Back home again

We returned today from Christmas in Indiana. We had a lot of fun visiting family and friends. Though I didn't get any work done on 98K during the time period, I received a few gifts that should help in the future. I was given several manuals from Univar including the parts manual for a Stinson 108-2. This will be extremely valuable during the restoration process. It has exploded views of most assemblies and identifies every part down to the type of nuts and bolts. 98K and I also received some new wrenches, a gift card to Sears (for more tools), and some money towards the restoration. Yea!

Attached is a photo of a page I came across that my dad had found in a 1947 edition of Life magazine. When we had Stinson 8775K several years ago, we had a small display for airshows that included this page.

Hopefully I'll get back on removing things from 98K tomorrow.

Baggage compartment out

Today was my last day to work this year. It's been really busy lately with lots of airplanes to get certified and delivered before the year ended and they closed the financial books. After making some smores with Kala this evening, I removed the wood sides of the baggage compartment. These will only be good to make patterns for replacements, since they are in pretty sorry shape. The attached picture shows the view from the tail looking forward. Last night I removed the headliner from the cabin, so it's a pretty clean shot all the way to the instrument panel now. I need to start removing the aluminum stringers next. That will have to wait until the Christmas family fun is over. So, you may not see much on here for a week or so.

I have also brought a few friends from work by at lunch to inspect the progress the last few days. That has been fun. Anyone reading this who is close by and wants to have a look, just give us a call to make sure we are here. I welcome the company. You can also turn some wrenches if you feel like it!

The tail can't wag this dog anymore

As you can see from the pictures, the tail is totally off 98K now (parts are in the background against the wall). I removed the rudder and vertical stabilizer this evening. It was easier than I expected. The bolts all cooperated for once. I shouldn't call this airplane a dog as I did in this blog title, but compared to what it will look like some day, maybe that's OK. I also got the pilot side door off by sticking a screwdriver into the lock from the inside. As you may remember from an earlier post, the door handle rotated freely and I could not get it open. With the door finally off, I could get the left side interior panels out. I also removed the rear window on the left side. Not bad for only 2 hours of effort.

I took the last two evenings off. Monday night Debbie and I went to a dinner hosted by ARJ Infusion (out of Kansas City) for their patients in the Wichita area. They administer in home infusion therapy for hemophiliacs and folks that need IGG for nerve system disorders. It was a fun time with great food and conversation. The thing that made me stop and think were all the kids there who face this type of therapy the rest of their lives. Makes you thankful for the good health we have and how easy it is to take it for granted.

Last night Debbie, Kala, and I went to see the new Chipmunk movie. Not bad, though I couldn't believe the prices had climbed to $9 per ticket. Guess there are more matinees and DVD rentals in our future.

Work continues between events

Since it is the Christmas season, there are always different events to attend, and lots of fun to have. Between parties and church this weekend, I managed to get in a few hours of work on 98K. Saturday's key event was the purchase of some Liquid Wrench penetrating oil. I had a few bolts on the horizontal stabilizer that would not let go, even when a hammer was used for persuasion. I sprayed it on and let it do its magic overnight.

Sunday afternoon I finally got the horizontal stab off and also removed the passenger door, both halves of the windshield, and the top cover (glare shield) of the instrument panel. Of course, the mice had been up under the instrument panel as well, so the Shop Vac came into use once more. I also found former nests for hornets and other flying things. I also worked on removing the door frame on the passenger side, but had several screws not cooperating, even with the liquid wrench. I'll let it set for a day and try again tomorrow night. At this point I have shot 182 pictures of the disassembly process and spent about 19 hours on the project.

Kala's home from KSU

Kala came home for Kansas State University yesterday afternoon after finishing her first semester. She had a lot of fun, made some new friends, and did really well in her classes. And now, Dad has someone for the next month to help with taking things off of 98K. Kala, like her dad, is very excited about the project. She is already thinking about what the paint design should be, what fabrics we should consider for the interior, glass cockpit or steam gages,....

Parts everywhere

If you compare this side shot to Saturday's, you will note the interior is out and the right side wall panels are gone. I have not started on the left side yet because I can't get the door open. When I turned the handle the other day, I heard miscellaneous small parts fall inside of the door. So, it is now locked until I take it apart from the inside.
In the meantime, I am generating quite a pile of parts. I have several on the black shelves you can see in the background, plus the seats are on the floor in the lower left of the picture. As time goes on, I can see finding a safe, out of the way place will be vital for these until the re-assembly period begins. I'm thinking the attic over the top of the garage should work well. Some of the parts will only be good as templates for new ones. They have been patched and riveted many times over the 60 years. Aluminum is cheap and we want 98K to look good when finished!

Getting down to the bare facts

It was a strange evening of weather. We have rain/sleet coming down and there was even some thunder. May not be a lot of people moving around the city tomorrow if the forecast holds. Meanwhile, in the garage, I continued to take things off of 98K. I removed the landing gear fairings, as well as the metal on the bottom of the airplane from where the fabric ends to where the engine cowling begins. Of course, as these came off more evidence the mice had been there was discovered. Man, they got into every nook. The picture is looking aft at the belly of the airplane from the front.

