Jump to content

Restoration of a Glider Waco CG-4A structure.


Glider-borne
 Share

Recommended Posts

http://www.ww2gp.org/index.php

 

The Silent Wings Museum at Lubbock TX is the museum that was near Dallas TX. Begun by the Glider Pilots Association at Terrill TX, since 2001 it is owned by the City of Lubbock. The museum is financially supported by the NWW2GPA whose representative members manage the Silent Wings Museum Foundation..

 

It is the only museum dedicated to the US glider program as opposed to being a general aircraft museum. The CG-4A glider on display is owned by the National World War II Glider Pilots Association, Inc. In addition to the CG-4A is TG-4, L-5, cockpit section of Horsa I, Horsa bulkheads, Jeep, trailer, bulldozer and many other items. Most of these items were donated to the museum by glider pilots or by the Foundation Members of the NWW2GPA are automatically members of the museum. Members of the msueum are NOT members of the NWW2GPA.

 

Visit our site, become a member, attend our annual reunion, help with Troop Carrier research, support the history of the US glider program.

 

http://www.ww2gp.org/index.php

 

There are seven fully restored CG-4A gliders displayed complete and fully restored with wings and full fabric cover. Six are in the US, one is in France. NMUSAF, Kzoo Air Zoo, Military Museum Iron Mountain, Silent Wings Museum, Special Ops Museum, Infantry Museum, Ste Mere Eglise. All other displayed articles are partial restorations or partial reproductions of cockpits/cargo sections or half covered, complete fuselages. The partial glider in New Orleans is a reproduction and is not very authentic. One museum represents a cockpit named Flak Bait to be a CG-4A. This nose section actually is a CG-15A without the loading ramp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Today I used a day of holidays for continue work .


To get an idea of ​​the size of the picture , the trailer is 4 meters/13 feet , space and the rear do the same, so picture is 12m/40 ft for normally a total of 15m/48 ft 8 with the end of the tail ( in wood) and the cockpit.
P3219019.JPG

Today's work has focused on the rust on the cargo part , with a goal of making white metal.

P3219003.JPG

Rust is deep and will require several hours of sanding.
P3219034.JPG

P3219004.JPG
After 5 hours of work and several sanding discs .
P3219016.JPG
P3219026.JPG

Next session on Friday if the weather permits , with again sanding and perhaps new welds.

The rear part , in better condition, only needs two to three changes of tubes.
P3219020.JPG

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Glider-borne

Thanks !

 

A few days of work on the structure.
Grinding , welding etc. ...

P3279063.JPG

P3309126-r.JPG

First test interlining with linen / cotton and dope nitrocellulose :

Caution, it's extremely flammable ( manipulation carried out with a fire extinguisher handy in a well ventilated area and no source of flame, heat etc ... because auto-ignition temperature is to 170 ° C/338°F )

First step :
Manufacture of cellulose dope with nitrocellulose and acetone. Listed here (£15 / kg):
nitrocellulose prills

P4019157.JPG
Grip mix : Diluted with 75% acetone
Paste mix : Mixture named "Aguerre" 25 % acetone , 25 % talc and 2 % of linseed oil .
Tensioner mix : Diluted with 25% acetone


Cutting of the fabric :
P4019158.JPG


Two layers of mixture diluted to 75 % for grip on the wood.
P4019159.JPG
Drying.

Two layers of "Aguerre's glue" mixture with sanding.
P4019166.JPG
Drying.

Laying the canvas with staples and then hangs by dilution of the layer on the wood grip mix to 75 % or pure acetone.
P4019170.JPG
Drying.

Fabric tension with 25% mixture .
P4019171.JPG
Drying.

Canvas stretched like a drum !
P4019182.JPG

Simple, effective ... and as in old time
Protective undercoat against UV and test paint :
P4029186.JPG

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glider-borne

An glider part, who was crashed in Normandy. Maybe from an Airspeed Horsa ?

 

 

P4099195.JPG

 

P4099196.JPG

 

P4099197.JPG

 

P4099198.JPG

 

P4099199.JPG

 

P4099200.JPG

 

 

Another novelty, the drawing of an element's structure of the wing via Solidworks (CAD) :

 

1796085_1458224897727690_106398053_o.jpg

 

1658598_1458234457726734_250820942_o.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glider-borne

Hello,

Back after a trip during the weekend of 1700 kms, with several dozen kg of Waco glider parts :

P4169598.JPG

P4169700.JPG

P4169701.JPG



A big thank you to "Gingerbread" and Philippe Esvelin authors of Forgotten Wings: Gliders in Normandy and in the South France. For their help, accommodation , tips etc ...
Their support gives a great progress for the project!

