Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:42 pm
VERY COOL STUFF GARY! THE HISTORY OF THE "OL 927" NEEDS TOLD AND NO LONGER MISREPRESENTED. GREAT MOVE!! TOO MANY DIFFERENT STORIES HAVE BEEN TOLD OVER THE YEARS.
THE BOMB SITE IS JUST AWESOME. YOU MOUNTING IT WITH A SEAT?
I KNOW THERE'S STILL A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK TO BE DONE BUT YOU ARE DOING GREAT! I REALLY MEAN THAT!!:D
DAVE
THE BOMB SITE IS JUST AWESOME. YOU MOUNTING IT WITH A SEAT?
I KNOW THERE'S STILL A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK TO BE DONE BUT YOU ARE DOING GREAT! I REALLY MEAN THAT!!:D
DAVE
Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:25 am
I think the paint looks great Gary. Especially, since this is how they put the stuff on originally. 
http://www.6juin1944.com/album/airborne/index.php?id=10
http://www.6juin1944.com/album/airborne/index.php?id=10
Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:32 am
Just a quick up date on the B-24 rudders and elevators we have been working on. They have just been primed and we are starting to recover them. Here are a couple of images of the work in progress.
This is just the first step and I'll try and provide more images as we go along.
We don't have a cat in our hangar, at least not one we know about, but our trusty Flying Tiger tug stands guard in the background, next to our PT-19A.
Randy
This is just the first step and I'll try and provide more images as we go along.
We don't have a cat in our hangar, at least not one we know about, but our trusty Flying Tiger tug stands guard in the background, next to our PT-19A.
Randy
Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:29 am
Thanks for the update Randy! The Rudders and Elevators look good in primer...
I love the PT-19
and the Tiger Tug 
I love the PT-19
and the Tiger Tug
Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:32 am
Covering surface never bothered me as much as stripping them. Man the stuff used to strip them was just terrible.
Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:16 am
Ok, I have a sneak peak of Ol 927's new nose art. But keep it quiet and don't tell the CAF General Staff. I don't want to get Gary in trouble...
SNEAK PEAK SPY PHOTO
Remember, keep this quiet!
SNEAK PEAK SPY PHOTO
Remember, keep this quiet!
Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:40 am
I would have preferred a cute puffy white cloud to that black one..unless there will be a lightning bolt coming from the bottom...
Thu Apr 05, 2007 12:27 pm
How funny would that be if that WAS the nose art (especially in the new PC world). A black smug covered with censored. We could change the name from Ol 927 to Ol censored.
Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:00 pm
How long does it take to build two little panels and rivet only one of them in? (Cue in "Jeapordy" music........)
All stinkin' day, that's how long.
In 12 hours of work, all I've accomplished is building the two little vertical panels you see on the ends of the intermediate floor board that I built yesterday.........
I'm afraid the inside of Ol' 927 is going to look pretty rough for this year's tour season. And no, I doubt it looked that way back in the War. It sure would've looked a heck of a lot better than the junk I'm fabricating. But it'll just have to do until someone can come in behind me and fix it right.
Screw it. I'm going home for the day.
Gary
All stinkin' day, that's how long.
In 12 hours of work, all I've accomplished is building the two little vertical panels you see on the ends of the intermediate floor board that I built yesterday.........
I'm afraid the inside of Ol' 927 is going to look pretty rough for this year's tour season. And no, I doubt it looked that way back in the War. It sure would've looked a heck of a lot better than the junk I'm fabricating. But it'll just have to do until someone can come in behind me and fix it right.
Screw it. I'm going home for the day.
Gary
Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:41 pm
Looks great to me!
Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:53 pm
WOW! Thanks a bunch Gary for posting the letters. Some very fascinating historical documents. Having worked in the Aerospace Industry for 34 yrs I can't imagine a letter composed in such a personal and friendly way being written these days between industry and the military. As for "Ol 927" she's looking GREAT. What you get done this year gets done and what doesn't get done will be done next winter. Folks on the show circut are going to be amazed at the transformtion that has occured in such a short time.
By the way, Flyingsailor is down there this weekend to work so don't let him sluff off on his assignments.
By the way, Flyingsailor is down there this weekend to work so don't let him sluff off on his assignments.
Fri Apr 06, 2007 12:02 am
Truth is Gary, very few folks will be wiser to any of the things you are not happy with. Most will just look at her and wonder where did this come from, is this another B24 that someone got flying?
Or, this isn't the same airplane the CAF use'ta fly around with! It look's too good!
It's going to be a huge attraction cause you made a huge change and so many improvement's!!
I for one, can't wait to go out on tour with her and here all the remark's!! It'll be great fun.
Dave
Most will just look at her and wonder where did this come from, is this another B24 that someone got flying?
Or, this isn't the same airplane the CAF use'ta fly around with! It look's too good!
It's going to be a huge attraction cause you made a huge change and so many improvement's!!
I for one, can't wait to go out on tour with her and here all the remark's!! It'll be great fun.
Dave
Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:38 am
Blackwing wrote:How funny would that be if that WAS the nose art (especially in the new PC world). A black smug covered with censored. We could change the name from Ol 927 to Ol censored.
Ol' MMPHPHMPHMPHPHMPHMHPM!!!!
Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:02 am
Well, since I haven't given any real "photo essay" reports lately, I thought I'd at least try to make time for a short one here. It's not as detailed as some of the past updates, but still shows a touch of what it took to complete the pogo installation.
