Fairchild Club Forum

>
> Nice Story, But where are the cracks in the gear? Bob Haas.
>
>
>
> _____
>
> From: purplewhite1978 [mailto:flightcenter@ameritech.net]
> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 2:16 PM
> To: fairchildclub@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [fairchildclub] A Nice Fairchild Story...
>
>
>
>
> This article was written for Warbirds Magazine By Jerry Pahl. Jerry
> works for the Air Zoo's Education & Research Department. This is the
> article that touched on the subject of landing gear cracks, found on
> the PT series aircraft. (I underlined that section)
>
> FAIRCHILD (HOWARD) PT-23 CORNELL
>
> Sometimes the restoration of an aircraft requires such a
> great investment of one's self that it is hard to know where the
> heart stops and the project begins. This is the story of an affair
> of the heart and anyone connected with aviation can understand the
> fidelity of the restorers to this mistress of a machine.
> When Greg Ward signed on as an Air Zoo airframe & power
> plant mechanic in 1988, he knew he was joining a team that had a
> reputation for quality restorations; award winning quality as seen
> in its resurrection of the Air Zoo's P-47 Thunderbolt, F6F Hellcat,
> and F7F Tigercat. As low man on the totem pole, Greg helped where
> he could in the projects being worked upon and then was finally
> given a project to supervise; a project, which would consume a major
> portion of his professional life. Greg's mistress was a World War
> II primary trainer, a Fairchild PT-23 Cornell, serial #291.
> While the Cornell is certainly not as vivacious as the
> fighters and bombers the Air Zoo has restored, it is just as
> romantic--the romance of flying an open cockpit aircraft will never
> be equaled by trips in the enclosed compartments of faster craft.
> And, though the Fairchild is a somewhat ordinary looking plane, to a
> cadet pilot she was a heavenly body.and a body to be respected.
> This sleek monoplane with blunted nose was much more important than
> any potential combat plane in the cadet's future. For, if that
> pilot could not master flying the -23, he need not worry about
> becoming a bomber driver or fighter jock. He would wash out and be
> placed in training as perhaps a gunner, radio operator or
> navigator. Whatever the case, he had to pull everything he could
> out of this little trainer before transitioning into something more
> powerful like a BT-13 "Vibrator."
> The Fairchild PT-23 is like its sister the PT-19 in every
> way except that the -23 has the round puggish blunted nose of a
> Continental W-670 powerplant producing 220 hp., while the -19 had
> the in-line aquiline nose of the Ranger L-440 producing 175 hp.
> Interestingly, Howard Aircraft Corp. originally built this Fairchild
> in 1943. According to Project Supervisor Ward, "Fairchild only
> built two of the planes." The rest were subcontracted out as
> Fairchild was busy building AT-21 Gunners, UC-61 Forwards, and doing
> design work on the C-82 Packet Transport--a plane similar to the
> post-WW II C-119 Flying Boxcar.
> Greg continued that Howard itself even contracted out
> subassemblies. "The center section of the wing was built by Wicks
> Organ Company.the outer wing panels as we know were built by McKee
> Door Company." Stamps to this effect were found on wing parts when
> the aircraft was dismantled. Certainly, other manufacturers did the
> same thing so that the needs of the U.S. Army Air Force training
> command could b e met.good examples of the efforts of manufacturers
> on the "Home Front."
> Variants of the Cornell were built by Aeronca, St. Louis
> Airplane Co., Fleet Aircraft, and even a Brazilian firm. Their
> designations were PT-19, PT-23, PT-26 (with a 200 hp. Ranger and
> sometimes cockpit enclosures with cabin heat), and a Canadian Fleet
> version of the -26 designated the Cornell II. A total of 8,130 of
> all variants were produced.
> But perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Let's
> back up a bit and take a closer look at this particular aircraft.
> PT-23 #291 is missing its logbooks from the war years, but
> independent investigation shows it was part of a lot of trainers
> sent to Stuttgart Field in Arkansas for primary training use.
> (Perhaps it was flown by the late Darl Watters while there.) A low
> wing monoplane with very wide landing gear (compared to the biplane,
> narrow gear PT-13 Stearman Kaydet) the Cornell was ideal for
> teaching cadets how to fly: and especially how to land! Like a
> lovely lady the -23 was gentle and forgiving. It did have a temper,
> however, and if you stepped on the brakes too hard, she'd nose over.
> there is a "roll over" pylon between cockpits to counter this
> effect. Having been produced near the end of the war, it was not
> painted garish orange-yellow like the typical biplane "Yellow
> Perils" used by the Navy and Army Air Force. Instead, it had been
> left somewhat of a "plane" Jane in silver dope applied directly to
> the wood and fabric.
> After its tour of duty, 291 was sold for $610 by the War
> Assets Administration in 1946 and changed hands thirteen more times
> before it was donated to the Air Zoo. It was refurbished to some
> extent in 1963, but then experienced an accident in May of 1971,
> causing the aircraft to be listed as a total write-off. In 1976
> Alfred P. Krest rebuilt almost the entire plane, yet when Tom and
> Jane Austin, then of Greeneville, Tennessee bought the plane in
> 1981, it was barely airworthy. In fact, the first thing Tom did
> after the plane was ferried to Greeneville was to cut off the fabric
> cover so he would not be tempted to fly the aircraft. Years of
> exposure had taken their toll.
> Tom had been in Air Force ROTC at the University of
> Tennessee and owned several warbirds including a T-6, three T-28s,
> two Luscombs, and an AD Skyraider. But his dad had owned a PT-23
> and it was the first plane in which Tom ever flew. So the Cornell
> had a special place in his heart too. After Tom purchased the
> aircraft from John Baugh of Nashville, he fully intended to restore
> the aircraft to tip-top condition. Using an ice pick, Tom probed
> every inch of the fuselage frame and found three areas where the ice
> pick went right through the metal! Extensive repair work was done
> and the frame was cleaned and painted.
> The "lobster cage," the ventral wooden belly of the
> fuselage, had been completely rebuilt by a structural engineer who
> had built tow of his own planes and was a master when it came to
> woodworking. Tom struck a deal with him to do the wings also, but
> then love intervened. Though this gentleman was 70 years old and
> had just lost his wife, he fell in love not with this airplane but a
> real woman, got married, and promptly forgot about the project. Tom
> just could not find anyone he trusted enough to do the job correctly.
