Legends does not just happen, it involves many people. A peep behind the hangar door in the fortnight leading up to this Legends gives a taste.
Spitfire XIV requires a carburettor overhaul, FEDEX the unit to Martin King in the USA who turns it round in record time and sends it back. Three days for two guys to fit but a control shaft leak means another FEDEX delivery from Martin. Then we are up and running.
P-47D fuel tank change and engine cylinder change, FEDEX delivers a cylinder from Precision Engines. What no gudgeon pin! CFS at Coventry can’t help, back to Precision. The pin arrives Friday at 1000hrs, the day before the show. Steve & Joe burn the midnight oil so we have a chance to get it turning and burning for the show.
Help! P-51D has a coolant leak. Not a simple one this, the head is cracked. Another cylinder block has to be found, prepared and fitted, spares are required from Aviation Jersey. The block is fitted, engine run, all is good.
Staggerwing needs a new prop! With the help of our friends at CFS and North Weald Flying Services we make it, she comes back to Duxford Friday afternoon.
The Tigercat has to fly on the 28th June but the props have to be overhauled by Legends. Props off, up to CFS Coventry, back and fitted in time.
Meantime we were trying to build a replacement radiator for the P-39, solve a problem with the Nimrod camshafts and rockers.
In the background was the biggest job of all, an engine change on the Hawk 75 in France. An engine was air freighted from the US to France, our friends from Chino, Steve and Matt flew in and did the change. Steve then flew the aircraft back to Duxford on the Thursday.
On top of that we had to fly the aircraft to revalidate pilot approvals and for the press days. The layout for the flightline was planned and altered as changes came through. No Lanc from IWM, then no Lanc landing Sunday, no A-26 from Anders. No Bristol fighter from IWM to make it a four ship lineup. Could we get all the Spits on the jet pan? Yes, and the Hurricanes with our usual four foot gap between aircraft.
In the last week TFC volunteers came in to give a hand, bomb trolleys to load with coolant and oil, crash equipment to assemble, move the aircraft etc.
All of this and more is achieved by a great bunch of engineers and volunteers.
When you hand over your money for the ticket for Legends think about what that fortnight cost and we have not even mentioned the fuel bill!
Hope to see you all again next year, it promises to be a treat with TFC’s Gladiator, MkXVIII Spitfire, P-47G and P-40B.
By: ZRX61 - 14th July 2006 at 00:02
I’m in my slippers now!
Is that “Baldrick” in “Grumpy” ?
😉
By: Beaufighter VI - 13th July 2006 at 23:01
The Volunteers of yesteryear! Seven still with us.
By: Beaufighter VI - 13th July 2006 at 22:52
I’m in my slippers now!
Is that “Baldrick” in “Grumpy” ?
By: DIGBY - 13th July 2006 at 22:33
So was Harold!
And you were as well what did we have then P40, Mk9, P51 Moose and Bearcat only the Bearcat has been there longer than us Pete eh? the others have gone But we have a great bunch of talented less older engineers so to speak coming in so don’t worry chaps our a/c are and will be in good hands for a long time yet. But Beau is nearer his slippers, pipe and rocking chair than me. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
By: Chris G - 13th July 2006 at 21:58
They numbered about 4 back in ’91 & christ knows how many volunteers.
Which rather neatly comes back to my comment about costs!!!!
I am told engineers aren’t cheap 😀 😀 😀 😀
By: ZRX61 - 13th July 2006 at 21:54
Damn, my eyes must be getting bad… “some” of the full timers?? They numbered about 4 back in ’91 & christ knows how many volunteers.
By: Beaufighter VI - 13th July 2006 at 20:06
So was Harold!
By: bentwingbomber - 13th July 2006 at 19:39
Is there anyone still on the volunteer crew from ’91 & earlier? I don’t reconise a single face there.
Two people in the picture were there in 1991
im one of them!!
By: grayfly - 13th July 2006 at 08:31
Is there anyone still on the volunteer crew from ’91 & earlier? I don’t reconise a single face there.
Yes, however the photograph is of some of the full time engineering staff. If you look closely you’ll see a couple of volunteers from that time who went over to the dark side and became full time.
By: Firebird - 12th July 2006 at 22:46
Beaufighter VI, as a fellow engineer, I salute you!!
Yup, as an Engineer also, a salute to all of you from me. 😉
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 12th July 2006 at 22:28
I’d have used my stealth camera.
It is entirely virtual
I just think I take photos
By: Roobarb - 12th July 2006 at 21:59
Good job you didn’t get your camera out to photograph the lads when you were in at ARC Melv, you’d have come away with images of some ghostly shadows wrestling to get the Aurora out of Area 51 for the next mission 😀
By: ZRX61 - 12th July 2006 at 21:56
Is there anyone still on the volunteer crew from ’91 & earlier? I don’t reconise a single face there.
By: DIGBY - 12th July 2006 at 19:16
And don’t forget we have an airshow to plan and run on top of all this ie any tech problems the visiting display aircraft may have we in general have to sort out I might add that we do sort out some problems with the visiting aircraft on the south side. Until this year we also marshalled all the south side a/c and run the passengers and crews back and forth and all that while doing what Beaufighter has said we do.
Glad you enjoyed the show
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 12th July 2006 at 00:16
Back in May I went over to do the piece that was in Aeroplane (other listings magazines are available) and took this
At this point some are still smiling, (and the work experience lad was having fun) but they were already building up to ‘the’ show.
Big hats off to all the engineers who made all of this happen and who continue to do great work. There are not enough of them and few people coming into the industry.
It is a team effort in the best sense of the word and it was a pleasure to be able to spend some time with them to learn about it.
By: Chris G - 11th July 2006 at 22:41
In a funny old way I guess that buying a new engine for the Hawk , flying it and two people to fit it from the States, Replacement heads for a Merlin, New Piston , (and gudgeon pin) for P47, canopy bits for mk 14 isn’t that cheap. I guess that in some way we all helped with that effort by buying tickets didn’t we?
By: paulmcmillan - 11th July 2006 at 22:37
Pete
Thanks for an excellent post that demonstrates what goes on behind the scenes
Paul
By: HP81 - 11th July 2006 at 22:16
Well done everyone, I hope there are enough young engineers among you to keep all the special skills alive.
I was glad to see that I may have been a tiny bit helpful on the MD11 front. 😉
By: Bruce - 11th July 2006 at 21:55
Credit where it’s due. Beaufighter VI is one of the best guys in the business and has a knack of making the impossible seem simple. These old aircraft go wrong exactly when you dont expect it, and exactly when you dont need it.
Building a Spitfire XIV canopy overnight is also no mean feat, and all credit to Dave for getting it done – I know I couldnt have done it!
To all the grumblers – start to realise just what maintaining a fleet like this entails, and you might start to be grateful for what you get. Add the restoration work on top, and you realise what a complex endeavour this can be.
All credit to Beau VI and all his team at TFC – always…
Bruce
By: Roger W - 11th July 2006 at 21:40
A real insight into the ‘behind-the-scenes’ efforts needed to keep them flying, and I’m sure that a similar story could be told by all the other operators who supported TFC last weekend. We saw the P47 towed up to the Western pan for the engine runs on Saturday morning and new that ‘something was/ had been up!’ Tried to get a response from the tow team on the way back but they kept us guessing. I’m sure that many people believe that you just pull them out, jump in and fire them up, then off into the blue. I know the work that goes in to keeping gliders, one Pawnee tug and a Falke/Venture in the air. And they’re not 60 years old! It was a brilliant day on Saturday, thanks Beau for the post and, as has been said, send it to FP.
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July 11, 2006 at 11:10 am