Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:31 pm
Nice work Gary! 
Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:40 pm
APG85 wrote:Looks awesome! I didn't even realize there was a skylight window in there..
Me neither, and I was THERE!
Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:39 pm
Looks like somebody's trailer may be missing a wheel hub !
Nice work, Gary.
Nice work, Gary.
Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:40 pm
Dang, Gary you are one genuine certified GENIUS.
I check in each morning after I get home from work to see what amazing feats have happened each day. It doesn't matter weather they are small or large you and your helpers always do not dissapoint.
BR
Wardie
I check in each morning after I get home from work to see what amazing feats have happened each day. It doesn't matter weather they are small or large you and your helpers always do not dissapoint.
BR
Wardie
Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:56 pm
Gary,
That gun mount and the whole rear turret looks great. I second the comment about not being too interested in manning that position. It seems so open back there. Was there any harness aparatus for the gunner to feel more comfortable in that position?
If there's anyone else that can answer my questions besides Gary I'd appreciate it, especially knowing I won't be distracting Gary from his work.
Cheers,
David
That gun mount and the whole rear turret looks great. I second the comment about not being too interested in manning that position. It seems so open back there. Was there any harness aparatus for the gunner to feel more comfortable in that position?
If there's anyone else that can answer my questions besides Gary I'd appreciate it, especially knowing I won't be distracting Gary from his work.
Cheers,
David
Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:07 pm
Hello, don't quote me here, but I think the tail gunner just sort of "hangs" in a harness. My Grand father can't really remember that far back. There are adjustment brackets on each side so that the harness can be moved to a suitable position. In the first picture Gary posted of the tail gun installation, you can just barely make out one of the brackets just above the torque tube which would be just above and to the side of the gunner's head.
Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:05 pm
Gary you have done one heck of a job with this. You have turned that aircraft into one of the best heavy warbirds out there.
Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:07 pm
I second Mustangdriver's last comment.
-David
-David
Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:57 pm
Airlift48 wrote:I thought you made that up about the "Swim across the ocean bit", but I played with Google Maps a bit and It said the same thing.
Boy those Google folks are funny.....
Same here! I just thought he was being funny and then I felt stupid about checking and being gullible
And what do you know... "Swing Across the Ocean!"
Gary- Awesome! I love the paint job and can't wait to see it in person!
Wed Apr 25, 2007 4:03 am
Well Rick, you were close when you said that it looks like someone is missing a wheel hub, when talking about the mounting base for the tail gun. It truly isn't what it appears to be, although it's not a wheel hub.
When I first saw that I needed something substantial to mount the gun to, I could only figure that the factory would've used a casting of some sort and that I would never have the time to manufacture one myself. Now, I did manufacture the female portion of the gun mount (that the yoke actually sits in) out of some nylon/teflon/hard plastic stuff, but still needed the mounting base for it to attach to. So, with that thought in mind, I went on a hunt for something that would work. I didn't really know what I was looking for, but knew I'd know what it was when I found it. Make sense?
Anyway, when I came across this jewel, sitting out on the hill, rotting away, I instantly knew that it would not only work for what I had in mind, but would give the appearance of looking like it belonged there. It's a clutch assembly off of a big, honkin' starter for a big, honkin' engine of some sort.
........
I started disassembling it right away. I'll say this, I have a whole new respect for the folks that build and overhaul the ol' starters for these airplanes. I had no idea of all of the things they cram into these little castings. Heck, at one point, I lifted one collar off and hundreds of little ball bearings just fell out all over the floor! You'll see all of the pieces (that I could find) in the last picture of this sequence. I'm just glad I don't have to put this back together............
Once it was all disassembled, I started turning it into a gun mount. I cut a hole in the top of the old cover so that it would accept the yoke receptacle I built........
Then I hacked off all of the "protrusions" from the bottom side of the main casting. That was a booger-bear, but still took far less time than fabricating something from scratch. I had also started cleaning up and painting other parts of the casting at this time........
And with everything in place (with the exception of some attaching hardware), here's what the final result looks like......
And, once again, in position in the airplane (but don't tell anyone that it's really not what it looks like
).........
Oh, and yes, the tailgunner sits "comfortably" in a canvas sling that hangs at the back of the airplane. I have it being manufactured right now and will hopefully be completed this week. You can actually see it in the drawing in my last post. I have become convinced that this airplane was responsible for a famous saying derived from W.W. II (you know, like "the whole nine yards" and such). The saying "you've got your ass in a sling" very likely came from the design of this tailgunner's seat. Because once your butt is in there, it's in there. They even had a monorail that went from the waistgunner's position, past the tunnel gunner, and ending at the tailgunner, so that he could be supplied with ammunition during aerial combat. Because, after all....he did have his "ass in sling." (sorry for the poor quality of picture)...........