> Unfortunately, Tom was in the process of changing jobs and
> relocating. With no one to work on the plane and no place to store
> it, he was afraid parts would be misplaced. He and Jane made the
> decision to donate the plane to the Air Zoo. Tom said it
> was "difficult to part with the dream, the 'Zoo' was by far the best
> of all the alternatives." (Tom was associated with the Air Zoo,
> being its Hellcat pilot for some years.) The donation papers were
> signed on May 19, 1988.
> Though one probably should not call the project a basket
> case, it was delivered in pieces and the wooden pieces were going to
> present a major challenge to the restoration team. Initially Greg
> and a hand full of volunteers had hoped the restoration project
> would be comparatively easy. But this is a very complicated
> aircraft, especially for a trainer, and required the skills of metal
> and wood worker; people who could upholster and sew fabric; painters
> and artisans.and many more.
> "In the beginning of the project we thought we could maybe
> re-skin part of the wing, do a little repair work, and have a good
> airworthy airplane, " said Greg. "The deeper we dug, the more we
> realized there was no way our original plan was going to gel so we
> had to go ahead and completely disassemble it (the wing) and fix
> it." Though this aircraft and restoration does not really compare
> one-to-one with the restorations of the P-47 or Corsair, considering
> the decay that was discovered, this was going to be one of the most
> ambitious restorations on this type of aircraft the Museum staff
> would undertake.
> Originally the ribs hade been bonded with animal glues which
> had since crystallized; plywood had absorbed moisture and either
> separated or suffered from dry rot; and on one knew what the
> condition was of the interior of the spars.
> Jigs were built for each and every rib; leading edge, center
> and training edge. The wings tapered and the cord did likewise,
> compounding the rebuilt. Dozens of router bits were consumed
> chewing off one surface of each spar (hundreds of brass coated steel
> nails can do a number on router bits). Once the plywood was
> removed, the interiors could be inspected--fortunately, they were OK
> and did not require rebuilding, other than the replacement of the
> removed surfaces.
> One of the Museum's volunteer workers is Lyle Patton, a
> master cabinetmaker. This man performs miracles with wood. Both he
> and Greg as well as a multitude of other volunteers attended to the
> long and arduous process of restoring the wings. Former Ford Tri-
> Motor pilot John Allen was also instrumental in much of the wing
> building. Once the wing skeleton was complete, the plywood skin had
> to be glued and tacked.the nails to be removed later.
> "Aircraft plywood is perfect throughout.it's structural,
> simply structural, " said Greg. "It's gotta be solid throughout; no
> voids, no mineral streaks, no knots, no structural defects of any
> kind. It has to have total glue coverage between all of the
> veneers." Made of a sandwich of ribbon-striped mahogany on the
> outside and poplar on the inside and the grains on the bias,
> aviation grade plywood is very strong and anything but cheap.all of
> the wing and empennage had to be covered with it. Needless to say,
> it could not be wasted and the restoration team was at the next
> critical step' forming the leading edge.
> The PT-23 does not have a very thick wing and the leading
> edge is somewhat acute. In order to bend large sheets of plywood
> (which is only 3/32 of an inch thick) without cracking it, the team
> had to design a rather complicated bending fixture. Essentially
> they built a long, crude wing with pine ribs over which a roll-top
> desk-like surface was attached--this had a fabric lining. Under the
> cloth was placed a hot-water pipe with a series of holes along its
> length. Slowly, over several days, the plywood was bent with cargo
> ratchet-straps, cinched around the jig as hot water was sprayed from
> beneath and above. Once fully formed and allowed to dry, a perfect
> leading edge had been created.
> Another juggernaut was the empennage. At various stages of
> the rebuild, the restoration team would assemble associated parts
> and to make sure everything was calibrated correctly. When they
> went to mate the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, which had been
> completely finished to the point of being painted, they didn't fit!
> Unknown to the restorers, the horizontal stabilizer had been beefed
> up 1/16 of an inch in the center, with the plywood tapering towards
> the outer tips of the planes. The horizontal stabilizer had to be
> completely stripped and rebuilt from the skin up, adding the
> increased thickness.
> When the wings and empennage were finished, however, they
> were better than those originally built by the subcontractors. "We
> used epoxy glues.we had to get special approval for that. We filed
> a 337 form (with the FAA) as per the inspector's recommendation."
> Also, the restoration team had the benefit of time--years of wear
> and tear--to see all the wear patterns and discovered stress
> cracks. "We had the advantage of 50 years of use and abuse by
> students and civilians to see what the weak points were." With FAA
> approval, the team modified these weak points. And, unlike the
> original finish, the bare wood surfaces were covered not with
> regular varnish, which would split and peal, but with Stits epoxy
> varnish. This was then covered with Stits poly fiber and finally
> doped and painted with several coats of Imron.
> Perhaps, though, the biggest problem during the restoration
> process was the fixed landing gear, which had, cracks in them.
> According to Greg, it was just a "by-product of the age of the
> airplane, the design of the landing gear.these airplanes were never
> meant to last for 50 years. We went to a Fairchild fly-in where
> there were about a dozen Fairchilds. Dick Schaus (Director of
> Restoration & Maintenance) and I crawled underneath each one and
> found out that they all had the cracks we were finding. Greg tried
> to repair the gear and was successful in doing so, but the heat
> treater over treated them and in the process caused the cylinders of
> the oleos to go out-of-round.
> Four sets of gear were located, shipped, tested by magna-
> fluxing--and rejected. Then, while Greg was in Missouri on an
> aircraft recovery mission, Schaus got a call from a man who heard of
> the restoration problem and actually had a set of gear that had
> never been used since being built in the 1940s; the two gear
> literally had the manufacturer's yellow tags on them. The really
> phenomenal coincidence is that the man lived only 10 miles from
> where Greg was picking up the recovered aircraft!
> There were hundreds if not thousands of other problems and
> challenges to be met, with the Museum restoration team rising to