Thank you to them

Coming up, more pictures here or on https://www.facebook.com/Gliderborne

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glider-borne

All parts found this weekend, come from the sector Muy, Provence, France:


P4159296.JPG

I took the opportunity to take pictures of structures memorial Mitan / La Motte:

P4159500.JPG
P4159497.JPG
P4159498.JPG
More photos details : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1461533160730197.1073741844.1407639216119592&type=3


Some group photos with the "new" parts (except the controlpanel)

P4179721.JPG
P4179736.JPG

P4179724.JPG

P4179728.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glider-borne

Hello,

 

I have the color of the glider.

It will be in grey like the aluminium and after in green like the part of original glider cloth than we found in south of France.

 

I bought a manual about the aircraft dope and fabric application (1955), who explain than before the color coats and after the doping of the cloth, the nitrate dope need to be protected by some aluminum coats (four ounces of aluminium powder to each gallon of unthinned dope). For me that is the explaination why some Waco was in this color.

 

 

P4179768.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Glider-borne

To fund the restoration project, we will make a series of control panel's plates, based on our original control panel.

A set would be for less than 50 €/$70.
The unknown is the number to achieve, a series of 10x or a 100x.
That is why I need to know how many people are interested in a set of plate ?

Glierborne_instrumentPanel.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To fund the restoration project, we will make a series of control panel's plates, based on our original control panel.

 

A set would be for less than 50 €/$70.

The unknown is the number to achieve, a series of 10x or a 100x.

That is why I need to know how many people are interested in a set of plate ?

 

 

I'd be interested in a set please, only having the upper left one on my control panel at present! Still need 3 of the instruments, mind you..... ;)

 

Cheers,

Glen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glider-borne

Sure Matt I will !

In the 21st century, "international shipping" is a no sense, there's no differences between send to next town or to the other side of the earth. Many times a packet send from America comes more faster than from an other European country (except for China who that comes yesterday for tomorrow).

 

glenm, you have the n°1 ?:

 

plaque_1.JPG

 

plaque_2.JPG

 

plaque_3.JPG

 

plaque_4.JPG

 

plaque_5.JPG

 

1601181_1438018999748280_861049731_n.jpg

 

PB286783-1.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, that's right - I have an orginal plate no. 1 (only that one).

 

I also have the AN-5820-1 and the B-16 compass (and the B-9A switches), but other than that, my panel is missing everything else.

 

I also need 2 steering wheels to complete my double-column, so if you do end up getting those made too, do let me know... :)

 

Cheers,

Glen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glider-borne

The other French team who made from scratch a waco, will remade a serie of steering wheels.

I can give you more informations when that it's done.

 

++

Mat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mat, the third image, welding the attach part for the wing strut pin is a great photo!

 

The part on the end (under the A of Baltimore) is a forging (which your frame has) designed and made by Ford Motor Co. Ford did not build their CG-4A frames. Ford sold the fitting to the company that built the Ford frames. The company had to produce a minimum average of 4 to 5 frames every 24 hours to keep up with Ford output. This photo shows that Ford also sold the fitting to G&A, Willow Grove, PA. It is possible that the use of this fitting by G&A did not occur until after Harvey Firestone, friend of Henry Ford, bought G&A circa 1943. It is known that Firestone conferred with Ford concerning CG-4A production before he purchased G&A. The use of that forging was likely a production efficiency introduced at G&A by Firestone. In addition to speeding up the alignment and brazing of the 7 or 8 tubes at this junction, this forging made the tolerance so precise that wings on Ford built gliders were interchangeable. Later production CG-4A gliders from Northwestern Aeronautical used this forging as some of their later production frames were built by the same company that built Ford frames. .

 

The companies that did not use this fitting simply extended the 3 1/4 inch diameter tube beyond the vertical outside edge of the frame, torch cut a hole in the tube, and welded a bearing tube into the hole. This meant that wing attachment was pretty much a custom fit for each glider and the wings were not so easily interchangeable from one glider to the next. This gave USAAF field mechanics a fit throughout the period. .

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glider-borne

The companies that did not use this fitting simply extended the 3 1/4 inch diameter tube beyond the vertical outside edge of the frame, torch cut a hole in the tube, and welded a bearing tube into the hole.

 

Like this one ?

 

post-132741-0-40342500-1396279910.jpg

 

 

Thanks for informations Charles, you know lot of things about the gliders, did you done a book about these?

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...