Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:53 pm
So Gary;
I get up to Boise, ID and get moved into my customer office here at Western Aircraft and I look up on the wall and I have a nice framed photo of a LB-30 taken in the 50's at Boise
. It states the airplane was used up in Alaska by Morrison-Knudsen Co. I have already warned them that I was going to steal it! 
I'll try and get a photo of it and post on here. I do not have a camera with me so I will see if my CSR can take a picture of it and E-mail it to me. Keep up the great work, I would try to fly down and help you out but I have alot of aircraft maintenance I have to get done at my regular job first 
. As we are going to heading down to South America soon for the boss.
Scott.....
I get up to Boise, ID and get moved into my customer office here at Western Aircraft and I look up on the wall and I have a nice framed photo of a LB-30 taken in the 50's at Boise
. It states the airplane was used up in Alaska by Morrison-Knudsen Co. I have already warned them that I was going to steal it! I'll try and get a photo of it and post on here. I do not have a camera with me so I will see if my CSR can take a picture of it and E-mail it to me. Keep up the great work, I would try to fly down and help you out but I have alot of aircraft maintenance I have to get done at my regular job first . As we are going to heading down to South America soon for the boss.
Scott.....
Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:55 pm
I think you put that beat up old spinner to good use...very creative!
Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:32 pm
Bruce wrote:Gary,
It wasnt a criticism - its your stuff, so do what you like with it anyway!
I do however know the Mozzie very well, and am 99% sure thats what it was.
As I say, save me the leftovers will you?
Bruce
Don't sweat it. The spinner was unservicable and ia realitivly easy to metal spin a new spinner.. My brother does metal spinnings for a living.. Once you make the oak die off of a good spinner you can make lots of them. The internal stuff is the hard stuff to make.
Thu Dec 28, 2006 5:18 pm
Scott WRG Editor wrote:paulk wrote:retroaviation wrote:That is a great idea, Scott! We have sort of tossed that around within our Squadron, but have had no takers. In all fairness though, they did pitch in and buy the 250 and 500 pound replica bombs from Bombs Away, LLC. for FIFI.
Our first .50 cal should be here this week. It would look nice with a donor's name on the side of it, huh?
Gary
Gary ...
You can put the "CAF First Observation Detachment" name on the side of that first machine gun, in Diamond Lil's tail. In an earlier post you mentioned the cost was between $600 and $700 ... post the actual amount (maybe some more sponsors will step up for the other guns) and we'll have a check in the mail.
Paul
Yes let us know the goal amount and possibly we could have WIX sponsor a gun!
Scott, put me down for $50 on the Wix gun, Ok, who's next
.....
Lynn
Thu Dec 28, 2006 5:53 pm
Okay, here's another riddle for you to start this update.......
What does a brand new, in the box P-39 propeller driveshaft have to do with shooting .50 caliber bullets out of a B-24A?
Give up?
Well here's the answer.........
Today, while rummaging around in our warehouse, I stumbled across a long, skinny cardboard box that had been placed waaaay back in the corner of the building. It appeared to have never been opened and said, "Bell Aircraft Corp., driveshaft, propeller, P-39" on it. Naturally, I had to check it out.
So while looking at it at my work area, I had a great idea and got to work on it. I took the driveshaft out of the box and went over to the chop saw. The first order of business was to cut the ends off. They were kind of tough, but I worked hard and made my way through them.
After that, I got my cut-off wheel and split the driveshaft into two pieces. The original diameter of the shaft was much too large for me to utilize for this idea of mine, so I had to hammer and bend it all down in order to make it work. Two hose clamps off of a Merlin coolant header tank were used to clamp the two halves together. Good thing there's no fluid used in this idea, or it would surely leak.
Anyway, I only needed about three feet of the driveshaft, so I simply threw the rest of it in the trash. I did, however, take the two ends that I had previously used the chop saw to cut off, and used them to scare the bejesus out of the hangar cats. Those things make a cool ringing sound when landing on the hangar floor.
Anyway, here is the finished product. It's a new .50 cal. for the tunnel gun! I hope you like it. It's the best I could do with what I had..........
Obviously this is just the replica gun that we just got in today. All of the parts aren't here for it, so it'll look better as they arrive. The cost of the gun (are you sitting down?) is $895 each. If those of you who are still interested in the gun sponsorship, please PM me with your information.
Oh, and there were no hangar cats injured during the installation of the tunnel gun.
Gary
What does a brand new, in the box P-39 propeller driveshaft have to do with shooting .50 caliber bullets out of a B-24A?
Give up?
Well here's the answer.........
Today, while rummaging around in our warehouse, I stumbled across a long, skinny cardboard box that had been placed waaaay back in the corner of the building. It appeared to have never been opened and said, "Bell Aircraft Corp., driveshaft, propeller, P-39" on it. Naturally, I had to check it out.