> each task. New Cleveland brakes were added, new up-to-date avionics
> and electrical systems were added.electric starter, transponder,
> Loran, intercom system, up-to-date seat restraint harnesses, and
> many many more items were added, repaired or refurbished. Since
> this was going to be a flying aircraft, it must be a safe aircraft.
> Volunteer A&P Martha Salisbury removed and did some
> disassembly on the Muskegon built engine, but Aero Engines of Los
> Angeles completed the rebuild. It took so many years to complete
> the aircraft, however, that a little rust had formed on the valve
> guides and this created a minor problem. Also, reassembling an
> airplane after seven years can cause a few things to be put together
> in not exactly the correct order and the fuel pump was sucking fuel
> out of the engine rather than pumping it into the power plant. So
> there were some problems--all of which were resolved and the engine
> has run without a hitch ever since.
> After seven, almost eight years, the PT-23 is now airworthy
> after what can only be described as a labor of love. As with any
> relationship it can be as perplexing as rewarding. One can
> understand that emotions ebbed high and low many times throughout
> the whole process. When Greg was asked why the floor boards and
> inner luggage compartment looks as though they could be the tops of
> coffee tables, he responded."the reason that was done was more as a
> morale booster for the volunteers that built the airplane. It was a
> 90% volunteer-built airplane, seven years worth of beautiful
> woodworking. All of the wood looks the same under the paint.we
> wanted to show off a little bit of the craftsmanship and spruce up
> the aircraft a little."
> This sprucing up extends to the paint job too.but for a
> functional reason also. Greg said the paint is "a metallic silver
> Imron polyurethane. The reason we used the polyurethane paint (on
> the aircraft) is that we do fly them. They get oily, they get
> dirty. And the Museum has to clean them in a reasonable amount of
> time and get 'em looking Good. If that were silver dope (as on the
> original aircraft) the oil, the grass stains; the gasoline would
> stain the finish. Over a short period of time it would look
> horrible." Other volunteers who were involved in the Cornell's
> restoration are: Bud Baden, Bud Chop, Carl Cummings, Bud Denning,
> Joe Green, Liz Grossman, Bill Hopkins, Richard Jackson, Tom
> McNamara, Bob Niewoonder, Gene Phipps, Chester Stawikszynski, Al
> VanderVeen, and Harold Vogt. These men and women and the Kalamazoo
> Aviation History Museum are committed to preserving the past for the
> future.a future where the men, women and children of the United
> States can learn more about and appreciate the dedication and
> sacrifice of the men and women who built this aircraft originally
> and the men who trained in it in preparation for combat.
> One of these men is Chester Douglass. Chester about dropped
> in his tracks when he first saw the Air Zoo's -23. "That's the
> airplane I soloed in!" It was not, of course, this actual aircraft,
> but you could see the flood of memories rushing back. "I had had a
> $1 ride with 'Bun' Perry as a kid," and that, like with so many
> youngsters then, was enough to get him hooked on flying. But the PT-
> 23 was the first plane in which he was really introduced to flying
> as a prospective pilot. Chet did not have much with which to
> compare that first flight in the Cornell. "Looking back though,
> after the experience of flying other aircraft, looking back it was a
> very reliable, very dependable, and a relatively easy airplane to
> fly. He should know. Chet progressed through several levels of
> training, flew 63 combat missions in B-26s and A-26s, piloted P-51s
> in the Air Defense Command during the Korean War, and ended up
> flying the RB-57 in the Air National Guard.
> Although the PT-23 is a bit more complicated than other
> primary trainers of the day, all of the systems worked together
> beautifully. Though Chet had not flown a Stearman, he had spoken
> with plenty of pilots who had and he is thankful the -23 has very
> wide landing gear, unlike the Kaydet. "It wasn't impossible (to do
> a ground loop in the -23), but I never did." There really were no
> bad habits with the aircraft that Chet can remember.however, his
> instructor never would teach them short field landings.
> "It was a rather touchy maneuver" and, though there was no
> official bulletin that he can remember, there "was some concern
> about the number of main spars that broke." The instructor did show
> the cadets how to drop the plane just in over the fence, but he
> never allowed them to do it themselves. Perhaps he questioned the
> ability of the wooden wings to absorb the 20 ft. drop, if not done
> properly. The instructor did sign-off on the cadets as having
> performed the maneuver, however. Chet never got over the wonder of
> flying and still enjoys it.
> After almost eight years--after his marriage to his wife,
> after the birth of their child--Greg Ward was going to finally see
> the rebirth of his own charge, the PT-23 Cornell. It was 7 July
> 1997. The original plan had been for the first flight after
> restoration to be on 4 July 1997, Independence Day; a rather fitting
> date for a warbird trainer that contributed so much to the
> independence of this nation. But the weather did not permit.
> Museum Board Chairman Pete Parish took some time to rev up
> the engine and check all the instruments, but soon he taxied out and
> quicker than a drop of water jumping off a hot griddle, the -23 was
> airborne! The silver aircraft took to the air like a fish to
> water. In this perfect mating of form to function, over the next
> half hour Pete put the Cornell through her paces. Thoroughbred that
> she is, she performed beautifully. Greg and many of his volunteers
> had their heads cranked skyward for that 30 minutes watching the
> glint from the wings as Pete checked out the silver bird. Then Pete
> banked to the right, lined up on 5/23 and greased her in on a three-
> point landing.it was beautiful. No major squawks.
> Tom Austin finally got his chance behind the stick, piloting
> the aircraft to Oshkosh with Greg in the back seat. There were over
> 500 warbirds at the air show and over 100 in competition. The Air
> Zoo's PT-23 Cornell was awarded "Judges Choice." The restoration
> team was ecstatic! Whether or not she had won a prize, the -23
> certainly had already won the hearts of all with whom she had come
> into contact. Just what you would expect from a classy lady.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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> _____
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Flight Center"
To:
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 2:10 PM
Subject: [fairchildclub] PT-Gear Leg Cracks & Front & Rear Wing-Spar
Corrosion


