Gary ~ What's The Plan For Diamond Lil ? 2006 and Beyond!

[Nathan]

That's $11.25 per foot for 4' wide material.

[MX304]

That's $11.25 per foot for 4' wide material.

If you think that's bad, be darn glad we don't build airplanes out of copper.

[retroaviation]

Yeah, sorry about that misinformation y'all. I don't know where my head was when I read that, but I knew it sounded awfully cheap for a 4'x12' sheet.

Gary

[Nathan]

a 4'x12' sheet

Oh, gee, I misread to. I thought they ment a 4"x 12". I was going to say for that small peice of metal.....................you could buy, well.......a few things.

I think I need more sleep.

-Nate

[Second Air Force]

Since Gary has been so busy this weekend I decided to update you on the gun mount. We looked at all the options, and Gary decided it would be better (and safer) to move the gun brackets to the first frame behind the door rather than modify the forward mountings. This will make access to the radio room seating easier for passengers, and the new location turns out to be sturdier structurally than the old situation. One thing that this little side project proves is that you should NEVER throw anything away! We found a couple of pieces of angle on a storage rack that Ellen bead blasted and I simply bolted to the frames on the fuselage after trimming them to fit. The last step was to take the mounts that Don made and simply bolt them to the new angles without having to modify them. Sometimes it pays to be lucky! We also got the ELT installation completed except for wiring the new cockpit annunciator, and James worked several hours on finishing up the remaining engine items still undone. The list of things to do is actually getting smaller instead of larger, so something must be getting done!

It's like we say at work-"it just lacks finishing up!".
Scott

[retroaviation]

Yeah. What he said.






Gary

[Second Air Force]

Man, I think the boss is getting lazy on top of being busy! Oh, yeah, we also installed individual vents for the passengers a couple of weeks ago while the crew chief was at Reno enjoying himself! Gary found some neat circular vents that are almost invisible after being painted and installed. They should move a goodly amount of air on those hot afternoons to come.

Scott

[Second Air Force]

I just acquired three photos of AM 927 that were taken at the Fort Worth Consolidated plant in 1943--the national insignia has the red surround--and was wondering if anyone can identify this gentleman? I've blown the photo up but can't make out his name on the security badge.


Thanks!
Scott

[Alan Brooks]

Hey Scott, please tell Ellen hello for Steph and I. Have you found a spare keel yet? Alan

[Second Air Force]

Hi Alan,

I've learned my lesson--I'm not as excited about a keel assembly as I was a couple of months ago! I just want to see it on tour again for a while, maybe someday we can finish up the belly. Elly says hello.

Scott

[global111]

Wow! Been away for a few months and I have to say, what a difference, looks like you've really been working hard!

[retroaviation]

Well, before I give y'all the planned photo update on the waistgunner's door (which will come after this update), I thought I'd let y'all in on today's "extracurricular activity" that has kept me busy today, up to this point.

Last night, around midnight-thirty, a major storm blew through the Midland-Odessa area. Wind speeds recorded at the Midland International Airport (where the CAF HQ is), were at 93 mph. And although my mail order meteorology degree hasn't arrived yet, I'd venture to say that at least one small tornado was spawned from this storm and made it's way across the CAF grounds.

The new hangar being built had some loose pieces blown around and the parts warehouse had a small portion of the roof that was peeled back (along with some of the smaller out buildings). However, it was what I found in the main hangar when I got here this morning (0300 hours) that got my attention. We now have a nice skylight here. And other than lots of insulation stuck to the airplanes in the hangar, not a single one received so much as a scratch! I've said it before, and I'll say it again...It's better to be lucky than good, I reckon.




It blew so hard the props were moved on the Shackleton (except for #3 engine, which is really hard to turn...but that's a whole other story). But there was absolutely no damage to the airplane.......




Which of these Airsho ticket booths do you reckon passed the wind tunnel test?.......




Portions of our new hangar scattered throughout.........






The C-97 nose section got blown off it's trailer. Fortunately, it was "caught" by one of the engine hoists I have on either side of it........




This one really sucks. This trailer contains parts for the B-29 and B-24. I'm not even a little bit looking forward to rummaging through this mess when we upright the trailer........






And here's a few more views from around the main hangar.......












Oh, and I know some of you may be wondering......the cats made it through the deal just fine. They both had the big eyes and fluffy tails going when I found them, but they were unharmed...........




We just got our electricity turned back on recently, so we're back in business. We certainly dodged a bullet with this incident and feel very fortunate that nothing more was damaged.

I'll have a "real" update for y'all soon, probably in the morning.

Gary

[Stephanie]

This is sure as "real" an update as any. I am sorry for the unfortunate mess and damages you have on your hands and for the additional stress I am sure it will cause you. I wish I could help. Glad the aircraft were left unharmed. I'll be sending lots of good thoughts your way.

[Taylor Stevenson]

Dad called me early this morning to tell me about the main hangar... I'm just glad none of the aircraft were damaged. Roofs can be more easily replaced than warbirds... it still is a pain though. 93mph is a heck of a wind!

[Former Member]

Thank god none of the aircraft were damaged...or the furry hanger critters!

John