B-26K Counter-Invader Restoration ("Special K")

[A26 Special K]

This area is adjacent to the big patch in previous pictures. The step will need some TLC as will the crew ladder under the panel door. The ladder can be extended or retracted from the copilot's seat. We plan to make it functional, but most of us are too old to trust climbing the ladder and the fuselage kick in steps to get to the cockpit. Us old guys will probably use a ladder we are hoping Ray can design that will allow us to enter thru the bomb bay. Without an outside platform ladder, tours of the cockpit will be most difficult unless we come up with something people can get up thru the bomb bay without much difficulty. We want to make it simple and easy, but safe for young and old. Ewwww, look at the time... gotta go see the Cowboys kick off against Oakland in Pre-season game tonight. Later... JR

[A26 Special K]

Great turnout today to work on the A26 and the B25. Most of the gremlins in the B25 are on the run now so maybe it will be flying again soon. The Man Cave had some special guests and visitors. We welcomed back Allie who now works for Empire Airlines as she joined the guys working on the B25. Pat M and several others chased problems on the Mitchell while the rest of the team worked on the A-26. Our old buddy Filippe who now lives in Colorado came by to see how the airplane was coming along. He was among some of the earliest volunteers before AA closed the maintenance facility at Alliance airport and he had to search for work elsewhere. He was impressed with our progress. It is easier to see when you don't look at it all the time! JR

[A26 Special K]

Ray installed one of the two new formation lights we received this week. Although the Nimrods didn't use them because they usually flew single ship over Laos or worked in pairs, but not in formation, we felt like since they were installed back in the day we wanted to bring them back. These were all blue colored, but the pattern that could be made with multiple lights over the wings and fuselage could be coded and changed from night to night if ever the need arose it appears from the way the switches are set up.

[A26 Special K]

And this is what the blue formation light looks like. Most had been covered or painted over so we have been going thru each one and naturally we found two we missed on the first inspection. Will have to get two more.

[A26 Special K]

Here is a shot of one of the machine gun ports from the nose in its "before" state. We would like to get some good replica .50 cal guns installed up there so trying to get it ready.

[A26 Special K]

Prepping the nose and removing all of the gun ports for clean up and new paint. We have some canvas covers with rings that fit around the blast tubes that will have to be re-made. The existing ones are all rotted out. The rings are made from micarta so may not be so easy to find. We are missing three of these. JR

[A26 Special K]

Tim, Ray and David B. are busy making the elevator gap seals so we can mount the elevators soon. Since Tim had been a little under the weather earlier, we didn't expect to see him this soon. Sure nice to have him back. JR

[A26 Special K]

We issued the new T shirts with Special Kay, "Planes" style, on the back to the team today. Sold a bunch at Topeka. We had the caricature done some time ago before "Planes" came along, but this seemed like a good time to introduce it with the popularity of the movie. Too Tall Tim is doing a fine job modeling the back for us! JR

[A26 Special K]

We may be back to Plan B on the instrument panel. So far, no luck on finding a facility that can overhaul the K-4A remote vertical gyro control. The airplane was converted at some point in Montana to a vac driven instrument. Looks like we need to have it and the vac pumps probably overhauled to be on the safe side. No telling the last time they had some TLC..... Kinda like the Cowboys last night! Hope this is not going to represent the rest of the season! JR in Ft Worth

[A26 Special K]

The "after" shot of one of the gun ports following clean up and painting. Only 7 more to go!! JR

[Ken]

Two quick questions:

1- The blue formation lights appears to have a beveled lens just like those on the C-130. We went through a big hullabaloo some time back because the maintenance TO did not call for the bevel to be oriented aft (to make the plane most visible to a wingman flying in trail). Not like you guys are likely to have a wingman after hours either, but just curious if you guys oriented all your lenses "aftward"?

2- I'm equally bummed about the K4 attitude situation. The look of your instrument had me digging out my T.O. 1T-37B-1 which shows the primary attitude in the Tweet as a ARU-44/A and dang if I could not find the nomenclature on the left side reduced-size AI in the UH-1H Huey ... but my point is that there may be a military AI out there that isn't 100% B-26K but would be awfully close in appearance, would fit the panel, and would be safe for flight. Given the number of T-37s that hit AMARC after 2009, there's got to be some stock on those units. Anything military would look a lot better than anything vacuum.

In case you don't have it, I found this extensive listing of military instrument numbers:

http://www.designation-systems.net/usmi ... s/u-a.html

Also, is there any chance that your K-4 was renamed ARU-4/A?? Does that change anything?

http://fsg-66-instruments.parttarget.co ... -54-A.html

Ken

[NImrodA26]

The "after" shot of one of the gun ports following clean up and painting. Only 7 more to go!! JR
=====
Wow, that sure made a difference. Makes you wonder how many rounds of ammo went through those in their lifetime.

[A26 Special K]

On the question of formation lights, these are the same assemblies as used by the C-130. There is a proper orientation to mount them. Ray said it was marked as to how to install. When I get back to Texas, I will give more detail on it. Also, on the question of the attitude indicator, it is not the indicator itself that is the problem. The remotely mounted gyro control is the K-4A unit. It has the actual gyros and amplifiers that send the signal to the indicator for depiction. We need to find an overhaul facility or good substitute for this control box or the indicator does nothing. We may install the vac att indicator just to get flying but keep looking for the original set up. So we are not giving up on it, just need to work around the problem until we find a better fix. Goodnight, eh, from Toronto, JR

[Ken]

In understand about the remote gyro, sorry it is turning out to be such a bear. I was hoping that there were a self-contained substitute from a T-37, UH-1, or OV-10 that might substitute ... but as you say, it ain't over until it's over.

Ken

[LadyO2Pilot]

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