A quick visit to Cavanaugh

[Ztex]

I went to the Cavanaugh Museum for a quick visit the other day.

The hanger space is small and it makes for poor airplane pictures...plus they had some pointed the wrong way...but here is a taste.

Z

[Ztex]

A little more...

[FG1D Pilot]

When the museum opened 13 years ago, it had 18 aircraft. It now has 45. Makes things a little cramped. We are working toward getting more space. The aircraft are pointed to make them fit in the limited space and to enable getting them in and out. Thanks for visiting.

[Bill Greenwood]

Ztex, Is it coincidence or did your visit follow the posting of the ladies on WIX? I think one of the best things about the museum is the Stearman and T-6 rides they do. So many of the general public in other places see these type of planes as something quaint and static, rather than for people to be involved with.

[spookyboss]

What's the latest on the Corsair engine?

[Ztex]

Bill,

I have not been over there in years..I had planned to visit this week while I was off for the holidays...so purely coincidence..

FG1,
No slight ment to the museum at all. It is a great collection and for the visitor is it nice to be so close to the machines, but it is hard on the camera.

Z

[FG1D Pilot]

No slight taken, just wanted to explain to the unknowing viewers. If You ask or let me know, we will usually let someone get a better view for picture taking.
The Corsair engine was on the test stand before the holidays. A oil cooler on the stand failed and had to be replaced. Hope to have it running this week. But we've heard that before.

[ww2John]

Ztex, thanks for posting the pictures.

It has been 10 years since I visited. Very nice people work there, a great collection of planes "up close" and some interesting related artifacts (IIRC, like the "slipper" tank for the Spitfire just out of sight in one of your pictures).

[Jase]

OK, two questions. First, what is the deal with the multi-coloured tiling on the Fokker wings? Looks different and cool, boy it musta been a joy to mask and paint tho!

Second, what's the plan for the He111? Think it'll fly anytime soon? I miss ours...

[Bill Greenwood]

Any chance that you have a photo are any information on that slipper tank. Is it servicable; original or a reproduction ?

[bdk]

Looks to be original. I have better picture of this in my "archive" but this was the best I could find on short notice. I was taking a photo of the finest radial engined aircraft built at the time... I need to get a wider angle lens!

[Edward Soye]

OK, two questions. First, what is the deal with the multi-coloured tiling on the Fokker wings? Looks different and cool, boy it musta been a joy to mask and paint tho!

Jase,

The underside of the Fokker DVII is an example of First World War German camouflage. It is called lozenge and was used widely in several variations on many German aircraft. The most common versions were probably 4 colour light, 4 colour dark, 5 colour light and 5 colour dark although I believe there were other versions used on things such as bombers and night fighters.

Originally the fabric itself was printed with the pattern, so no painting involved! It was simple covered with clear dope and varnished (yes, varnished) to protect it.

These days there are several sources of reproduction linen and ceconite with lozenge printed on them (commercially available from Ross Walton at www.vintageaerofabrics.com ).

This particular DVII seems to have been painted. At the Great War Flying Museum our DVII was also hand painted because it was built before people like Ross had started making lozenge again. The method employed at the GWFM was to sit the wing vertically after it had been covered with plain fabric. Then an overhead projector was used to project the image onto the wing where it was traced by hand and then painted by hand. Unfortunately in our case not everything was quite lined up and there is some distortion in the pattern, but we hope to recover the wings with ceconite fabric when they next need to be done.

Hope that answers your question. The lozenge question is one of the ones we get most commonly when people see the DVII at a show.

Cheers

Edward

When the museum opened 13 years ago, it had 18 aircraft. It now has 45. Makes things a little cramped. We are working toward getting more space. The aircraft are pointed to make them fit in the limited space and to enable getting them in and out. Thanks for visiting.

Doug - those are beautiful looking airplanes in the hangar. Can you tell us whether or not that great looking F9F-2B Panther is actually being maintained as a flyable aircraft?

Just wondering if it has been flying in the last couple of years or so, and whether there is any chance it will flying at any air shows in the next year or so.

Thanks.

Jim C.

[needle]

Jim,

I don't want to preempt a response from Doug, but the last time this particular Panther flew was at least 8 years ago.

Julian

[Ztex]

I didn't get a picture of the slipper tank...

but

For BDK...We did get to see the T-6 taxi in after giving an elderly veteran a ride...you should have seen the smile on his face!