>
> PT-Gear Leg Cracks!
> The cracks that we discovered were in the long inside-corner of the
scissor
> attach-bracket area. (Aft side of Oleo Strut) While discussing our own
> findings at a Fairchild Fly-In, we crawled underneath other members
> airplanes that had flown in over the weekend and found the same problem on
> some. We brought it to the attention of their owners before we departed.
> To make a long story short, the gear-crack problem is nothing new and is
> addressed in the manual. The book allows electric welding, up to 3/8" in
> length, before declaring it as scrap. A new "yellow-tagged" pair of gear
> legs bailed us out of our jam. For others, a careful inspection of spare
> parts is a must. Don't forget about magnafluxing the area in question.
>
> PT-Front & Rear Wing-Spar attach hardware corrosion!
> Another spooky dilemma was the excessive corrosion that was discovered in
> our wing attach hardware. It was necessary to have brand-new parts
machined,
> as per the original. After the many layers of paint were removed from the
> originals, we lightly blasted the attach hardware with industrial baking
> soda. The corrosion blossomed by the with every pass of the gun. Not a
> problem that can be seen during an annual inspection.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob and Dot Haas"
> To:
> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 2:42 PM
> Subject: RE: [fairchildclub] A Nice Fairchild Story...
>
>
> >
> > Nice Story, But where are the cracks in the gear? Bob Haas.
> >
> >
> >
> > _____
> >
> > From: purplewhite1978 [mailto:flightcenter@ameritech.net]
> > Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 2:16 PM
> > To: fairchildclub@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [fairchildclub] A Nice Fairchild Story...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > This article was written for Warbirds Magazine By Jerry Pahl. Jerry
> > works for the Air Zoo's Education & Research Department. This is the
> > article that touched on the subject of landing gear cracks, found on
> > the PT series aircraft. (I underlined that section)
> >
> > FAIRCHILD (HOWARD) PT-23 CORNELL
> >
> > Sometimes the restoration of an aircraft requires such a
> > great investment of one's self that it is hard to know where the
> > heart stops and the project begins. This is the story of an affair
> > of the heart and anyone connected with aviation can understand the
> > fidelity of the restorers to this mistress of a machine.
> > When Greg Ward signed on as an Air Zoo airframe & power
> > plant mechanic in 1988, he knew he was joining a team that had a
> > reputation for quality restorations; award winning quality as seen
> > in its resurrection of the Air Zoo's P-47 Thunderbolt, F6F Hellcat,
> > and F7F Tigercat. As low man on the totem pole, Greg helped where
> > he could in the projects being worked upon and then was finally
> > given a project to supervise; a project, which would consume a major
> > portion of his professional life. Greg's mistress was a World War
> > II primary trainer, a Fairchild PT-23 Cornell, serial #291.
> > While the Cornell is certainly not as vivacious as the
> > fighters and bombers the Air Zoo has restored, it is just as
> > romantic--the romance of flying an open cockpit aircraft will never
> > be equaled by trips in the enclosed compartments of faster craft.
> > And, though the Fairchild is a somewhat ordinary looking plane, to a
> > cadet pilot she was a heavenly body.and a body to be respected.
> > This sleek monoplane with blunted nose was much more important than
> > any potential combat plane in the cadet's future. For, if that
> > pilot could not master flying the -23, he need not worry about
> > becoming a bomber driver or fighter jock. He would wash out and be
> > placed in training as perhaps a gunner, radio operator or
> > navigator. Whatever the case, he had to pull everything he could
> > out of this little trainer before transitioning into something more
> > powerful like a BT-13 "Vibrator."
> > The Fairchild PT-23 is like its sister the PT-19 in every
> > way except that the -23 has the round puggish blunted nose of a
> > Continental W-670 powerplant producing 220 hp., while the -19 had
> > the in-line aquiline nose of the Ranger L-440 producing 175 hp.
> > Interestingly, Howard Aircraft Corp. originally built this Fairchild
> > in 1943. According to Project Supervisor Ward, "Fairchild only
> > built two of the planes." The rest were subcontracted out as
> > Fairchild was busy building AT-21 Gunners, UC-61 Forwards, and doing
> > design work on the C-82 Packet Transport--a plane similar to the
> > post-WW II C-119 Flying Boxcar.
> > Greg continued that Howard itself even contracted out
> > subassemblies. "The center section of the wing was built by Wicks
> > Organ Company.the outer wing panels as we know were built by McKee
> > Door Company." Stamps to this effect were found on wing parts when
> > the aircraft was dismantled. Certainly, other manufacturers did the
> > same thing so that the needs of the U.S. Army Air Force training
> > command could b e met.good examples of the efforts of manufacturers
> > on the "Home Front."
> > Variants of the Cornell were built by Aeronca, St. Louis
> > Airplane Co., Fleet Aircraft, and even a Brazilian firm. Their
> > designations were PT-19, PT-23, PT-26 (with a 200 hp. Ranger and
> > sometimes cockpit enclosures with cabin heat), and a Canadian Fleet
> > version of the -26 designated the Cornell II. A total of 8,130 of
> > all variants were produced.
> > But perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Let's
> > back up a bit and take a closer look at this particular aircraft.
