This week we have a picture of the battery box with a battery and cables installed. The side panel has undergone more modifications this week. We started out with a wood side panel but decided to go with a sheetmetal panel instead. In the last two pictures you can see the front and the back of this panel. Please click on pictures to enlarge them, thank you.
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Everyone was in class Friday so no work on the Pup.
At our school this week students have been working on separate tasks for the Nieuport 24 aircraft. Sometimes tasks can be done in a day or two but others take weeks or even months. The first and second pictures in the top row show Ryan Palmen constructing a side panel out of sheetmetal for the cockpit and in the last picture Pete Legarski is working on some protective plates for the floor of the cockpit. For the last three weeks or so Blake Barnett has been focused on the lower wing support mounts. Last week he was pictured removing burs off the metal tubing he was cutting to further this task. He made the jig for the support, trimmed, cut and filed the pieces to perfection. More parts still need to be made but in the last two pictures you can see the results of his work. Enlarge all pictures by clicking on them, thank you.
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Not much this week. Awaiting info from Rotec. Students in short supply this week.
Amanda Light and Anna Brown are setting up the drill press and Anna is changing out the size of the drill. In the next two pictures Greg Lord has been working on a small panel and you can see it installed in the last picture. In the bottom row of pictures we have Joseph “Blake” Barnett working with some metal tubing and after cutting it he is seen here removing the sharp edges. Last week Anna was making a rib template out of sheetmetal but she decided to make one out of Plexiglas instead. The new one is directly in front of her and Greg is assisting her. In the last picture we have welded many of these metal tabs with nut plates and attached to them to the fuselage. These plates are used to attach the top and side wood formers onto the frame. Please click on all pictures to enlarge them, thank you.
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Another good friday of work at Indy. We welcome aboard Steve, who is on the welding crew. He has a history of welding and should be a great help to the crew.
Pictured here is Kirk Brown engaged in the installation/making of a rigid brake line for the Nieuport 24 aircraft. Even though in 1917 they did not have brakes such as this we found it necessary to incorporate them for safety purposes. Working with lines is not a problem for Kirk because he has extensive heavy equipment experience, worked on motors and cars. He has taken that experience and used it to his benefit here at our school. With a 4.0 GPA coming out of his General aviation classes he is now in the Sheetmetal class learning how to install rivets. He says cars are nuts and bolts and now he is learning how to put things together with rivets and he likes it. He has always liked aviation and remembers seeing the Air Force Thunderbirds when he was six years old and now he is chasing his dream by enrolling in our Aviation Maintenance Technician program. Since he knew someone that went to our school and saw the ad in the Hampton Roads Weekly he gave us a call and enrolled. Presently Kirk is employed at a local Fixed Base Operation (FBO) where he is gaining valuable skills for his aviation career. Since he is a perfectionist he says he wants to work on aircraft and eventually start his own FBO.
In the bottom row of pictures Greg Lord (with hat) is marking a spot and using a file to make a notch for the installation of a metal dowel pin. This pin will stop the control stick from traveling aft past its intended travel so as the elevator horn will not get damaged by hitting the stabilizer. The last picture we have temporary installed support rails and battery box to get a good visual of location and any interference with other parts. Please click on all pictures to enlarge, thank you.
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Did a recheck of all wiring to engine on test stand. Ready for test early next week!
Work continues on the project, we had to do a little modification on the gear cuffs to make them work with the steel fuselage. Our welder will finish them this week. As with everything we have done on this aircraft, we have to modify the drawings to get the trim mechanism to fit in the tail post area. A do able project just more time involved. Wing construction is continuing , but slowly. We have ordered our engine mount, when it arrives we will modify the firewall to fit the accessories, then work on the fuel and oil tanks.