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

[retroaviation]

That's excellent news mustangdriver! I appreciate you supporting us. We ARE trying to make a difference and become a "better" CAF.

For everyone else, I'll try to have an update on AM927 soon.

Gary

[Alan Brooks]

OK guys and girls..... just got back from Midland this evening (Monday), spending three days with Gary on the "LiL". Updates and pics tomorrow. Pieces are still coming off the airplane! Alan

[Ryan Keough]

Direct from the Permian Basin of West Texas... from this mornin's Odessa American.... I give you...

"CAF Works to Shine Up 'Diamond' " http://www.oaoa.com/news/nw121806a.htm

Congrats on the press coverage Gary!

[retroaviation]

Thanks for the post Ryan. I hadn't thought about putting that on the thread here. I didn't know you were such a follower of the Permian Basin and the major metropolis of the Midland/Odessa area.

I do need to clear one thing up about the article though......When this airplane was damaged waaaay back on July 24, 1941, it was not in Canada on it's delivery flight to England, like the article says. The airplane was in Albequerque, NM at the T&WA's Eagle Nest Flight Training Center. We don't know where the reporter got that information, as those of us who were interviewed told him the real story about the airplane. The information he printed is some....errr.....uh....revisionist history that has gotten better and more dramatic as time went by and used to be told by well-meaning folks that didn't know any different.

We intend on having the high points of the story behind this airplane on display when we go back on tour. If anyone is interested though, I suppose I could post some small tidbits of the accurate history that we have on this airplane here on this thread.

Gary

[fotobass]

I, for one, am interested...as you get time, of course.

[C170BDan]

“I just can’t leave anything alone,” Gary Austin said, showing the hangar’s work area that resembled a scene from “American Chopper.”

Gary... I would rather watch you work on the B24 than cars and bikes! You might even throw in some West Texas commentary while you are at it, right?

[Ztex]

in Canada on it's delivery flight to England,

Seems like I have heard that line before...maybe by one of those annoying (IMHO) airshow barkers (announcer)
How does a "reporter" goof the real story? dangit

Z

[retroaviation]

Below is an exerpt from, Liberator: America's Global Bomber, by Allen T. Lloyd, page 443. We have this exact account in other forms, but this one explains this portion of AM927's life about as good as any of the other documents we have (plus it's what's right in front of me )..........

Transcontinental & Western Airlines (T&WA)--later to become Trans World Airlines or TWA--operated Liberators for training and in support of USAAF Ferry Command operations.

T&WA began supporting the USAAC by providing training for the RAF at their Eagle Nest Flight Training Center in Albuquerque, NM. While the program was established in June 1941, permission to utilize U.S. Navy reserve officers for this mission delayed startup until July. Colonel Robin Olds from the USAAC Ferry Command and Chief Air Marshall Sir Frederick W. Bowhill, RAF Ferry Command, were parties to the agreement. The training for RAF and RCAF crews was conducted until December 1941. From then until June 1942, T&WA trained USAAF Liberator crews at the Eagle Nest.

A single LB-30, AM927, was employed by T&WA for this training. It was painted in standard RAF camoflage with RAF roundels.

AM927 was flown by a T&WA crew on 24 July 1941. Cleared to land by the USAAC tower controller, the crew performed the before landing checklist which included a check of the toe brakes. On rollout with the nosewheel on the runway, the aircraft began drifting to the right. Power was brought up on No. 4 engine and left rudder was applied. Midway down the runway the right main gear tire blew and the aircraft departed the runway into rough terrain. The right gear collapsed, followed by failure of the nose gear. The crew of three hurriedly exited through the overhead hatch. They suffered minor injuries. Because of the shortage of aircraft, the ship was hangared and underwent a six month repair.

This is only one small portion of the real history of AM927 that some of our volunteers and Squadron members have come up with. They have truly done an amazing job in finding out the facts. I have a notebook here that is over an inch thick of original documents regarding AM927, from the bill of sale, to what was done when converted from a bomber to a transport. I will slowly start posting some of this information to those of you who are following this thread on AM927, as I have time.

