Bald Eagle Aviation

[51fixer]

For repairs we took it a little further apart-
Lower skin with the stringers showing the effects of lifting the tail with manpower under the horizontal. The stringers show a slight bow from putting the shoulder against the skin.

After clean up the lower skin has different stringers than from the factory, probably from CC O/H. They are anodized but the upper stringers are not. The skin was primered and a different color than the stringer. The orig upper skin the metal is bare where the ribs sit which matches the print and manual call outs. This suggests the lower skin wasn't just removed, the interior primered with zinc chromate and reinstalled but the lower skin assy was changed or all the stringers were replaced on the orig skin.



Interior of the leading edge after some clean up-

Upper skin after removal, note bare metal where the ribs and frame are installed-

Not much left-

[Brian Snow]

Trying to post a question,,,,but not sure if all Rich's photos will precede my content......still learning how to post here on BEA as a "Corporal"....lol

Have noticed some properties of Mustang props over time. Sounds like the D's mostly used the Ham Standard with solid alum blades. K's (and H's ?) used Aero Products hollow steel blades. My questions are:

What do current restorations typically use for props? Alum, or hollow steel?

Are their advantages to either?

Wondering about the construction / engineering of "cuff" blades , and their purpose?

[snj-5]

Ham Stds are certainly more plentiful. The Aeroproducts propellers were harder to balance (some texts suggest a 20% rejection rate of the blades during production back then). Out-of-balance propellers could lead to all kinds of maintenance-related headaches. At some point, use of the Aeroproducts propellers was discontinued and late Dallas-built P-51 Mustangs were built with a HS 24D50 prop just like their Inglewood counterparts.

Not sure exactly what the cuff does, but I'd guess increased thrust / airflow towards the inner / slower-turning section of the blade (where the cuff is).

Bela P. Havasreti

[51fixer]

There are a few K's out there with the Aeroproducts Prop installed. Most notably Fragile But Agile. The H prop, although Aeroproducts, is a very different Blade Profile.

The Cuff in part acts as a ram to increase airflow and pressure into the Carb Inlet below the spinner.
At certain RPMs, A/C speeds, altitudes and A/C attitudes they cuff can act to destabilize the aircraft from a Gun Platform perspective. IIRC this was from some wartime report.

The Paddle Blade Prop was developed and was more effective at higher altitudes performance wise.

The Fastest Reno Racing Mustangs used Cuffs although the airfoil and profile of the prop isn't stock.

[Brian Snow]

Rich and Bela, thanks much for your answers on the Props !

Brian

[51fixer]

A little study of the Appearance of 22 in Photos-
This was posted by Mark in the photo essay SNJ Thread-

No MLG doors, taken at Miami and it appears the cowling and possibly the rudder are painted, possibly white? Only those with painted cowls lack the anti-glare on the top of the nose.
Does anyone have any data on the various colors used on the SNJs in the 42-44 time frame from FL?
Mark stated the photo info mentioned 43 for this photo.
A bit of a change from the book-

22 is on the top edge of the front of the cowling in the anti-glare.

And this NAS Miami pic-

[51fixer]

Some work lately on #22-
Some repair work has been done on the Horizontal, The frame has been taken apart and cleaned. Inspected for damage and corrosion. A couple ribs had small reinforcements added to selected areas. The skins are being replaced along with the lower stringers.

Frame members in place and original upper skin clecoed for alignment.

Ready for rivets and thank goodness for power tools-

Some rivets installed-

Frame assembled-

Fitting new lower skin-

[CAPFlyer]

Always nice seeing the reference pics you've been assembling for this project. Knowing an airframe's history to me is almost as cool as being able to be around the airframe and fly or fly in it.

Looks like you're making good progress too. Can't wait to see when you start getting to the point of being able to reassemble major structures.

[DH82EH]

Those photo's are an invaluable find. Huge help. Thanks for the update Rich. You and your boys do nice work!

Andy Scott

[Taylor Stevenson]

Rich,

The AN bolt in this photo has a purple dye covering it. I have found many original WWII-era CAD I bolts with Red(orange-ish), Blue, Green, Purple dyes. I have heard that this was some indication of magniflux checking the batch of bolts but have never found confirmation... Can you shed any light on this issue? I would love to find a document stating why they did it...

Rich? Chuck? Taigh?

T

[51fixer]

I got the top skin pretty much done today-
Started with a blanked out piece of metal cut oversize using the orig bottom skin as a guide.

I laid the orig top skin on top of this new skin-

Then clamped in place on one edge and I used several steel bucking bars to keep it still and flat-

I started with good clean #30 holes along the trailing edge. I insert clecos into several of the drilled holes on the trailing edge-

Using drill bits that match the original drilled holes the orig skin is used as a guide to locate and drill the holes in the new skin-

Of interest is a corrosion barrier applied from the factory was some kind of varnish applied where parts overlapped.
The stuff stained the metal and was hard as nails. Paint stripper doesn't touch it. Not zinc chromate.

This rivet was on the outboard end of one of the stringers. The rivet was upset but between the stringer angle and the skin.
No part of this rivet was through the drilled hole in the stringer.

After the holes are drilled the edges are ground down and filed to match the edges of the orig-

Fitted in place to chk its fit-

Orig upper skin stringers cleaned-

Stringers in place-

Pulled together with clecos-

[51fixer]

A bit of progress on the Horizontal-

Bottom skin fitted and new stringers made to match originals

Close up of the stringers

[51fixer]

I got the Sunday Edition on Saturday, Just its not April or 1941-

This section was all about the North American Plant opening for production-

Just about everything in this section reported on the plant, its construction (reported as built in 110 days), training workers or building aircraft.
Meet the important folks on this page-

Many of the photos are noted as from Calif but this one is reported to be delivering a Harvard II-


Production will soon look like this-

One of my favorites, the O-47. I don't think they were built in TX though-


The back Page with congratulations on the speedy building of the $7 million facility-


Many of ads mention NAA or show their A/C-

[TXCOMT]

Great find, Rich...just be sure to capture those pages digitally. That cheap newsprint and ink won't last forever!

TXCOMT

[bdk]

Those buildings are still there- for a while. They'll probably be gone in 10 years as that site gets abandoned by Vought/Triumph and goes into disuse.