Snyder, TX F-105B work in progress (FOR GARY!!)
Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:06 pm
As Gary mentioned in a previous thread today, I had the privilege to give him a hand working on the Thud this past Friday. It was my first time doing anything like this even though I’d always wanted to help with an aircraft restoration. Having no experience what so ever, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect (as I sure Gary didn’t either!). By the end of the day, I learned many fun new words like cam-lock, inter-glandular corrosion, etc.
Anyway, I started in the spine of the aircraft with Gary removing cam-locks and rotted magnesium panels. Lots of rivets to drill out and a battle damage repair panel had to be removed. Gary was also working on cutting away damaged sections of the right side trailing edge and wing tip. He will be working his magic to replace all of these damaged areas.
The cockpit was pretty stripped.
It was sprinkling some during the morning, but the overcast was welcome and didn’t slow us down much at all.
Once the work on the spine was complete, the majority of the rest of time I spent opening up the hinged panels along the side of the nose and the rear of the plane underneath the engine compartment with the help of Gary and some penetrating oil. Gary even managed to get the refueling probe out which was pretty cool.
(Note the 20mm ammo feed chute)
The worst discovery was that nose had been home to an owl at some point. Luckily, it had checked out already and wasn’t home. The nose was deep in owl dropping and also “food pellets” as Mr. Wizard (aka Gary) told me. Apparently owls eat things and then regurgitate this to feed their young? Yuck. The ammunition bay was its main lair as there were several eggs and rodent skulls among the mess. The smell was pretty rank as you can imagine. Also note the beer can that some ignorant %^*$ stuffed inside. As we opened the panels, owl stuff was literally just spilling out. Then blowing out - yummy on a windy west Texas day! The horror!!
The best discovery of the day was the data case in a right side forward panel. We both looked at each other and said I wonder if something is still inside? Sure enough, there was a manila envelope inside containing some invoice paperwork and envelopes addressed to Maguire AFB in NJ! Note the $.15 cent postage! Also was a checklist card of some sort. All were dated 1979. A great score for sure, one we were proud to have discovered.
I did spend a little time over at the Voodoo. She is in a sad state at present. The cockpit is fairly stripped. I did manage to climb up and shoot some photos through the hole smashed in the right side of the forward canopy. The throttle is still there, but not much else. The rear cockpit glass is intact, so the only shot I got of it was through the missing searchlight panel on the left side - a shot of the rear ejection seat data plates (the front seat is missing). The instruments are gone and the scope glass is smashed. Gotta love the vandal mentality – if I can’t steal it, guess I’ll smash it…
If anyone has a spare set of F-105 tires, Gary would like to hear from you!
It was a wonderful day and I really had fun. It was an awesome experience! Getting to meet the Man, the Myth, the Legend, Mr. Gary Austin was too much for this humble WIXer.
Hopefully I can make another trip out to west Texas next month to work on her some more if Gary will have me out there again. I promise not to break anymore apex bits, really!
Also, I hope that everyone enjoyed the large number of photos. I tried to limit myself to the number posted but I wanted to share with everyone what went on as best as possible. Maybe I got it right?
-Derek
p.s.-
Sort of before and after photos
Anyway, I started in the spine of the aircraft with Gary removing cam-locks and rotted magnesium panels. Lots of rivets to drill out and a battle damage repair panel had to be removed. Gary was also working on cutting away damaged sections of the right side trailing edge and wing tip. He will be working his magic to replace all of these damaged areas.
The cockpit was pretty stripped.
It was sprinkling some during the morning, but the overcast was welcome and didn’t slow us down much at all.
Once the work on the spine was complete, the majority of the rest of time I spent opening up the hinged panels along the side of the nose and the rear of the plane underneath the engine compartment with the help of Gary and some penetrating oil. Gary even managed to get the refueling probe out which was pretty cool.
(Note the 20mm ammo feed chute)
The worst discovery was that nose had been home to an owl at some point. Luckily, it had checked out already and wasn’t home. The nose was deep in owl dropping and also “food pellets” as Mr. Wizard (aka Gary) told me. Apparently owls eat things and then regurgitate this to feed their young? Yuck. The ammunition bay was its main lair as there were several eggs and rodent skulls among the mess. The smell was pretty rank as you can imagine. Also note the beer can that some ignorant %^*$ stuffed inside. As we opened the panels, owl stuff was literally just spilling out. Then blowing out - yummy on a windy west Texas day! The horror!!
The best discovery of the day was the data case in a right side forward panel. We both looked at each other and said I wonder if something is still inside? Sure enough, there was a manila envelope inside containing some invoice paperwork and envelopes addressed to Maguire AFB in NJ! Note the $.15 cent postage! Also was a checklist card of some sort. All were dated 1979. A great score for sure, one we were proud to have discovered.
