B-17 Flying Fortress/44-83735 ~ the Duxford resto thread

[RAMC181]

The above may sound silly but it would be an easy mistake to make.

The clearest assembly drawing I have on the chin turret could, at first glance, give the impression that it should be installed 90 degrees to the left instead (Azimuth drive motor pointing to the right rear rather than the correct left rear as seen above).



Peter, I'm hoping to be able to visit the hangar again later this week to see how things are progressing.

All the best,
PB

[bomberflight]

RAMC181 ~ The B-17 and the restoration team should be in Hangar 5 as usual

[ZRX61]

We start the picture post with a snap of the bombardiers seat base .....

.

Was that part made in Canada? That looks to be a CCF color as used on Harvards & Canadian Railroad stock.

[peter]

Couple of weeks since an update....? next thin we know Bomberflight will post pics of her sitting out in the sun!

[ZRX61]

It would seem to me that there would be all kinds of bad things that could happen to the pretty paint when the masking tape was removed, or in case any primer migrated under the crinkles of the tape.
SPANNER

If you use quality masking tape (NOT that cheap beige crap) and/or use lining tape first then you won't get paint creep. Lining tape is plastic, not paper & comes in varied widths from 1/16in to at least 3/8in.
Another method is to spray on your base color, apply the tape & then spray the edge of the tape with your base color. Then paint the new color over that. The base color seals the tape edge to the structure & any paint that creep under it is the same color. The new color can't then creep under the tape edge. (Also works when painting stripes on walls in your garage/workshop etc)

[D/C/W]

I hope regular viewers of this thread will forgive me if I use it for a test posting.
As a regular WIX guest, I have finally registered, and with Bomberflight's permission I am getting used to the picture protocols with a random recent shot of the Duxford B-17. If all goes well, here is a general hangar 5 view from 21st February:



0109:F-BDRS by David Whitworth, on Flickr

[bomberflight]

Welcome to WIX David and thanks for posting the picture

Some of the regular visitors to this thread may have been wondering what I've been up too for the last few days .....

Well ~ I've been away from Duxford for a while. I successfully completed a course on the conservation of large museum objects
and then came home via an extended route around 5 aviation museums in southern England.

Next Monday I start work for the Imperial War Museum as a Conservation Assistant in Hangar 5 at Duxford where I'll be helping to bring the B-17 project to its conclusion.

Just like most large organisations ~ staff are not permitted to comment on threads on forums on the work they are engaged in ~ so this will be my last post
here on this subject.

It's been a fantastic journey and I've learnt enough now to know there is still so much more to understand thanks to the experience and patience of the full time staff and
other volunteers in the Restoration Hangar at Duxford

I'm pleased to say that you'll now be getting coverage of the B-17's progress from not one but two of Duxfords most frequent visitors and ablest photographers.

Stay tuned folks

[TAdan]

Welcome to WIX David, thanks so much for the photo.

Peter, thank you for keeping us updated and now (knock on wood) passing the torch, err Camera. Congrats on completing the conservation course.

[8674planes]

Thankyou for almost a years coverage of the B-17's journey through conservation and restoration and good luck with the rest of the b-17. I'm looking really forward to seeing it in all it's glory back into the AAM.

I look forward to seeing all the new pictures that will be posted on this thread from all of the photographers who are willing to give up their free time for Entertaning and showing us the fantastic job that the team have done and are going to do on the b-17.

Goodluck and thanks Bomberflight.

[Django]

Congrats on the new gig Bomberflight. Very cool.

Welcome aboard David!

[D/C/W]

March 6th 2012:

Here's a small update on the Duxford B-17 project.
I can't promise to match the detailed and frequent posts that Bomberflight achieved, but with most of the structural work complete on '735, I should be able to cover the finishing and assembly process over the next few months. The project was started with a very tight deadline, and there are still some challenges ahead, but the amount of work done is astonishing.

Only eleven months into the rebuild, the paintwork on the main wing and tail sections is continuing:







Engine No. 4 is taking its turn in the cleaning schedule:



The cowling sections are next in line for completion:



At the other end of the scale, a reminder that every nut, bolt, screw and washer needs the same in-depth treatment:



I hope to post an update at least weekly, and more often if possible. I'll try and cover events in more depth next time, please ask if there are particular details you would like covering.

DCW

[The Inspector]

Look at the canning of the upper trailing edge right wing skin just ahead of the aileron hinges! Lots of horsing the airplane around in previous lives causing twisting of the panel. Do other flying B-17s show this twisting action?

[Heavens Eagle]

First time posting on this site. Found it from a link posted on a modelling site where a fellow just finished a rather nice build of a B-17G. Thanks so much David for continuing the photo shoots. I know Bomberflight has moved up in the world for doing something he is surely enjoying.

All these photos are wonderful in that so much of it most of us have never had the opportunity to see it. I took 3 trimesters of Aeronautical Technology while in college (30+ years ago) I can still remember that unique "aircraft" smell from the lubricants, hydraulic fluids and all. Smelled it again riding in an ambulance about 10 years ago (nothing major there) what a weird place to experience that smell again.

Am looking forward to many more photos and the completion of the conservation process on this interesting old aircraft!

[tex-fan]

hey Heavens Eagle, welcome to WIX!

[The Inspector]

Welcome to the WIX, as you readily confess to being a modeler, be ready to wear out your finger right click/saving photos-sit back and enjoy the ride.