> > PT-23 #291 is missing its logbooks from the war years, but
> > independent investigation shows it was part of a lot of trainers
> > sent to Stuttgart Field in Arkansas for primary training use.
> > (Perhaps it was flown by the late Darl Watters while there.) A low
> > wing monoplane with very wide landing gear (compared to the biplane,
> > narrow gear PT-13 Stearman Kaydet) the Cornell was ideal for
> > teaching cadets how to fly: and especially how to land! Like a
> > lovely lady the -23 was gentle and forgiving. It did have a temper,
> > however, and if you stepped on the brakes too hard, she'd nose over.
> > there is a "roll over" pylon between cockpits to counter this
> > effect. Having been produced near the end of the war, it was not
> > painted garish orange-yellow like the typical biplane "Yellow
> > Perils" used by the Navy and Army Air Force. Instead, it had been
> > left somewhat of a "plane" Jane in silver dope applied directly to
> > the wood and fabric.
> > After its tour of duty, 291 was sold for $610 by the War
> > Assets Administration in 1946 and changed hands thirteen more times
> > before it was donated to the Air Zoo. It was refurbished to some
> > extent in 1963, but then experienced an accident in May of 1971,
> > causing the aircraft to be listed as a total write-off. In 1976
> > Alfred P. Krest rebuilt almost the entire plane, yet when Tom and
> > Jane Austin, then of Greeneville, Tennessee bought the plane in
> > 1981, it was barely airworthy. In fact, the first thing Tom did
> > after the plane was ferried to Greeneville was to cut off the fabric
> > cover so he would not be tempted to fly the aircraft. Years of
> > exposure had taken their toll.
> > Tom had been in Air Force ROTC at the University of
> > Tennessee and owned several warbirds including a T-6, three T-28s,
> > two Luscombs, and an AD Skyraider. But his dad had owned a PT-23
> > and it was the first plane in which Tom ever flew. So the Cornell
> > had a special place in his heart too. After Tom purchased the
> > aircraft from John Baugh of Nashville, he fully intended to restore
> > the aircraft to tip-top condition. Using an ice pick, Tom probed
> > every inch of the fuselage frame and found three areas where the ice
> > pick went right through the metal! Extensive repair work was done
> > and the frame was cleaned and painted.
> > The "lobster cage," the ventral wooden belly of the
> > fuselage, had been completely rebuilt by a structural engineer who
> > had built tow of his own planes and was a master when it came to
> > woodworking. Tom struck a deal with him to do the wings also, but
> > then love intervened. Though this gentleman was 70 years old and
> > had just lost his wife, he fell in love not with this airplane but a
> > real woman, got married, and promptly forgot about the project. Tom
> > just could not find anyone he trusted enough to do the job correctly.
> > Unfortunately, Tom was in the process of changing jobs and
> > relocating. With no one to work on the plane and no place to store
> > it, he was afraid parts would be misplaced. He and Jane made the
> > decision to donate the plane to the Air Zoo. Tom said it
> > was "difficult to part with the dream, the 'Zoo' was by far the best
> > of all the alternatives." (Tom was associated with the Air Zoo,
> > being its Hellcat pilot for some years.) The donation papers were
> > signed on May 19, 1988.
> > Though one probably should not call the project a basket
> > case, it was delivered in pieces and the wooden pieces were going to
> > present a major challenge to the restoration team. Initially Greg
> > and a hand full of volunteers had hoped the restoration project
> > would be comparatively easy. But this is a very complicated
> > aircraft, especially for a trainer, and required the skills of metal
> > and wood worker; people who could upholster and sew fabric; painters
> > and artisans.and many more.
> > "In the beginning of the project we thought we could maybe
> > re-skin part of the wing, do a little repair work, and have a good
> > airworthy airplane, " said Greg. "The deeper we dug, the more we
> > realized there was no way our original plan was going to gel so we
> > had to go ahead and completely disassemble it (the wing) and fix
> > it." Though this aircraft and restoration does not really compare
> > one-to-one with the restorations of the P-47 or Corsair, considering
> > the decay that was discovered, this was going to be one of the most
> > ambitious restorations on this type of aircraft the Museum staff
> > would undertake.
> > Originally the ribs hade been bonded with animal glues which
> > had since crystallized; plywood had absorbed moisture and either
> > separated or suffered from dry rot; and on one knew what the
> > condition was of the interior of the spars.
> > Jigs were built for each and every rib; leading edge, center
> > and training edge. The wings tapered and the cord did likewise,
> > compounding the rebuilt. Dozens of router bits were consumed
> > chewing off one surface of each spar (hundreds of brass coated steel
> > nails can do a number on router bits). Once the plywood was
> > removed, the interiors could be inspected--fortunately, they were OK
> > and did not require rebuilding, other than the replacement of the
> > removed surfaces.
> > One of the Museum's volunteer workers is Lyle Patton, a
> > master cabinetmaker. This man performs miracles with wood. Both he
> > and Greg as well as a multitude of other volunteers attended to the
> > long and arduous process of restoring the wings. Former Ford Tri-
> > Motor pilot John Allen was also instrumental in much of the wing
> > building. Once the wing skeleton was complete, the plywood skin had
