Warbird Information Exchange

Check out this post at RetroMechanix.com reproducing a February 1943 manual showing the specialized parts and equipment used in maintaining a Bell P-39 Airacobra in the field:



It features 21 high resolution photos of the equipment kits and where they were installed on the aircraft. Modelers interested in doing a diorama of a P-39 under repair will find plenty of valuable reference images; historians and general enthusiasts of the P-39 may also find them of interest.

-Jared

Am I the only one who gets the impression that RetroMechanix.com is powered by one very old hamster with arthritus? I haven't dealt with a site that slow since dial-up went away.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

I just made some changes to the back end settings of the site (minifying the CSS); hopefully that will speed things up a bit.

This thread adds to my knowledge of Aircraft Tools carried aboard planes.
I recently came across some aircraft tools that got my curiosity. They were a 9/16- 1/2 “ box end wrench labeled PWA 1239 Mfg: Bonney and a breaker bar labeled PWA 1606.
I discovered that many WWII aircraft left the factory with their own tool kit. You may see several tools with the PWA (Pratt Whitney Aircraft) stamping. PWA can span from pre WWII to current production, PWA with 5 digits after it is likely current, 4 digits seems to be sometime post WWII to early 60's/70's, 2-3 digits can be fairly old , PWA 28 for example was pre WWII. There is a nice list of tools and their numbers supplied with Amelia Earhart’s Electra in 1937.
Some Aircraft and parts suppliers had tools stamped with their initials also.

Some tools were stamped with an aircraft's tail number. In this case, it was a tool that was supplied with one of the lend lease aircraft that were sent to the U.K. for the war effort.

Tools stamped with NAF. These were tools that were used to assemble various airframes at the Naval Aircraft Factory. Sometimes these tools went with the airframe sometimes they stayed at the plant.

Some PWA and others were made by Bonney, VlChek, Fairmount, Plomb and New Britian. An example for New Britian (circle NB logo (PWA-1402), nickel finish with a drive lockpin hole.

Need to look at the finish. Prewar tend to be finished in plain steel, war time seem to be in Cadmium and post war are nickel or zinc, however the coatings are just a generalization. Cadmium was used by several manufacturers. Stamped codes, known dates of production for a company as well as patent numbers and stampings can all play a role in dating these types of tools.

I would like to hear from anyone else who has more about aircraft tool kits supplied with aircraft.
DaveT