New TBM Restoration - Wings Are Back On. First Flight Soon!

[Charlie Cartledge]

I have drawings on disc. I have one spare wing fold triangle with one fitting. Last one available in the country as far as I can tell. Charlie

[johnrfuentes]

Hi Charlie,

Has Jack Kosko or Bill been in touch with you?

JohnRFuentes@aol.com

[johnrfuentes]

Charlie check this out


http://www.shopbuiltforum.com/phpbb3/vi ... 9&start=45

[BillB24]

Charlie,

Cliff Ellis has been trying to call you to see if you are interested in selling the wingfold triangle, but has been unable to reach you. If there is a better number to call than the one Jack Kosko has, please E-mail it to me at billb24@aol.com.

Thanks,
Bill

[PbyCat-Guy]

I'll be back up that way at the end of next month and would like to stop by the Friday of the weekend of the 20th if that's fine. Just want to come and say hi for a few hours before I have to be up in allentown.
-Jonas

[Alan Brooks]

More updates on the CAF National Capitol Squadron can be found here on the shop built forum thread...... I just grabbed a pic or two...... hopefully "Stony Jim" will not mind...... the thread is here
http://www.shopbuiltforum.com/phpbb3/vi ... f=1&t=1439





alan

[Chappie]

Is this a different TBM than what's being restored on the Kosko TBM restoration?


Chappie

[johnrfuentes]

Hi Chappie,

Yes, it is the same one.

[Chappie]

Hi Chappie,

Yes, it is the same one.

Thanks John. She's looking good! I'll be in contact with you guys again pretty soon, I've got some real life stuff that's getting in the way of airplane stuff.


Chappie

[Rajay]

...We have taken possession of a set of microfilm rolls of the TBM-3 engineering drawings. However, comma, we do not have the INDEX, either on microfilm or on paper. Tried to get the index from Smithsonian Air & Space archives, but they are not accepting requests until they finish moving to Chantilly. If any of you have an index for that set of microfilm, would it be possible to borrow it, or get a copy if it is on paper ??

Thanks,
Bill
Kosko's Krew
billb24@aol.com

Bill,
When I started working on G-21 aircraft using copies of microfished USN drawings, the original index was next to useless, basically providing only drawing numbers versus microfiche grid references. It had drawing "titles" too but they were not organized in an alphabetical order and you often had to guess which terms they used for common parts - in 1942 it was not always the same terms we tend to use these days.

I had to create my own index in an Excel spreadsheet to be able to search by actual file names (digital copies), part or assembly names or numbers, page numbers, or whatever. I was able to add notes and anything else of interest to use as search terms in the Excel file. (CTRL + "F" for the FIND command is quite a useful and effective shortcut...) I eventually expanded the spreadsheet to include drawing revision codes and date fields, model applicablities, links to superceding drawings, next higher assembly (NHA) numbers, etc. My version of a G-21 master drawing list has come in very handy over the years.

There were four Adobe pdf files in the USN sets of drawings for the G-21/JRF series "Goose" aircraft that came from the Smithsonian archives as well as almost 2,000 large scale fax-format (.tif) digital scans of each individual page. I have heard that at least for that particular aircraft (the G-21A/JRF series), the legacy records were eventaully transferred from NASM to the National Archives, who promptly misplaced them and couldn't find them again when I last checked with them for someone else.

The four Adobe (pdf) master files included a parts "manual" which was more or less just a list of parts and prices - it was not illustrated and had no exploded assembly views. There was an "index" file as I already mentioned, of just the assembly drawing numbers and their grid locations within the original microfiche. And there were two sets of actual drawings; Set "A" included 686 assembly drawings and set "B" had 881 drawings, some of which were assemblies but most of which were individual parts. Total was 1,567 drawings, but of course with more research it became obvious that those were only the drawings applicable to the USN (JRF) versions of the Grumman G-21 series at the time that the archives were created.

I eventually identified (and added to the spreadsheet) numerous other drawings that were either obsolete, superceded, missing, or applicable only to non-Navy or civilian model G-21A aircraft. Eventually, my list was expanded to include all of the McKinnon and other "aftermarket" engineering drawings and blueprints that we obtained when we bought the type certificate (4A24) for the McKinnon versions of the G-21 series. The current official "Master Drawing Index" for Antilles Seaplanes now includes something like 3,034 drawings.

My much belated point? It might be beneficial to have someone just sit down and create your own index of the drawings you have. Once you get started with a particular format, it rolls right along. And once it is done, it is easy to update, correct, or reprint hard copies as necessary.

Do you have any enthusiastic volunteers on hand for whom sheet metal fabrication or painting is not quite their real forte? Maybe they are more skilled with Microsoft Office....

[johnrfuentes]

Hi Guys,

Engine shipped yesterday enroute from Anderson.....eta Wednesday or Thursday 8/10 or 8/11.

Engine pre oil kit ordered from Oil-O-Matic..........Oil filtration kit ordered from Air Wolf. $$$$

Dummy .50 cal for turret ordered from BMG.....

Avionics ordered expected delivery 08/15/2011.

Accessories to be shipped to Aero Accessories of San Antonio TX......turn time 4-5 weeks.

Prop to be sent to overhaul shop out of state.

LOOKING FOR A SEAT FOR THE BACK SEAT POSITION. LANCE WANTS $1000

Last edited by johnrfuentes on Fri Aug 05, 2011 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Chappie]

Whoa John. That's a lotta stuff in just two weeks! Is the interior going to be dead stock?

Chappie

[johnrfuentes]

Hi Chappie,

We are going to try our best to make the bombardiers compartment stock.

The cockpit will have some (not all) newer instruments and radios for reliability.

We do have the original radio control heads that mount on the right side of the cockpit.

In the bombardiers compartment we have an APN-1 radar scope, the ART-13 radio,

the ARB transceiver, the bombardiers interval-o-meter and pickle switch.

[PbyCat-Guy]

That's really great. I miss spending my Friday's up there with you all. How's Jack doing? -Jonas

[johnrfuentes]

Jack is doing fine. His leg bothers him a little but he works around that!

He is a member of the greatest generation after all!!!