Willie Checks Things Out

I installed the upper stringer assembly this afternoon. It uses drift screws in several places in the aft fuselage. I have decided this was a great invention for its time - it is like a rivet with threads. All you do is tap it in with a hammer. The front end of the upper stringer assembly is held in place with machine screws, which I eventually ran out of. Off to the aircraft hardware store at lunch tomorrow.

I was impressed that after all the welding we did, all the tabs lined up!

Willie was interested in checking out the cabin, so I put him inside. It was a little too slick for his liking - guess he will need to wait for the carpet to get installed. You can also see the floor of the baggage compartment is installed and the forward wall in temporarily in place.

I found a few other pieces as I was sorting through my pile of parts this afternoon that looked like this is about the time to install them. I browsed through my hundreds of photos I took during the dismantling operation and have now determined where they go. The pile is getting smaller! Below is a before and after shot.

Before and After Fusleage Shot

A contrast from December 21, 2007 and now.

Upper Stringer Assembly Primed

What are the odds of two beautiful weekends in a row during August in Kansas? Apparently, pretty high! We have another weekend with no rain and temperatures just hitting 80. Of course, the real test will be next weekend, which is a 3 day weekend thanks to Labor Day.

I took advantage of the nice temperatures and decided to clean and prime the upper stringer assembly for the top of the fuselage. This assembly had been hanging in the top of the garage for about a year and a half, patiently waiting its turn for attention. It was not as bad as the lower assembly, which makes sense. So, it was cleaned with a scotch brite pad quickly and I moved on to the epoxy primer.

I painted the top, took Debbie to a Mexican restaurant for lunch, and then painted the bottom. I also touched up the top again - I ran out of paint the first time and did not want to mix up more. The picture is half way through the process, just before leaving for lunch.

In other news, I received my order from Univair Thursday - finally. Not sure why it took so long. I also bought some more plywood and had my friend Jim cut out two new pieces for the baggage compartment. I finished varnishing those today. I also have the floor of the baggage compartment mounted to the sub-structure. I just need to put that into the fuselage. So, progress continues!

Wash Day for 98K

As you may recall from previous posts, 98K sat in a barn for about 30 years. During that time, it was a haven for many a rodent, who were kind enough to eat most of the insulation and carpet. Of course, they showed no respect for 98K and left calling cards everywhere.

I had Shop-Vac'd the wings as much as I could when I removed the fabric. But they really needed a good old cleaning. This afternoon, with temperatures barely at 80 with no wind, it seemed like a good time to get this task accomplished. I didn't want to wait much longer and run the risk of running out of hot days. Yea, I know, a low risk for Kansas.

I used my trusty electric pressure washer and a scrub brush. Between the two, the wings look a lot better. I left them in the sun for awhile to dry out completely.

After the wings, I turned my attention to the tail pieces which I had soda blasted last winter. Every time I move or bump them, a small cloud of baking soda comes out, so I figured a good flush would solve the problem. They also sat in the sun to dry out. They really warmed up, sort of the hot tin roof syndrome.

Anyway, I can cross another task off the list. I'll return to the wings later this fall after I finish getting the fuselage prepped for covering. Willie supervised the activity until he grew tired and took a nap on the garage floor in the shade. Man's best friend - as long as they like airplanes.

Only one crack

While cleaning the wings, I kept an eye open for things that will need repair. The leading edge is kind of funky at one tip and I also found one crack. I painted the area black so I could find it again. At least the wings are not as bad as the fuselage was with all of that corrosion. It shouldn't be too hard to fix this crack. I'll have Wade give the wings the official review later this fall.

Baggage Compartment in Work

After fitting the floor boards as previously posted, I moved on to the baggage compartment. I had to drill out several rivets that held the old floor in place. With that accomplished the old baggage compartment floor came off and the new one slipped into place perfectly. However, I soon determined that sometime in 98K's past, modifications were made to the side walls of the baggage compartment. There is no way the standard baggage compartment canvas would attach or fit properly. It looks like there was not even a top to the previous baggage compartment. It looked nothing like the parts catalog diagram.

So, I contacted Wade, fellow Stinson restorer just down the road, and asked if I could see his airplane. He was gracious enough to not only show me his airplane, but he actually offered his old forward and left side walls for templates. To top that off, he provided copies of the original Stinson drawings for the baggage compartment! I also took a bunch of digital pictures. Wow!

