As if the job wasn’t difficult enough…

Good luck getting her running again! The Buccaneer is a gorgeous aircraft!

Plazz

Wot – no genuine engine removal hoist! Using a crane! Half the fun of an engine change was getting the hoist assembled and hoping that everything was connected correctly during the drop. How many attempts does it take you to get the mounting trunion connected. It took us half a shift once at Laarbruch, ended up having to swing the engine repeatedly against the airframe – it engaged eventually! Oh-and wirelocking the trunion, how many times on the locking nuts was it- six? Oh happy days! :diablo:

With regard to the fuel injectors, we used to soak the combustion system for around 12 hours using a substance called “LIX” I don’t think it’s called by that name anymore as we started using a substitute.

Keep up the good work! (Oh, and also try removing the engine in full NBC suit and gas mask on a really hot day – Kinky!)

Cheers

BeefyBoy aka Beef Dobie from the 16 Sqn (Buccaneer) Groundcrew website

Cheers Plazz.
Not exactly easy to drop a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in tough so this is the next best thing. Best wishes for a tough job and hopefully the weather co-operates better.

What was the reason for an engine change?

Peter,

The Spey 101 fitted to the Buccaneer has 10 fuel spray nozzles in each combustion section. They are spaced equally around the circumference of the engine towards its rear. The nozzles are made up of two parts, a ‘primary’ jet and a ‘main’ jet. The primary jet is very small and sprays a fine mist of fuel into the combustion chambers where it is ignited. The main jets spray a large volume of fuel around the primary fuel which is to wet to ignite by itself, but ignites of the back of the already burning primary fuel.
After lots of diagnostic work we found that due to lack of use of the engines for the best part of 10 years some of the primary jets have become blocked just like they can in any fuel system.
We attempted to clear them with the engines in situ using very high pressure nitrogen (1500 psi) but found that although some of them cleared it tended to alter the angle of the fuel spray and therefore the fuel atomisation was not correct for ignition.
Our spare engine was checked and ground run, so we know it works ok. So to be able change the faulty fuel nozzles the engine had to come out to get access to the ones around the back. We have replacement nozzles so the plan is to change them in the starboard engine that we have just removed, ground run it and then swap it for the port engine which has the same problem.

I hope all this makes sense!

Plazz

engine change?

What was the reason for an engine change?

Unfortunately the job didn’t get finished. Although the storm hampered our attempts to change the engine, it did not entirely thwart us! What did though was a small gas sealing ring located on the engine tail pipe.
During the course of fitting the new engine in the early evening, everything was lined up, but in the middle of the final push home into the jet pipe the stainless steel gas ring jumped out of its locating channel. Sadly the ring suffered some damage and needs repair/replacement. As it was late we had no choice but to remove the new engine and down tools for the night. Totally gutted we sat down and over a coffee and hatched a new plan to sort the stainless ring issue and re-fit the spare engine in two weeks time.
All I can say is watch this space because we are determined to have XX894 running for the August open day.

Plazz

Spare engine ready to go in….

Thanks Rlangham.
Another brunty bird going under cover!

That’s the Beech 18 ‘Naval Encounter’, she’s in a RUB hangar, needs the cover putting over it which should be done before winter I think (Phil or TT know more), be good to get her properly undercover

what is the skinless building in the background and is that the beech18 in it?

Love shots 7 and 9 the 1st class toilet block, super.

And we will get round to painting that tug one day

I got a load of shots as well, will post them tonight.

Before the storm arrived we had been working on 904’s starter snag and managed to fix it, so she’s all ready for the Aug open day 🙂

Fransis assume you carried on with it on Sunday, any problems ?

Cheers

WOW ,I love skies like that.

OOhh that crane would have been a nice lightening conductor.We are but ants in regard to the savageness of mother nature.Had a storm like that here today.Thing was we are in the middle of winter,very unusual for this time of year.Can,t complain,we need the rain desperately.Going onto level 5 water restrictions next month,i.e,….no outside water whatsoever..scarey times ahead.

God – what did you do to your Hallam! PINK……..

What a sky!! Hope everything and everyone is ok after it?!

I gave the lads advanced warning that the storm was heading in their direction, good shots Francis.

Hope everything went to plan, juices flowing at the mere thought of seing her do a taxi run.

Regards,

John.

Shots with a real difference there,it begs the question did you get the job done?
I wouldn’t have liked to be any were near that high lifter folk truck, on an open airfield during the electric storm that looks like its on its way.
thanks for posting plazz
dave

Blimey, hope you guys got undercover in time – journey home took about three times longer than normal and bits of trees flying everywhere!