Gary
When I first saw that I needed something substantial to mount the gun to, I could only figure that the factory would've used a casting of some sort and that I would never have the time to manufacture one myself. Now, I did manufacture the female portion of the gun mount (that the yoke actually sits in) out of some nylon/teflon/hard plastic stuff, but still needed the mounting base for it to attach to. So, with that thought in mind, I went on a hunt for something that would work. I didn't really know what I was looking for, but knew I'd know what it was when I found it. Make sense?
Anyway, when I came across this jewel, sitting out on the hill, rotting away, I instantly knew that it would not only work for what I had in mind, but would give the appearance of looking like it belonged there. It's a clutch assembly off of a big, honkin' starter for a big, honkin' engine of some sort.
........
I started disassembling it right away. I'll say this, I have a whole new respect for the folks that build and overhaul the ol' starters for these airplanes. I had no idea of all of the things they cram into these little castings. Heck, at one point, I lifted one collar off and hundreds of little ball bearings just fell out all over the floor! You'll see all of the pieces (that I could find) in the last picture of this sequence. I'm just glad I don't have to put this back together............
Once it was all disassembled, I started turning it into a gun mount. I cut a hole in the top of the old cover so that it would accept the yoke receptacle I built........
Then I hacked off all of the "protrusions" from the bottom side of the main casting. That was a booger-bear, but still took far less time than fabricating something from scratch. I had also started cleaning up and painting other parts of the casting at this time........
And with everything in place (with the exception of some attaching hardware), here's what the final result looks like......
And, once again, in position in the airplane (but don't tell anyone that it's really not what it looks like
).........
Oh, and yes, the tailgunner sits "comfortably" in a canvas sling that hangs at the back of the airplane. I have it being manufactured right now and will hopefully be completed this week. You can actually see it in the drawing in my last post. I have become convinced that this airplane was responsible for a famous saying derived from W.W. II (you know, like "the whole nine yards" and such). The saying "you've got your ass in a sling" very likely came from the design of this tailgunner's seat. Because once your butt is in there, it's in there. They even had a monorail that went from the waistgunner's position, past the tunnel gunner, and ending at the tailgunner, so that he could be supplied with ammunition during aerial combat. Because, after all....he did have his "ass in sling."
(sorry for the poor quality of picture)...........
Gary
Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:01 am
Nice use of the starter housing, Gary. And to think to the average guy, its just a doorstop!
Have you thought of some kind of travel-lock for the gun so Id doesnt flop around while flying?
Are there plans to put a mannequin's "Ass in the sling".
Great Job! The 'ol gal looks fantastic!
Have you thought of some kind of travel-lock for the gun so Id doesnt flop around while flying?
Are there plans to put a mannequin's "Ass in the sling".
Great Job! The 'ol gal looks fantastic!
Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:02 am
Nice use of the starter housing, Gary. And to think to the average guy, its just a doorstop!
Have you thought of some kind of travel-lock for the gun so it doesnt flop around while flying?
Are there plans to put a mannequin's "Ass in the sling".
Great Job! The 'ol gal looks fantastic!
Have you thought of some kind of travel-lock for the gun so it doesnt flop around while flying?
Are there plans to put a mannequin's "Ass in the sling".
Great Job! The 'ol gal looks fantastic!
Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:23 am
Yeah, the gun will get some kind of lock before it's all finished. Probably just a pip pin or similar. I need to make it easy for everyone to use.
And no, I hadn't thought about having to put a mannequin in there. I kinda figured it would always have real people in there, taking pictures, making machine gun noises, and whatnot. Although that would make for a neat airshow trick, if I dumped a mannequin out the back of the airplane, with a parachute attached.
Gary
And no, I hadn't thought about having to put a mannequin in there. I kinda figured it would always have real people in there, taking pictures, making machine gun noises, and whatnot.
Although that would make for a neat airshow trick, if I dumped a mannequin out the back of the airplane, with a parachute attached.
Gary
Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:14 am
daveymac82c wrote:Gary,
I second the comment about not being too interested in manning that position. It seems so open back there.
I guess one good thing about this tail position is that it was probably the easiest and safest emergency exit. All the gunner had to do was attach his chest pack, squeeze past the gun mount, and push himself out the tail opening. No need to worry about striking a prop or a stabilizer.
John
Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:12 am
That is, of course, if he was lucky enough not to take any devasting fire from any enemy fighters approaching from the rear...
That is one catbird's seat I wouldn't want to be sitting in when the heat is on....
That is one catbird's seat I wouldn't want to be sitting in when the heat is on....