I brought all of that home tonight and studied 98K closely. I think I have everything figured out, at least enough to boldly place an order with Univair for more parts! They should arrive maybe by the weekend. In the meantime, I have two more pieces of mahogany plywood to cut and stain.

In hindsight, I probably should have questioned this before cutting and staining what I thought would be the correct pieces for the baggage compartment. Given the other weird things we have found (i.e. the flap cable routing), I am not surprised by this.

Floor Boards Fit Check

As mentioned previously, I have been working on new floor boards the last few days. In addition, I also am making a new floor and sides for the baggage compartment. It took about 3.5 sheets of 4' by 8' by 1/4 inch mahogany plywood to do all of these parts. The varnish was finally dry today, so I decided to do a fit check of the forward and aft cabin areas. While there are a few runs of varnish here and there, it turned out well. The sad news is most folks will never see the fine look of the wood as it will have carpet over it. So, enjoy the photo!

Next, I need to add a few reinforcing pieces and finish the installations below the floor boards. Then I can install them permanently. I am also taking apart the components of the baggage compartment so I can replace that wood. Once I get the floors in, I can continue with the re-do of the interior. It may not be long before I can sit in 98K and make engine sounds and dream of first flights! Though there is much work to go before that day can become reality.

Floor Boards In Process

I laid out the new floor boards on 1/4 inch mahogany plywood a few weeks ago. I used the old ones for templates. Then, my friend Jim volunteered to cut them for me. He provided them last week, but between a Mid-America Antique Airplane Fly-In and a quick trip to Indiana, I haven't had time to do much with them until tonight.

I first coated them with 2 coats of DMMP. This liquid improves the flammability properties of the bare wood. I will next mix 4% DMMP into the varnish I will use. I am also making test strips using the same finish technique and will take them to the burn lab at work and test them for flammability characteristics once completed. Should be fun!

So, hopefully tomorrow night I can start to apply the varnish. Stay tuned.

Neat Oshkosh Video

Here is a link to a YouTube video someone sent me regarding AirVenture 2009. It is very well done. After seeing many of these sights in person, this is as close to being there as possible. Enjoy! The Stearman that is leaving at the end is from the Wichita area, too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKU0uQki5Dc

More On Oshkosh 2009

After all good vacations, you have a lot to catch up on. I got the grass cut tonight, sorted the bills and paid them, went through e-mail,.... Finally, time to think about airplanes again.

I met a lot of great people at Oshkosh and saw a lot of neat airplanes. We had a great time despite the rain and lightning on Monday evening. At least the new tent kept us dry.

I handed out cards to a few folks that contained this blog site address so they could follow the restoration activity on 98K. Welcome if you are just checking in! I was talking with a rep from Aspen Avionics about installing their display in the Stinson. He mentioned someone had forwarded a blog site of a guy in Wichita considering doing the same. Turns out that is my blog site! What a small world!

I saw several Stinsons, probably at least 15. The above picture is of the airplane that won Outstanding Stinson. It is owned by Shawn Haring of Lincoln, Kansas. Wow, almost a neighbor!

Besides seeing lots of airplanes and great aerobatics, I also had a chance to see first hand some of the items I have been drooling over for the instrument panel. Garmin also announced a new G500 cockpit display. More to think about!

Of course, we dropped by the Hawker Beechcraft display. Kala tried on a King Air as well as a Premier for size. Good thing we don't have money, or there would be a C90GTi with her name on it - of course that wouldn't be all bad!

While I was gone, my friend Jim cut the floor boards and baggage compartment pieces from the 1/4 inch mahogany plywood for me. I asked him how it was going today and he said he wanted to do a little more sanding tonight and then he would be finished. Wow! Great help comes from many directions.

Back from Oshkosh

Debbie, Kala, and I journeyed to Oshkosh for the EAA AirVenture fly-in last weekend. We drove this year, hoping to fly 98K next year. We arrived Monday late morning and stayed until mid day on Wednesday. The picture at the left shows our accommodations.

There is much to tell about our trip, but we had a long drive from Indiana today (we spent the last half of the week visiting family). So, I will post a video for your entertainment. It is of a Lancaster Bomber arriving at Oshkosh. I think this may be the last one left still flying. Wow! What a sound. More details on the fun later.