Restoration Update #3

'A good puzzle, it's a fair thing. Nobody is lying. It's very clear, and the problem depends just on you'....[and a Mk. IV Hurricane]

                        – Erno Rubik

            Last week I mentioned that restoring vintage aircraft is often immensely puzzling and even more so when that puzzle lacks a picture. Well this week we certainly lacked the pictures we needed. We had to figure out how the tail section was mounted, whether it was mounted correctly, and how the rudder trim cables were to be assembled. I can vouch only for the last unfortunately. This week was quite hectic and before we dive into restoration process I have an important announcement.

            This Monday, November 26^th, 2012, “Gear Up – Vintage Gear Store” will be opening a boutique at Place d’Orleans shopping centre. Just in time for the holidays! What would be cooler than to don some awesome Vintage Wings of Canada swag and share some Canadian history. You can even get a wonderful 242 sqdn. Willie McKnight Hurricane Tee. Sales go to helping us put this wonderful airplane back in the skies!

Annie and I loaded up the Vintage Wings swag wagon (to the brim!) with excellent gear! If you can’t make it to Place d’Orleans (Orleans/Ottawa), you can visit us at C-YOW (The Ottawa International Airport) or Online!

Here’s an example of what will be available at the booth!

https://www.vintagewingsmembers.ca/estore/details_view.cfm?itemVariantId=19

Aside from restoring the Hurricane, I also work at the store and thought I’d let you know!

            Now on to the business of today...So I mentioned we had no pictures. Well, I lied…. We had a shining example; however, it came with no written instructions. Meet the tail section of our Mk. XII Hurricane. We wanted to see if we had the mountings correct, which I believe we did! (We just have to uninstall it now for painting).

Now that's a nice piece of tail! 

            The one task I took part in today was trying to figure out how the rudder/trim cables were to be installed. Below are the trim cables for the rudder. You might note that they are crisscrossed. Well, according to the one piece of written reference we had today, that’s how they are supposed to be.

Criscrossed trim cables make the rudder jump, jump

Now that’s only a small part and one side of the Rudder trim assembly. It turns out the grass wasn’t so green on the other side. In order to understand how it went together properly and the cables connected, we had to look at our Mk. IV Hurricane.

Always nice to have an example to model after

The trim cables (coming from the rudder) are to plug into the pivoting bracket-like part, which is directly in the centre of the above picture. 

Slow and steady wins the race

A chain is attached to the sprocket in the picture above, which is then attached to another bracket (not in the picture) where the cables from the trim wheel (up in the cockpit) join. Now in order to figure all that out, we opened up the Mk. IV, a process that took about 8.5 times longer than originally predicted. The U-Shaped panel around the elevator was most displeased with us and gave much protest.

Sorry Mr. Rubik, the only answer to this puzzle was the “Bunny” McLarty Hurricane

We are starting a drive to get Chris a new camera for x-mas

My ingenious way of side-stepping the terrible non-working flash on my camera was to shoot in Auto mode while holding a flashlight awkwardly towards the rudder trim assembly. As you can see, it looks exactly like the Mk. XII assembly. You see the sprocket and behind the sprocket, you can see the bracket that receives the cables coming from the trim tab on the rudder. So now that we knew how the assembly went together we could look for all the necessary parts to install on the Mk. XII. The important thing with restorations is that you cannot do anything without a reference. You either need written reference, diagrams, photographs, or an actual example. This stops one from simply attaching any piece wherever you fancy. It also upholds a level of quality and safety. Every part needs to be properly attached and secured. That’s not something you want to throw an educated guess at. We however are fortunate to have a living example 10 feet from the Mk. XII ready to answer any question we have.

The last thing I did today I have no pictures for. However, it will make future blogs better. Along with some other volunteers, I was shown how to find part names, part numbers, and their respective locations on the aircraft (so-to-speak). There are fairly complete drawings and labeling of parts divided into a few books. Once you find a part in the book, which has a number beside it, you can use this number look it up in the computer (which there is a PDF of all the part numbers). From there you can find the actual part number and in some cases you can end up figuring out where it goes because there is a detailed description beside it. 

