Well, since I haven't given any real "photo essay" reports lately, I thought I'd at least try to make time for a short one here. It's not as detailed as some of the past updates, but still shows a touch of what it took to complete the pogo installation.
If you recall from an earlier update, the pogo actuator and it's attaching bolts were in poor condition. I sent the top (damaged) portion of the actuator off to a fella who welded up the attaching holes and machined it back out for us. To keep the attaching bolts from getting all bent up again, I fabricated some longer bushings, out of steel, to take up the slop that was originally designed into this arrangement. I've also added a brass insert so that it will wear, rather than the attaching bolt and bushing itself. Consolidated changed tail skid and pogo assemblies about like I change underwear...once every few weeks.
Okay, maybe not that often (for Consolidated), but you get my point. The pogo assembly that Consolidated left us on Ol' 927 is not exactly the greatest design, but I simply didn't have time to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, I just made those new bushings and mounting plates. Here's an example of how my bushings differ from the earlier ones.......
It seems that someone several years ago, had a great idea and attached a thick, aluminum plate to one of the bushings, where it attaches to the airplane. The bad part is that they only did one side. So, I had to fabricate a new one to match. You can see from the picture that the volunteer that drilled the old plate out didn't do me many favors by making figure 8's out of some of the holes, but since I didn't really have the time to fabricate another new plate, along with repairing the portion of the structure that this plate attaches to on the fuselage, I was just going to have to make it work. I used larger rivets in those locations.
I started by just shearing off a piece of aluminum the same size as the other one.......
Then I lined them both up and drilled two holes across from each other so that I could cleco the two pieces together........
Then it was a simple matter of just duplicating the holes........
Once a little primer was applied, I riveted a bushing into each of the doubler plates.......
Then it was just a matter of riveting the bushing/plate assembly into the fuselage structure........
The black stuff on the end of my rivet set in this picture is simply pieces of thick tape. Due to the angle I was having to put myself in order to rivet these in place (on my belly, with my head down in the nearly upside down position), I was having some difficulty keeping from "smiley facing" the rivets with the rivet set. So, adding thick tape to the end of the rivet set is one of those old tricks that sheet metal guys have done for many years to help "cushion" the edges of the set. Maybe it's just all in my head, but the tape sure seems to help me out in tight spots like this and lets my rivet heads look all nice and pretty (the one time in your life you DON'T want smiley faces)........
Then I just slid the brass inserts into the bushings......
And then bolted the pogo assembly into place. I couldn't believe I got all of my measurements right the first try. It's better to be lucky than good, I reckon..........
Once I got the actuator all hooked up and adjusted, I went to give it a test run. However, some of the electrical glitches that we've inherited during the time I've had this airplane down for maintenance have gotten into the pogo's electrical system as well. I couldn't make it operate, as it seems it's lost it's power. So, now I have a brand new project on the to do list.
I reckon I'll dig out my volt meters and such and get started on that project now. Geez, it just never seems to end.............
Gary
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