Gary

[Alan Brooks]

Hello one and all.... Sorry for the delay on getting some information and pics up concerning the "Lil". My oldest daughter Stephanie, myself, and a good friend Butch Matthews drove over to Midland to give Gary whatever help he needed from us. We stayed for three days and got a few things done from Gary's punch list. Stephanie told me she had not had this much fun in a long time! Butch (retired Air Force) rediscovered muscles he had not used in a long time. For me, well it was a chance to get my hands dirty, learn about this airplane, and give Gary some support in the physical realm (get'er done)! People, this is one of the few opportunites you will ever have to work on ANY four engined heavy bomber! The reward is there! Team up with a few friends and go, split the costs, (we did). Let me say this....... pictures do not begin to describe the work performed, nor the complexity. Gary went over the photos and drawings he has on hand to recreate a B-24A. Folks, on more than a few items, all he has to work with is simply a photo. So far, there have been NO photos turn up showing the inside of the rear gunners station. No factory pics, personal pics, nada...... A few pictures of the waist gun stations have surfaced (seen here on the board), plus a drawing or two for a future surprise! So, here we go... Steph's assignment was to start removing all of the decals and lettering on the fuselage.....no wasting paint stripper here!

[Alan Brooks]

OK, lets keep moving! Butch and I get the task to remove the main wheel wing fairings..... OK, this is gonna be easy! Open big mouth and insert even bigger feet.... Butch has a size 13. Took us a little over a day... the phillips head screws and locking nuts were just a nasty little combo. I think they had been on a day or two. Me up inside the right wheel well. My wife says this is my better side.

Right wheel fairing removed. Notice the jack point on the wing.

On to the left wheel fairing. Butch at work (future blackmail picture!)

Left side fairing removed. Again, notice the jack point on the wing.
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[Alan Brooks]

So, I thought the wheel fairings were just for aerodynamics. Not so! The wheel fairings each have a small integral tank. On this bird, they were the alcohol tanks. Thats what the other small holes in the wing structure are for, the plumbing lines to the de-icing tank. Neon and Ryan, same for you guys, or converted to smoke oil tanks? My next project was to remove the old rear tail skid and stand.

Skid assembly is off.

Drilling out rivets to remove the old skin for the tail skid.

Old skin off.

[Alan Brooks]

Things were going on pretty good, but we had to stop and take a break on Monday. The Zero came in from Arizona for rotation, with Jason Somes as the pilot. He's a pretty good racer in a T-6 too. Not a great pic on this one.... fumbling with Butch's camera.... not mine.

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[Alan Brooks]

One of my other side jobs (no pics) was to remove the Halon fire extinguisher bottles from the aircraft. One project that Butch had was in relation to Fifi! Old Testecles got a pair of 16" oil coolers! Gary has also been slowly working on this baby, getting her ready to be able to run those new B-29 engines. Note "Lil's" old tail cone sitting to the side.

Initial placement was not so good. The rotary valve was hitting on the channel iron edge.

Ah, much better! Looking good!

[Alan Brooks]

More pics tomorrow! Most are similar to what Gary has already shared, but I have a few others to add. "LiL" and "Fifi" are both worth working on and sharing the experience. By plane, train, or auto, get there and give a hand. I do not have 1/100 of the skills you guys and girls have out there, but YOU can make a difference! Sometime in the near future, Gary will be making a parts run out west, as he has several leads on assemblies that can be used on the B-24A. If anyone has early B-24 parts, pics, drawings, etc........ let him know!
Signed, Alan, Stephanie, and Butch!

[Robbie Stuart]

Gary, you are getting "Mo Fame" in Air Force Times too.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php? ... 435336.php
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Glad to see some good exposeure for the CAF, & Gary's hard work.
Robbie