From now on I have no excuses for saying, “I should really know what that part is called” or “that sprocket thingy attaches to this bracket thingy” and so on. Feel free to call me out on future blogs! I also got to see an in depth look at all the paper work that goes into a restoration, such as log books, work-orders, etc. I will save those for another day, perhaps when a new work-order is opened up on a particular part of the aircraft.

My apologies for the rather short blog today but I was not around for a good portion of the work that was completed today. However, I promise next week’s will be twice as exciting! I will also make sure to explain the significance of the rudder trim tab. Right now my knowledge is rather lacking, so that will be the first order of business next week.

Take care,

Chris

Restoration Update #2

Oh the Spitfire…

It’s funny…last week I mentioned that the Spitfire often overshadowed the Hurricane. Now I am not sure if you noticed or not (maybe you did, congratulations, you picked it up before I did!) but I ended that update having been distracted by the Spitfire…so much so that I forgot to take a picture of the installed oil filter and instead gave you two awesome pictures of the Spitfire. Oh the irony! So now, as promised, here is a picture of the installed oil filter!

One job done, 99,000 to go!

As you can see, the intake and outtake pipes have been fitted as well! Now just before we get underway with the various happenings of today, I would like to direct your attention to two things. First, after digging through the MASSIVE archive of the most excellent weekly newsletters (which you should sign up for if you haven’t – Vintage News - use the subject line 'Sign Me Up for Free Vintage News), I found one regarding the restorations at Vintage Wings of Canada. There are actually a few restoration projects underway so this article will provide you with a nice bit of info on the other projects! Now, I knew this I just didn’t mention it last week and I should have, so I’ll let this article do the talking.

Here’s the link:

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/ArticleType/ArticleView/ArticleID/373/language/en-CA/Default.aspx

^^Here^^ you’ll see the various projects underway, which include building a pair of Mk IX Spitfire Wings, the transport of the de Havilland Fox Moth from the Ottawa International Airport to the Hangar, some brake work that needs to be done on our Westland Lysander, and finally our XII Hurricane. There you will see the Hurry with her wings attached and get to meet some of the other members of the team! Be sure to check it out.

The second and last thing (I swear!) I wanted to draw your attention too is the dedication program at Vintage Wings of Canada. Every plane operated in our fleet is dedicated to a Canadian pilot who operated that aircraft...we do this to honour not only their service, but their courage, leadership, and sacrifice. We want to do more than just preserve these machines; we want to preserve the legacies of the men who flew them. The real stories lie not in the aircraft, but with the men who flew them. So in order to do that and honour such great Canadians, we dedicate each aircraft to a pilot. Our Mk. XII Hurricane will be dedicated to Flying Officer William Lidstone McKnight, DFC and Bar.  I have attached another newsletter (which I should have last week). This newsletter will tell you, in far greater and better detail than I’ve expressed above, all about our dedication program and every aircraft dedication in the Vintage Wings fleet. It is the stories like those of William McKnight that truly make the restoration worthwhile.

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/ArticleType/ArticleView/ArticleID/320/language/en-CA/Default.aspx

And now, the time has come! Let’s get down to business.

Today was a day where many things were attempted but then promptly left for later. The thing with aircraft restoration is that it’s like building a puzzle without the box. Not only do you often have little idea as to how things should be, most of the time (unless there was extensive documentation), you just don’t know how things once were (except from the guesses you have made from fitting pieces together, hence a puzzle). Now rather than run through everything that was done today, I will show you the two tasks that highlight this and that I took part in. The first involved making room for two. The second involved installing guides for the rudder and elevator cables.

That’s right, the first thing I did today along side Annie Carreau, was make room for a second seat in the Hurricane! Whaaa….TWO? Yes, two. We are exploring the possibility of the Mk.XII Hurricane to have two seats in her, for sponsored flights! There is still a lot to be done in order to make a space for a second seat, but today we had to remove some crosswire/bar supports under the ‘dog kennel.’