> > to be glued and tacked.the nails to be removed later.
> > "Aircraft plywood is perfect throughout.it's structural,
> > simply structural, " said Greg. "It's gotta be solid throughout; no
> > voids, no mineral streaks, no knots, no structural defects of any
> > kind. It has to have total glue coverage between all of the
> > veneers." Made of a sandwich of ribbon-striped mahogany on the
> > outside and poplar on the inside and the grains on the bias,
> > aviation grade plywood is very strong and anything but cheap.all of
> > the wing and empennage had to be covered with it. Needless to say,
> > it could not be wasted and the restoration team was at the next
> > critical step' forming the leading edge.
> > The PT-23 does not have a very thick wing and the leading
> > edge is somewhat acute. In order to bend large sheets of plywood
> > (which is only 3/32 of an inch thick) without cracking it, the team
> > had to design a rather complicated bending fixture. Essentially
> > they built a long, crude wing with pine ribs over which a roll-top
> > desk-like surface was attached--this had a fabric lining. Under the
> > cloth was placed a hot-water pipe with a series of holes along its
> > length. Slowly, over several days, the plywood was bent with cargo
> > ratchet-straps, cinched around the jig as hot water was sprayed from
> > beneath and above. Once fully formed and allowed to dry, a perfect
> > leading edge had been created.
> > Another juggernaut was the empennage. At various stages of
> > the rebuild, the restoration team would assemble associated parts
> > and to make sure everything was calibrated correctly. When they
> > went to mate the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, which had been
> > completely finished to the point of being painted, they didn't fit!
> > Unknown to the restorers, the horizontal stabilizer had been beefed
> > up 1/16 of an inch in the center, with the plywood tapering towards
> > the outer tips of the planes. The horizontal stabilizer had to be
> > completely stripped and rebuilt from the skin up, adding the
> > increased thickness.
> > When the wings and empennage were finished, however, they
> > were better than those originally built by the subcontractors. "We
> > used epoxy glues.we had to get special approval for that. We filed
> > a 337 form (with the FAA) as per the inspector's recommendation."
> > Also, the restoration team had the benefit of time--years of wear
> > and tear--to see all the wear patterns and discovered stress
> > cracks. "We had the advantage of 50 years of use and abuse by
> > students and civilians to see what the weak points were." With FAA
> > approval, the team modified these weak points. And, unlike the
> > original finish, the bare wood surfaces were covered not with
> > regular varnish, which would split and peal, but with Stits epoxy
> > varnish. This was then covered with Stits poly fiber and finally
> > doped and painted with several coats of Imron.
> > Perhaps, though, the biggest problem during the restoration
> > process was the fixed landing gear, which had, cracks in them.
> > According to Greg, it was just a "by-product of the age of the
> > airplane, the design of the landing gear.these airplanes were never
> > meant to last for 50 years. We went to a Fairchild fly-in where
> > there were about a dozen Fairchilds. Dick Schaus (Director of
> > Restoration & Maintenance) and I crawled underneath each one and
> > found out that they all had the cracks we were finding. Greg tried
> > to repair the gear and was successful in doing so, but the heat
> > treater over treated them and in the process caused the cylinders of
> > the oleos to go out-of-round.
> > Four sets of gear were located, shipped, tested by magna-
> > fluxing--and rejected. Then, while Greg was in Missouri on an
> > aircraft recovery mission, Schaus got a call from a man who heard of
> > the restoration problem and actually had a set of gear that had
> > never been used since being built in the 1940s; the two gear
> > literally had the manufacturer's yellow tags on them. The really
> > phenomenal coincidence is that the man lived only 10 miles from
> > where Greg was picking up the recovered aircraft!
> > There were hundreds if not thousands of other problems and
> > challenges to be met, with the Museum restoration team rising to
> > each task. New Cleveland brakes were added, new up-to-date avionics
> > and electrical systems were added.electric starter, transponder,
> > Loran, intercom system, up-to-date seat restraint harnesses, and
> > many many more items were added, repaired or refurbished. Since
> > this was going to be a flying aircraft, it must be a safe aircraft.
> > Volunteer A&P Martha Salisbury removed and did some
> > disassembly on the Muskegon built engine, but Aero Engines of Los
> > Angeles completed the rebuild. It took so many years to complete
> > the aircraft, however, that a little rust had formed on the valve
> > guides and this created a minor problem. Also, reassembling an
> > airplane after seven years can cause a few things to be put together
> > in not exactly the correct order and the fuel pump was sucking fuel
> > out of the engine rather than pumping it into the power plant. So
> > there were some problems--all of which were resolved and the engine
> > has run without a hitch ever since.
> > After seven, almost eight years, the PT-23 is now airworthy
> > after what can only be described as a labor of love. As with any
> > relationship it can be as perplexing as rewarding. One can
> > understand that emotions ebbed high and low many times throughout
> > the whole process. When Greg was asked why the floor boards and
