While the cats away!!

My wife headed off today for a week trip to Sydney. So what was the first thing I did after dropping her off at the bus station? Why I converted the lounge room into an aircraft worksop of course!! (Luckily my wife does not read this forum!)

 

Even prepared by bringing the rudder of the Auster home to begin a re-paint!!! I also bought the dash due to instrument problems, what is the legality of an L2 working on ultralight instrument internals, anybody know??? Want to re-work my Mark 1A Turn Indicator and check the ASI for calibration. Going to be lots of fun had here this week!!!

 

 

 

 

Well prepared - I see a Pittspanner on the table.

 

 

You mean the giant hammer?

 

 

Well prepared - I see a Pittspanner on the table.

djp

Being a foreign-born ozzie, I'm not familiar with the term 'Pittspanner'. Are you referring to the empty beer bottle or the 4 lb sledge? Enlightenment please.

 

 

Pitts spanner = hammer - from the overwhelming use of it in preference to a wrench when assembling the beastly biplane. I've heard that bigger ones are needed for assembling Yaks. I have no idea why one would be used on an Auster rudder or instrument.

 

 

Are you referring to the empty beer bottle

It's an empty sarsaparilla bottle, I do not mix alcohol and fine instrument adjustments!!!

 

I have no idea why one would be used on an Auster rudder or instrument.

djp, it's for the finer tuning and adjustments on the instruments, isn't it the recommended tool for such things?

 

 

Now, if we can just get this on to Facebook!

 

 

So which of you had the Birthday?

 

 

HAHA, well picked. It was my birthday earlier this month.

 

Turbo all I can say is THANKFULLY my wife does not go on face book either!!!!!

 

 

I realise now the big hammer is to defend yourself just in case she gets back early!

 

 

I realise now the big hammer is to defend yourself just in case she gets back early!

MMMMMM A nice thought Turbo but I fear if she comes home early I would be on the receiving end of the blows! (especially considering I just spilled red food die on the carpet:augie: )

 

Here is how I have spent the first morning of my 6 days alone.

 

This is my alternate source of vacuum suction. Originally I had planned to bring the venturi home, attach a long line to it and run like bugger while holding it in the airflow to get the gryo's to spin to test them all. This seemed like a far more innovative solution!!

 

 

This is the ASI Manometer I whipped up this morning also. I suspect I have a fairly inaccurate airspeed gauge and soon I will able to actually test it to see!!!! I love rainy days!

 

 

 

 

I did something like this once. Do you want to know how long it will be before you get 'any' again if you get caught?

 

 

Pitts spanner = hammer - from the overwhelming use of it in preference to a wrench when assembling the beastly biplane. I've heard that bigger ones are needed for assembling Yaks. I have no idea why one would be used on an Auster rudder or instrument.

Frustration. DJP.... Frustration!

 

Kaz

 

 

I did something like this once. Do you want to know how long it will be before you get 'any' again if you get caught?

40 years?

 

 

You said "die" on the carpet, when I presume you meant spilt "dye". Perhaps a Freudian slip on your part? Nev

 

 

What were you thinking of, painting your rudder with red food dye anyway? It's blokes like you Louis, that make the stupid things the rest of us do, seem not so bad after all. Keep it up, take one for the team!

 

 

I did something like this once. Do you want to know how long it will be before you get 'any' again if you get caught?

Well the idea is that because we run a motel I have to do everything while she is gone. That gives me extra browny points so I figure if I get caught, it should keep us about even! Now I know it does not work that way, but it has given me the bravery to go ahead and do it all the same!!

 

What were you thinking of, painting your rudder with red food dye anyway? It's blokes like you Louis, that make the stupid things the rest of us do, seem not so bad after all. Keep it up, take one for the team!

Well dye is cheaper than paint and it will make me look like a Tuskegee Airman!!! I am happy to be teased because rank while you all suffer at your jobs this is what I spent my day doing!!

 

Here is the ASI all hooked up to the Manometer I built yesterday.

 

I am not sure how many people have done this but it was a very interesting technique. Below there is also a graph showing the errors that where in the ASI, between 10-20 knots which is a fair whack of incorrect airspeed across the speeds! I tested it 4 times and it came out consistently the same so I am guessing it should be fairly accurate.

 

Wonder how many other aircraft have gauges reading incorrectly?

