August 4 Update - Lots of Misc. Stuff

This being my first post since EAA, I hope everyone that went had a nice time.  We did, although the weather was a little hotter than I like, but most people I talked to were not complaining.  

The Travel Air I flew up from the Kelch Museum got a lot of attention.  It was featured Monday during the Vintage in Review, and then we were interviewed for a future article in Vintage Magazine.  Great exposure for the museum.

We also trained about 600 people on how to hand-prop an airplane.  A workshop we performed twice a day near the Red Barn in the Vintage area.

Once back home, I didn't waste any time getting back in the shop.  I have a couple weeks off yet before I have to be back in school, so I wanted to take advantage of this time.  As the title of this post reads - I got a lot of misc. stuff done:

Magneto Switch

Original magneto switch out of the airplane

This is the original magneto switch out of the airplane that I finally finished.  The switch was fine, just needed cleaning and paint, but the handle was cracked and unusable.  The switch is a Clum - the same used in Model T's although the Model T handle is different.  So I took a Model T handle, added some brass in places and machined it to look like the original.  I then had it nickel plated.  Very happy with how it came out!  Note it only has "OFF" and "ON" - the Curtiss OX-5 is a single magneto engine.





Tail Surfaces

Forming new elevator trailing edge

Aligning ribs and attaching trailing edge

 I thought (or at least hoped) little was going to be required with the tail surfaces.  Closer examination showed the trailing edges had enough corrosion to warrant replacing, plus they weren't very straight.  What bugged me the most, though, was the rib alignment between the horizontal stab and elevator.  They were installed rather haphazardly and crooked as well.  I typically don't like to alter "factory" things like this for authenticity and originality, but I worked so hard with the wings, etc to have everything straight and lined up, that I just couldn't let this go.  That meant cutting welds on ribs and lining everything up with a large square.  It all came out great in the end, just a lot more work than I originally thought.

The new trailing edges were also worth the extra effort.  They are now all very straight and symmetrical.  Plus, the 4130 tubing will be stronger than the original mild steel tubing that was used.

Aligning new trailing edge on rudder

Tail surfaces all finished and mounted for check of fit

Pitch trim control

Misc. Controls

While I had the horizontal stab on, I wanted to check fit and function of the trim.  The pitch trim is a rather heavy-duty set of controls.  It has a ratcheting lever in the rear cockpit, with a push/pull tube that mounts to a bell crank type lever that pushes the leading edge of the stab up or down to change trim.  This picture shows it mounted (prior to restoration) to make sure everything worked properly - which it did.

Trim mounting on horizontal stab

Rudder pedals and throttle levers

I also got out the rudder pedals as I will need those installed to make/run control cables.  Here you can see all the bits and pieces as well as the throttle levers.  As you an see, the airplane is meant for a one-legged pilot.  (OK, that's a bad joke.  Actually one is missing and I'll have to make it).  They don't get much simpler - just some round tubing welded together and no brakes.






Aileron Slave Struts

Completed slave strut

 And finally, I got the slave struts done.  They really weren't that difficult to make, but I had to wait for the AN 665 terminals I ordered to arrive.  The pictures pretty much tell the story.

Upper end

Lower, adjustable end

Shown mounted to aileron

What's next on the old agenda?  Well, it's time to start making all the control cables.  You can refer to my previous post as I talk about how they were originally made.  They will all be wrapped and soldered splices, but I am going to do them the "Lincoln-Page" way.  This method does not conform to any standard such as in CAM 18, but that was how the airplane was originally type-certificated.  Stay tuned, all this should be in my next post...