Surprisingly, none of the hangar dogs were hanging at the 'dog kennel'

Pictured above, you can see the crosswire/bar support underneath the kennel and the support running about a 45 degree angle towards the Pilot’s seat (pictured below) 

Best seat in the house

In the middle of each you can see a bracket/support (I really need to learn the names of these things) anchoring the two crossing bars together. The first thing we had to do was remove this piece. Then after we removed those, we could loosen up the bars and remove them. Now it was more trouble than you’d think to remove these bars because from the way it looked, those supports were put in place before the kennel (the big plywood structure on top). Anyways, after about an hour, all the supports were removed and the process of making space for two well underway! From the looks, it's certainly going to be cozy in there!

And you thought it was cramped on your last Air Canada flight

Moving along, the second task involved running some new rudder cables and attempting to install a track/guide for said cables. Now my camera (and photography skills) is not the best so you will have to suffice with the attempted assembly of the guides. I don’t know if it was the light or what, but the camera either focuses and the flash doesn’t work or it sets the flash off and all you're left with is a photo only suitable for a 60’s psychedelic rock album cover.

So that aside, here is what I could photograph!

'The Track Guide' was one of the lesser known Pink Floyd albums

Wow! All the cables run, good job Chris! Well done! … oh that was but the dream, this is actually my guide picture from our Mk. IV Hurricane. I suppose the measurements gave it away (damn). Looks simple eh?...no. As you can see the cables running through the very left and very right guides (the red wooden shapes) house the rudder cables. The piece in the middle houses the elevator cables, the two circular shaped ones house a trim tab (I believe from the elevator). It’s actually called port and starboard, but for the purposes of this picture, left and right suffice. I also had to install that whole bracket assembly and that didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Anyway this is where I made it to!

Port or Starboard?

Not bad eh? Looks just like it! Then I realized that I needed some nuts and bolts to mount the bracket. After a quick lesson from Paul Tremblay, the man in charge, I was set on my way!

The 'plain grip' seems anything but

The British bolts we are using here are called “A25.” In order to figure out what size you need, you need to measure the distance of the material you are putting the bolt through. This determines your “plain grip” distance. The “plain grip” is the non-threaded portion of the bolt. Now British bolts are measured in 10^ths of an inch (figure that one out!) and we determined I needed a bolt with 2/10’s of an inch “plain grip.” Then to figure out the size of bolt, there is a corresponding letter. I needed ¼ inch (if I remember correctly) and that ended up being a letter “C” (more like C for Chris…). So in the end I used A25-2C bolts. To add, we can only use “documented” hardware on the aircraft, so that means I had to sign these out of the inventory. Now, if anyone ever wondered where eight A25-2C bolts, washers, and nuts were on the Hurricane, they would be able to find out that they were holding the rear Rudder/Elevator guide assembly in place! All that for a couple nuts and bolts! Not quite as easy as going to Canadian Tire!

Things don't always line up the first time around, but with a little persistence and much determination they eventually will

Ta Da! Installed...well not really. Unfortunately, the center and far right (according to the picture) holes do not line up with their brackets. This will have to be revisited next week and a little TLC given to make it work and make it right.

Each new cable gets its own label

So to finish off the day, I labeled off the cables that I had run. The rudder cables consist of 8 cables (4 per side) that connect just behind where the second seat is going. Rather than attach them together, I labeled them off because they will eventually have to be fed through the guide assembly once it is installed. Now if anyone else works on this they will hopefully understand my tags and know what to do!

Today was a busy day. It was immensely puzzling at times (but in a fun manner, working on a Hurricane is never not fun) but while it doesn’t seem like much was accomplished, a lot was. We figured out a number of things that need to be addressed, parts that have to be modified, and spaces that need to be engineered. Such is the process of warbird restoration; Fix one issue, find 10 others. But, if you recall the Tortoise and the Hare from your childhood, slow and steady truly gets it done. Well that’s all I’ve got for today, we’ll see you next week! Thanks!

