May 1 - Rat Update!
Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 9:00 pm
I missed Scott's update window, so I'll post a few picts and tell you what's
going on in Northern Illinois.
Did you realize that the B-17's horizontal Stabilizer is as almost
as big as an AT-6's wing? Yeah. Mike and Randy decided to pull
down the stabs, and get cracking on the tail feathers. One of
Mike's stabs is in really good condition. The other...well...
Let's just say that time has not been too kind to it.
You can see that it is full of holes, and corrosion is abundant.
Here is (what is left of) a stabilizer spar section:
Mike had the good fortune to have Fighter Squadron 4 our on 4/26.
With the abundant help, significant progress was made on drilling the
skins off, bead blasting some parts, and general cleanup and
organization in the workshop. Here are a few shots of Fighter
Squadron 4 in action!
You can see Mike marking the skins. For the record, it looks like
nary a single skin of this particular stab will make it back onto the stab.
It was a noisy day with a dozen drills going, but what a productive day it was!
Here is a photo of a FS4 member working on a Rat control wheel spider.
Last but not least, our very own Chris M. telling me not to hit the shutter button.
Mike wanted me to put up a BIG THANK YOU
to Fighter Squadron 4 for all their help on Saturday. It was much appreciated, and you all should come out more often!
Work on the Rat is progressing again, now that the weather is warmer.
Two days after these pictures were taken, it snowed.
Global warming, my foot!
