TEXAS RAIDERS- First Flight in Seven Years- Oct. 14, 2009

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:13 pm

TEXAS RAIDERS is down for Winter Maintenance.
We are going through our first recurring inspection of the Wing Spar attachment points.
There are various other projects that will get attention, but the big one is the AD compliance.

I will post pictures as we get deeper into the process.

Wish us luck,

SPANNER

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:32 pm

First off is ROAD TRIP- Two of our Cols. are taking the old Engine #1 to Clinton Arkansas for some tender loving rebuilding. Kudos to Cols. Barber and Guest for expediting this Wright stuff!

And the aforementioned leading edge has been removed. It is interesting in an academic sense to see the wing just so. But in an aviating sense it makes me sad. Some bird decided to occupy the same airspace and time as TEXAS RAIDERS and the results were not pretty.

I will get photos of the repair in progress if someone doesn't beat me to it. :lol:

SPANNER

Obergrafeter · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:26 pm

darn!!!! How big of a bird was it? Remind me to stay away from that part of Texas!!

steve dickey · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:59 pm

Don, is that section screwed on?
Thanks.

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:09 pm

Steve,
Yes and no!
The leading edges have screws that hold on a BUNCH of flat oval covers.
Underneath the covers are cast brackets through which a pin goes through. The pins have a cotter pin to keep them from dropping too far.

I remember during the restoration removing those doobers by having to remove a cotter pin, then slip a piece of safety wire through the cotter pin hole and THEN wrap the excess end of the safety wire around a small block of wood.

Then finding a thin piece of plywood to spread the load on the aluminum of the wing skin in order to gently wiggle the block of wood and lever the retaining pin out. Gosh- those were the good old days!

Sadly my CD-rom of the B17 manuals will not allow me to grab images from it or I would let some of the blueprints do the talking.

SPANNER

steve dickey · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:47 pm

Thank you! :shock:

K5DH · **Posted:** Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:49 am

SPANNERmkV wrote:

recurring inspection of the Wing Spar attachment points.

Spar bolts. Ugh. Been there, done that. Not a fun job. Be sure to post lots of pictures so that all of the VFM crew members who read WIX can re-live that little bit of h e l l. :wink:

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Wed Nov 02, 2011 4:02 pm

Here are some pictures. I know WIXers likes Pictures!

Now again, when we are talking bird-strike we are NOT talking about some wee little budgie pining for the fjords. It looks like they hit a turkey-buzzard and if you can call ANYTHING lucky about it... It appears we were lucky it hit on a rib. If it had hit on between the ribs it would have severely bent the leading edge and it would have disrupted airflow over the wing.
Then Bernouli would have gotten on the horn to Marconi and we would have been grounded somewhere, somehow.
The first picture should show the inside of the leading edge with the bracket that the holder-onher pins go through. I believe there are 14 top and 14 bottom to deal with anytime issues need addressing on the leading edge.

Here is the front of the leading edge with the rib drilled out.

Said rib, with a repair panel being worked prior to installation.

And another picture of the inside of the panel because HEY- I took it -you gotta look at it.

Stay tuned and I will try to get an update as things develop.

SPANNER

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Sat Dec 03, 2011 10:58 pm

I am kind of bushed but I took some pictures of the Maintenance Team's progress. The main fuel tanks had to come out of BOTH wings to start pulling bolts for the Wing Spar Attach A.D.
Photo 1 Looking forward in the Right Wing at the bolts removed for inspection per the A.D.

2.Looking aft in the Right Wing at ALL that lovely plumbing that had to be undone and plugged up to remove the inner fuel cell.

3. Cowls and stress panel and ducting that had to come off for the Progressive Annual

These pictures are related to the left wing leading edge repairs from the bird strike.[
4. Rib repair with wooden former.

5. Better angle of the rib showing the repair patches.

Left Wing showing bolts removed, ready for bore scoping.

I wanted to show how MUCH are Maintenance Crew is getting done.

SPANNER the somnambulist

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:00 pm

Hey Don,

Here is a congrats to a safe 2011 in the books and to a repeat for 2012 :drink3:

Quick question,
Are you guys still talking with the "Liberty Bell Foundation" on their findings on what happened so you guys can take a preventative measure?? I dont know is if any findings have been posted, would be nice to have a idea while most of the fleet has time before 2012 season.

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:33 pm

Quick question,
Are you guys still talking with the "Liberty Bell Foundation" on their findings on what happened so you guys can take a preventative measure?? I dont know is if any findings have been posted, would be nice to have a idea while most of the fleet has time before 2012 season.[/quote]

The quick answer would be yes! Although we haven't heard any official statements from LBF the video we poured over seems to indicate something started off in the Main Fuel Tank area. The obvious suspects would be:
A. a leaking fuel hose
B. a leaking Boost Pump
C a leaking fuel tank. I call LB's tanks because they were aluminum fuel tanks, not the rubber cells that most have.
D. from there it gets esoteric... Something making sparks that arc-ed its way into something (see A,B or C above) carrying gasoline.

But yes our Maintenance Guys have a heightened sense of awareness as to ANYTHING to do with the fuel system.

SPANNER

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Tue Jan 03, 2012 6:39 pm

Free at Last, Free at Last, Free at Last...

It seems like more than four years, but as of midnight Dec. 31, 2011 I handed over the reins of being Wing Leader of Gulf Coast Wing to Col. John Stofer.
(Cut to theme music- "I Did It My Way") :lol:

fade up from Black to an Aircraft Carrier with MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner in the background.)

Now I can go back to being Plano Col. Don Price.
I will continue to post on the TEXAS RAIDERS thread, so don't think I'm leaving, I am just changing capacity, so to speak.

As an update- it looks like we may be done with Winter Maintenance a little earlier than expected. It now appears as if we might return the B17 to Active Duty in February.

Happy New Year Friends and supporters everywhere!

SPANNER

Old SAR pilot · **Posted:** Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:12 pm

Great news, Don! Y'all are doing a heck of a job down there! :supz:

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:35 pm

What news of the War?
As of Feb. 4, 2012 TEXAS RAIDERS has been declared ready to fly by our Maintenance Officer Col. Chuck Conway. :supz:

Photobucket loads these in reverse order so we will start with some nice tail. Ummm- appreciate the fact that the plexi-glass has been polished were it is now able to be seen through and the sealant has been re-done so hopefully the tail will no longer be the built-in pool.

TEXAS RAIDERS now practices safe sex.

The windscreen combing and top of the front fuselage has been re-painted and is looking ready for its close-up.

The leading right wing leading edge shows nary a sign of having been kissed by a turkey buzzard.

Cols. Chris Williams and George Doland were cleaning the cannon plug connector to the intake air temperature sensor.

We appear to be squared away for our March 4th Ground School and subsequent Annual Pilot Re- Quals.

RAMC181 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 04, 2012 9:21 pm

SPANNERmkV wrote:

TEXAS RAIDERS now practices safe sex.

Slighly confuzzled with this photo, is that the exhaust diverted to an exit stub before the turbocharger I see there?

All the best,
PB

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TEXAS RAIDERS- First Flight in Seven Years- Oct. 14, 2009

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