TEXAS RAIDERS- First Flight in Seven Years- Oct. 14, 2009

[steve dickey]

Getting close: fixing the #4 air box...




-DC

Alright you old fossils,whose granddaughter is that?

Cute and likes working on warbirds as well!

If she's really riveting where's the bucking bar holder She's holding the gun with both hands(no doubt because she can't with one) and I do not see another hand or part of a body to do the bucking. So?????????
OK I'll go ahead and concede that if she worked around here I wouldn't get anything done , or be the one to wanna always help her out

[aereform]

First of all, I meant no harm on that e-mail. No chastizing going on here. I very much value the hard work y'all are doing.

Second, it's my standard practice to put large area washers over exposed rod ends. This is merely a safety measure for in the rare occasion that a rod end fail, the washer will keep it in place to where you can at least retain some control of whatever it is that the rod end is actuating.

My apologies if I somehow embarrassed you with my previous comments.

Gary

Hi Gary,
Stupid question time: I don't get that. Where are you supposed to place the larger washer? On the side surface of the bearing at the eyebolt end fitting of the rod or somewhere else?
And why do you do that again?
Kindest regards
Saso

[skymstr02]

Its placed on the opposite side from the control arm on the rod end bearing.
Should the bearing fail (and this has happened in the past), the rod end will be retained between the large area washer, AN470-3 or -4, and the control arm, it will give some control instead of no control.

[DCarr]

Mixture to idle cutoff.
Boost pump on.
Fuel pressure looks good.
Prime for thee seconds.
Starter on.
Mags on and mesh.

One blade, two blades... lots of smoke and rapid accelleration.

Number four clearly wanted to run. It was very smooth and sounded healthy. Our external oil system and our cockpit instrumentation worked great. We had 80 psi oil pressure within 5 seconds. Lots of pictures and video to follow soon.

Today was a great day for the maintenance team of Texas Raiders. We created a plan, executed methodically, and now that effort and diligence is beginning to pay off. Hats off to the team...

We're not out of the woods yet, but it does feel nice to be here.
-David Carr

[Alan Brooks]

Hats off!!!!! Congratulations to everyone in the wing!!!!! Don and David, major cudos........but, I know it IS a team effort....... You guys won the race on the engines, but you ain't in the air, yet. I owe Don a carafe and David you get a six pack of Coca Cola. Alan

[skymstr02]

Why were the mags on before the prop started rotating?
Normally, you count the blades before you flip the switch over to both.

[DCarr]

I started counting blades when we went to both... However, in this case it would have been okay to go hot before start since we had already cleared the cylinders by hand.

-DC

[bomberflight]

YAY !

Many congratulations to you all !

[Holedigger]

Congrats! Another step in a long set of steps! Helps to keep the team energized when benchmarks are reached.

[Steve Nelson]

Great news!

TR was the first B-17 I ever saw in real life (in 1977.) I really look forward to seeing her again someday in her natural element!

SN

[DCarr]

Here are a bunch of pictures from the number four engine start.
(Photo credits: Larry and Kathy Doucette)



Pulling TR out of the hangar


My favorite "Fortress fixer" stands guard. (Her name is Ashley and we've been together for 6.5 years!)


Old timer guard in place.


Ready on the ramp. Note, this is not a low traffic area --- Southwest 737s taxi along our ramp every couple of minutes.


Here we go!


Bob Linguiti sacrifices himself to monitor our oil system sight tubes. He was completely covered in oil after the first start!


Running like a top!


Don is having trouble containing himself.


Looks like Larry is too.


"Evidence."


From left to right:
Ken Hyman, our "pilot" for this mission
Don Price, aka Spanner
David Carr, our fearless maintenance officer
Ashley Allen, the fortress fixer
Larry Doucette, he (and his new wife!) are regular worker bees
Chuck Conway, another consistent TR contributor

Onward!
-David Carr

[peter]

Steaks and Beer all round for a terrific job!

[Glen]

Well Done to all the T.R Crew ! I am so excited to see her cough back to life . She was the very first B-17 in Person for me way back in 1980 at a Air show in Fort Worth TX. ...............when might we be seeing her back in the Sky ? .................some time this year ????

[SPANNERmkV]

WIX gets it first exclusive...

OK... If the link below isn't hot on your computer then copy and paste the link and you will see the MAGIC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjomdi1F1Nw

I wanted you kids to get in on it first.

SPANNER

[bdk]

Great work!!!!!!