And So it Begins......T-41B Restoration

[DH82EH]

Nice!
Great news
Congrats.

Andy

[Zac Yates]

Awesome news, congratulations!

[quemerford]

Massive congratulations on some really impressive work.

[L-4Pilot]

Thanks Guys, put another 1.5 hours on the plane this morning before we fly it to the avionics shop tomorrow morning.

I saw a "blistering" 105 mph IAS at 22 square, 1500 feet (90 degrees) and 9 GPH. She will do around 130 mph TAS at 23 square at low altitudes, not a very fast aircraft but she will out run an L-19.

Book says 145 MPH at 7500 feet but I think that is a little ambitious. The plane is dirty and creates it's own headwind just like an L-19.

Short video I shot this morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xB8exy ... load_owner

[L-4Pilot]

We did a test spray this morning on an old salvage Cessna wing we had stripped and cleaned. Used no primer, it was 93 degrees. The paint flowed nicely and dried very fast and was full flat within 15 minutes. After one hour it looked really good and was pretty tough.

We will do some tests on the finish in a few days, with 100 LL, various thinners etc to check the durability of the paint.


Steve

[avenger2504]

Congratulations! Looking forward to the paint job and a few air to air shots.

[SaxMan]

Really amazing to see the attention to detail. Can't wait to see the finished product.

[Fouga23]

Paint looks good indeed!

[L-4Pilot]

Avionics Shop...Monarch Aviation, Defuniak, Fl. Installation of STEC AP, Garmin GNC 420, Transponder, aux power outlet, IFR check and certification. Should be ready to test fly Monday.

The STEC was previously sent out for overhaul and yellow tag.

[flightsimer]

Haven't heard anything about paint shop visit in while and since you are testing paint, will you be painting it yourself now?

[L-4Pilot]

Haven't heard anything about paint shop visit in while and since you are testing paint, will you be painting it yourself now?

Good morning Tyler. Wiregrass Airplane Company in Florala, Al. will start painting the aircraft in September. I took the flat paint to him last week so he could shoot the salvage wing he had prepped in his shop. Whitney (Wiregrass Airplane Company) has painted 4 aircraft for me and is excellent.

[flightsimer]

Haven't heard anything about paint shop visit in while and since you are testing paint, will you be painting it yourself now?

Good morning Tyler. Wiregrass Airplane Company in Florala, Al. will start painting the aircraft in September. I took the flat paint to him last week so he could shoot the salvage wing he had prepped in his shop. Whitney (Wiregrass Airplane Company) has painted 4 aircraft for me and is excellent.

Sounds good! Can't wait to see it finished. The paint that was used to test it, was that the final color or just off the shelf paint to test it? Also how did it far in the tests after it had cured?

[L-4Pilot]

Haven't heard anything about paint shop visit in while and since you are testing paint, will you be painting it yourself now?

Good morning Tyler. Wiregrass Airplane Company in Florala, Al. will start painting the aircraft in September. I took the flat paint to him last week so he could shoot the salvage wing he had prepped in his shop. Whitney (Wiregrass Airplane Company) has painted 4 aircraft for me and is excellent.

Sounds good! Can't wait to see it finished. The paint that was used to test it, was that the final color or just off the shelf paint to test it? Also how did it far in the tests after it had cured?

Tyler, there were three different grays available and the one we chose is so close to COIN Gray it was not worth trying to custom mix. The original COIN Gray was an enamel and the faded variations are so different depending on the amount of time in Country. As expected from the test I have done, mineral spirits, lacquer thinner and assorted cleaners do not affect it, 100 LL is also OK.

What I did find is if you buff it excessively in one spot it will try to go satin on you with a slight gloss.

[L-4Pilot]

I have to say this a fun project to be following, do you plan on taking the plane to either Sun Fun,Oshkosh or Reno to compete for an award

No plans to show the aircraft except locally, maybe SERFI, Thomasville and various Military air shows like Tyndall. We really have enjoyed working on the aircraft, frustrating at times, slower than expected but the aircraft is a joy to fly and certainly performs to my expectations.

I have 1500 hrs in Cessna Bird Dogs and this aircraft is like a O-1 with a nose gear.

[flightsimer]

Tyler, there were three different grays available and the one we chose is so close to COIN Gray it was not worth trying to custom mix. The original COIN Gray was an enamel and the faded variations are so different depending on the amount of time in Country. As expected from the test I have done, mineral spirits, lacquer thinner and assorted cleaners do not affect it, 100 LL is also OK.

What I did find is if you buff it excessively in one spot it will try to go satin on you with a slight gloss.

That's good to hear and interesting about it becoming glossy with excessive buffing.