Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:19 pm
Gary
Give my best to all at Creve Coeur. Does Al still cook Fried Chicken on Sundays?
Give my best to all at Creve Coeur. Does Al still cook Fried Chicken on Sundays?
Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:23 pm
Good to see Ole out and about! I havent seen him around in months!
Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:39 pm
OK, y'all. So, I promised Gary I'd do a writeup of my experiences (Shae'll chime in here after a while) in MAF working on the B-24.
We originally had planned to give Gary 4 days, before and after the CAF Winter Staff Conference. However, circumstances in the form of food poisoning (damned airline food) interfered, so that we were only able to give him Monday and Tuesday. However, the good parts there are that we got a LOT accomplished, and we felt so bad about not doing more, that we are going back in late March. Silver lining, I reckon.
So anyway, we showed up at the hangar, and Gary introduced us around to the folks who were there helping, and then gave us the "job card" for the day. The plan was to fill the holes in the fuselage left by the removal of the waist windows, as shown here:
This would be a two-part process. First, measure a piece of .040 2024T-3 to go across the hole on the inside of fuselage, then cut to fit like so:
Then, once that's done for all 6 windows, it's time to start on the flush patches. Now, a quick aside here. Due mostly to the fact that the waist windows were added later, and the holes cut out by hand, EVERY stinkin patch is different, as are the backup pieces. Some of the backups needed to be trimmed off center as well to allow rivet tail clearance to since some of the rivet lines were not exactly die-straight!
So, the flush patches: These are cut out of .080 2024T-3. Now, here's one of the bad parts that Gary said I had to share. Well, maybe I just ought to show the pic:
See, I'm a Skinny Boy, so to cut that .080 stuff on a foot shear took a lil bit of "persuading".
Now, some of the skins around the windows had been beaten on over the years, so I enlisted the services of a metal-work genius who happened to be hanging around to tap-tap with a hammer and dolly:
Now, anyone who knows me, knows also that I have a lil bit of the Imp running thru me. Plus, I have seen and read about the builders of these planes signing them. So, I did this kind of as a lark, and asked Gary what he thought. He was super-positive about it (Silly Gary!!), so I repeated the process on the other window patches. Now, the sigs are butted up against the backup patches, so won't be visible, but when Gary's yet unborn kids are taking the patches off the B-24, they will be found and remarked upon. And unless I am grossly mistaken, the remarks will have something to do with "sniffin avgas or MEK again, were they?"
That's a good place to stop this installment. More shortly.
We originally had planned to give Gary 4 days, before and after the CAF Winter Staff Conference. However, circumstances in the form of food poisoning (damned airline food) interfered, so that we were only able to give him Monday and Tuesday. However, the good parts there are that we got a LOT accomplished, and we felt so bad about not doing more, that we are going back in late March. Silver lining, I reckon.
So anyway, we showed up at the hangar, and Gary introduced us around to the folks who were there helping, and then gave us the "job card" for the day. The plan was to fill the holes in the fuselage left by the removal of the waist windows, as shown here:
This would be a two-part process. First, measure a piece of .040 2024T-3 to go across the hole on the inside of fuselage, then cut to fit like so:
Then, once that's done for all 6 windows, it's time to start on the flush patches. Now, a quick aside here. Due mostly to the fact that the waist windows were added later, and the holes cut out by hand, EVERY stinkin patch is different, as are the backup pieces. Some of the backups needed to be trimmed off center as well to allow rivet tail clearance to since some of the rivet lines were not exactly die-straight!
So, the flush patches: These are cut out of .080 2024T-3. Now, here's one of the bad parts that Gary said I had to share. Well, maybe I just ought to show the pic:
See, I'm a Skinny Boy, so to cut that .080 stuff on a foot shear took a lil bit of "persuading".
Now, some of the skins around the windows had been beaten on over the years, so I enlisted the services of a metal-work genius who happened to be hanging around to tap-tap with a hammer and dolly:
Now, anyone who knows me, knows also that I have a lil bit of the Imp running thru me. Plus, I have seen and read about the builders of these planes signing them. So, I did this kind of as a lark, and asked Gary what he thought. He was super-positive about it (Silly Gary!!), so I repeated the process on the other window patches. Now, the sigs are butted up against the backup patches, so won't be visible, but when Gary's yet unborn kids are taking the patches off the B-24, they will be found and remarked upon. And unless I am grossly mistaken, the remarks will have something to do with "sniffin avgas or MEK again, were they?"
