Ok, lets see if I can do this again. I had this whole post typed in and then my computer decided to shut down before I clicked "Submit".
So here's the latest hangar happenings at the ol' VFM.
Saturday I managed to get the spark plugs on #2 cleaned, gapped, tested and reinstalled. This doesn't sound like much, but there were many "staff meetings" around the hangar yesterday that I got pulled into. Sunday I was able to get oil samples on all 4 engines (standard practice each annual), as well as pre-oiled all 4 engines and pulled them through to keep the crankshaft bearing properly lubricated since she's been sitting a while.
In other news Steve headed up a hangar clean up party in the North hangar to make space to store some non-museum display airplanes over there. To do this he had to air up the tires on the C-45 that we have stored over there. I was shocked that the tires actually held air - they didn't look so good. Once they got it mobile, it was pulled outside where we took advantage of the opportunity to rinse some of the dirt off of it.
Dean found the data plate today and it turns out that it is actually an SNB-5 built in September of 1941. In the '60's it seems to have been sent to NAS Pensacola and modified to a TC-45J where it was used we think, as a navigator and/or radio operator trainer. Eventually is was declared surplus and the Tarrant County Community College Aviation Program ended up with it. Doc tells me that when he went through school there that he actually ran the engines on it. When the school no longer needed it, they donated it to us and it has been in storage ever since awaiting restoration. It is a completely military airplane and still has the original military radios in it! It is a complete airplane, we have the wings in storage too. If there are any WIX members out there who would like to be Crew Chief on a TC-45J restoration send me a PM! The biggest challange is going to be complying with all of the A.D.'s on the Beech 18 series that are out there. Since this airplane was never flown in civillian hands it's doubtful that any of them have ever been complied with.
In the last month or so the VFM has undergone a major reorganization due to the loss of several key members who either passed away or are no longer able to come out. The reorganization has been a good thing I think. It has allowed us to move forward on several projects that have just sat recently. The B-17 work is just one small example of that. Like all of the other warbird museums out there we are always looking for money and people with talent. We have an incredibly talented and terrific group of people here and the potential of this museum is just mind boggling. I have only been with the VFM since last September, but I quickly found that there really are no ego's here. We all have the same goal, the success of the VFM.
The projects that we need help on are:
-B-17G annual inspection/various sheetmetal repairs.
- F-86F restoration
-TC-45J restoration
-Piaggio P.136 Royal Gull restoration
as well as a host of hangar projects like lighting, cleaning, painting, etc.
Our goal is to one day build another hangar on our south lot to increase our display and restoration space.
If anyone out there is interested in helping out in any way, send me a PM and I will respond ASAP. In the short time that I have been on WIX, I have met a lot of terrific people, so I thought that this would be the perfect place to try to recruit a little help.
Thanks everyone!
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I poked around inside of it a little bit, and I was stunned at just how original it is. All of the instruments, placards, radio gear, and so forth, are just like the Navy left them when they surplused the airplane. As Bill mentioned, I believe the Navy used this ship as a communications and/or navigation trainer, as it has only four seats (two in the cockpit and two immediately behind those) and all of the original ARC-5, ARN-6, and other navigation-type radios are still present and connected. Mind-blowing!
