More ME-262, N3N B-23 etc from Sanders

[Taigh Ramey]

Sorry it took so long to post these but I have been out of town. I just returned from flying a Beech D-18S from Kentucky to our shop in Stockton, CA and we didn't see a single cloud the whole way! What are the odds of that happening all the way across the country in December?

Here are some more shots for you all. First the 262:



Here is a view inside the aft fuselage

This shot looks forward from the right gear well. The grey beam is the spar just forward of the gear well. Note the pressure vessel on the left that makes up the cockpit wall. See how the electrical connectors enter the cockpit through the pressure vessel. The bell cranks and push rods are for the flight controls. The grey arm on the right with the open hole is for the main landing gear. The main gear cylinder attaches to that hole. This aircraft had another main gear failure when she arrived at Ione. Fortunately she was stopped at the time and the damage was slight. The Sanders are going to fix the gear problem and work out the other bugs and make her a good solid bird...Swallow that is! This aircraft couldn’t be in better hands as the Sanders crew does beautiful work.


Did you know that the Jumo 004 begins its start procedure by pulling the ring in the nose of the cone? Here is a quiz for you: What did pulling that ring do?

I don't think that the ballast tanks are a stock feature on the original ME-262. Too bad they don't have the full set of cannons instead.


They have a dummy set of guns in the bays that look pretty good.


Here are some more B-23 shots.

Note the plush interior...100% stock right from WWII! This interior has been redone and is newer in style than what Hughes would have had. When I first worked at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson in 1978 their B-23 was also an ex Howard Hughes aircraft except that it still had its original Hughes interior. Just about the same time Pima decided to bring the B-23 interior back to stock and started to remove it with hatchets. I remember seeing the chopped up wood paneling and the beautiful brass lighting fixtures lying on the floor. At some point they quit and never finished the job. I haven't been in the Pima B-23 since about 1985 so I have no idea what she looks like inside now. Also at the time someone at Pima cycled the landing gear handle in the cockpit. The next time she was towed the right gear folded up and she came down on her right wing, as I recall, and damaged the gear door and wing tip.



Here are some more shots of Denis' beautiful N3N:




Notice anything different here?


Here are a few miscellaneous shots around their beautiful shop:



Check out what has to be the world’s largest stash of sleeve valve engines:



Here are two shots of the next Reno racer. Denis says that it is going to be powered by a 3350. He told me what kind of wings and tail she has on her but I forgot what he said, sorry. Check out the speed brake.



That’s all for now,
Taigh

[Edward Soye]

Taigh,

Thanks for sharing the pictures! Great to get an inside look in a place like that.

Whats going on in your shop these days?

Cheers

Edward

[Saabmeister]

Is their Dragon a flyer?

[bdk]

Notice anything different here?

Looks like an R-975 Wright to me?

Check out what has to be the world’s largest stash of sleeve valve engines:

Note the beverly engine with the individual cooling ducts for each cylinder? Same engine Jim Mott put on his Sea Fury.

Here are two shots of the next Reno racer. Denis says that it is going to be powered by a 3350. He told me what kind of wings and tail she has on her but I forgot what he said, sorry. Check out the speed brake.

American Spirit owned by Matt Jackson? T-2 Aft Fuselage, wing, main gear, F-100 nose gear, with R-3350 engine.

Last edited by bdk on Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Matt Gunsch]

the pull ring is for the Ridel starter, a 2 stroke gas engine that was used to start the jet.

[O.P.]

Welcome back Taigh!

Great pictures, Thanks!

Pulling the little ring starts the little motor that spins up the engine.

Thanks again for the cool pics.


Orvis

[N3Njeff]

taigh I notice 3 things in that shot!

1.) the exhaust is not angled back it makes a turn going straight out.
2.) the engine compartment side door looks like its missing.
3.) whats the so called cap looking thing sticking out about the area where the inerta shaft should be?????




Got one question, wheres the pics of the Beech 18???????? my uncle has 3.

[Mudge]

I was thinking that pulling the little ring was something like when my father used to say, "pull my finger".

Mudge the gullible

[N3Njeff]

975...............crap, figures I would miss the obvious.

[Sabremech]

Taigh,
Is the Reno race airplane the one that started life with T2 Buckeye wings and tail?
I've seen photos of one that resembles this. I wondered what became of it, if it's the same plane.
David

[Taigh Ramey]

You guys don't miss a thing.

Here are a few other 262 shots from the National Archives:




Here are two excerpts from a translated manual on the Jumo 004. This section covers the starting procedures.




As a sideline; the Flying Heritage Collection ME-262 (ex Ed Maloney aircraft) will be restored to fly with original Jumo 004 engines.

The engines are being overhauled at Aero Turbine here in Stockton. Doug Clayton, owner of Aero Turbine, is an amazing gentleman. I had the honor to spend a week with him doing research at National Archives for Flying Heritage on the Jumo engines. We found a great stash of information to help with the project. Doug has the knowledge and experience to make the Jumo reliable by using up to date technology. We wanted to find out what the problems that the Germans and the Americans were having with the operation of the Jumo 004. The biggest problem was the turbine blades and their longevity. I was surprised to see one version of the blades were hollow and were made up from stamped sheet metal that was seam welded. They even had cooling air flowing up through the blade. Doug is going to make a turbine that matches the original dimensions and uses material that will last. He believes that he will be able to make the engines last for 2000 hours. From what I have seen from Mr. Clayton I firmly believe in his abilities to make this happen. Of course having the backing of Paul Allen certainly helps.

I am tickled at the thought that we will hear a Jumo 004 run here at Stockton for the first time since...1946 or 1947? I can't wait.

David, I think you are correct on the Buckeye wings and aft fuselage. It has to be the same aircraft, could there possibly be two?

[bdk]

975...............crap, figures I would miss the obvious.

Too close to home, eh- Can't see the trees for the forest? Seemed like a lot of cylinders for an alumi-Stearman!

[N3Njeff]

lol, thats well put. Funny thing is I did notice that it had the cooling fins around the spark plugs, but not the extra cylinders. That ought to be a sweet ride, to bad they could not keep the exhaust angled back. Think a bunch of us would never notice.

[Sierra Fox]

Regarding the "sleeve valve stash" i see two maybe three bristols which may be the worlds largest stash. The tall spindles in the back row are Corncob's. Dreadnought is certainly fixed for the next 60 years considering they got 13 years out of the original 4360

Thanks for posting those shots! Those boys really have a super operation, Dad would be proud!

Anthony

[Sierra Fox]

I see yet another Sea Fury up on its gear in one of those picture waiting for an engine to be hung, would that be "924" the faithful family truckster?

Anthony