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Post by agile on Mar 21, 2021 16:49:34 GMT 12
I'll ask the seal man tomorrow. I can't shake the mental image of a superhero whose special power is balancing a ball on his nose. As some will have seen from Facebook the Mosquito project benefitted this week from the donation of a couple of new looking Palmer tyres donated by frequent benefactor and all round great guy Laurie Gudsell. Many will know Laurie from his ground-running Allison engine which is frequently seen at airshows. The tread pattern on these tyres is the same as those on TE910. They are a bit manked on the sidewalls from storage, but would certainly do a static. We have a set of the wartime grass field tread pattern which we will most likely use on HR339, but since they aren't making any more we're happy to acquire these. Thanks too to PTSL of Palmerston North for transporting these down to Christchurch gratis: The tyres came with (amongst other bits and bobs) some Bendix remote indicating compass units and intriguingly named vibrator inverters - we have something of a surplus of these compasses so if anyone is chasing one for a project get in touch: This week saw another small step in the big repair. I was the man on the inside for this glue-up so I got a couple of detail shots showing the array of fastenings used to get the glue joints tight. It's a busy area at the navigator's right elbow, with lots of the circular ferrules for fastening stuff to the sidewall of the cockpit (wiring, intercom terminals, ASI plumbing, the F equipment switch and one corner of Junction Box B are all mounted here): It looks a bit of a patchwork now, but a bit of filler and sanding, and a coat of cockpit green and you'll never know. From here we are starting to think about how we rebuild the frame of the cockpit door. Tricky. Cheers A
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Post by Venomnut on Mar 21, 2021 18:11:23 GMT 12
From here we are starting to think about how we rebuild the frame of the cockpit door. Tricky. Cheers A Alex, perhaps making a former and then laminating a frame around it? Jason. IMG_8019 by Jason Mills, on Flickr IMG_8021 by Jason Mills, on Flickr
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Post by baz62 on Mar 22, 2021 12:27:34 GMT 12
can they mfg seals fur use in mil h 5606 hyd fluid Hi Pete.Short answer is yes. We make seals for use with a wide range of hydraulic oils and our seals are used in military applications as well. I didnt know this but we supplied a set of seals for an undercarriage to CAMS at Omaka. When I get home I'll sort out contact details for you. There are a lot of questions to be discussed regarding the application (stationary or moving, external or internal etc etc) so rather go back and forth through me I'll put you in touch with the horses mouth.....or seals mouth.
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Post by baz62 on Mar 22, 2021 15:47:49 GMT 12
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Post by skyhawkdon on Mar 22, 2021 19:05:42 GMT 12
Ah the old Vibrator Inverter! A close cousin to elusive Flux Capacitor!
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Post by agile on Mar 24, 2021 7:27:40 GMT 12
From here we are starting to think about how we rebuild the frame of the cockpit door. Tricky. Cheers A Alex, perhaps making a former and then laminating a frame around it? Jason. Hi Jason, Thanks for the suggestion. We have actually already made a new frame pretty much the way you did above - the trick is integrating the new frame into what sound material remains of the original, particularly where it meets the existing (also reasonably sound) floor structure, all while keeping as close as possible to the original layout and retaining as much original material as possible. We'll get there, it's just taking a bit of figurin'.
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Post by denysjones on Mar 27, 2021 20:41:49 GMT 12
Sorry folks no pretty piccies this week..again! Another day of tube bending and body contortions to finish (well almost) in the familiar abode. The last two objects to fit in the bay are the hydraulic surge chamber and the accumulator but to date I've never seen a shot showing exactly where these units fit. So now we've got all the other things in place I'm drawn to the two shelf-like units on the right of the recent shots of the bay. It seems that there might be a frame of sorts mounts off the lord shock mounts there but I can't make my mind up as to that being their location and also answer the question of being shock mounted. All the other Hudsons I've had access to have the same shelves but equally they're naked. The great plumbing quest has turned out more difficult than I'd hoped it would be. My references are the Parts Book (the IPC) and the Erection and Repair Manual (the ERM). The IPC shows parts of the aircraft in illustrative drawing and corresponding tables give details of the various items shown. The drawings are of course somewhat simplified as to show every twist and turn of every pipe accurately just isn't possible on what is now an A4 page. The ERM has a series of tables for different plumbing systems (oil, fuel, etc) in the aircraft and details for each part number the length of the tubing material and then each bend in it by way of location from a reference end and the degrees of bend and rotation of the pipe at each bend. My stock is the pile of assorted piping the sole references being that a very small number of items still have the colour bands painted on them that indicate the system they come from (red for fuel, black for oil etc). The problem I've now found is that although the two manuals are pretty much contemporaneous by date there are heaps of P/Ns in each that don't match the other and in the ERM there are some where I've got a match on P/N but instead of the bend details there is simply "Not available". The variance in the numbering is vast as in they appear to be completely revised systems. For example one oil pipe that I've nailed is 169700 in the IPC and turned out to be 168266 in the ERM. It's also interesting that the oil feed into the engine is 1 1/2 inch diameter pipe but the return is just 1 inch. It brings to mind an old adage I heard or read somewhere that "Wright powered aircraft were range limited not by their fuel load but by their oil load". Fun and games!
