The Cobra Den

[bluehawk15]

I agree, all those beautiful, and some rare, aircraft in a wooden tender box always made me nervous, because the fire supression system was inop. But just within the past couple of years we have paid major bucks to have it reconditioned and put back online. It's a blend, now, of the old system being operated by state of the art equipment. There's even an automatic dialer to notify the fire department, and now that a control tower is being built, there will be firefighting equipment and firefighters on the field.

[RyanShort1]

There's even an automatic dialer to notify the fire department, and now that a control tower is being built, there will be firefighting equipment and firefighters on the field.

So San Marcos is the next towered airport? It was bad enough when New Braunfels went that way...

Ryan

[bluehawk15]

Yes, Ryan, we are the next in the area to get a tower. Oh, we need one! By the airport's count, we have almost as many movements as Austin-Bergstrom! The powers at New Braunfels, I understand, are racing to find funding now. After Silver States went Tango Uniform, the movement count droppped, and the Feds funding goes down when that happens. In San Marcos, a lot of our traffic comes from the {VK tail numbered) flight school at ABIA. They come to us because they don't have to deal with a tower. So now they will go away and the movements they generated as well. Most of us are glad they will go away as they usually think they are the only planes in the pattern and don't listen to the radio or position reports.

It will have some positives and negatives for those of us who fly out of HYI. You can bet that we will be giving the tower crew a lot of "gee whiz" rides! Maybe that way, when we make a request, we won't get "Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full"!!!

[Obergrafeter]

New Braunfels will get theres with the coming of the Chicom flight school full time. Oh so sad that Hondo missed out (not).

[RyanShort1]

New Braunfels will get theres with the coming of the Chicom flight school full time. Oh so sad that Hondo missed out (not).

Wrong flyers?

[Obergrafeter]

Yep. Better start practicing your Chinese radio skills.

[RyanShort1]

Yep. Better start practicing your Chinese radio skills.

As wrong as zey stay away flom my ehpolt mole in theil Cessennas it wiyrr be okray.
Trust me, I hear them plenty already! I just feel sorry for the instructors who have to listen to that and overcome the language barrier! I helped out a Taiwanese guy that was waaay better than some of their students and it was interesting.

Ryan

[bluehawk15]

At the Cobra Den today, Cobra Den Maintenance Team member Mark The Cable Guy was working on some of the King Cobra cables. Work continues on Rich Ferguson's SNJ-4 "Ol' Yeller" wing. Billy Parker's Zero replica is almost finished with it's annual. Billy Parker and H.D. Butler flew H.D.'s SNJ, along with Ron Iberg in the CAF Kate 310, over the memorial service at Ft. Sam today for Gen. James M. Vande Hey, who was a Pearl Harbor survivor. It was supposed to be a three-ship, but the P-39 got stuck at the San Marcos Airport and couldn't make the mission. It did fly later, with Grant Lannon doing his three take-offs and landings, followed by Ron Iberg doing the same, so they could get current before the Airacobra starts her annual inspection.

I hope to post some photos of the P-63F's engine bay on the thread in the RetroAviation Maintenance Hangar thread tomorrow.

[RyanShort1]

Billy Parker and H.D. Butler flew H.D.'s SNJ, along with Ron Iberg in the CAF Kate 310, over the memorial service at Ft. Sam today for Gen. James M. Vande Hey, who was a Pearl Harbor survivor. It was supposed to be a three-ship, but the P-39 got stuck at the San Marcos Airport and couldn't make the mission.

Ok, when did Gen. Vande Hey pass? I guess I totally missed that one. Wasn't he commander of the 15th Fighter Group or something like that at one point? I think I met him twice - once at an airshow, and once at a very interesting interview session that I don't have recorded that took place in Fredericksburg at one of the Pearl Harbor anniversary gatherings.

