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Warbirds of North America |
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August Newsletter |
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Volume 3 |
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Restoration UpdateThere is much to write about with the progress of the restoration. We moved the wings to Mike Kellner’s hanger. During the move, there was a mishap that caused one of the wings to tip over from its cradle and struck Allen on the shoulder. Luckily, all is well. He had a sore shoulder but it did not stop him from golfing later in the week. Some minimal damage was discovered to the wing. All the inspection panels have been removed and the fuel cells have been inspected. The neoprene appears to be in excellent condition and there is no significant corrosion on the ribs or any of the internal surfaces. We received a trunion puller from Duane Kalember which will allow us to easily remove the main gear. Based on an initial inspection, the gear appears to be in serviceable condition once restored. There is a missing break rotor and the rims will need to be replaced. The pilot and co-pilot area of the fuselage has been removed and the oxygen hoses appear to be in serviceable condition. The pilot relief system (when you gotta go, you gotta go) is missing but available. The seats are usable and all the mounting hardware is intact. These pieces will need to be restored and the adjustment springs tested. Throttle quadrants have been located and will soon be delivered along with other missing hydraulic components. Thanks to Mike Cranford for his extensive parts inventory. We’re grateful for the attention of several local newspapers and the resulting community support and the growing volunteer base. We even made the front page of one of the suburban papers. As a result, we received a call from the local Civil Air Patrol. This is a group of young adults (teens) that enjoy flying and aspirations of careers in the aviation industry. We will have a special work day for fifteen of them in the near future. We are looking for some volunteers to assist in the supervision during this event. The volunteers should have some mechanical background. We recently submitted documentation to register the aircraft with the FAA. Since the plane has never been registered, as it was released from the military in 1976, it could be a difficult process. I met with the local Flight Standards District Office several weeks ago, and based on their review, I have all the documentation required to complete this process. In conjunction with this step a tail number has been selected, N578TB. Allen has continued stripping paint from some of the smaller pieces. Some of the items are in need of new skins and brackets. This will give us an opportunity to master riveting before we work on the larger control surfaces. Much to our surprise, the amount of corrosion is limited and can be cleaned. It is important to eliminate corrosion to prevent an in flight failure. Open Hanger & Work Day Scheduled for TBAAssistance is welcome and appreciated! We gladly welcomed and appreciate all of the help from all of those who helped to accomplish so much! We hope to see all of you (and maybe a few more) during our next scheduled event. We’ll have the hanger open from 10 until 4. However, visitors are welcome on most Saturdays when the hanger is open. Please call or email before you make the trip. We ask that visitors and volunteers stop in for as much time as they can spare... This is a list of what we hope to accomplish during this work day: Clean and store the canopy and pilot seats Install electrical wiring (just run the wire), outlet boxes and fluorescent light fixtures Remove hydraulic lines and carefully store in custom boxes Disassemble brackets and covers on the cowlings Restore cabinet used for tool storage Build/Hang storage shelves This building currently has NO Toilet facilities! Please come prepared for these conditions. We will provide lunch and drinks. This is a working hanger on a private grass airstrip. All visitors are asked to exercise proper caution on the airport property. Warbirds Approved as Charitable OrganizationWarbirds of North America, the Charitable organization that we created to help with this T-28 restoration project, recently received notice that it was approved as a Charitable Organization in the state of Illinois. We are in the process of soliciting grants, sponsorships, and donations in support of the full restoration project. The ultimate goal of Warbirds is to create a mobile museum – taking the restored T-28 to air shows to give guests a personal experience with living history…to learn the story of the pilots who trained in this and similar planes to defend the US and our way of life. We will also contact businesses for sponsorship to the project. Although the details have not been finalized, advertising and static displays will be available both in the hanger and at shows. Mile High Club T-shirts for saleOur exclusive Mile High Club t-shirt sells for $15 (plus shipping). You too can “Turn a Vertical Mile into a Vertical Smile.” Black & white shirts available in XL. The donation will help with the parts and supplies needed to complete the project. New PilotThe flying community has recently welcomed a new pilot. Rose Ellen May received her private pilot license on July 15th. If you see her be sure to congratulate her. This is a great accomplishment.
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