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Post by denysjones on Apr 3, 2021 20:20:28 GMT 12
Evening folks, This week things have been focussed on the oil feed lines to the engines. As mentioned last week there are several large (1.5inch) pipes involved in this but also a wee historic oops on our part. When we first got to the matter of oil tanks we had no idea of issues of plumbing so simply put the best two of four tanks we had into the centre sections and carried on installing the nacelle structures. Subsequently we found out about wee matters such as the routes of the plumbing from the oiltanks to the firewalls and thence to the engines which lead to this week's work. The feed from the tanks to the engines is a large 1.5" pipe from the underside of the tank and the elbow outlets for this point outboard on each side of the aircraft....now would you believe in our naievety we had got a port tank on the stbd side and vv? So today (with some lubrication application during the week plus adaptation of spanners etc) we removed the port elbow. So here you see the tank in it's abode, with the now void opening leftmost. Note to the centre foreground a Y-valve which the tank feed connects to, and then further forward a connector on what is the engine bay firewall-through connection. Here, in a benchtop shot be the elbow and the two pipes that make up the feed tank-valve-firewall tri-line. Just to round things off here's a closeup of the elbow as everyone in the workshop couldn't get over it's size. The pipe downwards is a projection into the tank (remember from the bottom) to preclude oil sediments being picked up and sent to the engines from the tank. cheers
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Post by denysjones on Apr 10, 2021 20:11:43 GMT 12
The report for the week refers back to the posts of 8/12/20 and 8/1/21 in respect of the repurposing of sextant stowage box to become one for the navigator stowing his books in and the adjacent stowage for flares. Since then in our archive of digital I've located a number of drawings of the flare shelf and so cobbled up some mdf formers and spent some happy times metal cutting and bashing (er forming). This week it went together and got painted. So the resulting item settled into its home today. Now we move onto phase 2 of this which is another bin that sits above this. Also over the week various bits of the oil plumbing got worked on and the first went back in as well. Namely the elbow and first connection to the Y-valve. After this we moved onto the removal of the through-firewall connections for the various systems so we can deal to their threads for connectivity, and sorting out the connection plumbing. More confusion with the manuals!
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Post by denysjones on Apr 24, 2021 20:08:22 GMT 12
No update for the last couple of weeks as no suitable visual stuff as in photogenic in the confines of operations.
Have been taking firewall items off firewall and rear frame items for attention.
Again the usual puzzles of port and stbd differences have come into play, along with the actual origins of some of the components, especially the actual firewalls which despite reference to the manuals for the Hudson and Lodestar still come up with differences such as the odd "stray" aperture not shown in the manual illustrations.
Also have been involved in some prep work for a major team effort next Saturday replacing a 40+yr old internal guttering in the workshop before the rigours of winter arrive.
Such be the joys of volunteer groups like ours...relying on things like our GiveALittle page rather than being just turning up as volunteers to otherwise funded environments! Many thanks to members of the forum who have supported us thereby.
