looks like a fun metalwork project for an apprentice looking for some practical experience. Good luck and great interview as well mate.
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Post by craig on Feb 19, 2013 6:49:18 GMT 12
I have now been able to reserve the rego CTX. Big thanks to Julia Reed at CAA. She took the time to approach the party who had the rego on hold, explained the situation and they agreed to release it. Things are starting to fall into place.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2013 8:14:27 GMT 12
Congratulations, that's great news! Also great to read the article on the project in NZ Aviation News.
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Post by The Red Baron on Feb 22, 2013 12:07:07 GMT 12
An old film of a Cropmaster...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2013 15:12:42 GMT 12
Great to see one in action, thanks for sharing! An interesting choice of song, however ;-)
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Post by craig on Feb 22, 2013 18:58:23 GMT 12
Thanks Baron. Can't wait till its my turn
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Post by pilotgirl on May 15, 2013 11:30:12 GMT 12
Re: The rebuild of Cropmaster ZK-CTX
The following comment is from a one-eyed Ag Aviator of 50 years in the industry. Removing a hopper from an Ag Aircraft is like removing your heart from your body. An aircraft without a hopper is an aircraft without a heart.
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Post by craig on May 15, 2013 12:22:05 GMT 12
You (or whoever you are quoting) are entitled to your/their opinion. But the matter is irrelevant as the hopper was one of the parts missing. Do you think I should have just let it rot rather than restore it without a hopper!!!!!?
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Post by delticman on May 15, 2013 12:29:57 GMT 12
Cresco1 has aerial topdressing in her blood, dont argue!! !!!!
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 15, 2013 16:44:12 GMT 12
Haha, play nicely folks!
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Post by thomarse on May 15, 2013 19:40:31 GMT 12
Being an Ag-nutter of the first order, I'm with cresco1 on this.
My "ain't gonna happen" retirement projects are to get some old ag-birds flying again - Agwagon, Pawnee, 300hp Fletcher - and hoppers are certainly desirable. However, I have to admit I can't see anyone sticking a can back into a 180, 185 or PA18A, and I can't see me winning Lotto
That apart, all the very best Craig; a brave project and a very worthwhile one.
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Post by craig on May 15, 2013 21:15:30 GMT 12
Well actually I'm a Ag nutter too and I have put my balls on the line to get this baby back into the air again. All this whining about whether it has a hopper or not is really getting on my nerves. Even if it did have a hopper there is no way in hell I would allow that corrosive shit anywhere near it. So get over it and move on.
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Post by studentpilot on May 19, 2013 10:20:35 GMT 12
An old bloke I used to work with used to fly one, he said they were a delight to fly. Because of the way they flew most used to aerobat them regularly, even going to work and back. The story goes they had an extra person to head back to town after a days work so they hopped into the hopper (Standard practice back in the day) with the loader driver wedging into his seat behind the hopper. On the trip back into town the pilot barrel rolled all the way. After touchdown and when the aircraft was taxing in slowly the bloke in the hopper climbed out and jumped off the back of the wing and walked over out of sight. After shutting down the engine, opening the canopy then shutting it again so the hopper passenger could climb out he looked in to discover NO PASSENGER!!!! The loader driver was in on the scheme and played along for an appropriate time before calling over the decamped person. Pilot learned his lesson.
Good luck on the rebuild and more power to you for doing with it what you want. An extra seat instead of a hopper will make it a lot more useful machine. Is the fuse wide enough for a side by side seat where the hopper used to be?
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