Just a mini update:

Not much heavy work carried out on WR963 this weekend. Most of the crew were away on various family/xmas duties so the few of us that made it to Coventry set about a few small maintenance tasks for the Night Runs. There’s an intermittant fault with the starboard wingtip light, but other than that everything seems okay.

I have been told 963 is probably going to be the last aircraft running on the night run; hopefully that will be confirmed tomorrow and I might have more of an idea of the full order.

We did also manage to get a couple of the carrier points working again in the bomb bay ready for the fitting of the pannier in a couple of weeks time.

Our carpenter (Vic) and our fabricator (Gary), have finished their stint on the MR1 until it goes back indoors, so they have been recruited to turn their hand to the bombdoors. This work should start just after new year.

Regards,

Rich

26 Nov

With the night run fast approaching, we didn’t want to be down to two engines, given that our ongoing issue with No 2 prop puts us down one from the full four. Not groovy! Not happening either. We were determined to repair the snag with No 3 engine.

(this was the issue of a large amount of fuel from the drains, and a reluctance to stop when the Slow Running Cut Off was activated.)

Well, all this week e-mails had been flying backward and forward, scans of manuals, and the Griffon AP was being studied in several homes up and down the country. We had a plan.

Arriving at Coventry early in the morning, we set about removing various cowling panels and then set about removing the intake ducting that contains the filters.

This is secured by pip pins, and a couble of latches, but is made difficult to remove by the drains and the air operated, spring loaded flap that selects where the inlet air comes from.

It took us just under an hour to get the engine to a state where we coud see up into the throttle, and if cracked open, beyond it into the supercharger’s intake. The throttle is a rotary barrel, which is in the rectangular duct at the bottom of this pic.

With the aid of a bright light, we than activated the slow running cutoff and the booster pumps. By monitoring where the excess fuel appeared from (as the drains all terminate here) we could tell where the fault lay.

Within seconds there was a large amount offuel issuing from the discharge nozzle – which is supposed to be closed under slow running cutoff, and a small dribble from the solenoids own drain. We did replace both these items last week, but it seems they still werent quite right.

Reaching up into the intake, we could see the nozzle wasn’t seating properly, so this time it was removed along with its housing. The AP was consulted, and the parts from the latest mod state of engine fitted – taking care at each stage during reassembly to make sure it was seating.

The solenoid was also removed, the valve body submerged in WD40, and the electrical portion cleaned of decades old grease.

Putting it all back together we once again tested the system, and this time the boost pump was running for double the time required to prime the lines, without any fuel dumping. After getting all the ducting back in place (which it never wants to do) we set about testing the engine.

We had a succesful run, and WR963’s No 3 engine now behaves in the expected and proper manner!

In other news..

Work continues on VP293. More progress pictures shortly, as it should be going back inside over winter. This was very weird to watch as when the tractor first started to move it, I was looking up from working on No 3 and it looked like it was taxying out…

WR963 will be carrying a genuine Shackleton cargo pannier in the bomb bay some time soon, which we are fitting to carry her canopy/wheel/engine covers. This means a little maintenance on the bomb bay carrier points which is no bad thing.

Kind Regards,

Rich

With WR985 at Long Marston being a MR3/3, she has different bomb doors to WR963. We have made several approaches to her owners with a view to her future and preservation.

They appear to be in no hurry to dispose of the aircraft, or indeed do anything with it, so there’s no worries regarding scrappers – though she seems a bit of a target for Urban Exploration groups. Most of them only take photo’s (and I have seen some stunning ones of her) but as with any unattended easy to access aircraft there is the odd vandal that will take parts.