That's a good place to stop this installment. More shortly.
Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:23 pm
OK, next installment:
So, as Gary commented upon in his post above, our first attempt at trimming the flush patch was, um, not exactly up to his, mine, or anyone else's standards!!! And yes Kevin, when it comes to aircraft, Shae does indeed have high standards! (Less so for guys she'll hang out with, but that's great news for us geeky airplane types, nicht war?)
Here's Gary, critiquing the "excessive gap-o-sis-" on the first patch:
Thankfully that was before I did the sigs. Where I screwed up on that patch was cutting the wrong side of the Sharpie line. The way you have to do these patches is hold up the 080 to the outside, go inside and trace the contours of the opening with a Sharpie, and trim to fit. In practice, this involves lots of great exercise and cardio workouts, going back and forth to the sander, taking little bits at a time off. Here's Shae, trimming away:
Now, another quick aside: Gary made a pretty big deal out of the fact that we "actually LISTENED to him, and followed his suggestions". Well, our response was that HE'S the "Crew Chief", it says so right on his shirt! So, we "grunt labour" had no problem following his suggestions, and whaddya know the job came out great!! The thing is, Gary's got a plan in mind, and even though he may not share all the why's and wherefore's with the folks helping, do the job the way da Boss asks, and it'll all work out great.
So anyway, here's a shot of me trimming off the corner on on of the flush patches:
Now, as I said above (darn this post is getting wordy), I signed ALL of the flush patches. All different sigs, and here's one that we felt was especially appropriate:
And Gary holding the signed patch (My, don't he look proud!):
Since some of the time was spent, on breaks, petting the hangar kitties Cols Mosquito and Shadow, I signed this one on their behalf, since they can't hold a Sharpie without opposable thumbs ya know:
The funny thing there is that when I showed the kitties patch to Gary for his approval, he looked at it, looked at me, and said "Man, you need a hobby!!" Um, Gary, this IS my hobby! ':lol:'
Another volunteer was a big help to me Tuesday AM as a second set of hands, thanks TA!
And we can't forget that Shae and I were at HQ in the first place representin' for National Capitol Squadron:
Final thoughts: Gary is doing STUNNING work on both airplanes. But, as good as he is (Be quiet Gary, stop being modest, I saw the work you've done!) he's only one man. This board has been unbelieveably generous for the guns etc, and that's great, but good ole fashioned person-power is needed as well. Gary is, in my opinion, a really good foreman to work for. He'll give you the outline of what he wants you to do, and leave you alone if you feel OK, or he'll go into more detail if you need that. He really missed a calling as a teacher.... he was explaining to Shae and I the finer points of rivet shooting, and doing a better job at it than my old metal structures instructor EVER did.
We spent a week in gods-forsaken Midland, and plan to go back in late March just to help Gary out. How's bout some more folks get with Gary and volunteer? I guarantee, you'll have a BLAST!!
:) 
More later, when we journey to "Austin Acres Wildlife Refuge & Petting Zoo. Airplane Tours and Canoe Rides"
So, as Gary commented upon in his post above, our first attempt at trimming the flush patch was, um, not exactly up to his, mine, or anyone else's standards!!! And yes Kevin, when it comes to aircraft, Shae does indeed have high standards! (Less so for guys she'll hang out with, but that's great news for us geeky airplane types, nicht war?)
Here's Gary, critiquing the "excessive gap-o-sis-" on the first patch:
Thankfully that was before I did the sigs. Where I screwed up on that patch was cutting the wrong side of the Sharpie line. The way you have to do these patches is hold up the 080 to the outside, go inside and trace the contours of the opening with a Sharpie, and trim to fit. In practice, this involves lots of great exercise and cardio workouts, going back and forth to the sander, taking little bits at a time off. Here's Shae, trimming away:
Now, another quick aside: Gary made a pretty big deal out of the fact that we "actually LISTENED to him, and followed his suggestions". Well, our response was that HE'S the "Crew Chief", it says so right on his shirt! So, we "grunt labour" had no problem following his suggestions, and whaddya know the job came out great!! The thing is, Gary's got a plan in mind, and even though he may not share all the why's and wherefore's with the folks helping, do the job the way da Boss asks, and it'll all work out great.
