Bald Eagle Aviation

Holedigger · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:33 am

Great pics of the restoration. Congrats on getting the Grasshopper "hopped"

51fixer · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:36 pm

We got a big box of L-4 stuff delivered today-
Among other things were these replica Bazooka tubes as were mounted in the field.

My kids couldn't resist some of the items that came with-

Rich

Taylor Stevenson · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:35 pm

Rich
The Bazookas are cool. I'm looking at doing the same to the L-5 in the future. L-5s had them mounted in a triangle wedged between the main struts and the juries. Makes the little birds look pretty mean. Did the previous owner say where he acquired/ how he made the bazookas?
Taylor

51fixer · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:53 pm

me109me109 wrote:

Rich
The Bazookas are cool. I'm looking at doing the same to the L-5 in the future. L-5s had them mounted in a triangle wedged between the main struts and the juries. Makes the little birds look pretty mean. Did the previous owner say where he acquired/ how he made the bazookas?
Taylor

I believe they were made by William James who restored the L-4.
There were photos of other L-4s with them installed along with some how I made them photos that are part of the stuff we got.
I don't know much about them other than that.
Rich

Dan K · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:45 am

me109me109 wrote:

Rich
The Bazookas are cool. I'm looking at doing the same to the L-5 in the future. L-5s had them mounted in a triangle wedged between the main struts and the juries. Makes the little birds look pretty mean. Did the previous owner say where he acquired/ how he made the bazookas?
Taylor

Perhaps this fellow could help you out?

http://whatpriceglory.com/usbazooka.htm

Taylor Stevenson · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:49 am

Cool! Thanks, Dan.

JDK · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:15 am

Thanks for the detail post and the receding bandwidth issue...

51fixer wrote:

Balsa wood fillers around fuel boost pump.

Rich

Are you sure that's balsa? It looks like a (physically) harder / denser wood to me in the pics, although I'm no expert. Is that what's specified?

Nice of NAA to realise that it would be appropriate for them to put bits of wood in the Mustang as they designed it for the Brits...

Regards,

51fixer · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 7:02 am

JDK wrote:

Thanks for the detail post and the receding bandwidth issue...

51fixer wrote:

Balsa wood fillers around fuel boost pump.

Rich

Are you sure that's balsa? It looks like a (physically) harder / denser wood to me in the pics, although I'm no expert. Is that what's specified?

Nice of NAA to realise that it would be appropriate for them to put bits of wood in the Mustang as they designed it for the Brits...

Regards,

It is very light weight.
If it isn't balsa it must be related to that species.
Rich

JohnTerrell · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:20 am

Thank you once again for the photos, Rich! It is very cool to see those aspects of originality within the wing, including the signatures!

According to information I've read provided by Glenn Wegman, those pieces of wood are indeed balsa - though it isn't really something you imagine a P-51 to be equipped with. With a fusleage tank installed, there would be even more pieces of wood within the aircraft.

mtpopejoy · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:00 pm

Gang,
Air Show Buzz just put up a video dedicated to the folks, Rich included, that keep The Horsemen in the air for all of the rest of us to enjoy.

http://www.asb.tv/videos/view.php?v=b222a7cd

I just want to say, "Thank You," for providing this wonderful display. If it weren't for you and those like you it wouldn't happen.

Regards,
Mark

JDK · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:18 pm

Thanks for the answers Rich & John. Always a bit off to try and call wood type from a pic.
Cheers!

51fixer · **Posted:** Wed Nov 25, 2009 11:43 pm

Hope all of you have a Great Thanksgiving.

One of the issues we have found with the Mustang is the bushings the MLG rotate in were moving a bit rather than pressed into the trunion castings.
Only one of four didn't fall out on their own.
This series of pics shows the puller being used to remove the last bushing.

Ashley Ezell from American Aero Services drove up from FL with tooling and equipment to fix our gear issues.
This is the Van Norman Boring Bar he brought-

This is the tooling plate that gets attached to the trunion. The Boring unit attaches to the plate and after aligning with the hole the machine clamps tightly in place.

This shows the Van Norman in place-

At this point the Van Norman decided to turn into a fireworks display and render itself useless. I located another boring bar unit near Vincentown NJ after searching through Craigslist at 7pm last night. By 10 pm Ashley had picked up the replacement which is a Kwik Way model.
This morning he had tried it out and we bolted it up on the tooling plate-

A couple shots of the finished bore on the R/H side. Material is mag.

Mounted up on the L/H wing.

Now to get bushings made up to fit the new bore sizes. Than will be a job for Glen Wegman.

Rich

51fixer · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:53 pm

It has been busy around here.

I had an area of fabric I had to repair on the L-4.

About 4 feet was unglued from the false spar fwd of the L/H aileron.

We received the new bushings for Bald Eagle's MLG.

I packed them in Dry Ice for hours and then installed 1 at a time.

1st one pulled in place. The rear L/H side.

Looking aft at the installed rear bushing with driver in place.

Front bushing in place on the driver tool for installation.

Installed.

Secure and shiny.

We then test fit the MLG to check that everything lines up and it does.

Ashley Ezell and Glen Wegman did great work.

Rich

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

51fixer wrote:

About 4 feet was unglued from the false spar fwd of the L/H aileron.

Yer gonna loose 5 nots widout dat dere gap seel!

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:27 pm

Nice L-4. If Jim or anyone else up there ever decides to take it for a LONG cross-country to Texas, it's welcome here in San Antonio!

Ryan

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