I did spend a little time over at the Voodoo. She is in a sad state at present. The cockpit is fairly stripped. I did manage to climb up and shoot some photos through the hole smashed in the right side of the forward canopy. The throttle is still there, but not much else. The rear cockpit glass is intact, so the only shot I got of it was through the missing searchlight panel on the left side - a shot of the rear ejection seat data plates (the front seat is missing). The instruments are gone and the scope glass is smashed. Gotta love the vandal mentality – if I can’t steal it, guess I’ll smash it…
If anyone has a spare set of F-105 tires, Gary would like to hear from you!
It was a wonderful day and I really had fun. It was an awesome experience! Getting to meet the Man, the Myth, the Legend, Mr. Gary Austin was too much for this humble WIXer.
Hopefully I can make another trip out to west Texas next month to work on her some more if Gary will have me out there again. I promise not to break anymore apex bits, really!
Also, I hope that everyone enjoyed the large number of photos. I tried to limit myself to the number posted but I wanted to share with everyone what went on as best as possible. Maybe I got it right?
-Derek
p.s.-
Sort of before and after photos
Last edited by viking73 on Thu Oct 29, 2009 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:51 pm
It's threads like this that make Wix all the more reason to drop by! Thanks very much!!
The 105 doesn't look too bad all things considered. Where will she be going? Looks like a good pressure wash inside and out will help immensly! Please be careful with the owl remnants etc as you can get quite sick from stuff like that....
The 105 doesn't look too bad all things considered. Where will she be going? Looks like a good pressure wash inside and out will help immensly! Please be careful with the owl remnants etc as you can get quite sick from stuff like that....
Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:52 pm
Great photos, great history! Thanks.
Saludos
Tulio
Or, the F-105 was really glad to have you guys aroundGary even managed to get the refueling probe out which was pretty cool.
Saludos
Tulio
Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:08 pm
Great stuff. Keep posting as time goes on. Are these going to end up at Austin Acres or to another museum?
Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:12 pm
Love that pic...tks for sharing
????
Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:19 pm
H*ll I thought Brad was Snyder's claim to fame.
All kinds of good stuff there
Excellent
All kinds of good stuff there
Excellent
Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:19 pm
So, who actually owns the two aircraft - the 101 and 105?
Is Gary just taking care of them for somebody?
Awesome pictures, thanks for the info. I just love the 105. It is a FAST aircraft down on the deck. There's a reason they call it the "lead sled". Believe it or not the 105 is faster than both the F-15 and F-16 down low.
Is Gary just taking care of them for somebody?
Awesome pictures, thanks for the info. I just love the 105. It is a FAST aircraft down on the deck. There's a reason they call it the "lead sled". Believe it or not the 105 is faster than both the F-15 and F-16 down low.
Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:24 pm
Nicely done, Derek! That was a pretty darn good post you made there. I may need to start worrying that the B-24 thread might have some competition now.
As Derek mentioned, both airplanes are pretty sad. I reckon that's why I opened my big mouth and got involved with them in the first place. For sanity's sake, I should reeeeealy figure out a way to keep from getting so upset and thinking I can do something about it when I see old airplanes dying like this.
What Derek didn't mention is just how valuable he was to me out there on Friday. The amount of work he did, especially without ever having done any of this type of work before, was pretty impressive. The owl stuff was simply overwhelming on occasion. It is just crazy how such a cool bird can be so dang messy! I bet the ammo bay on the Thud has a solid half inch of carcasses and poo across the whole panel. Interestingly, as nasty as all of that was, it seemed that we both understood that "those things happen." It was when we came across the beer cans and the torn metal on the canopy frame, where someone tried to pry it open, that we became irritated about things. He could probably confirm this, but I'm sure I said, more than once, that "I hate people!"
We left the panels all open upon leaving, in hopes that good ol' Mother Nature will help wash out some of the loose stuff inside the airframe. I'm likely going to have to rent a pressure washer, however, to get the rest out. I was kind of expecting someone to ask why we even opened up the panels in the first place, since all I'm committed to do with the airplane is to make it a "presentable" static display. But I think Derek's pictures here show why we took the time to do that. It kind of makes you wonder just how bad some of the airplanes are that you see on poles or in chain linked areas, that never get any attention whatsoever. Just washing off the outside, or putting a coat of paint on these ol' airplanes just won't cut it.
My next trip to Snyder will likely be dedicated to working on getting the Voodoo moved here to Austin Acres. I already have all of the loose stuff (cowlings, fairings, etc.) here, so all that's left is the stuff that requires forklifts, cranes, and trucks. Work on the 105 will continue after that. I believe the plan for it will be to put it on display there at the Snyder (Scurry County) Airport. They wanted to put it on a pole initially, but I've talked them out of it, since there is really no way for them to keep the airplane maintained once it's up there.
So, thanks for the help and good job on the report, Derek......and I expect to see you out there again sometime. Right?
Gary
As Derek mentioned, both airplanes are pretty sad. I reckon that's why I opened my big mouth and got involved with them in the first place. For sanity's sake, I should reeeeealy figure out a way to keep from getting so upset and thinking I can do something about it when I see old airplanes dying like this.
