PILOT SPIN
Pilot Zone => Pilot Zone => Topic started by: jb1842 on October 06, 2020, 01:43:20 PM
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So I took my son to the Liberty Aviation Museum at Port Clinton, OH this morning. They are restoring a Ford Tri-Motor in one corner of the main hangar. I started talking to the chief mechanic, and next thing I know, I'm going to be volunteering starting next week for 6 hours on Tuesdays. The mechanic is happy because most of the volunteers are over 70 and only a very few are pilots. He's retired Air Force. Says he can teach me anything, but he's happy he doesn't have to explain the difference between an elevator and aileron. Think he's going to have me bending the sheet metal and drilling holes in the leading edge of the wings to start. I'll take a bunch of pics next week. I'm really excited.
https://www.restoretheford.org/
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EAA just put a new set of wings on theirs. Cost a cool million.
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EAA just put a new set of wings on theirs. Cost a cool million.
I hope not to screw anything up too badly.
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Is she an Island Airlines Ford? That was my first airplane ride in the 1970s. We flew a Ford Tri-Motor from Port Clinton to Put in Bay in Lake Erie. It was super cool.
Ironically, my dad’s first airplane flight was in a Tri-Motor back in the late 1930s.
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Is she an Island Airlines Ford? That was my first airplane ride in the 1970s. We flew a Ford Tri-Motor from Port Clinton to Put in Bay in Lake Erie. It was super cool.
Ironically, my dad’s first airplane flight was in a Tri-Motor back in the late 1930s.
No. I don't think it was. It's actually more of a rebuild instead of a restoration. Lots of 337's and DAR/DER inspections.
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Good for you. They told me they were building and experimental Ford Trimotor. I don't think they have a data plate.
If you're that into restorations you should check out the B17 at Urbana Grimes. The Champaign Lady has been under active respiration for quite. few years.
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Good for you. They told me they were building and experimental Ford Trimotor. I don't think they have a data plate.
If you're that into restorations you should check out the B17 at Urbana Grimes. The Champaign Lady has been under active respiration for quite. few years.
I asked of it was experimental, and they told me that they have a data plate. Could be they originally planned as experimental, but changed it.
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I asked of it was experimental, and they told me that they have a data plate. Could be they originally planned as experimental, but changed it.
Must have, that didn't jive with what the guy told me. Or maybe I got the clueless one. That is a really cool little museum though.
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Must have, that didn't jive with what the guy told me. Or maybe I got the clueless one. That is a really cool little museum though.
Could be. The chief mechanic is the local EAA chapter president, so I hope he would know for sure.
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Just got back from my first day. It was fun. A little history, it started off in an airline Mexico, then was used for flights between Florida and Cuba, it was then part of Island Airlines in Put-in-Bay from 1946-1952. It made it's way to Idaho, where it crashed, then it was bought and went to Michigan. It sat in Michigan for a long while when it was given to the foundation to be restored. The goal is to have it flight ready in 5 years. They are trying to knock off 1,000 pounds off the gross weight, so it can be flown single pilot only. I practiced riveting, drilling, and made a bracket to mount the ground power to the frame. It wasn't too pretty, but it will work. I've never really worked with sheet metal before.
Pics as soon as I can figure out how to make them smaller.
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Just got back from my first day. It was fun. A little history, it started off in an airline Mexico, then was used for flights between Florida and Cuba, it was then part of Island Airlines in Put-in-Bay from 1946-1952. It made it's way to Idaho, where it crashed, then it was bought and went to Michigan. It sat in Michigan for a long while when it was given to the foundation to be restored. The goal is to have it flight ready in 5 years. They are trying to knock off 1,000 pounds off the gross weight, so it can be flown single pilot only. I practiced riveting, drilling, and made a bracket to mount the ground power to the frame. It wasn't too pretty, but it will work. I've never really worked with sheet metal before.
Pics as soon as I can figure out how to make them smaller.
Congrats. That sounds really cool. Hopefully I'll stop up and visit one of these days.
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Pics as soon as I can figure out how to make them smaller.
If you're talking about reducing the number of pixels in a picture, this software makes it easy to do that, and it's free for non-commercial use. You just go to the Image menu, select Resize/Resample, and enter the desired size as a percentage of the original size. I've been using it for years.
https://www.irfanview.net/
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So here are some long promised pics.
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So this was my first actual work on the plane a few weeks ago. Measuring and drilling this piece of the leading edge to the frame.
