B-17G "Chuckie" Update

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Fri Aug 07, 2009 11:12 am

I'm starting to shoot video updates of what's going on around the hangar. I'll do them as much as possible, and as much as there is something interesting to see.

You can always check

http://vimeo.com/channels/vfm

to see what's going on for video updates. There's a new one for last Saturday.

AHancock51 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 15, 2009 7:48 pm

hawkeyepoole wrote:

I'm starting to shoot video updates of what's going on around the hangar. I'll do them as much as possible, and as much as there is something interesting to see.

You can always check

http://vimeo.com/channels/vfm

to see what's going on for video updates. There's a new one for last Saturday.

Awesome idea!! We have gotta get something like this started at our museum

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:11 pm

Well, we had a rather small volunteer group working on the airplane this weekend. Nevertheless, Ellen started to close up the empennage on Chuckie. Now visitors and members will be able to see that we're putting the airplane back together again, and maybe it will boost the enthusiasm level a little.

The machine shop guys are restoring our Link trainer. They were able to separate the fuselage from the base on Sunday. That little thing is HEAVY!

Here's the interior of the cockpit area as it is today:

And this is the base with the gimbal that the fuselage pivots on in the center of the base. The bellows that control attitude are on the frame rails:

Here are Mike (laying on the trailer), Leo, and James prepping a little Continental 670 so that they can mount it on a display stand. Doc told me that he got this engine from a tavern that was closing down many years ago.

Scott

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Sun Aug 23, 2009 12:05 am

http://vimeo.com/channels/vfm

Log onto the video site to see the DC-3 video.

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:41 pm

Jim Terry gets his DC-3/C-47 up in the air for the first time since Feb 09 for a little joyride. Just him and his pilot Rob.

http://www.vimeo.com/6258365

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:47 pm

See the website for details::
http://www.vintageflyingmuseum.org/events.htm#dance

This is our big annual fundraiser, and is what helps us keep the museum going! Corporate sponsorships available also.

CrewDawg · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:36 pm

Hello everyone, I thought I would try to catch up on my Crew Chief duties and post an update on what we have got done on Chuckie lately. Scott aka Second Air Force, has completed all of the flight and engine control cable rigging and checks. Myself and the rest of the crew are slowly knocking out the other engine and airframe inspection items. We still need to jack it up and do all of the gear inspection items, but we're going to wait until after the Hangar Dance on October 10th before we immobilize the plane for any length of time. Mike and our newest member Stephen worked on doing compression checks on Saturday.

We finished all of the inspection items in the tail, so we were able to put the panels back on the vertical and horizontal stabs. Once we get the engines looked over.

We still have a lot left to do including some sheetmetal work under the radio compartment floor and a gusset plate in the bomb bay. We have a small but talented crew (which I can't thank enough for all of the help that they give me!) and we have only been able to work on the weekends because those pesky day jobs keep getting in the way of the REAL work. Hopefully we'll have more for you guys soon as well as more pictures. I think that Scott is going to post some he took this weekend too.

If any of you are out and about in the DFW next weekend at the CAF Show in Lancaster head west to Ft. Worth and come by and see us as well!

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:48 pm

http://www.vimeo.com/6353127

This is a geek alert! It's totally all about what Bill Gorin just mentioned. Compression checks and Scott H working on pulleys for the throttle cables.
Enjoy!

Hey, I think I'm underworked and overpaid here... isn't there a keg nearby?

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Mon Aug 31, 2009 12:20 pm

As Bill said, here are a few photos from this past Saturday and Sunday. It was a good bit cooler in the hangar this weekend so it seems like we got more done than during those 100 degree days.

Here's Mike and Stephen (who started volunteering on Saturday and dove in immediately) doing a compression check on #4 with much external guidance:

Mike and James are talking about the procedure as the rest of the supervisors look on............ :wink:

Here are Rick and Dean closing up the r/h outer wing on Sunday. It is really nice to be putting panels back on even if we have a lot of work left.

Miguel finished closing the vertical fin that Ellen had started a couple of weeks ago, so this area is now complete.

And this is the %*^@!@ little hole I worked through for five or so hours to change that silly throttle pulley:

This is the original pulley that came out of that bracket. Notice that it is marked with the "Formica" brand. I didn't know that Formica made such items during the war, but when I did a little surfing I found out that they did all kinds of military contracts.

Forgive me for trying to be artsy-fartsy, but I shot these two photos during the weekend:

Saturday morning, around 0635, fifty or so miles southwest of Tulsa:

Sunday evening, 1950 hrs., just after crossing the Red River on the way home:

Scott

retroaviation · **Posted:** Mon Aug 31, 2009 3:30 pm

Well, if nothing else, there's plenty of supervision with that project.

Gary

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Tue Sep 01, 2009 12:33 am

retroaviation wrote:

Well, if nothing else, there's plenty of supervision with that project.

Gary

Yep, and Mike and Stephen weren't scared to have other people around while they worked, either.

S

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:23 pm

James Kelly, the elder statesman of maintenance at the VFM gives us an overview of the poweplants on the B-17. This is part of a documentary I'm working on. This is rough footage that will be re-shot later.

http://www.vimeo.com/channels/vfm and look for “Chuckie’s Engine #4 with James Kelly”

Franklin "Hawkeye" Poole
Pacific/Gulf Coast Productions
Keller, TX
(225) 802 - 0777

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:09 pm

Watch the video and then come and bring a couple dozen friends!

http://www.vimeo.com/6462834

CrewDawg · **Posted:** Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:11 pm

We had a pretty productive Labor Day weekend. Scott wasn't able to make it down, but we did have a couple of new members join up. Two fine young gentlemen, Steve and Brandon, fresh out of the Army who had been working on Blackhawks, Apaches, and Chinooks. They may be a little green, but they have the right attitude and willingness to learn. Always glad to welcome the next generation into Warbirds! We managed to finish up all but a few minor items on the engine inspections so that we can start repairing the discrepancies that we found and closing up the engine cowlings and nacelles. The hope is to get the engines finished up as much as possible so that we can get them closed up and cleaned up for the Hangar Dance on October 10th so that we minimize the amount of panels and cowlings that have to come back off after the dance. Overall the engines are in pretty good shape. Mostly little things like bonding braids, Adel clamps as such. I had problem on #1 where the prop governor cable was chaffing on the intercylinder baffle it passed through, but it was as easy a repositioning the pulley bracket to get the needed clearance.

I was hoping to run the engines prior to hangar dance but I think now that it is better if we wait until after. That will give us more time to get as much as possible done prior to rolling it out and running it. I will let everyone know when we are going to run it ahead of time so that those of you in the area can come out and watch if you would like to.

Sorry for not posting any pictures this time, I sometimes get too busy to stop and shoot pictures. I'll try to get some this weekend.

Thanks everyone for reading our little thread,

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Sat Sep 19, 2009 9:56 pm

The VFM hangar has a new overseer/inspector on the payroll. Ironically, he got tagged with the name "Shadow", so now I've had two Shadow hangar cats to keep me on the straight and narrow.

He first took up residence on some of our junk on my work table:

Later, after his hard day of oversight, he crawled up on Ellen's lap and dozed off for a while:

We also worked on the Fort. Bill was busy closing up wing access panels so the airplane is in proper form for the hangar dance, Mike and Stephen dug in the bowels of the #4 nacelle to change a bad nutplate down around the turbo, Layne worked off items on his #3 engine, and I did some small sheetmetal repair projects for the cat. The rest of the crew was busy getting the hangar ship-shape for the dance coming up in October and the machine shop guys were making great progress on the Link trainer.

More later,
Scott

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B-17G "Chuckie" Update

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