Chris

Restoration Update

Greetings Vintage Wingers new and old! Today marks the beginning of something special. Myself, well I’m not that special (as much as I like to think so), but what Vintage Wings of Canada is doing IS special and it is my goal to show you.

With that said, every week starting today I, Chris Eaton, will be providing you with an in-depth look at the Vintage Wings restoration process. This is but one of the many, many, many facets that makes Vintage Wings such a wonderful organization.

There will hopefully be a little bit to satisfy everyone’s appétit, from the experienced AM-E to the aviation enthusiast wondering what makes an Aircraft tick…or fly…there will be technical details, status updates, mechanical details…and every other detail one might possibly wonder about in the realm of vintage aircraft restoration. Perhaps the watch metaphor was not necessary, I mean we’re talking about aircraft, they don’t tick at all, they fly, but I suppose the damage is done. But enough with the rambling, lets get down to business.

For those of you unacquainted with Vintage Wings of Canada I suggest, if you have an extra moment, you take a tour of our website. There you can find out all about the many things Vintage Wings does apart from what you’ll see in this blog. You will also be able to sign up for the most FANTASTIC newsletter you’ll have ever received. These newsletters cover all facets of the world of aviation and my God, they are good.

           

Here’s the link:

www.vintagewings.ca - you’ll just have to pick the language of your choice!

Now, I’m rather new to the restoration process. Well, actually, VERY new. I’ve been helping out for the past month and a bit, but if there’s one thing about restorations I’ve learned so far, they take two things: People and Time. However, with the right people and a dedicated team on a timeline, things will start to move along. The restoration, prior to my joining the team, has been going on and off for the past several years, but now, things are different. No, not because I joined the team (I like to think so, but thanks!) but because we have a dedicated group of volunteers and AM-E’s and a slot of time set aside for our project. The main project underway is the restoration of a Mk. XII Hawker Hurricane. For a bit more information on this plane, it’s available on our fantastic website.

           

Here’s the link:

http://www.vintagewings.ca/Aircraft/tabid/66/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/350/language/en-CA/Canadian-Car-and-Foundry-built-Hawker-Hurricane-XII.aspx

What a beautiful aircraft and one often over shadowed by the mighty Spitfire, I might add. For those of you who didn’t have time to check the link, the Hurricane accounted for more victories in the Battle of Britain than the Spitfire and actually outnumbered Spitfires. They made up the backbone of the fighting force during that hectic summer of 1940. However, it was together, only with their fearless pilots, that these mighty airplanes kept the Luftwaffe frustrated and triumphed in victory.

Each Saturday, it will be my pleasure to share with you a particular task that I’ve completed towards restoring the aircraft, an inside look at what the other team members tasks may include, and many, many pictures and descriptions of each (and every) step I witness that bring this wonderful aircraft closer to the skies once more.

So, without further a do, here’s where things stand:

The Vintage Wings Mk XII Hawker Hurricane will be dedicated to Flying Officer 'Willie' Lidstone McKnight, DFC and Bar

As can be seen, there is a lot of work still to be done! However, a lot has been done! The fuselage and its airframe are in good shape, the landing gear (you can’t quite see them) are attached, the coolant (the copper coloured ones) pipes have been “roughly” fit. That means that they were all installed to see if there weren’t any problems with the way things line up, and for the most part, they all fit quite well! A big slowdown is often hunting for missing parts and/or ordering them in. But as I mentioned earlier, the focus has been set and the restoration well underway. The Hurricane will be returning to the skies in no time! It’s the hopes, that through these weekly blogs, you will see how, not only how much work involved in a restoration, but also how quickly things come together.

The Task….

This week, the task I completed along with another volunteer involved installing the Hurricane’s oil filter.

WARNING:  DO NOT remove the top of the oil filter!