Ryan

[bluehawk15]

I've sent an E-mail to his son Dean, our POC for the fly-over, asking when his father passed away. As soon as I get an answer, I'll post it here, and in the Gone West section. Here's a photo that Dean sent, as well as some of the general's accomplishments.



James Vande Hey
Veteran’s Day Resume

Summary of Service:
- UNITED STATES ARMY AIR CORPS; UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
-- 1939-1947
--- FIGHTER PILOT: P-40, P-47, P-51; SQUADRON COMMANDER
-- 1947 – 1971
--- WING COMMANDER, AIR DIVISION COMMANDER, --- STAFF OFFICER
--- RETIRED AS BRIGADIER GENERAL

Assignments:
- 1941-1944:
WHEELER FIELD, HI, MIDWAY, NORTHERN MARIANAS ISLANDS, IWO JIMA (FIGHTER PILOT)
- 1945-1947: MITCHELL FIELD, NY (STAFF OFFICER)
- 1947-1949: TRAUX FIELD, WI (STUDENT)
- 1949-1953: HQ US AIR FORCE (STAFF OFFICER-PENTAGON)
- 1953-1956: US EMBASSY, PHILIPPINES (AIR ATTACHE)
- 1957-1959: MAXWELL AFB, AL (STUDENT, AIR WAR COLLEGE &
DEAN OF THE AIR WAR COLLEGE)
- 1960-1964: FORT LEE, VA (DIRECTOR)
- 1964-1967: RAMSTEIN AB, GERMANY (WING COMMANDER AND AIR DIVISION COMMANDER)
- 1967-1969: LANGLEY AFB, VA (HQ TAC DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL)
- 1969-1971: SAIGON, REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM (STAFF OFFICER)

Significant Events:
- PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR
- LED FIRST LONG-RANGE FIGHTER ESCORT OF B-29s OVER TOKYO
- SHOT DOWN FOUR ENEMY AIRCRAFT AND ONE PROBABLE
- COMMANDED LARGEST AIR DIVISION IN EUROPE
- VIETNAM WAR

Awards:
- DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL
- LEGION OF MERIT (2)
- DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS (2)
- BRONZE STAR MEDAL
- AIR MEDAL (3)
- JOINT SERVICE COMMENDATION MEDAL
- AIR FORCE COMMENDATION MEDAL (2)
- AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL
- ASIATIC-PACIFIC MEDAL (7)
- WORLD WAR II VICTORY MEDAL
- VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL (4 BATTLE STARS)
- REPUBLIC OF KOREA ORDER OF MILITARY MERIT
- VIETNAMESE ARMED FORCES HONOR MEDAL

[bluehawk15]

From the Central Texas Wing's latest newsletter:

Cobra Den Maintenance Report
from Ray Clausen Maintenance Officer

The Cobra Den maintenance crew is currently blasting through the annual condition inspections of the 310 Kate and Billy Parker’s Zero. We are way ahead of the schedule I had envisioned for these two aircraft and I expect that we’ll be starting on the P-39 and the Yellow Rose right after the first of the year. I’ll be checking with Operations and the pilots before bringing either of those birds down.
Around the hangar, there is activity everywhere. Repairs to the wing corrosion on Ol’ Yeller are underway and I’m still confident that it will be back in the air before anyone really expected when it was grounded. Work continues on the Triple Nickel, though at a pace that is much slower than Grant would like.
The P-63 is moving forward, too. I have already repaired the corrosion and am fabricating a couple of pieces for the radiator shroud. Mike Collier came out and, with a couple of Cobra mechanics assisting, got the engine ready to remove. We will be removing the landing rear in early January for overhaul. I have to get some canvas shrouds replicated and am hunting someone to do that right now. A couple of fuel system parts did not turn up when I looked for them, so we’re working that issue, too.
The Wing’s U-3 and the P-39 stand ready for duty. Calvin’s T-6 is also up and ready to go. We’re cleaning the maintenance areas, mostly in bay 1 right now. Mark Blum has asked to do room 2 and Mike Marando requested room 3. I hope they’ll both get started soon. The little yellow tug is down right now with problems in its differential. I have no doubt that Jim McKinley will have it scooting around again soon.
The Rose has been sitting idle since Fly Day, but she has not been neglected. We have been making some minor repairs when time permits and we are currently installing a new nosewheel tire. We have, in effect, already begun the B inspection. It is just progressing very slowly right now.
My thanks again to all those who have come out and volunteered their time and efforts to the aircraft in the hangar. I wish all the Squadron members and their families a very safe and happy New Year! Please remember the men and women serving our country around the world in your toasts and prayers.

