Warbird Information Exchange

This from the Devil Dog Squadron:

(PBJ/B-25) ……Bad To The Bone

DON’T LEAVE OUR “DOG” OUT IN THE COLD!
The Devil Dog, that is!

Come join the Commemorative Air Force in completing the restoration of the Devil Dog (PBJ-1J), the U.S. Marines’ version of the B-25 World War II medium bomber. We need your help with this Dog from head to paw. She’s only 65 years old, so the Devil Dog is much too young to retire. She has many more history lessons to teach about how our fathers and fore fathers fought for and won the freedoms we enjoy today.

But before she can continue her mission, the Old Gal needs some work, and the first thing she needs is an overhaul of her left engine. After being grounded for 23 months to overhaul the right engine, and take care of some corrosion issues in the tail section, the Devil Dog proudly flew to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for AirVenture 2009, the largest air show in the United States. She performed beautifully, and thrilled many spectators with her proud history. But when we fired her up for the return trip, she let us know that she just wasn’t up to the flight home.

Unfortunately, Medicare is not an option, so we need to raise $75,000 to get her left engine overhauled. The sooner we can accomplish this, the sooner we can get the Devil Dog home to Georgetown. Think of it: the Devil Dog has never seen the snow, and the thought of her sitting out in the cold, through a long Wisconsin winter, with snow and ice piling up on her fuselage and wings . . . well, it’s is hard to imagine. Don’t leave her out in the cold! Once we have the Devil Dog back home in Georgetown, we can continue with the restoration, giving her a new interior and a fresh coat of paint.

But to do that, we have to get her a new engine, and fly her back home to warm and sunny Texas. This worthwhile project can only be accomplished with the support of others. We’re asking you to help, and have set up have several levels in which you can participate. You, your family, business or civic organization can be a big help--no donation is too big or too small. We hope you’ll look at this list of opportunities, and sign on to keep her flying:

Engine Sponsor levels

Engine Crank $5000.00 ________
Carburetor Overhaul $2500.00 ________
R2600 Cylinders each $2000.00 (Need 14) ________
Ignition Harness $1500.00 ________
Magneto Overhaul $1000.00 (Need 2) ________
Generator Overhaul $ 750.00 ________
Starter Overhaul $ 675.00 ________
Hydraulic Pump Overhaul $ 500.00 ________
Vacuum Pump Overhaul $ 475.00 ________
Tach Generator Overhaul $ 400.00 ________
Oil Hoses $ 250.00 ________
Lord Mounts each $ 100.00 ________
Oil Filters $ 75.00 ________
Spark plugs $ 50.00 ________
Cowling fasteners $ 25.00 ________
Hose clamps $ 10.00 ________
Safety Wire $ 5.00 ________
Total Donated ________

Please join us! Thank you for giving history a future!!

Please make the check out to
Devil Dog Squadron – CAF
209 Corsair Drive
Georgetown, TX 78628

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Mike

Ugh!

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

I'm calling some doubt on those numbers, you can buy a NEW vac pump for less than that & NOS/unused Tach generators sell for $200 each. Bit of research will save some $$$

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

Thinking that those numbers might represent "levels of sponsorship" rather than actual part costs. They haven't torn the engine apart yet to know what's all needed, but they sure know that it's broke and needs an overhaul.

They're looking for hangar space in OSH at the moment. The Dog is parked inside one of the EAA hangars for the time being. Hopefully it doesn't snow for a while, but our summer up here sure has been a cool one.
Chris

I'm sure this has been discussed already, but just in case it hasn't...

Couldn't a 2600 be borrowed from one of the other B-25's in the CAF fleet...just to get her back home?

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

And the accessories and spark plugs don't need changing just to get the airplame home, unless they were on their last leg when the airplane left Texas, and if that were the case, it shouldn't have left in the first place.

An engine overhaul doesn't normally include the carburetor, starter, generator, etc.

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If God had wanted man to fly behind a flat motor, Pratt Whitney would've built one.

Any time you munch a engine there is more to do than just swinging a new one in it's place. the ENTIRE oil system must be removed and cleaned, that is the oil tank, and oil coolers, as well as flushing out all oil lines as well as flushing out the prop domes.
Also, ea B-25 is operated by the wing it is assigned to, and Midland can't tell them to pull a engine and ship it OSH, it would have to be a wing decision.
I know where there are 2 B-25 engines in a can if they are looking for something to get them home, but I have no idea on the condtion. Hans Lauridsen bought 2 engines as spares for his 25.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

Good point. We never o/h tach gennies as it costs more than just buying a new one. It was a tach genny box that I found that 1943 newspaper in the other day

Which makes me wonder if the guys with Liberty Belle found the rest of the newspaper as we just shipped 3 t/g's to them

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

Matt, I understand the nature of engine changes. My point was that if TIME is of the essence, a swap is quicker than an overhaul. Dont you agree?

And although pulling a healthy motor off another is do-able, don't any of the CAF's B-25 operators maintain a healthy 3rd engine for just this type of situation? I'm not trying to criticize...just thinking out loud.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

It is a time saver to swap it out, but if you don't have one to swap it is hard to do.

I think all operators would like to have a spare engine, it is just a large amount of money laying around. Now if all the CAF B-25s went in to buy a spare engine to be shared by all, then it might be a different matter. I had Hans buy 2 spares from the H&P auction as a just in case.

When I was on Sentimental Journey, we always had a engine at the overhaul shop ready to ship. but that was a long time ago and engines were alot cheaper.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

No, most CAF units operate on a shoe string budget, and don't have that kind of spare cash to support a major investment like a spare engine. And thats not unique to the CAF, its other operators as well.

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If God had wanted man to fly behind a flat motor, Pratt Whitney would've built one.

Not all CAF units operate on a shoestring budget. Some units are well funded and have money in the bank if an airplane would need an engine or major repair; however, the current economic conditions make it hard for any outfit including most business to have a great deal of spare cash on hand.

Just my 2 cents.

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Philip Beegle
Dixie Wing CAF

It is a noble idea except for a few things; 1) They don't havecash on hand yet. 2) the aircraft is a long way from its homebase. 3) The winters are bitter in Wisconsin andhangar rent and tool leasing etc. is going to get very expensive unless they wait until next summer and do the engine change on the ramp. It will be hard on the airplane to leave it sitting outside in the harsh bitter winter.
Maybe they can find a loaner engine to get her home. Their maintenance staff, tools, facilities, and donors, and volunteers, probably could do a lot more with the airplane back at home. They only need the loaner engine for about 10 flight hours.

Maybe it's different with warbirds, where the parts are so hard to find and expensive, but that sure hasn't been my experience in general aviation. I spent 10 years working for an engine and prop overhaul shop. I don't think that they would have honored a warranty if the carb wasn't overhauled along with the engine. An incorrect float level or out-of-adjustment mixture could cause problems for the new engine.

I can see holding off on accessories like a starter or a generator if money was particularly tight, but usually we expected and advised our clients to do everything forward of the firewall, especially the exhaust system. It was a rare exception that someone wanted to put old parts back on a new engine.

Occasionally we had to push the customers to spring for new hoses, but most saw the wisdom of that too. LORD mounts too. Usually the only options we offered were the degree to which we repaired the cooling baffles and installed new baffle seal. When we didn't do the baffles at all, the new engines looked sad buried beneath all of the old faded, dirty, and worn baffles.

No chance of a "loaner" to get home on? Still need all the work to clean the lube system, etc. but maybe

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."