Windsor (CH2A) Lancaster Restoration

[peter]

That look's great! Believe it or not, theres alot of wood on the old lanc.

[Big Daddy]

That look's great! Believe it or not, there's a lot of wood on the old lanc.

Thanks, Peter. Yes, there is. I have enough woodworking projects on the Lanc to keep me going all winter .

I finished up the top frame of the door today as well. The frame was re-usable. I just had to re-glue all the joints, cut some new gussets, and re-skin it with some new 3 mil plywood. I even re-used the 1/2" brass nails that I pulled out of the old skin. A coat of paint and this can also go back in the plane.



Next up, the doors themselves. More later.

[DH82EH]

Sweet!! Looks good.
Nice to find a niche that works for you with this huge project (Lancs are big )

Love the updates!

Andy Scott

[Big Daddy]

Sweet!! Looks good.
Nice to find a niche that works for you with this huge project (Lancs are big )

Love the updates!

Andy Scott

Thanks, Andy. I would do anything on this project that was asked of me, but to be able to do all this woodworking, which I love, is just an added bonus.

Cheers,
Don

[peter]

Terrific Don. Not only are you restoring the lanc, yo uare also conserving what can be reused like the nails framework etc.. adds to the originality of the airframe for sure.

[Rhino-9-3]

Today we accomplished a pretty big achievement! We were able to reinstall 2 gear door valances and 2 gear doors! These are the first pieces to be put back on the aircraft after being completed. Though they will have to come off again down the road it's nice to be able to have them back on the aircraft for display purposes.





We also managed to reinstall the tail wheel assembly into the rear fueslage today after one heck of a fight over the last few weeks to get back in working order for our move into the main hangar in November.



Prior to the tail wheel reinstall we had to repair some damage to the fueslage just aft of it. I spent a few days last week taking care of that issue. We figured it would be best to add another inspection hole here as well to gain access to several bolts that previously were not accessable.


Cut out of the damage.


Repair temporarily in place.

More to come soon!

[peter]

Nice update Ryan! What was the square cutout for ??

[Rhino-9-3]

Nice update Ryan! What was the square cutout for ??

If you're talking about the square cutout on the fueslage that's where the damage was originally. Then I put the doubler/new inspection panel over top of it. If you're talking about the one on the repair, that's the inspection hole.

[peter]

So you have to install twp patches then? Far left looks like the hole for the downward ID light then your new patch, but what is the one on the right hand side?? Camera mount?

Last edited by peter on Sun Sep 29, 2013 1:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Thomas_Mac]

We also managed to reinstall the tail wheel assembly into the rear fueslage today after one heck of a fight over the last few weeks to get back in working order for our move into the main hangar in November.


More to come soon!

You guys are moving the Lanc to your main hangar?

[peter]

that's what he said

[Rhino-9-3]

So you have to install twp patches then? Far left looks like the hole for the downward ID light then your new patch, but what is the one on the right hand side?? Camera mount?

Oh I see what you're talking about now! The round one on the left is just a circular inspection hole and the one of the right is actually where the tail wheel strut comes through (there are two inspection panels that screw on there with a half circle cut out on each of them for the strut to pass through).

Yup, the plan is to have her in our main hangar in early November!

[DH82EH]

Great update Ryan. I couldn't think of a better place to store those freshly restored parts.
The next time you have a task that's a real b!tch be sure and let me know. I keep a few extra special curse words in the deep dark recesses of my tool box . Be happy to lend 'em out!
Tell us more about the move to the hangar. That sounds real exciting, and also warmer for the winter!

Keep it up!

Andy

[Thomas_Mac]

So you have to install twp patches then? Far left looks like the hole for the downward ID light then your new patch, but what is the one on the right hand side?? Camera mount?

Yup, the plan is to have her in our main hangar in early November!

Wow! I am usually down to Windsor once a year and always check out the museum. Looking forward to seeing the Lanc will have moved next time I am by! Will its current structure be used for something else?

[Big Daddy]

So you have to install twp patches then? Far left looks like the hole for the downward ID light then your new patch, but what is the one on the right hand side?? Camera mount?

Yup, the plan is to have her in our main hangar in early November!

Wow! I am usually down to Windsor once a year and always check out the museum. Looking forward to seeing the Lanc will have moved next time I am by! Will its current structure be used for something else?

We are still debating how to use the quonset once the Lanc is in the main hangar. It is possible that we will rent the space for aircraft/vehicle storage in order to generate a little income.

Getting FM212 into the main hangar is very important at this stage as heat/cold and humidity in the quonset are starting to take their toll. Also having it front and centre will have a huge visual impact on people as they enter the facility.

Stay tuned for a date on this as we hope to make it a media event. Thanks for your interest!

Don