Feb 10, 2024     Week 38 - (20 hours)       Category: Wings

Once again the Rans S-12XL took some of our attention, but that project is nearing completion and will soon be ready for our A&P/IA to complete the condition inspection. Meanwhile, some progress was made on the horizontal stabilizer bracket. Our A&P returned with a stronger rivet gun and did a few rivets, but found that some of the holes required bigger rivets than we had on hand. He'll be back. Tires and tubes were also mounted on the new Cleveland wheels. And the overhauled nose gear was mostly assembled. Robert also continues to look at various systems to see what we need in terms of electrical stuff.

  Feb 03, 2024     Week 37 - (20 hours)       Category: Wings

A very busy week. At one point on Saturday we had three projects going at once in the hangar. The Rans S-12XL continues to demand some of our attention, but we still managed to accomplish some important things on the Cessna. Our A&P/IA came to look at our stabilizer bracket issue. He determined that the problem was our rivet gun wasn't powerful enough. He will return with a different rivet gun to finish the job at some point. In the meantime, we continued to work toward getting the plane on its gear and getting wings ready for paint. A part on the nose gear was lightly machined to make it round to fit and the gear was mostly assembled with all new O-rings and hardware. We decided to replace the old gascolator assembly with a new and better “Steves Gascolator” STC. We ran into a problem in that the bracket that adapts the new gascolator to the Cessna's firewall fitting doesn't fit. We've been in communication with the manufacturer, but they've been little help. Stay tuned on that one. In order to send the wings up to get painted, we decided it would be best to fit and drill the new Horner wingtips in advance so that we don't scratch new paint later. We also got new tips for all of the tail surfaces so some of them were fitted as well.

  Jan 28, 2023     Week 9 - (40 hours)       Category: Wings

The main focus Thursday was to get the engine disconnected from the firewall so that the engine can be removed on Saturday. Meanwhile a lot was accomplished on the interior. The seats were removed and the interior vacuumed out. All of the interior plastic panels were also taken out. On Saturday the engine was removed. It will soon go to an engine shop in Virginia to be overhauled. Work also continued on the interior. The portable intercom and a Loran receiver were taken out. Inspection plates and access panels were removed, and a lot of cleaning was done. There was some discussion about how to best deal with the entire area between the instrument panel and the firewall. Access in this area is difficult, but we would like to be able to properly inspect, clean, and renew as necessary the many parts there. There was also more review and discussion of ADs. There is one concerning the seat rails that will need to be addressed. We agreed that at this point we need to consult with our supervising A&Ps.

  Jan 22, 2023     Day 8 - (30 hours)       Category: Wings

Cleaning of parts continued on Thursday including the aileron that needs to be re-skinned. A review of ADs has also begun. One involves the possibility of cracked plate nuts on a bracket that attaches the vertical stabilizer. As part of complying with the AD we removed the bracket and drilled out the plate nuts. The plate nuts will be replaced with regular lock nuts. Our work intersected with the Zenith 750 Veterans Build project when a wrecked Cessna 150H was delivered to the chapter house. The plane has been purchased by the Veterans Build in order to recover a good Continental O-200 engine for the Zenith. We helped wrestle the aircraft into a hangar on Thursday. On Saturday, we inspected the wreck and recovered any parts that we might be able to use on the Cessna project. The best find was a seat belt and shoulder harness set that appears to be better than what is in our plane. In the afternoon we brought our Cessna fuselage up to the chapter workshop so that we can begin work on it next week.

  Jan 14, 2023     Day 7 - (35 hours)       Category: Wings

Work on the Cessna's wings continued this week. The outboard section of the left aileron is bent and needs to be re-skinned. We're going to have a professional shop install new skins, but we needed to drill out all the rivets to remove the old skins. This took a couple of days and a number of drill bits. Pulleys and bell cranks were removed from the left wing. The bell cranks were then cleaned and inspected. The stall warning device was also removed from the wing and cleaned. On Saturday Tom Crone arrived to deal with the final two broken screws embedded in the right wing fuel tank frame. His expertise saved the day and both screws were finally removed. Meanwhile more cleaning took place, especially on the leading edge of the left flap which is oddly rough. Some time was taken Saturday to put the wings on a stand and get them out of the way for a couple of chapter events taking place next week.

  Jan 07, 2023     Day 6 - (55 hours)       Category: Wings

On Thursday work resumed on the Cessna following the holidays. Cleaning of the right wing and its parts continued as more attempts were made to remove screws that had broken off inside the nut plates for the fuel tank cover. In this, we were mostly unsuccessful. A small crack was found on the web of the wingtip rib. Tim fabricated a patch to fix it. At the chapter meeting we consulted with Gerry Blake about the broken screws. He recommended that we contact Tom Young who is an expert on dealing with Cessnas and their issues. On Saturday we had a great turnout and a lot more was accomplished. Tom arrived and used various techniques to remove most of the stubborn broken screws. Two remain to be dealt with. He also helped remove the fuel tank cover from the left wing. The fuel tank was then removed from the left wing along with the aileron, flap, and wingtip. Rusted screws and nuts were also removed from the mounting bracket for the vertical stabilizer. And, of course, lots and lots of cleaning took place.

  Dec 18, 2022     Day 5 - (20 hours)       Category: Wings

Today began with our Frederick Sport Flyers business meeting. Much of the discussion was devoted to the Cessna project. As a result we now have five members financially invested in the project as well as some plans and a tentative budget moving forward. Work then resumed on the wing. We removed the aileron without difficulty, but then found that the push rod bolt was somehow frozen inside the rod end. Multiple methods were tried to remove it without success until one member hit it with a rivet gun. Sometimes brute force is the answer. Meanwhile, the continuing task of cleaning everything continued. The interior of the wing was vacuumed once again, while soap and elbow grease continued to remove more dirt. The day concluded with a discussion of next steps and an initial order list of parts and supplies.

  Dec 11, 2022     Day 4 - (30 hours)       Category: Wings

Thursday began with a close inspection by Jerry Blake of the Cessna's parts located in the chapter hangar. He reported that for the most part everything looked good and he pronounced it a worthwhile project. He recommended that we spray interiors with Corrosion X as soon as possible. Jim took on the task of extricating the trim actuator from the horizontal stabilizer. As expected, that proved to be a difficult job, which required most of the day and help from almost everyone. But in the end he got it and its related parts out. The actuator will need serviced or replaced. Meanwhile, the same process was taking place with the flap motor and its related parts. Once that was removed, we were able to remove the flap as well. On Saturday we continued with work on the wing, removing the aileron bell crank and all the remaining pulleys.

  Dec 06, 2022     Day 3 - (16 hours)       Category: Wings

The main focus of these sessions was the right wing. We brought the wing into the chapter house with the intention of removing the fuel tank and inspecting the wing more closely. It proved more difficult than we imagined. The screws that secure the panel over the fuel tank had, over the course of many years, virtually welded themselves in place. We tried just about everything we could think of to loosen their death grip on the nut plates. Penetrating oil, an impact screw driver, drilling and easy-out screw extractors, a heat gun, and a Dremel tool were all employed. After considerable effort and time, the panel finally surrendered and we were able to remove the fuel tank. The tank itself looks good although parts around the filler neck will need to be renewed. With the tank out and the wingtip removed an inspection of the internal wing structure revealed it to be in remarkably good condition with very few signs of corrosion. Meanwhile, the fuselage was moved from temporary storage in hangar 11 to hangar B-10 where it will share space with the Cub for the time being.