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Post by agile on Apr 28, 2021 21:07:28 GMT 12
A couple of exciting developments in Mosquito land this week, and a bit of a mystery. The new owner of the Goodwin's former property in Pigeon Bay recently came across some aircraft parts in a shed, and thoughtfully passed them on to the Air Force Museum. They put two and two together and with the donor's permission passed them on to us. The parts include two fuel tanks, a flap ram cover from the wing, and a variety of smaller bits. Confirmation that the bits are from HR339 - two halves of the RI compass bracket, the small piece from the remains of the fuselage, the large one from Pigeon Bay: Flap ram covers reunited after 50 years apart Two fuel tanks - the one closest to the camera is the removeable long range tank from the fuselage, the other is one of the inner wing tanks. Now we're only 7 short! Sanitary tank - these are super rare, and we had recently acquired the now restored one in our Auckland haul. Interesting to see the different construction methods of the two. And now the mystery. All of this stuff was recognisably Mosquito - except these three pneumatic/hydraulic rams which definitely aren't. Anyone recognise these? Thanks to the donor and to the Air Force Museum for making this happen!! The other exciting development for us was when this photo of NZ2382 (ie HR339) turned up in the Air Force Museum's online photo archive. Thanks to Anthony Galbraith for the heads up: This is only the second photo we have of the aircraft. The caption reads: "Coles crane lifting No. 75 Squadron [sic] Mosquito NZ2382 after the port undercarriage sank into soft ground at RNZAF Station Wigram. This aircraft was piloted by Flight Lieutenant Sims, RAF, and stopped at Wigram on the way to RNZAF Station Taieri from RNZAF Station Woodbourne." This was presumably HR339's career ending mishap. Going off the watermark on the nacelle and the shite on the end of the lower prop blade I assume that the port landing gear collapsed. Interesting stuff.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 28, 2021 21:56:41 GMT 12
Great finds there, and a cool photo.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 28, 2021 21:59:06 GMT 12
Strangely the ground around that tyre looks quite solid. The crane truck has not sunk and there is no sign of tyre marks. I wonder if that was hollow ground due to a rabbit warren rather than soft ground?
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Post by errolmartyn on Apr 28, 2021 22:52:23 GMT 12
Mosquito NZ2382 incident was at 1530 at Wigram on 14 Apr 48. According to the accident card the probable cause was 'bad weather conditions' an 'undergrond drain washed away by [illeg] rain'. The 'Pilot applied brakes to clear engines prior to take off. A/C sank into ground on port side & propeller dug itself into the clay, stopping the engine.' Pilot Flt Lt M. H. Sims is described as '(Canadian)', so perhaps RCAF rather than RAF? Errol
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Post by shorty on Apr 29, 2021 8:27:21 GMT 12
Interesting that it is still in camouflage scheme
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Post by agile on Apr 29, 2021 11:29:08 GMT 12
Like most of the NZ aircraft it was never repainted and never marked with its RNZAF serial. It also still had its exhaust shrouds. Unlike most of the others it was in a green/earth/sky scheme, which was applied over the WW2 green/grey.
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Post by davidd on Apr 29, 2021 11:44:14 GMT 12
Actually, so far as is known, EVERY ONE of the 80 Mosquitos (all FB Mk. VI, of course 4 never arrived) purchased from RAF arrived in NZ still wearing their original WW2 camouflage, practically all with the grey/green scheme, but HR339 in a rather exotic dark earth/dark green uppers, with what looked like Mediterranean blue unders. In fact the brown colour is still visible on the two flap ram covers photographed by Agile in his posting above (2nd photo down). I presume this aircraft may have been repainted some time prior to departure, perhaps having been prepared earlier for transfer to ACSEA before the war suddenly "folded up". A few of the camouflaged Mosquitos still had RAF code letters intact, presume from their last operating unit, think one was marked with codes of one of the last Mosquito Coastal Strike OTUs (131?), but vast majority had no such codes, as many were new aircraft straight from MUs. Whoops, I see that Agile has beaten me to the draw re the camouflage schemes! David D
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Post by agile on Apr 29, 2021 12:14:54 GMT 12
David, I'm fairly certain that at least one other green/brown aircraft has been identified, although I now of course can't find any pics. I think it's been discussed in these hallowed halls before.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 29, 2021 12:28:14 GMT 12
Does the museum intend to display it eventually in the Green/grey scheme it wore with No. 487 Squadron? Or the Green/Earth scheme? There is one preserved in the latter scheme in a museum and imho it just looks wrong, even if it is accurate.
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Post by agile on Apr 29, 2021 12:43:49 GMT 12
The intention is to restore HR339 to her fit and appearance immediately prior to Operation Clarion - grey/green, black spinners etc, EG-J fuselage codes. The hardest thing will be finding a set of lower engine cowls without the tropical intake filters.
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