Ray

[bluehawk15]

The Cobra Den is a place of many activities, some aircraft, some not. We hosted the set builders for "Courage Under Fire", being the set building shop. Drew Barrymore was in our hangar when it doubled as a sound stage for "Homefries", and now there is a mock-up court room in it. We just had to shuffle the planes around a bit to fit it in. We get to keep all the building materials, used and new, that they got for it, and they should be making a nice cash donation to the wing as well! Photos, if I can find some.

[Warbird Kid]

Thats certainly interesting. Hell yea show us some photos!

[bluehawk15]

Maintenance Report by Ray Clausen
(From the CenTex Wing's monthly newsletter)

Did an entire year just go by? We’ve accomplished a great deal in that year. Probably the biggest thing was the Yellow Rose returning
to flight. We got the inspections done on all of the CAF planes during the winter downtime for the first time. The 310 Kate got some paint. Ol’ Yeller went from maintenance headache to Wing workhorse. The hangar got new lighting and the doors were fixed. The feeble old compressed air system was replaced with a strong compressor and a new, well-designed air piping system. The white tug is running. We have more members than ever and they are being trained to work on the plane to a greater degree than ever before.

The morale around the hangar is higher than ever and there is visible pride in everyone about being a part of the Wing and/or the Squadron. This just scratches the surface, too. We have much more we hope to get accomplished in this new year, and the first month of the year is almost past.

And what an incredibly busy month we’ve had at the Cobra Den! We are way ahead of where I even dared to imagine that we would be in the inspection process and our preparations for the flying season. We have some new faces around the hangar and they’re working hard with the regular crew and getting so much done, it’s hard to believe. Wednesday, January 13th, was an amazing day. With a total of six people, we got the new landing gear downlock pin installed in the 310 Kate, got the propeller removed from Billy Parker’s Zero, got the Yellow Rose completely de-paneled for inspection, got the oil cooler from the P-63 cleaned and prepped and built a crate for shipping it off to be checked out.

We had 22 people come out on the next Saturday and we spent the day cleaning out the hangar and rearranging just about everything to
make room for builders to construct a mockup of a Hayes County courtroom. It doesn’t matter what the task of the day is, the Cobra Den crew just jumps right in and gets the job done!

We’ve generally been focused on the inspections of the 310 Kate, the Zero, the P-39, and the Yellow Rose. They’re the CAF birds that
need to be ready for the airshow season. The P-63 has been getting some attention, too. The 310 Kate is now completely finished and
ready for the coming airshow season. She could use a good washing, though. We’ll see if we get a warm day soon and see what we can do.
The Zero inspection is complete and it is ready to go. We got the propeller hung back on it today and a test run went very well. During the
inspection, I found some tiny cracks in the bulkhead, attached to the propeller, for the spinner. This isn’t the first time the Zero has had
this problem. It is made up of two one-eighth inch thick aluminum plates with a third piece and some spacers riveted in between. When Billy
had the replacement plates cut the last time, he had the foresight to have a second set cut, so I already had the repair parts on hand. When I got it apart, I immediately understood why it was cracking and we believe we have considerably extended the life of the new spinner bulkhead with some simple corrective repairs. Also during this inspection, the Zero got a badly needed set of new tires and a new fuel level indicator gasket to stop those leaks it had when it was totally fueled up.

