B-26K Counter-Invader Restoration ("Special K")

[A26 Special K]

We are very pleased to announce that our very own Amy, who made some great contributions to the A-26 restoration, was awarded a flight scholarship as part of the AWAM Convention in Nashville. The Romer family joins her in accepting the certificate. We are very proud that our gal won and wish her the best in her flight training. She has earned her A & P already so is well on her way to becoming a true professional aviator. And guys, before you ask, yes, she is single, but no, I won't tell you exactly where in the Arizona desert she might be living .........because of my fatherly instincts!! JR

[Old SAR pilot]

Congrats to Amy!

[A26 Special K]

Congrats to Amy!

Thanks Bob... good hearing from you! From one old SAR guy to another!! Regards, JR

[A26 Special K]

No, this isn't the last guy's bones who tried to find Amy in the desert, but it is Mr. Bones. It is our ersatz engine vibration detector in the B-25. Will use a similar Aggie engineered device in the A26, of course. The funny part about it is... it works!! Sign up for our B-25 ground school on one of these dates, April 27, May 11, or June 8 and find out why. Contact Dana to get a class date. Her number is 817-659-9249 or email her at greatestgeneration@yahoo.com for more information. See you there!! PS one lucky attendee will win a chance for a free ride in the B-25. JR

[A26 Special K]

We are continuing our fund raiser for the engine overhauls. A P & W R2800-CB3 has a lot of moving parts.. 18 cylinders and all of them need a lot of TLC. The TWH Foundation of New Hampshire has made a challenge that it will match every dollar we raise. $5 becomes $10 for our engines. If you can help, please send a check or money order to the A-26 Legacy Foundation, Mr. Don Vogler, Chairman, 88 Fitch Road, Jaffrey, NH, 03452. Or go to their website to use a credit card or PayPal. http://www.a-26legacy.org. All donations are tax deductible since they are a 501c3 organization. We have been receiving these contributions on a near weekly basis and we are getting close to being able to send our first engine off to the shop. Won't you please join others who care about this last mission to honor the Viet Nam vets? Do what Ang, Phil, Bob, Tim and Joe have done this past week and get these engines purring again so we can get her back in the air where she belongs. Thanks for your consideration! And BTW, come out to see K getting her right armpit all spiffy and green tomorrow!! JR

[A26 Special K]

What a grand day!! Big Mike spent most of yesterday afternoon and night (until 2 am) painting the right wheel well. Here Too Tall Tim is doing some clean up work and putting clamps back on the wiring bundles. The gear is all ready to be hung next weekend.... FINALLY! We had the tall ambition of getting it done in 45 days but it has taken longer than that for several reasons, but it sure was easier than the left side that needed re-chromed on the inside of several barrels. We have one last thing to do before taking her down off the jacks. The nosewheel needs to go to the shop to be broken down, overhauled and repainted while the tire is inspected and it can be determined if it is serviceable. It would be a close call as to whether the prop tips would strike if the nosetire went flat. What a disaster that would be! So we aren't taking any chances with it. A lot of other work got done especially with sheet metal and the "Sparkies" running thru the wiring to see what is still good. We are concerned that some of the engine gauges that were substituted from the originals had different sensors or sending units so we want to check these out closely before installing the originals we found. Headway was also made on the Emergency Air Brake system. One of our new guys is surveying the airframe to see what is left of it. The real JR overhauled the bottle and adjacent plumbing. We found a gauge that goes to it. The Fire bottles were also delivered to a company that will check and refill them so that is another big plumbing problem since the old system was essentially wiped out by the earlier crash landing in Georgia. We are amazed that Rob S. and the Lynch family got her back on her feet and back to Billings for more work. What a nice job they did preserving the airplane! Big Mike though gets the attaboy for the week since he not only worked nearly all night, but showed up again this morning to continue. Cheers, JR

[A26 Special K]