What Derek didn't mention is just how valuable he was to me out there on Friday. The amount of work he did, especially without ever having done any of this type of work before, was pretty impressive. The owl stuff was simply overwhelming on occasion. It is just crazy how such a cool bird can be so dang messy! I bet the ammo bay on the Thud has a solid half inch of carcasses and poo across the whole panel. Interestingly, as nasty as all of that was, it seemed that we both understood that "those things happen." It was when we came across the beer cans and the torn metal on the canopy frame, where someone tried to pry it open, that we became irritated about things. He could probably confirm this, but I'm sure I said, more than once, that "I hate people!"
We left the panels all open upon leaving, in hopes that good ol' Mother Nature will help wash out some of the loose stuff inside the airframe. I'm likely going to have to rent a pressure washer, however, to get the rest out. I was kind of expecting someone to ask why we even opened up the panels in the first place, since all I'm committed to do with the airplane is to make it a "presentable" static display. But I think Derek's pictures here show why we took the time to do that. It kind of makes you wonder just how bad some of the airplanes are that you see on poles or in chain linked areas, that never get any attention whatsoever. Just washing off the outside, or putting a coat of paint on these ol' airplanes just won't cut it.
My next trip to Snyder will likely be dedicated to working on getting the Voodoo moved here to Austin Acres. I already have all of the loose stuff (cowlings, fairings, etc.) here, so all that's left is the stuff that requires forklifts, cranes, and trucks. Work on the 105 will continue after that. I believe the plan for it will be to put it on display there at the Snyder (Scurry County) Airport. They wanted to put it on a pole initially, but I've talked them out of it, since there is really no way for them to keep the airplane maintained once it's up there.
So, thanks for the help and good job on the report, Derek......and I expect to see you out there again sometime. Right?
Gary
Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:28 pm
retroaviation wrote:
My next trip to Snyder will likely be dedicated to working on getting the Voodoo moved here to Austin Acres. I already have all of the loose stuff (cowlings, fairings, etc.) here, so all that's left is the stuff that requires forklifts, cranes, and trucks.
So, Gary, does that mean you have title and actually own the 101 now, or are you just giving it a temporary home for some other person/organization?
Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:49 pm
warbird1 wrote:So, Gary, does that mean you have title and actually own the 101 now, or are you just giving it a temporary home for some other person/organization?
As of right now, I have the Voodoo on "permanent loan" from the NMUSAF/Texas Air Museum. I'm still pretty confident that the TAM owns the airplane outright, but we didn't want to fight that battle in court with the NMUSAF. Both the TAM and myself thought it was "safer" to just do the permanent loan thing for now, to insure that nobody will be coming after the airplane for no good reason. I would like to find another museum that would like to have a Voodoo in their possession. Until then, I reckon I'll just tinker with it and try to make it look a little better than it does now. I don't know how capable I am to take on such a job, but I can't be much worse than it just rotting away in Snyder, with the locals taking out what they wish and refilling it with their empty beer cans.
Gary
Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:30 am
Ya'll need to post a wrenching session ahead of time here at WIX! If I had known ahead of time, I would have tried to be there to turn wrenches, or apply my natural tallent of ballast....Just ask Pooner in the adventure of removing the tank from his PV...If it wasn't for a certain Werner ladder and my ballast, the Poon would have gone thru the roof...literally....
So Gary, you've got custody of the Voodoo, what about the Thud? Where will it go to?
Excellent thread, keep it up!
Gary H
So Gary, you've got custody of the Voodoo, what about the Thud? Where will it go to?
Excellent thread, keep it up!
Gary H
Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:13 am
Seems to me that Gary's Voodoo is the perfect opportunity for the WIX crew to show it's stuff.
There must be enough connections out there to track down parts. Somehow those two dying birds he's trying to save have gotten under my skin. Wouldn't it be something if we could mobilize enough folks here to search for the bits needed, and maybe help if possible to bring that 101 back to her former glory, if for no other reason then to show what some dedicated folks can accomplish if they set their mind to it.
Maybe it's just wishful thinking but I can't quite get the idea out of my mind.
There must be enough connections out there to track down parts. Somehow those two dying birds he's trying to save have gotten under my skin. Wouldn't it be something if we could mobilize enough folks here to search for the bits needed, and maybe help if possible to bring that 101 back to her former glory, if for no other reason then to show what some dedicated folks can accomplish if they set their mind to it.
Maybe it's just wishful thinking but I can't quite get the idea out of my mind.
Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:34 am
Looks like 2 cool projects IMHO.
Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:50 am
It's indeed sad to see aircraft dying. I too have a urge to save them. unfortunately no money, no space. I saved one cockpit section though. Looks like a great start on the F-105! With your magic, it will be flying within the year
Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:13 am
This shot reminds me of R2-D2 when shot by a blaster and all his parts open up!!! 
Very cool shot!!!
Looks like a heck of a lot of fun and i am sure we all wish we could pour through her on any weekend!!!
Regards,
Very cool shot!!!
[/quote]
Looks like a heck of a lot of fun and i am sure we all wish we could pour through her on any weekend!!!
Regards,