Above is the oil filter. Inside the tube, is a filter encased in a spring. The top (which is the far left) screws off and out pops your filter. If there is any blockage or debris in it, it can easily be removed. Now, you wouldn’t want to just take off the top, oil would spurt everywhere! That’s why on the bottom there is a drain valve! The Oil Filter gets attached to the front of the aircraft. 

Oil filter goes here

In the picture above where the punch is sticking out is where the oil filter will be attached. It’s hard to see, my apologies, but in the picture just below you can see where it will be attached (minus the perspective of the Aircraft).

It is important to keep the bolthole well lubricated...

The first thing we had to do was remove the hydraulic support for the landing gear…well not entirely; we had to just move it to access the bolts that run through the wing root. Then we had to remove the bolts one at a time and replace them with longer ones so that the bracket assembly would fit (pictured below). You might wonder what that yellow substance is around the bolthole in the picture above. It is not corrosion or decay, but actually quite the converse. It’s (I forget the name, sorry!) an agent that slows down corrosion. Every bolt is “painted” before it is placed in its hole. This is very important because it prevents the bolts from corroding or rusting for something like 80 years! After the bolts were painted and replaced, we could attach the mounting bracket.

They were fresh out of mounting brackets for Mk XII Hurricanes at Canadian Tire, so we decided to make it ourselves 

Pictured above, the mounting bracket. This bracket was actually entirely fabricated in the Vintage Wings hangar! The original, unfortunately, was in two pieces! This is an exact match to the original, and you’d be hard pressed to even tell it wasn’t the original! I couldn’t tell you how long it took to make that piece, but I imagine it was quite the intricate task! Pretty cool eh? 

Lock wiring the bolt in place. That sucker isn't going anywhere!

After that we had to attach the fuel filter and you might be wondering what that wire is around the bolt. That is a technique called lock wiring. In order to make sure the bolts do not loosen and fall out during the operation of the aircraft, they need to be secured. I think its vibration from the aircrafts operation that can cause the bolts to loosen, but I’ll have to double check for you!

             

To lock wire, in the fashion seen above, you have to drill a hole 1/16’’ through the head of the bolt. Then once the bolt is fastened, you feed the wire through, wrapping it around the bolt in the direction that the bolt is tightened in. Once you reach the hole on the bottom, you twist the two strands of wire around each other. Then you feed the wire through another hole on the bracket itself so that you can “lock” the bolt in place.

            

Now, there was a lot of excitement at the Hangar this Saturday and the excitement I didn’t snap a picture of the oil pump fully installed, so I’ll do that first thing next week! However, to finish of today’s entry, here’s what distracted me and had me walking around for an hour flabbergasted with my mouth agape.

Getting ready for takeoff 

A welcome distraction for any AM-E is watching the planes they work so diligently upon take to their natural element in the skies!

The Spitfire and the P-40 starting up and going for a flight! I haven’t figured out shutter speed on my point and shoot but the props are spinning! There were many other tasks completed so I’m going to try and include a little more next time! See you next week!

Yellow Wings 2013 Cross Canada Air Cadet Tribute

 

Yellow Wings 2012 has not quite wrapped up (our debrief meeting takes place this afternoon), but we are already well underway looking ahead to next summer.

 

Coming in 2013, Raytheon Canada Limited has partnered with Vintage Wings of Canada to present the Cross Canada Air Cadet Tribute. This program will span an entire country, with 3 main bases: west, central and east, that will reach out to all cadets in the RCAF Air Cadet program.

 

The program will consist of three parts:

1. A flight component that will take deserving cadets up in our Yellow Wings aircraft.

2. A history component that will have the Air Cadets learn about the history of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

3. A “Pursue Your Dreams” component whereby Raytheon employees will engage and inspire today’s youth to go after their dreams, especially as it pertains to careers in math, engineering and aerospace.

 

Stay tuned for more info coming soon! And remember...On the Wings of History go the Leaders of Tomorrow!

 

HF.