The P-39 inspection is proceeding well. There was a pilot squawk about rough running that was a classic symptom of spark plug failure.
Sure enough, when the plugs were tested, we had one that was OK at the standard 80 PSI used for testing, but when I took it up to 120 PSI, it failed. I asked about how old the plugs are and just got laughs. It seems that they are at least 20 years old and possibly more than 30. I decided that it is time to get a new set. Unfortunately, the fine-wire type of spark plugs we run in the P-39 are currently about $85 apiece, and the set of 24 plugs will be expensive. I’ll be looking extra hard at the ignition system in the next few days.
There have been no surprises, so far, as I’ve conducted this inspection and just a few more steps remain and this plane will also be ready
for the upcoming season. The P-39 could be wanted as a static display aircraft at a function on February 22 and I definitely believe she’ll be
ready for it.

The inspection of the Yellow Rose is well underway. After a good warm up run, we drained the oil from both engines and conducted
a hot compression test. The spark plugs were removed, cleaned, and tested. We found one bad one in the left engine. We’ve been tracking
oil leaks and correcting them. We have a problem with an exhaust stud that we discovered when we found a stack loose. There
is a gasket or two we want to replace in the fuel system inside of the bomb bay. The left main landing gear (wheel bearings and brakes) still
needs to be serviced. We replaced the nosewheel tire a couple of weeks ago. There is an issue with the left generator that we will work on
once the plane is back together, running, and otherwise finished. I still hope to have two more seats installed soon. I will be showing a couple of people how to make repairs to the panels to keep the dzus fasteners from falling out when we take them off. There are other small items to be addressed but she’ll be the only plane we’re working on very soon. Jim Liles and I got the “new” nose cowl loosely mounted on the right engine today.

The P-63 is coming along. I’m not sure that Mike Collier believes it, but those who worked so hard on the Rose know… We removed the
engine just after Christmas and Mark Blum has been removing the control cables over the past couple of weeks. Work is underway to clean the inside of the fuselage so we can prime it. We hope to be getting the landing gear out of the wings in a week or so. With them out, I can
thoroughly inspect the interior of the wing and we can replace the seals in the struts. We will begin replacing all of the hoses in the wings and the fuselage very soon. There are a couple of important pieces of the fuel system missing but I’m working on that now. It is difficult to see progress when we are still taking things apart, but we are making progress.

The painting on Bill Powers’ plane is almost done but its annual inspection has come due again. Grant allowed us to offer “his corner” of
the hangar for the courtroom mockup and when it is dismantled, we will be moving the fuselage of the Triple Nickel into its old spot before we move anything else in. Not much has been done to it since we found the corrosion in Ol’ Yeller. Since Ol’ Yeller had become a workhorse
aircraft for Grant and the Wing, Grant decided to focus work on it to get it back in the air. Work on the Nickel will get going again then. By the way, O’l Yeller’s wing is about ready to go back together. Ten stringers have been replaced and there are three (I think) to go before the skin goes back on. I’ve gone back and thoroughly inspected the left wing a second time and can’t find any problems in it. I do plan to check it one more time.

We are straightening up the maintenance room and hope to get started on the other rooms soon. We will be organizing some things around
the hangar, too. When Joe and Harold moved their CJ’s, Harold left a workbench for Jim Liles to use. We are still brainstorming the best use
for it. Also, the P-63F will eventually get its own space and a locker. We hope to get a small metal shed and will need a spot for it. There have been a couple of serious looking potential buyers looking at Calvin’s Redtail T-6 in the past couple of weeks so we may have another open spot soon. I’ll hate to see that one go…

I hope you can come out and join us sometime soon!

[bluehawk15]

It looks like the P-39 will be going to NAS Kingsville on the 26th of March, for their show practice. The show will be 27 - 28 MAR.
Ron Iberg will defend the NAS against Tora. Since he is a Tora pilot also, does that make him a double agent?