C-45 Back from Prop Shop in Mesa Az

Yesterday Josh flew Vital (737 Co Pilot from Brazil) and Patrick, Janet and I to Falcon Field, Mesa Az to pick up the C-45. Air Response had finished installed the newly AD'd (and painted) props and we were looking forward to flying the C-45 again. After a 2 hour flight in the Plus One Piper Apache, Josh and Bret (his IP) dropped us off at Air Response. After an engine run up, we departed Mesa, and headed up to Sedona Az to have lunch and check out the red rocks! Then we headed off to the Grand Canyon, which was covered (on the North Rim) with snow. The canyon always looks immense! After the overfligtht we flew back to San Diego, and took an aerial tour of the WWII General Patton Training Camps, ending up at Chiriaco Summit (then called Camp Young) and then back into San Diego Gillespie Field. We washed the dirt off the C-45 so we are all set for the March ARB Airshow this weekend.

C-45 Props back on the Plane;

Billy from Air Response in Mesa AZ wrote the the C-45 props are back on as of today. The prop dome is polished vs dull aluminum, and the blades are painted black with the Navy prop arc danger markings now on the tips vs the USAF yellow that used to be there.

We are flying out on Monday to Mesa to pick her up and fly her back to San Diego, so the C-45 will be available for the March ARB Show next weekend.

This weekend we are flying the T-28 -- up to Hemet then Palm Springs tomorrow, T-34, and L-29 on Sunday.

The new hangar is being painted tomorrow so if you are in the area of Gillespie this weekend, stop by.

WWAM Hangar Buildout Continues

I stopped by the "new" WWAM hangar tonight to check out the progress. The dividing wall between the two hangars is now gone, with the exception of the extreme rear wall between the two bathrooms. This gives us a 50 x 110 ft hangar, which will house 4 of the 5 WWAM planes at least.

Construction continues to install a sink / cabinet in the "men's bathroom" and some plastic removable railings with plastic chains to "alert" folks in the hangar of the 6 in step down between the two hangars.

The T-34 is in the hangar, and the T-28 should be able to join it this weekend.

Friday pm I am making a fuel run to Brown Field after work, then on Saturday / Sunday we are flying the T-34, T-28, and L-29.

T-34 Annual Complete; Aircraft back at Gillespie

Thanks for Justin's hard work and thoroughness he finished the T-34 Annual Inspection today (Sunday 4-18). He found that the compression was fine -- all cylinders in the 70s (it was allegedly low last year), he also found most of the spark plugs were only hand tight, no one had torqued or even tightened them last year); He fixed an oil leak on the pre-oiler, and fixed the CHT temp probe gauge issue; and blew out the R/L hand fuel tank vents as I was having a hard time starting on the left tank (maybe a plugged vent line?). The plane flew well, taking off into the perennial Flabob hurricane force winds. As I approached Temecula Gillespie was reporting 1800 OVC, so I landed at French Valley got out the IFR charts, a flash light and prepared for an instrument approach into Gillespie. SOCAL vectored me for the LOC-D approach and I never actually got into solid IFR and landed in the rain at Gillespie. T-34 is in the new (old CAF hangar) for the week getting ready for rides next Saturday.

L-29 Flap Retract Issue Fixed

Saturday was a busy day! Vlada (Aero Vodachody Factory Mechanic) returned to Gillespie from Thermal to finishing testing the flap micro switch installation. Patrick was on hand to work with Vlada and Rebecca (OC College A/P student). We got out the L-29 and ran it on the ramp (much to the chagrin of the Jean's Flight School students. After the test run, we put the L-29 back into the hangar and proceeded to reinstall first the right wing, then the left. Thanks to Janet for buying / providing lunch for all in the hangar.

Larry texted he was leaving Redding in his T-34 after his annual inspection, and after a refuel stop at Visilia he returned safely to Gillespie and was on hand for the wrap up of the L-29.

Josh Huggins called from the "closed" Gillespie Cafe with a couple of students (one from QCOM) and he taxied over to each the rest of our leftover lunch. We secured for the day!

L-17A Navion Annual Completed - Flown Back to Gillespie

Justin finished the annual inspection on the L-17A. He found the mixture set extremely lean which was causing the backfiring on engine start and taxiiing. Also the gas colator had the wrong gasket. He also rebuilt both main landing gear struts so they move freely now. Good job Justin. The plane flew great back into the low overcast over Ramona, which LUCKILY had not extended to Gillespie which was clear. Justin had kept the towbar, so the Navion is back on the ramp, vs in the new hangar. (Justin now has the T-34, T-28, and L-17 tow bars ;-)

T-34 Flown Up to Flabob for Annual

I dropped off the T-34 at Flabob Airport after work 4/14, and gave a couple of the Wathen School students a ride in the T-34. Mondo student #1 is working on completing his A/P at Flabob, and Justin is trying to get him in the Air Guard. Austin is a student pilot and ready to take his check ride. Both enjoyed the flights. Now its up to Justin to get the Annual completed in the next week before he returns to NY 4/20 and more flying of C-130s. All squawk list items will be completed in San Diego by our Maintenance Team (Rebecca, Patrick, Josh, Lisa, me and everyone else who wants to come out and help).

