Warbird Information Exchange

I just finished up a massive project for the Tri-State Warbird Museum's Flug Werk-built FW190A. As most know some of the the Flug Werk aircraft have landing gear retraction and extention issues mostly due to the fact that the electric motor used in the repro aircraft is not the same as that used in the wartime aircraft. This fact forced Flug Werk to redesign the links that pull the gear legs up and push them down and lock them down. Needless to say Flug Werk didn't quite get it right. Add that to the fact that there are at least two generations of gear legs on the Flug Werk airplanes and it can get messy. TSWM's airplane was one that had issues. So Dale and Steve set about determining what dimensions and angles were needed to get the gear to work properly. I turned their data into parts that work perfectly. The Flug Werk parts were machined from an unknown type of aluminum, the new parts were machined from A311 Class B alloy steel.

More info and photos are on this page on my site.

http://www.blackcrossaviation.com/FW190 ... hotos.html

Barry

Thanks for posting Barry
Lots of folks here are eager to see Flugwerk 190's at their local airshows.
Interesting shots of a grest solution.

Andy Scott

That is very cool! Overall, about how much of those birds had to be redesigned?

Any news on the Dora conversion?

I have a very interesting book on aircraft design written just after the war. It mentions that the FW 190 used a lot of spot welding. Is that true and is it true of the Flug Werk aircraft?

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

Congratulations! And very slick work, might I add. Looks like they went to the right guy.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Can't wait to see them installed - actually they might have been already. IIRC, last Saturday the landing gear looked somewhat different.

About the Fw 190 he's referring to: Planes Being Restored at the TSWM
- The plan is to paint it as Heinz Bar's aircraft with 200 kills.
- It has an original data plate.
- Donated to the museum by a doctor from Indiana.
- He was the initial buyer from Flug Werk.
- Currently, the aircraft is up on scaffolding.
- It won't fly until the museum can secure a replacement engine.
- It came with 2 Chinese radials.
- One of the engines has been sold already.

I'm not sure if this is rehashing anything that has already been said, but I figure it can't hurt.

EDIT: Oops, looks like they are installed. Should have looked at all the pictures on Barry's page.

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Tri-State Warbird Museum Collections Manager & Museum Attendant

Warbird Philosophy Webmaster

I can't say if both sides are installed yet or not. The pics on my site are of just the left gear leg. It was suggested by me when I was down there to deliver the parts that one set be installed and that gear leg cycled to see if the mechanism worked as intended. Dale hooked up a set of batteries to temporary wiring and cycled the left gear. When it worked (several times) there were lots of smiles all around and a sigh of relief on my part!!

Currently they are working on wiring and getting the cockpit consoles, instrument panel, and etcetra sorted out.

There has been much discussion among the guys at the museum about what engine to use. I can't (and don't) speak for the museum but I think they will eventually use an R2800. There was some idle talk between myself and the two guys working on the FW190 (Steve and Dale) about building an original type oil cooler for the airplane. Cost alone put the squash on the idea. If the original drawings are available, the funds, and the willpower, then anything is possible.

Almost forgot: Thanks for the compliments. It was an expensive job for TSWM and I'm proud of how they turned out.

From what I've gathered the FW-190 Fighter Rebuilders overhauled has a R-2800 with a DC-3 Prop. It sounds like this was the best scenario to install in the new 190's.

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Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

Are there issues with the ASh radials? (Other than oil cooling since a lot of work appears to have gone into at least two independent oil cooling designs.)

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

No there isn't, ours has been fine as have most of the others flying with them aside from one or two hiccups, the major one being the cause of the ditching of the French based example (since rectified). Problem was always with the cooling- but this has been sorted. Although IIRC cooling is still a problem with the Frasca 190 and the 2800.

Lots of teething troubles with these, but the Omaka based example is flying sweetly and has being doing so quite regularly.
Nearly all owner / operators are in regular contact to work through problems.

Dave



Gavin Conroy photo

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What overhauling did Fighter Rebuilders do on that aircraft?

My understanding was they did indeed want to use an R-2800. Funny thing is, we actually have one laying around but it's going in the Corsair once that is restored. The engine needs a major overhaul as well and will have to be sent out for that.


From what I understand, it's a reliability and knowledge issue. Not enough is known about the engines for them to feel comfortable using them.

If there are any other questions about anything involving the museum feel free to ask. (Disclaimer: I am only a volunteer and not actually in the decision making process. However, I am there pretty much every Saturday and will answer any questions to the best of my knowledge.)

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Tri-State Warbird Museum Collections Manager & Museum Attendant

Warbird Philosophy Webmaster

I was just at the museum yesterday. I can confirm, as of then, only the port parts (Say that five times fast!) are installed.

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Tri-State Warbird Museum Collections Manager & Museum Attendant

Warbird Philosophy Webmaster

I thought I remember hearing that there were quality control problems with these airframes in varying degrees, so for FAA standards alot of parts had to be replaced. Was this not the case?

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Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

To the best of my knowledge you are correct. As a matter of fact, at least part of the reason the Fw 190 we have was donated to our museum was due to the problem that the original purchaser [from Flug Werk], the Indiana doctor mentioned above, didn't have the money to make the changes required by the FAA. As I understand it, a good deal of the work being done on the airframe right now is directed towards fixing these "imperfections".

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Tri-State Warbird Museum Collections Manager & Museum Attendant

Warbird Philosophy Webmaster