So while looking at it at my work area, I had a great idea and got to work on it. I took the driveshaft out of the box and went over to the chop saw. The first order of business was to cut the ends off. They were kind of tough, but I worked hard and made my way through them.
After that, I got my cut-off wheel and split the driveshaft into two pieces. The original diameter of the shaft was much too large for me to utilize for this idea of mine, so I had to hammer and bend it all down in order to make it work. Two hose clamps off of a Merlin coolant header tank were used to clamp the two halves together. Good thing there's no fluid used in this idea, or it would surely leak.
Anyway, I only needed about three feet of the driveshaft, so I simply threw the rest of it in the trash. I did, however, take the two ends that I had previously used the chop saw to cut off, and used them to scare the bejesus out of the hangar cats. Those things make a cool ringing sound when landing on the hangar floor.
Anyway, here is the finished product. It's a new .50 cal. for the tunnel gun! I hope you like it. It's the best I could do with what I had..........
Obviously this is just the replica gun that we just got in today. All of the parts aren't here for it, so it'll look better as they arrive. The cost of the gun (are you sitting down?) is $895 each. If those of you who are still interested in the gun sponsorship, please PM me with your information.
Oh, and there were no hangar cats injured during the installation of the tunnel gun.
Gary
Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:07 pm
Very sneaky there Mr. Austin! Next you'll be telling us how you machined a nice new pogo for the plane out of a main gear of a P-82 Twin Mustang right? 
Looks smokin'! Can't wait to see it with the details fleshed out... I'll be chipping in for the WIX gun too.
Looks smokin'! Can't wait to see it with the details fleshed out... I'll be chipping in for the WIX gun too.
Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:33 pm
I'll be putting in $50 for the WIX Gun sponsorship fund. If you want to contribute then you can send a check to
Scott Rose
P.O. Box 51334
Boston, MA 02205-1334
Once the $900 goal is achieved I will send a check with a list of names to Gary.
Scott Rose
P.O. Box 51334
Boston, MA 02205-1334
Once the $900 goal is achieved I will send a check with a list of names to Gary.
Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:58 pm
I'll go $50.00 if we can get the other people onboard!
Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:29 pm
Count me in on the $50.
I don't do the heavy work that Gary is doing, but it sure is fun maintaining these old birds!!!
David
I don't do the heavy work that Gary is doing, but it sure is fun maintaining these old birds!!!
David
Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:37 pm
I've already sent a PM to Gary to tell him I'll do $50.
Julian
Julian
Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:39 pm
Looking good on the Wix Gun Fund. Mine will be in the mail tomorrow. Gary, I hope that gun is an easy out before takeoff, I can hear the call outs now, V1...Rotate....was that the gun I heard????
Lynn
Lynn
Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:41 pm
PayPal doable?
Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:38 pm
I love the P-39 Drive Shaft modification story!
It probably got a few readers panties in a bunch!
Thanks you.
Jerry
It probably got a few readers panties in a bunch!
Thanks you.
Jerry
Fri Dec 29, 2006 12:27 am
Gary;
Your killing me!:lol: But boy would it be fun to have a REAL shooting 50 cal. in that tunnel gun position. Just think of the boarder patrol sorties you could do with that baby. 
Scott.....
Your killing me!:lol: But boy would it be fun to have a REAL shooting 50 cal. in that tunnel gun position.
Just think of the boarder patrol sorties you could do with that baby.
Scott.....
Fri Dec 29, 2006 11:14 am
Sasnak wrote:Gary,
I hate to ask, but... did the new tunnel gun glass get frosted/bent in a spot? I noticed in the two pictures below that the glass seems to have a milky white spot on the tailward end, along the curve. Will you have to make a new piece?
Yep, I ruined it. As previously mentioned, I'm as dumb as a box of rocks. It is truly amazing that people actually trust me with their airplanes.
It all started with me putting the door assembly under the heater in the paint booth to help the edge sealer cure. Well, one problem with doing 800 different projects at a time is that I tend to forget where I've put what sometimes. In this case, I had forgotten that I had the tunnel gun door in the paint booth when spraying the structure for the main entry door and got green overspray all over it.
To make up for it, I didn't discover that I had made this mistake until the overspray had dried, which made it virtually impossible to remove. In my disgust, I put an unnamed chemical on a rag and "tested" a spot to see if it would remove the paint. It did, along with the Lexan. I stopped before I think I've gone too far (wishful thinking). I had to just walk away from it for now. I will either try some MicroMesh, which is a process for sanding and polishing clear plastic products, or will just fabricate a new window. Either way it was a stupid mistake.
Gary