> > inner luggage compartment looks as though they could be the tops of
> > coffee tables, he responded."the reason that was done was more as a
> > morale booster for the volunteers that built the airplane. It was a
> > 90% volunteer-built airplane, seven years worth of beautiful
> > woodworking. All of the wood looks the same under the paint.we
> > wanted to show off a little bit of the craftsmanship and spruce up
> > the aircraft a little."
> > This sprucing up extends to the paint job too.but for a
> > functional reason also. Greg said the paint is "a metallic silver
> > Imron polyurethane. The reason we used the polyurethane paint (on
> > the aircraft) is that we do fly them. They get oily, they get
> > dirty. And the Museum has to clean them in a reasonable amount of
> > time and get 'em looking Good. If that were silver dope (as on the
> > original aircraft) the oil, the grass stains; the gasoline would
> > stain the finish. Over a short period of time it would look
> > horrible." Other volunteers who were involved in the Cornell's
> > restoration are: Bud Baden, Bud Chop, Carl Cummings, Bud Denning,
> > Joe Green, Liz Grossman, Bill Hopkins, Richard Jackson, Tom
> > McNamara, Bob Niewoonder, Gene Phipps, Chester Stawikszynski, Al
> > VanderVeen, and Harold Vogt. These men and women and the Kalamazoo
> > Aviation History Museum are committed to preserving the past for the
> > future.a future where the men, women and children of the United
> > States can learn more about and appreciate the dedication and
> > sacrifice of the men and women who built this aircraft originally
> > and the men who trained in it in preparation for combat.
> > One of these men is Chester Douglass. Chester about dropped
> > in his tracks when he first saw the Air Zoo's -23. "That's the
> > airplane I soloed in!" It was not, of course, this actual aircraft,
> > but you could see the flood of memories rushing back. "I had had a
> > $1 ride with 'Bun' Perry as a kid," and that, like with so many
> > youngsters then, was enough to get him hooked on flying. But the PT-
> > 23 was the first plane in which he was really introduced to flying
> > as a prospective pilot. Chet did not have much with which to
> > compare that first flight in the Cornell. "Looking back though,
> > after the experience of flying other aircraft, looking back it was a
> > very reliable, very dependable, and a relatively easy airplane to
> > fly. He should know. Chet progressed through several levels of
> > training, flew 63 combat missions in B-26s and A-26s, piloted P-51s
> > in the Air Defense Command during the Korean War, and ended up
> > flying the RB-57 in the Air National Guard.
> > Although the PT-23 is a bit more complicated than other
> > primary trainers of the day, all of the systems worked together
> > beautifully. Though Chet had not flown a Stearman, he had spoken
> > with plenty of pilots who had and he is thankful the -23 has very
> > wide landing gear, unlike the Kaydet. "It wasn't impossible (to do
> > a ground loop in the -23), but I never did." There really were no
> > bad habits with the aircraft that Chet can remember.however, his
> > instructor never would teach them short field landings.
> > "It was a rather touchy maneuver" and, though there was no
> > official bulletin that he can remember, there "was some concern
> > about the number of main spars that broke." The instructor did show
> > the cadets how to drop the plane just in over the fence, but he
> > never allowed them to do it themselves. Perhaps he questioned the
> > ability of the wooden wings to absorb the 20 ft. drop, if not done
> > properly. The instructor did sign-off on the cadets as having
> > performed the maneuver, however. Chet never got over the wonder of
> > flying and still enjoys it.
> > After almost eight years--after his marriage to his wife,
> > after the birth of their child--Greg Ward was going to finally see
> > the rebirth of his own charge, the PT-23 Cornell. It was 7 July
> > 1997. The original plan had been for the first flight after
> > restoration to be on 4 July 1997, Independence Day; a rather fitting
> > date for a warbird trainer that contributed so much to the
> > independence of this nation. But the weather did not permit.
> > Museum Board Chairman Pete Parish took some time to rev up
> > the engine and check all the instruments, but soon he taxied out and
> > quicker than a drop of water jumping off a hot griddle, the -23 was
> > airborne! The silver aircraft took to the air like a fish to
> > water. In this perfect mating of form to function, over the next
> > half hour Pete put the Cornell through her paces. Thoroughbred that
> > she is, she performed beautifully. Greg and many of his volunteers
> > had their heads cranked skyward for that 30 minutes watching the
> > glint from the wings as Pete checked out the silver bird. Then Pete
> > banked to the right, lined up on 5/23 and greased her in on a three-
> > point landing.it was beautiful. No major squawks.
> > Tom Austin finally got his chance behind the stick, piloting
> > the aircraft to Oshkosh with Greg in the back seat. There were over
> > 500 warbirds at the air show and over 100 in competition. The Air
> > Zoo's PT-23 Cornell was awarded "Judges Choice." The restoration
> > team was ecstatic! Whether or not she had won a prize, the -23
> > certainly had already won the hearts of all with whom she had come
> > into contact. Just what you would expect from a classy lady.
> >
> >
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>
> John,
> Greg Ward here - I wasn't trying to hide from you John!
> The Fairchild Fly-in that I was referring to was one of the last
> held in Coldwater that we attended. About the time that the Zoo's