On the B-25 front, the left gear leg was hung this week by Mark and JT. Looks like she will be back on her feet as well before the April 27th ground school. BTW, that class is just about full now. There are two other dates available to pilots, crew chiefs and just plain ol B-25 enthusiasts who want to know about the airplane and what makes it tick. Give Dana a call or email from the link to our website if interested. http://www.gga1.org
This class not only helps us with the resources to continue our restorations, but give us an opportunity to get acquainted with potential crew members and for them to see what we are about. Most of all we get to share the history and operations of this very special B-25, Pacific Prowler, a former Tallmantz camera ship that was in Catch 22 and filmed over 80 movies including Memphis Belle. We are offering a ground school on the DC-3/C-47 on May 4th. We plan to offer classes on the A-26 next Fall. So stay tuned!! JR

[A26 Special K]

Our engineering dept, that would be Arnold, built this hydraulic mule using an 18 hp tractor engine and got it rigged so that it will swing all three gear when that time comes in the not too distant future. Mark and Denis are checking out one of the actuators from the overhauled right main gear to see what kind of pressure the mule puts out. Turns out to be exactly on the money. It doesn't get any better than this!! Attaboy Arnold!!
JR

[A26 Special K]

Lou and Miguel did some sheet metal repairs to the nacelle cap yesterday. It should be ready for inside paint next weekend. The dynamic duo have made several patches on the fuselage and other airframe pieces where needed. They will continue to do so as many of the dings and holes were from the original hard landing in Georgia where parts were coming off and flying back. K will have really smooth lines when we are done with her and get her make up on.... just like the Belle of the Ball... like my granddaughter last night in Phoenix!! Still waiting to hear that report from her mom this morning! JR

[A26 Special K]

Hawkeye was gracious enough to grill some burgers and chicken for the team yesterday and man was it good. The aroma of those burgers attracted some interest from our neighbors so we ended up with about 20 people for lunch. We have picked up a few more volunteers so that helps replace some that we lost when they graduated from A & P school and moved on to other places. Sure miss those folks though. They remain in touch. Good on them!! JR

[A26 Special K]

Here is a close up of Lou's layout for the nacelle repair. We also had a visit with one of our gals who does some sewing for us to pick out the fabric that fastens to the back of the wheel well to keep water and air from going back into the cap. It is OD and has fastners for easy removal. Well, that's what the book says anyway! JR

[A26 Special K]

And here is Lou zeroing in on that repair to the nacelle. Lou recently got to work on the Mav's 757 and he had some good stories about that. He and Miguel are originally from PR and we know that K was there for awhile during her early days towing targets for the fighter jocks.

So here's to PR... Thanks, JR

[A26 Special K]

So Capt. Buttonpusher is practicing his emergency procedures in the VFM's T-37 sim in order to get ready for the B-25 ground school coming up soon. I mean if you can fly one airplane, you should be able to fly another one, right? They all look alike so must fly alike. No worries, but if you have a little curosity about the care and feeding of a B-25, join us on April 27, May 11 or June 8 for class. Contact Dana to schedule on our website contact info. http://www.gga1.org We are running specials thru Groupon and other social media sites for $125. Money raised will go to the B-25 restoration. When we do the A-26 ground school, it will go to the engine matching challenge fund. Stay tuned! JR

[A26 Special K]

We mentioned that our "Sparkies" were chasing down some instrument wiring. Here Larry is working with Rand to find the right wires and connectors for the engine gauges. They are working without much in the way of wiring diagrams since there were so many changes along the years, but they have pulled off some miracles in sorting it out. The big test will come when we power it all back up and give it the smoke test. JR

[A26 Special K]

And here is Rand holding on to some of the wires. I could almost swear I heard Larry ask Rand if that tingled. If not, grab the next one! Hmmm, that could explain a lot about these characters. Fortunately, Stan is there to keep an eye on them. He is a former F-16 radar man and nearly has me convinced we should install ground tracking radar so we can pick up those wild hogs at night in the dark. Makes sense to me. I bet this makes Dean a little nervous about having to provide that keg for the BBQ that he promised?? The Ace Wild Hog Extermination Company has not been forgotten. JR