I then worked on removing the interior. Seats are now out as well as what was left of the carpet. Also removed the aft panel that separates the cabin from the baggage area. I have been taking pictures as I take things apart. After I stop for the evening, I transfer the pictures to the computer, print out an index sheet, and then record in a spreadsheet what is important about each picture. I figure all this will pay off if it makes the re-assembly process easier. I think the moral to the story is to not let an engineer restore something for you! I also have an activity log I am keeping to see how many hours this takes. At some point I may not want to really know anymore, but for now its still fun.

A day for paperwork

I woke up this morning to temperatures in the low 20's, ice everywhere, and sleet falling. Our church was one of the few in the area that did not cancel services. The roads weren't as bad as I expected. In the afternoon, I did my main activity for today on 98K - I filled out the FAA registration form and wrote them a check for $5. Probably the cheapest thing I will do connected with 98K. I also went online and ordered a catalogue from Univar. Univar holds the FAA Type Certificate for the Stinson as well as several other vintage airplanes. This allows them to manufacturer replacement parts. You can get almost any airframe part you need for a Stinson from them - for a price. I'm sure Univar will have me on their list of favorite customers within the next few years!

Amazing what a utility knife can do!

I spend about 3 hours this afternoon working on 98K. First, I collected all the large debris out of the interior and then went to town with the shop-vac. Lots of leaves and bits of insulation in the interior. The battery box looked like that must have been home for the mice. I was surprised by the lack of mouse droppings. I was wearing a mask, gloves, and old clothes just in case.

Then I looked between the fabric and the headliner over the cabin. Yikes! The mice had a field day up there and really made a "mess" of the place. I removed the fabric from that area and started pulling what was left of the insulation out and shop-vacuuming the rest. Then I was on a roll. The utility knife just kept cutting. There was lots of leaves and debris in the belly all the way to the tail. It was good to get that all out of there and the fabric removed.

The steel tubing around the cabin has some corrosion - I'll have to get an expert opinion on it. Looks like the insulation got wet and wicked up water and kept it against the tubing. One of the lower pieces of the tubing near the tail needs replaced. I think the story is someone hit it with a tractor while the plane was stored in a barn.

All in all a productive day. I'll start removing metal panels and other things that take more than a utility knife next. The goal is to get it down to just the steel tubing.

The Journey Home

It is raining and around freezing today, but the fuselage of 98K made the journey safely to our garage. The wings are still safely tucked away in a building about a mile from here. Todd pulled the plane with his truck and I followed in the Mazda with the flashers going. We were limited in speed to about 30mph and had a lot of interesting looks as people went around us on K-96. The plane was pretty iced over by the time we got it into the garage. Not a good day to fly!

It was quite a trick to fit 98K in the garage (and ensure room for Debbie's car). We ended up removing the elevator and that helped a bunch. Also had to remove the tail wheel to clear the garage door opening. I learned two things from this: I need better tools and I also need penetrating oil.

The next step is to get the horizontal tail and rudder off, and then the engine and motor mount. With those items removed, it should fit into a single portion of the 3 car garage. Until then, I'll be scraping car windows in the morning. As you will see from the picture inside the garage, Kristin's Eagle flies high cover in the corner.

Waiting for the Weekend

Its Thursday evening and I am anxiously waiting for Saturday morning, watching the weather. We had freezing rain this morning. Definitely not the type of weather to tow an airplane to your home in. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I was thinking about sunnier times and came across a picture of my dad and I at Oshkosh, probably 1975 or so. We spend several days camped out by the Stinson. It was a great airplane for this type of operation. Plenty of room for a good size tent, sleeping bags, and even cots. We weren't exactly roughing it, other that eating our own cooking from a camp stove. You'll notice my hair was very blond (and long) since I spent most of the summer months riding a tractor cutting the grass at our local airport. I think I made $2.25 an hour. The good old days!

A Stinson in Need of a Good Home

I enjoy surfing the web looking at the various sites that have airplanes for sale. A week ago I came across a short add for an airplane that said "in good condition for restoration." The airplane is Stinson 9598K, a 1947 Voyager, and is located in Wichita where I live. I figured it wouldn't hurt to look. Attached is the first photo from the current owner. The plane has not flown since about 1980, and though stored inside, has been a "mouse house" for awhile. The fabric on the wing and fuselage needs replaced as well as a complete new interior. The 165 HP Franklin engine also needs to be overhauled. So, a ground up restoration is required. After discussing it with my wife, she reluctantly gave me the green light. I made a deposit and it comes to our home next Saturday, weather permitting. I have the garage cleaned out and it is ready to become a restoration factory the next few years. The target is Oshkosh 2010, but the job will be paced more by money than time probably. I will use this blog site to keep friends and family apprised of the progress.

Once Upon a Time

In 1973, my dad and I re-assembled a 1947 Stinson 108-2 that had just been recovered and re-did the interior. Stinson 8775K was a "Station Wagon" version and had wood panels in the interior. It had a 150 HP Franklin and was a very nice flying airplane with great handling qualities. I finished learning to fly and received my Private Pilot's license in March of 1974. My dad and I had many adventures in this airplane, including several trips to Oshkosh. I also proposed to my wife in this airplane. It passed on to owners outside the family in 1984 but my heart has always had a soft spot for this airplane and the memories it helped make.