Douglas A-26 box spar cap

[rhodie]

I am working with a restoration group working on a Douglas A-26C.

I am needing some blueprints of a wing spar cap, and was interested in seeing if anyone here knows how to get them.

 

[Sparweb]

Phone a company called Newport Aero.
[

http://www.newportaero.com/home/welcome

]

They have drawings of different aircraft if the type was at one time in military service, but since retired. I've found Bell 204B & 205A-1 helicopter stuff there.

STF

 

[rhodie]

Thanks, SparWeb.

I'll definitely call Newport Aero.

I've also called the Smithsonian, and they are sending me a huge number of related drawings taken from microfiche.

 

[Sparweb]

I'm a dammed fool: I never thought of the Smithsonian, myself. I wonder if it's any cheaper? Newport Aero isn't for the thin-of-wallet types.

Could you e-mail me the phone number down there? [sparweb@hotmail.com] There's a few questions about canopies and fuel systems on the Invader that I've never been able to answer for a customer of mine.



STF

 

[rhodie]

See linked website:

http://www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/arch/info/services.htm

I don't know about the cost of the transaction yet. I'm hoping that it is not too expensive. It looks as if to be prepared to wait a while for an answer.

 

[Sparweb]

I've sent off my query, too.

Let's see who gets an answer first!


STF

 

[rhodie]

Cool! I'll update as soon as I get anything.

 

[Sparweb]

I got a standardized reply, which only means they've acknowledged my request, but they also warn that it'll be some while yet before the full response...



STF

 

[rhodie]

The airframe I am working on was a static display in front of a local VFW for 45 years.

The plane itself is fairly corrosion free, but all those years of (high!) wind exposure have twisted and stressed the structural members pretty badly. The skin, instruments, and control surfaces are in amazingly good shape. The folks who mounted the plane simply painted over the canopy glass, keeping everything within intact. The engines are complete junk, and like most efforts of this type, restoring them will be the largest expense of the project. Haven't really paid much attention to the landing gear, but the hydraulics seem to hold pressure fairly well. (...that will probably eventually end up being another big expense!) The original paddle-blade magnesium props are worth a mint by themselves.

We hope to paint the plane in the colors of the 13th Air Squadron, 1st Bomb Group, named "Goering's Alarm Clock".

Good luck in getting your information, sounds like we might need to get those gov't research interns "motivated".

 

[sshenold]

Before I moved to take a job in a different state last year, I was working with part of the Oklahoma Wing of the Confederate--oops, now Commemorative--Air Force. They're in the process of restoring an A-26 that had come to them from the Arkansas Wing. Their airplane had been the Monarch conversion prototype airplane; this was a Rock Island Oil project, trying to market modified A-26s as a corporate airplane back in the late 50s.

Anyway, they have a complete set of A-26 detail, assembly, and installation drawings in their hangar, on microfilm, and all the Monarch STC drawings on hard copy. Being a mechanic, I tried to convince the 'powers that be' in the organization of the ENORMOUS value of these things--and that they needed to have these copied, and copies distributed throughout the organization, so that they wouldn't lose everything in a fire; they had done this with the military TOs they've got. But (as most all of the guys were pilots) I wasn't able to convince them of this before I moved.

The guy you want to contact is Rick Hudlow; the group has a website at:

http://www.saveaninvader.org

A tornado that came through the Oklahoma City area this spring heavily damaged the hangar the airplane is in. The microfilms had been in a box under a desk; I just HOPE they didn't lose them in the tornado. From what I understand, though, the airplane is in pretty good shape--well, at least it wasn't damaged too badly by the tornado. The airplane has a cracked right rear lower spar cap, completely fractured through the cap just outboard of the wing attach lug. (The photo on the front page of their website was taken a long time ago; the airplane is now in pieces.) The crack had progressed up through the web and it was just a matter of time until the whole wing separated from the airplane. Fortunately it was caught in time; Boeing Montreal donated several replacement spar caps to the CAF, and one is in process of being installed.

The airplane also has considerable corrosion to the hat section formers under the wing fuel cells. Other than that, it's in pretty good shape. As it was built at the Douglas plant in Tulsa, OK, the group hopes to have the restoration done for Oklahoma's centennial celebration in 2007.