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This was this weeks work. 3 of us drilled the bottom of this long piece of leading edge, spliced a rib, attached a few other pieces to underside of wing, and then clecod it all back together. We also had to flatten a piece of the end of a panel to fit under the leading edge piece. That took about 5 hours.
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That thing is built like a brick shithouse!
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Friggin awesome. Have fun!
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I have to say that I am duly impressed. Looking forward to more updates and pics on the progress. In the meantime, I'm using Youtube to figure out how to change/upgrade the headlight in my wife's 150cc motor scooter. 8)
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Wow!
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That actually flies???
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That actually flies???
It will in 5 years. At least that is the plan.
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That actually flies???
When I work Flightline Ops at OSH and I’m stationed at the threshold of 36L, I ask myself the same thing.
The EAA Fords (two of them) are constantly hopping rides, and always do a mid-field takeoff from that runway - usually on the last 2,000 feet on that runway. They climb over my head by no more than 150 feet, banking to the right following the pattern requirement in the NOTAM.
I’m confident of those three radials, but in the back of my mind.....let’s say I keep my head on a swivel.
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When I work Flightline Ops at OSH and I’m stationed at the threshold of 36L, I ask myself the same thing.
The EAA Fords (two of them) are constantly hopping rides, and always do a mid-field takeoff from that runway - usually on the last 2,000 feet on that runway. They climb over my head by no more than 150 feet, banking to the right following the pattern requirement in the NOTAM.
I’m confident of those three radials, but in the back of my mind.....let’s say I keep my head on a swivel.
One of the trimotors EAA uses is owned by the museum here and leased to EAA. Let's say EAA is playing dirty on the lease and the owner's lawyers are working on getting it back. From talking to people here, EAA is playing dirty with lots of people.
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One of the trimotors EAA uses is owned by the museum here and leased to EAA. Let's say EAA is playing dirty on the lease and the owner's lawyers are working on getting it back. From talking to people here, EAA is playing dirty with lots of people.
EAA has a history of playing dirty.
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EAA has a history of playing dirty.
I don't want to hijack this thread too far, but what are they doing?
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I don't want to hijack this thread too far, but what are they doing?
Well. There are 2 trimotors being restored. Here and in Michigan. They both need seats. EAA has the equipmemt (not sure what it all is) to make the seats. Knowing this they won't let us or the other place borrow the equipment. So EAA seeing the need for seats, and take it upon themselves to make 2 sets of 10 seats. So they offer to sell the seats, at $5000 per seat. Yeah. So an organization that is supposed to be about building aircraft, and worth multi-millions of dollars, is trying to squeeze a lot of money out of a small nonprofit. We don't have that type of cash for seats. Hell, we only have the hangar space to do the rebuild due to the graciousness of Liberty Aviation Museum and it's owner. Our chief mechanic figures we can make equipment and the seats for $500 each. It will add more time to the build, which is already 10 years in.
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EAA has a history of playing dirty.
I've heard it's gotten worse under Jack Pelton.
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Well. There are 2 trimotors being restored. Here and in Michigan. They both need seats. EAA has the equipmemt (not sure what it all is) to make the seats. Knowing this they won't let us or the other place borrow the equipment. So EAA seeing the need for seats, and take it upon themselves to make 2 sets of 10 seats. So they offer to sell the seats, at $5000 per seat. Yeah. So an organization that is supposed to be about building aircraft, and worth multi-millions of dollars, is trying to squeeze a lot of money out of a small nonprofit. We don't have that type of cash for seats. Hell, we only have the hangar space to do the rebuild due to the graciousness of Liberty Aviation Museum and it's owner. Our chief mechanic figures we can make equipment and the seats for $500 each. It will add more time to the build, which is already 10 years in.
sounds like (more) sunlight is needed to expose that shi.... er shananigans.
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sounds like (more) sunlight is needed to expose that shi.... er shananigans.
Does EAA do a meet and greet/Q&A sesision at Oshkosh? Might be worth asking why they are doing this in a public setting.
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When I work Flightline Ops at OSH and I’m stationed at the threshold of 36L, I ask myself the same thing.
The EAA Fords (two of them) are constantly hopping rides, and always do a mid-field takeoff from that runway - usually on the last 2,000 feet on that runway. They climb over my head by no more than 150 feet, banking to the right following the pattern requirement in the NOTAM.
I’m confident of those three radials, but in the back of my mind.....let’s say I keep my head on a swivel.
When I was at OSH last time, they had a Junkers JU-52 giving rides. Similar concept. Similar feeling.
(https://acesflyinghigh.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/img_2449-1024x768.jpg)