 

 

 

Of Course the measuring was easy, the adjusting was a lot harder! Ever seen the inside of an ASI!!! You should all note I am only going this far because I have a fresh, brand new ASI in a box coming from USA as we speak!!!!

 

 

My make shift dial to facilitate adjustments while connected to the Manometer, will test the unit again tomorrow and see how close to accurate I have made the gauge!

 

 

 

Then after the ASI was re-assembled and drying I set to work on my T&B gauge!!!! I wish I had taken photo's of the disassembled gyro and gimbals but unfortunately I was to busy concentrating on not loosing any of those itsy bitsy free rolling bearing balls!!!!

 

This is a physical exploded diagram of a Mark 1A T&B. So many fiddly pieces!!!!

 

 

This little return spring was causing most of the grief. The whole gauge was inop prior to this

 

 

Here is a shot of a freshly installed spring, supplied by a local clock repair shop! I also cleaned out the gummed up dampeners on both the slip an turn indicator. Re-adjusted the gimble clamps and re greased the noisy noisy bearings!!! Works like a charm when connected to my vacuum cleaner!!! So know if any one asks me "Have you seen inside a Mark 1A" I can say yes, yes I have!!!!

 

 

 

So now if any one asks me "Have you seen inside a Mark 1A" I can say yes, yes I have!!!!

Well done Louis... Well done...

 

 

Well done Louis... Well done...

Louis, John didn't send the wife off for a week when he painted the Gazelle on our patio I stayed & helped. In fact I spent 2 years in total helping him & a friend repair & rebuild the Gazelle on the patio & it was the best time ever. We were working on the project & if anything we had a closer bond through it. We are now doing up a 1964 Ford Thunderbird & enjoying that as well. The patio is a mess still cleaning yellow paint off thing from the overspray etc, but hey in the end we have the satifaction of "We did it together & how great it looks. As for the red die on the carpet maybe try soda water & sponge it out with that, I know it works on Soy Sauce. Good luck on the work the pics look fantastic. I thought the stand may have been an IV drip for when the wife comes back LOL.

Regards

 

Sue & John

 

 

Louis, John didn't send the wife off for a week when he painted the Gazelle on our patio I stayed & helped.

At first Sue I thought you would make all the fellow husband/pilots on here extremely jealous. Then I realised a fair portion of them will probably have the following reaction "Let my wife work on my aeroplane. ARE YOU MAD?"

 

Truth is though Sue you have let the cat out of the bag. My wife is nothing short of a willing aviation participant, whether it be bashing the Auster with hammers or flying it. She is also fine with me bringing bits of the plane home to adjust or tweak (although admittedly I have not run the whole lounge room workshop part past her!) and she even goes flying with me after which means there must be some misplaced confidence in my ability!!!

 

 

 

 

What are you up to this Saturday?

 

 

What are you up to this Saturday?

Tara is away until Tuesday so will be manning the reception all weekend long. You going flying? Could do the weekend after for taking you up in the Auster?

 

 

My wife headed off today for a week trip to Sydney. So what was the first thing I did after dropping her off at the bus station? Why I converted the lounge room into an aircraft worksop of course!! (Luckily my wife does not read this forum!)Even prepared by bringing the rudder of the Auster home to begin a re-paint!!! I also bought the dash due to instrument problems, what is the legality of an L2 working on ultralight instrument internals, anybody know??? Want to re-work my Mark 1A Turn Indicator and check the ASI for calibration. Going to be lots of fun had here this week!!!

Very naughty . Better not make a big mess with your tools.

 

Happy birthday wishes too!

 

 

Then after the ASI was re-assembled and drying I set to work on my T&B gauge!!!! I wish I had taken photo's of the disassembled gyro and gimbals but unfortunately I was to busy concentrating on not loosing any of those itsy bitsy free rolling bearing balls!!!!This is a physical exploded diagram of a Mark 1A T&B. So many fiddly pieces!!!!

 

 

This little return spring was causing most of the grief. The whole gauge was inop prior to this

 

 

Here is a shot of a freshly installed spring, supplied by a local clock repair shop! I also cleaned out the gummed up dampeners on both the slip an turn indicator. Re-adjusted the gimble clamps and re greased the noisy noisy bearings!!! Works like a charm when connected to my vacuum cleaner!!! So know if any one asks me "Have you seen inside a Mark 1A" I can say yes, yes I have!!!!

 

Er Louis ,

 

Those brass screws do look like they've been " attacked " before . You're not a boilermaker by any chance are you ?

 

Bob