The TOs they have also include alignment check procedures--such as they are (a lot different from modern transport-category procedures!). The structural repair TO is more like a battle damage repair manual than a true SRM. From the way the manual reads, when they wrote it they didn't anticipate that they'd still be flying 5 years after delivery, much less almost 60 years later. Some massively beefy structure on that airplane, though! Those airplanes are like the WWII equivalent of the A-10.

There's also another guy that has a privately owned A-26 based nearby in Guthrie, OK, that completed a restoration of his aircraft a couple of years ago. Don't have his number, but the airport manager's number is 405-282-4250. He may be able to put you in contact with this airplane's owner.

Regards,

Sean

 

[rhodie]

Thanks a million, Sean! Unbelieveably good information!

I'll call Mr. Hudlow very soon!

 

[Sparweb]

Got my index of their stuff last month - went through it quickly and found some stuff specific to my problems, but I've already found "alternate means" on the projects, so there's no urgent need any more.
It's kind of hard to tell which of the Parts Catalogs they show in their index is which - apparently there are 3 of them. I think I'll ask the operator about what they use.
Just in case anyone's curious, there are some A-26's still in service, waterbombing forest fires. The operator has to be clever about their maintenance of such an old type.

STF

 

[jcai]

GOOD MORNING FOLKS - GOOD TO SEE THE OLD WARBIRDS LIKE A-26 BEING OVERHAULED AND HOPEFULLY AIRWORTHY - WE HAVE SOME WARBIRD MUSEUMS HERE IN AUSTRALIA INC. FED GOVT AND MILITARY ONES - AS WELL AS PRIVATE ONES- WILL CHECK IF ANY OF THEM HAS A-26 - AND REVERT A.S.A.P.- J.C.

 

[rhodie]

The spar cap issue has been taken care of, so I've moved to another project, too.

jcai
I love working on warbirds. If I could make a career of it, I would. Maybe someday I'll get my own AT-6 or something and really have some fun. Heck, while I'm dreaming, I might as well shoot for a P-47 and die happy.

...Only a few million dollars seperates me from that reality!

Warbirds are what got me into engineering. Seeing that many complex mechanical systems working in perfect unison to make something so beautiful scream through the air gives me goosebumps, everytime.

Mass produced art, those planes are.
_____________________________________________________

My Favorite Australian Warbird.

 

[jcai]

HI RHODIE - THATS A GREAT SHOT OF SPITFIRE - IS IT MK IX ? -A-58 IS THE R.A.A.F. AIRCRAFT TYPE - R.A.A.F. HAVE NICE MUSEUM SOUTH OF MELBOURNE - AT PT COOK - YES I WOULD LIKE TO RETIRE FROM THE MODERN BOEINGS ETC THAT I WORK WITH AND MOVE TO WARBIRDS - AT PRESENT I AM MEMBER OF P.M.E.A. CLUB HERE IN SYDNEY AND WORK - AS A HOBBY - ON OVERHAULING CLASSIC MOTOR CYCLES LIKE 55 TRIUPMH TR5 .
HAD BUDDY IN VALDOSTA GA. WHO HAS T-6 - NAME OF WALT PRETTY MAN - DONT KNOW IF HE IS STILL THERE . HAD A HANGAR THERE .
WARBIRD MOVEMENT VERY STRONG HERE AND IN N.Z.
I STARTED MY APPRENTISHIP IN 1952 ON BUILDING SUNDERLAND FLYING BOATS SO HAVE BEEN DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THEM TALKING TO COMBAT CREWS + CREW CHIEFS FROM WW II IS GREAT ! HAVE EX U.S.N. AIR GUNNER OFFA MARTIN PBM-5 MARINER FLYING BOATS WHO DROPS IN NOW AND AGAIN - ALSO OLD BUDDY IN BOSTON - BILL LEE - IS EX P+W HERE - HE IS ALSO EX U.S.N. PBM-5 FLIGHT ENGINEER - HAVE NOT WORKED OUT HOW TO ADD E-MAIL ADDRESSES OR WEBSITES TO THESE FORUMS - WILL DO SO A.S.A.P. - I CLAIM SENILE DECAY = AIRCRAFT CORROSION . ALL THE BEST KEEPEMFLYIN J.C.