B-26K Counter-Invader Restoration ("Special K")

[A26 Special K]

Much progress was made yesterday. All of the static system has been tested and leaks fixed. Larry, Stan, Rand, and Big Mike all pounded on it hard yesterday. Speaking of Big Mike, our Aggie standout, the Heisman Trophy winner was announced and it is, drum roll please... Johnny Football of Texas A & M University. Gig em!! JR Class of 73

[A26 Special K]

Many of the hoses dated back to the OnMark conversion to the K model. These have 1964 dates. Big Mike made new hoses to replace these and the guys installed the new ones. JR

[A26 Special K]

This homemade screwdriver was found in the sidewall next to the pilot's seat. No telling when it was dropped there, but it looks old enough to be from WWII. We will add it to our collection of other tools found inside the airplane. JR

[A26 Special K]

Arnold, David A and others started testing the left main gear for rigging. This is the first time the gear has been retracted.... another milestone on the return to flight! JR

[A26 Special K]

The right main wheel well has been tented and is being prepped for paint stripping. We are trying out a new plastic media to see if it does a better job. Our blaster had to be modified to use it so tests are being made to see how to best optimize it. For some reason, this wheel well does not appear to have the same layers of paint that the other side did. Maybe this will go faster. The rest of the gear was removed, cleaned and prepped for paint. We are waiting on one small package of seals to arrive so we can start the reassembly. This gear has gone a lot faster than the left one. It was in much better shape. JR

[A26 Special K]

Arnold built a base for a propane heater and Chef David fixed up a mighty good beef stew with cornbread for the guys. You can see who all the chow hounds are. Inu, of course, was leading the charge. We are finding some remarkable talents besides airplane skills in our cadre of good cooks!! JR

[A26 Special K]

Speaking of other talents, David A engineered and built a tow bar for the oil containment carts that were made for the DC-3. This way we can tow the two carts over to the terminal or where needed to catch our oil drips and try to keep the ramp a little cleaner. If a round engine is not dripping oil on the ground, it must be out of oil, right?? We are planning some "diapers" for the A26 for when she is parked on a ramp. Be easier to keep clean and will be portable. JR

[A26 Special K]

Another great talent, Ray, our master metalsmith, is making some components for the repair to the hidden damage in the forward bomb bay bulkhead. Many of the metal shop tools were not working so some of the other members of the team decided to get them all going again. This has been a big help to our team as well as the others folks in the VFM hangar who use the shop. Many thanks to Ray and team for getting us up to speed. JR

[muddyboots]

Once knew an older guy who had a Navy ship's metal shop built into an old bus. It was really awesome to watch him take a chunk of scrap metal and turn it into a part for my truck, or something. People who know how to work metal are sort of like wizards to me, make me think of all those old guys back in the late 1800's that started building America out of cast iron and cold steel...

[A26 Special K]

Mud.. have to agree with your observation. I don't know how the metal wizards do it, but they can bend metal without it cracking and make it do what they want. Our wizards have over 30 years experience each in the art both in the USAF and some at Lockheed Martin. They have built a lot of airplanes from scratch so to speak. What amazes me is that they make it look easy and quick. My grandfather did his own blacksmithing on the farm back in the day. He could make tools or horseshoes.. anything. I just wonder about how dependent we have become on other people to keep this sort of talent or ability going while we just buy or borrow from it. Think about what sort of mess we would be in if there were no grocery stores suddenly. Sandy showed what happens when the electricity goes off and we can't get gas for cars and trucks or heat our houses. The stores run short before long. Maybe we should relearn some of the ways of independence and also, how to be a community that works together when needed. We are thinking of offering a survival seminar/expo at the hangar to do just that. Would there be any interest in the topic? JR

[TXCOMT]

Yep, that's a great idea. Anything you can do to get folks in the door will be help spread awareness about the resto effort specifically and about warbirds in general. Win-win, I'd say!

TXCOMT

[A26 Special K]

Thanks for the comments. We would like to explore the idea further. BTW, we have scheduled a militaria expo at the hangar the W/e of May 18. Everybody be sure to put that on your calendar. Lots of stuff for sale and on display then. If you would like to have a vendor's table, be sure to sign up with Dana. More information on our website: www.gga1.org JR

[A26 Special K]

We are pleased to be added to two new websites for us. If we can get the airplane flying in time for the Oct Memorial Service at Hurlburt AFB, we plan to stop enroute at the old England AFB in Alexandria, La. K will have the tail code for this base... IF. She was stationed at a lot of bases during her career, but England and Hurlburt were the crowning glory days. During Desert Storm, A-10's from England were part of the group that proved that an attack aircraft still had value even though it wasn't the fastest or prettiest.... kinda like the A26. Be sure to ck out these websites for more information about England AFB. JR

http://www.englandairforcebase.com/home.htm

http://www.englandafb.com/

[A26 Special K]

Whaaaat? You haven't seen a "man-eating" airplane before?? Actually this is Larry, our avionics specialist, diving deep into the back of the instrument panel. Lots of work to do there. The other good news is that the real JR just let me know that the overhaul shop working on our main wheels is making them all pretty again. They will mount the new Goodyear tires and get the wheel assemblies all painted nice for us. Can't wait to see them. The nose wheel goes in next. Still looking for the overhaul manual for it. Several airplanes shared the same wheel assy... B24 and B29. We also need to locate a new ribbed nose tire if anybody has any leads. Diamond tread would be a last resort. The other JR

[A26 Special K]

Another round at the Huey bar!! JR