If you recall from an earlier update, the pogo actuator and it's attaching bolts were in poor condition. I sent the top (damaged) portion of the actuator off to a fella who welded up the attaching holes and machined it back out for us. To keep the attaching bolts from getting all bent up again, I fabricated some longer bushings, out of steel, to take up the slop that was originally designed into this arrangement. I've also added a brass insert so that it will wear, rather than the attaching bolt and bushing itself. Consolidated changed tail skid and pogo assemblies about like I change underwear...once every few weeks.
Okay, maybe not that often (for Consolidated), but you get my point. The pogo assembly that Consolidated left us on Ol' 927 is not exactly the greatest design, but I simply didn't have time to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, I just made those new bushings and mounting plates. Here's an example of how my bushings differ from the earlier ones.......
It seems that someone several years ago, had a great idea and attached a thick, aluminum plate to one of the bushings, where it attaches to the airplane. The bad part is that they only did one side. So, I had to fabricate a new one to match. You can see from the picture that the volunteer that drilled the old plate out didn't do me many favors by making figure 8's out of some of the holes, but since I didn't really have the time to fabricate another new plate, along with repairing the portion of the structure that this plate attaches to on the fuselage, I was just going to have to make it work. I used larger rivets in those locations.
I started by just shearing off a piece of aluminum the same size as the other one.......
Then I lined them both up and drilled two holes across from each other so that I could cleco the two pieces together........
Then it was a simple matter of just duplicating the holes........
Once a little primer was applied, I riveted a bushing into each of the doubler plates.......
Then it was just a matter of riveting the bushing/plate assembly into the fuselage structure........
The black stuff on the end of my rivet set in this picture is simply pieces of thick tape. Due to the angle I was having to put myself in order to rivet these in place (on my belly, with my head down in the nearly upside down position), I was having some difficulty keeping from "smiley facing" the rivets with the rivet set. So, adding thick tape to the end of the rivet set is one of those old tricks that sheet metal guys have done for many years to help "cushion" the edges of the set. Maybe it's just all in my head, but the tape sure seems to help me out in tight spots like this and lets my rivet heads look all nice and pretty (the one time in your life you DON'T want smiley faces)........
Then I just slid the brass inserts into the bushings......
And then bolted the pogo assembly into place. I couldn't believe I got all of my measurements right the first try. It's better to be lucky than good, I reckon..........
Once I got the actuator all hooked up and adjusted, I went to give it a test run. However, some of the electrical glitches that we've inherited during the time I've had this airplane down for maintenance have gotten into the pogo's electrical system as well. I couldn't make it operate, as it seems it's lost it's power. So, now I have a brand new project on the to do list. I reckon I'll dig out my volt meters and such and get started on that project now. Geez, it just never seems to end.............
Gary
If you recall from an earlier update, the pogo actuator and it's attaching bolts were in poor condition. I sent the top (damaged) portion of the actuator off to a fella who welded up the attaching holes and machined it back out for us. To keep the attaching bolts from getting all bent up again, I fabricated some longer bushings, out of steel, to take up the slop that was originally designed into this arrangement. I've also added a brass insert so that it will wear, rather than the attaching bolt and bushing itself. Consolidated changed tail skid and pogo assemblies about like I change underwear...once every few weeks.
Okay, maybe not that often (for Consolidated), but you get my point. The pogo assembly that Consolidated left us on Ol' 927 is not exactly the greatest design, but I simply didn't have time to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, I just made those new bushings and mounting plates. Here's an example of how my bushings differ from the earlier ones.......
It seems that someone several years ago, had a great idea and attached a thick, aluminum plate to one of the bushings, where it attaches to the airplane. The bad part is that they only did one side. So, I had to fabricate a new one to match. You can see from the picture that the volunteer that drilled the old plate out didn't do me many favors by making figure 8's out of some of the holes, but since I didn't really have the time to fabricate another new plate, along with repairing the portion of the structure that this plate attaches to on the fuselage, I was just going to have to make it work. I used larger rivets in those locations.
I started by just shearing off a piece of aluminum the same size as the other one.......
Then I lined them both up and drilled two holes across from each other so that I could cleco the two pieces together........
Then it was a simple matter of just duplicating the holes........
Once a little primer was applied, I riveted a bushing into each of the doubler plates.......
Then it was just a matter of riveting the bushing/plate assembly into the fuselage structure........
The black stuff on the end of my rivet set in this picture is simply pieces of thick tape. Due to the angle I was having to put myself in order to rivet these in place (on my belly, with my head down in the nearly upside down position), I was having some difficulty keeping from "smiley facing" the rivets with the rivet set. So, adding thick tape to the end of the rivet set is one of those old tricks that sheet metal guys have done for many years to help "cushion" the edges of the set. Maybe it's just all in my head, but the tape sure seems to help me out in tight spots like this and lets my rivet heads look all nice and pretty (the one time in your life you DON'T want smiley faces)........
Then I just slid the brass inserts into the bushings......
And then bolted the pogo assembly into place. I couldn't believe I got all of my measurements right the first try. It's better to be lucky than good, I reckon..........
Once I got the actuator all hooked up and adjusted, I went to give it a test run. However, some of the electrical glitches that we've inherited during the time I've had this airplane down for maintenance have gotten into the pogo's electrical system as well. I couldn't make it operate, as it seems it's lost it's power. So, now I have a brand new project on the to do list.
I reckon I'll dig out my volt meters and such and get started on that project now. Geez, it just never seems to end.............
Gary