So anyway, here's a shot of me trimming off the corner on on of the flush patches:
Now, as I said above (darn this post is getting wordy), I signed ALL of the flush patches. All different sigs, and here's one that we felt was especially appropriate:
And Gary holding the signed patch (My, don't he look proud!):
Since some of the time was spent, on breaks, petting the hangar kitties Cols Mosquito and Shadow, I signed this one on their behalf, since they can't hold a Sharpie without opposable thumbs ya know:
The funny thing there is that when I showed the kitties patch to Gary for his approval, he looked at it, looked at me, and said "Man, you need a hobby!!" Um, Gary, this IS my hobby! ':lol:'
Another volunteer was a big help to me Tuesday AM as a second set of hands, thanks TA!
And we can't forget that Shae and I were at HQ in the first place representin' for National Capitol Squadron:
Final thoughts: Gary is doing STUNNING work on both airplanes. But, as good as he is (Be quiet Gary, stop being modest, I saw the work you've done!) he's only one man. This board has been unbelieveably generous for the guns etc, and that's great, but good ole fashioned person-power is needed as well. Gary is, in my opinion, a really good foreman to work for. He'll give you the outline of what he wants you to do, and leave you alone if you feel OK, or he'll go into more detail if you need that. He really missed a calling as a teacher.... he was explaining to Shae and I the finer points of rivet shooting, and doing a better job at it than my old metal structures instructor EVER did.
We spent a week in gods-forsaken Midland, and plan to go back in late March just to help Gary out. How's bout some more folks get with Gary and volunteer? I guarantee, you'll have a BLAST!!
:)
More later, when we journey to "Austin Acres Wildlife Refuge & Petting Zoo. Airplane Tours and Canoe Rides"
Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:51 pm
What a great ideal, go to work, sign the metal and help Gary, good on Ya!
Lynn
Lynn
Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:44 am
Meant to address *this* comment earlier, but I forgot. Actually I blocked it out mentally, so as to dull the pain I felt. <sniffle>
I had a really tart reply ready, but it's gone now. That MEK musta burnt out another few brain cells.
So, I'll just say "It's nice to have friends.... None of em are here, but it's nice to have em somewhere".':lol:'
Jest kiddin as well, as you oughta know KK, yer on the shortlist!!
Much love to y'all as well.
I had a really tart reply ready, but it's gone now. That MEK musta burnt out another few brain cells.
So, I'll just say "It's nice to have friends.... None of em are here, but it's nice to have em somewhere".':lol:'
Jest kiddin as well, as you oughta know KK, yer on the shortlist!!
Much love to y'all as well.
Airlift48 wrote:Heck, we even have Jase (fellow WIXer) here helping, along with his wife. Man, you just gotta love pretty women with low standards! .......
Low Standards?
Shae had Standards?!
Kidding. Love you guys!
Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:09 pm
Sorry, Jase. Couldn't resist.
I empathise about the foot shear. I have the same one in my shop here in NJ.
I'll admit ive tried to cut some sheet that was just a tiny bit too thick for the Pexto Model 137 and just bounced up and down......up and down.....
Nice work to all on the 24!
Question: Gary, I thought I heard that she kept having some hydraulic or landing gear troubles last season. Is that the case (or at least part of it) and, if so, has it been remedied?
I empathise about the foot shear. I have the same one in my shop here in NJ.
I'll admit ive tried to cut some sheet that was just a tiny bit too thick for the Pexto Model 137 and just bounced up and down......up and down.....
Nice work to all on the 24!
Question: Gary, I thought I heard that she kept having some hydraulic or landing gear troubles last season. Is that the case (or at least part of it) and, if so, has it been remedied?
Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:24 pm
Just a note for Shae - PLEASE tuck the braids into your t-shirt, or tie 'em up in a bandanna (for that Rosie the Riveter look) when you're using the belt sander. We want you to keep them! (a little piece of advice from somebody who got his hair caught in a printing press once - don't ask!)
Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:22 pm
Here is another safety tip for ALL of the guys 'n gals working on AM927 (and any other warbird, for that matter). When you're working with sanders, drills, saws, power tools of any kind, presses, riveters, shears, brakes, and even hand tools... please please protect your eyes by wearing safety glasses with side shields! Even the smallest airborne piece of metal or debris can cause real problems if it ends up in your eye!
Please. . . work safely!
Cheers!
Please. . . work safely!
Cheers!
Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:20 pm
k5dh wrote:Here is another safety tip for ALL of the guys 'n gals working on AM927 (and any other warbird, for that matter). please please protect your eyes by wearing safety glasses with side shields! Even the smallest airborne piece of metal or debris can cause real problems if it ends up in your eye!
Please. . . work safely!
Cheers!
Very true, even wearing a good set of safety glasses is not fool proof. Those small pieces of aluminum can really get in through smallest of spaces.
care package!!
Fri Feb 23, 2007 7:44 pm
Andy, if you're listening, I sent Gary a few items he requested and you should have got them today or tommorrow. Go ahead and open it. It's stuff you will probably need.
Dave Miller
Dave Miller
DONATIONS!!!
Fri Feb 23, 2007 7:54 pm
GARY HAS ASKED YA'LL TO HELP WITH LIL'S BILL'S. I KNOW THAT A LITTLE PIECE OF SHEETMETAL FROM "LIL" IS NOT WORTH $100.00. THE IDEA HERE IS TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING FOR YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION. PLEASE HELP THE CURRENTLY MOST FAMOUS B-24A ON THE PLANET!!!!!
DAVE
I LOVE SENDING THESE THING'S OUT!!!
THERE IS A LIMITED QUANTITY, SO DON'T WAIT TOO LONG.
DAVE
I LOVE SENDING THESE THING'S OUT!!!
THERE IS A LIMITED QUANTITY, SO DON'T WAIT TOO LONG.
Fri Feb 23, 2007 8:17 pm
Airlift48 wrote:Question: Gary, I thought I heard that she kept having some hydraulic or landing gear troubles last season. Is that the case (or at least part of it) and, if so, has it been remedied?
The hydraulic problem on the landing gear ended up not being a hydraulic problem at all. When the airplane was brought to Midland late last summer, I put it up on jacks and found that a washer had been put on the wrong side of a bolt. It was an honest mistake, but this was an instant where this particular thick washer goes under the head, rather than on the nut side (the thin washer remained under the nut). When the washer was on the wrong side, it allowed the nut to protrude just slightly enough that it was hitting the uplock, only sometimes, to prevent it from engaging correctly.
Once it left here, after the repairs, it has worked fine ever since.
I had some major changes I was wanting to make to the hydraulic system this winter, but simply ran out of time. The system, although cantakerous, is working fine and should give us a trouble free season (in theory, of course
).
For everyone who caught our fragrant safety violations while working with the sander and other sheet metal project.......you're right.
I don't wish for anyone to get injured while working for us and although I'm not going to promise to become "Gary the Safety Guru," I will indeed try to run a safer program. Sometimes I just get a little caught up in the work, so thanks to y'all, I will hopefully not get caught up in any equipment.
Thanks everyone.
Gary
Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:55 pm
Chris Brame wrote:Just a note for Shae - PLEASE tuck the braids into your t-shirt, or tie 'em up in a bandanna (for that Rosie the Riveter look) when you're using the belt sander. We want you to keep them! (a little piece of advice from somebody who got his hair caught in a printing press once - don't ask!)
Great point...thanks for mentioning it!
Airlift48 wrote:
Heck, we even have Jase (fellow WIXer) here helping, along with his wife. Man, you just gotta love pretty women with low standards! .......
Low Standards? Shocked
Shae had Standards?!
Kidding. Love you guys!
Of course I have standards...I keep'm barefoot and chained to the toolbox!
Re: DONATIONS!!!
Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:32 pm
snjfxr wrote:GARY HAS ASKED YA'LL TO HELP WITH LIL'S BILL'S. I KNOW THAT A LITTLE PIECE OF SHEETMETAL FROM "LIL" IS NOT WORTH $100.00. THE IDEA HERE IS TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING FOR YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION. PLEASE HELP THE CURRENTLY MOST FAMOUS B-24A ON THE PLANET!!!!!
DAVE
I LOVE SENDING THESE THING'S OUT!!!
DONE
Lynn