Los Alamitos Airshow L-29 Confirmation

Looks like we are going back to Los Alamitor AAF at the end of October with the L-29. Nice show (static); Typically Rick Morrisson goes along as well in the AD-4 Skyraider. (Ed and Wayne pose at MCAS Miramar next to the L-29). I will finish up painting all the red numbers this weekend while Patrick, Rebecca, and Vlada put the wings back on and test out the flaps / hydraulics.

New Batteries for the M151A2

Thanks to Brodings Batteries, near EDCO / Grossmont Center, we now have 2 new batteries in the M151. Broadway Auto Electric couldn't get them from Interstate. Deka Battery makes them (they are a US 2HN for military vehicles). So now we are back in business and don't have to push the jeep in / out of the hangar everytime we want to fly.

C-45 Prop AD and Tail Repair Nearing Completion

I got an email this am from Billy at Air Response (Falcon Field in Mesa AZ). He is nearing completion on the Hamilton Standard - every 5 year corrosion inspection --AD on the two C-45 props. No issues were found, and he is now painting the props black, and striping the ends IAW Navy Standards (White / Red / White); He has also buffed out the Prop domes to a "chrome like finish" and will finish and reinstall them by next Tuesday.

So I need to plan out a trip to Mesa and get the C-45 and bring it back in time for the March ARB Air Show first weekend in May. Anyone want to fly back in the C-45? Need to get a SWA ticket to Phoenix and donate some gas money!

CAF AG-1 T-6 Gear Up Landing at Ramona Airport Saturday

According to witnesses they were on a training flight and just forgot to put the gear down. Bent prop, required engine teardown, sheetmetal damage, and main wheels / rims ground down. http://www.faa.gov/data_research/accident_incident/preliminary_data/events01/media/11_7300C.txt

T-28 Prop Repaired at Golden State Prop (SLO)

On Tuesday / Wednesday of last week I flew the T-28 up to San Luis Obisbo thanks to Patrick and Rebecca getting the left main strut repaired. The weather was fantastic. To avoid LA Class B I headed North to Ontario, then Burbank, Van Nuys, Santa Barbara, past Santa Maria and into San Luis Obisbo (1.5 hour flight). Eric and his crew got to work right away, pulling the prop at the San Luis Jet Center hangar, tearing the prop apart and resealing it. The newly resealed prop was hung on Wednesday at noon, run up and I headed back to Gillespie Field. The T-28 is now ready for flight and the March ARB Airshow Trainer Parade.

WWAM Military Vehicles moved to Miramar FLM

After the early termination, on Saturday, of the L-29C wing / flap work, Patrick, Josh, and I headed over to Miramar to move all the Military Vehicles from the MCAS Miramar RV parkging lot over to their new home at the Flying Leatherneck Museum.

We got the trailer, water buffalo, M1010 Ambulance, M1009 Blazer, Mig 21 Cockpit on a trailer, and M1008 Pick Up plus the M35A2 "Duece and a half, over to the Flying Leatherneck Museum around 430pm. We got to chat with Dick Miller, a retired US Marine, the weekend manager, and also a FLM board member. He directed us to park the Military Vehicles between the F-4 Phantom and the Iraqi Artillery and Tracked Armored Personnel Carriers, which is where they now residing (see photo)!

L-29C Delfin Stuck Wing Flap Fix

This weekend Vlada from the Mig Museum at Thermal came to the WWAM hangar on Saturday am with Lilly (the translator and his lovely wife).

Volunteers on hand were John Janesta (who we found out speaks Czech), Larry, Josh, Patrick, and myself. We removed the cap strips to the wing attach points, which, thankfully came off fairly easily do to lubing them up when we re-installed them at the last annual.

As suspected by Vlada the microswitches were the issue. However there was no possible way to remove them from between the wings without "pulling" the wings. So after 1/2 days effort we went over to the Cafe for lunch, and Lilly and Vlada went home to return on Sunday with the L-29 wing jacks to pull one or both wings.

On Sunday Vlada showed up at 0710 and we commenced assembling the wing stand to pull the left wing first. After we got the wing off, we found flap actuating rod blocked the removal of the flap up micro switch. We then went and pulled the right wing, and same thing. Patrick suggested pull off the electrical connections, leaving the bad switches in place, and install the new switches in the plugs basically bypassing the bad switches. That would allow the flaps to become operational and the flap actuating rod would move out of the way of the micro switch. We did that (now its around 130pm) and no luck. The rod still blocks the removal of the switch. By then Larry (c/s McGuiver) had shown up, but even Larry couldn't figure out how to get the micro switch out of there. So Patrick and Vlada reverted to plan C, which was pull the flap actuator / rod off the wing rib. An hour later the actuator was off and the micro switch changed. Re-installation commenced, and then removal and re-installation on the right wing. After both switches and actuators were back in (430pm now) the battery was too low to start the engine and test the system's operation due to repeated use spinning the jet engine to provide hydraulics to the flaps.

Vlada departed around 5pm and Patrick and I parked the T-34 and T-28 in the "new" (old CAF) hangar to keep all the planes from getting rained on. We plan on starting again next Saturday (4/17) to test run the jet and re-install the wings.

During the week (after work) the plan is to work on re-painting the red / black markings on the L-29 nose.

Jim