> 23 was close to being finished. (Many...many moons ago)
> I don't really remember "specifically" who I talked with that day

> all of the airplanes were in attendance. Both Dave N. and Harland

> were there that year, that much I do remember. (Like it was
> yesterday) Harland and I took Dave's plane around the patch that

> I carried our photo album with our close-up pictures (showing the
> wing attach bracket corrosion and the landing gear crack issue) to
> that Fly-in at Coldwater. I also brought them to the Fairchild

> at Oshkosh that year. I donated a set of color zerox-copies at that
> time (inside the tent) while we all sitting together. The best that
> I can do now is dig through our archives again for the original
> pictures. You may wish to share them in the Fairchild Flyer. Do you
> prefer that they be B&W from the start? I can convert them for you
> now that we have computers with Photo-Shop!
> In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and have a great day!
> Greg Ward - Senior Curator of Aircraft Restoration
> Air Zoo Flight & Restoration Center

> PT-
> > 23 was close to being finished. (Many...many moons ago)
> > I don't really remember "specifically" who I talked with that

> or
> > all of the airplanes were in attendance. Both Dave N. and

> A.
> > were there that year, that much I do remember. (Like it was
> > yesterday) Harland and I took Dave's plane around the patch that
> day.
> > I carried our photo album with our close-up pictures (showing

> > wing attach bracket corrosion and the landing gear crack issue)

> > that Fly-in at Coldwater. I also brought them to the Fairchild
> forum
> > at Oshkosh that year. I donated a set of color zerox-copies at

> > time (inside the tent) while we all sitting together. The best

> > I can do now is dig through our archives again for the original
> > pictures. You may wish to share them in the Fairchild Flyer. Do

> > prefer that they be B&W from the start? I can convert them for

> > now that we have computers with Photo-Shop!
> > In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and have a great day!
> > Greg Ward - Senior Curator of Aircraft Restoration
> > Air Zoo Flight & Restoration Center

>
>
> --- In fairchildclub@yahoogroups.com, "purplewhite1978"
> wrote:
> >
> > John,
> > Greg Ward here - I wasn't trying to hide from you John!
> > The Fairchild Fly-in that I was referring to was one of the last
> > held in Coldwater that we attended. About the time that the Zoo's
> PT-
> > 23 was close to being finished. (Many...many moons ago)
> > I don't really remember "specifically" who I talked with that day
> or
> > all of the airplanes were in attendance. Both Dave N. and Harland
> A.
> > were there that year, that much I do remember. (Like it was
> > yesterday) Harland and I took Dave's plane around the patch that
> day.
> > I carried our photo album with our close-up pictures (showing the
> > wing attach bracket corrosion and the landing gear crack issue) to
> > that Fly-in at Coldwater. I also brought them to the Fairchild
> forum
> > at Oshkosh that year. I donated a set of color zerox-copies at that
> > time (inside the tent) while we all sitting together. The best that
> > I can do now is dig through our archives again for the original
> > pictures. You may wish to share them in the Fairchild Flyer. Do you
> > prefer that they be B&W from the start? I can convert them for you
> > now that we have computers with Photo-Shop!
> > In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and have a great day!
> > Greg Ward - Senior Curator of Aircraft Restoration
> > Air Zoo Flight & Restoration Center
>
>
>
> Thanks for the reply GREG. I know about the spar fittings, I
> have two sets of corroded ones. I figured the only way to sleep at
> night would be to have new examples machined. Maybe we could chat
> about it sometime.
> By the way I didnt mean to ruffle any feathers with my question.
> Ryan Imlay
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>