RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Hay Bubba John,
I managed to get the rudder hinges drilled and set up for my Robart hinge points. It came out ok...and I plan on using JB Weld ( 4 hour hardening type) to hold the hinges in. I do use Vaseline petroleum jelly on the actual hinges them selves, so no glue will interfere with the operation of the hinge. I have some clean up on the rudder and port elevator to do, before I glue them in. The old CA hinges came out ok on the elevator and tomorrow, I'll cut the slots and line up the elevator for the install. Then on to the engine instillation.
Yes...I drill out the hole in the fire wall, to accept a hard wood dowel, that I plan to use to plug the fire wall...then epoxy into the fire wall.
I have always had a thing for the Twin Beech...in fact, the 30's and 40's kind of aircraft took hold on me at a young age. I also was typed in the L18 and flew a Lockheed Howard 250, out of New Mexico. That to was on a Fed-X run...and that was the ultimate for me. Talk about noise...And we had all the bells and whistles too. Auto pilot, radar...even a high freq. radio, dual ADF...the works. Even the DME worked and enough power in our VHF radios to talk to anyone on the moon. Fast, clean and pure pleasure to fly. Folks would come out of the wood work when we landed to fuel...and it got lots of attention. You had to man handle that beast and you had to be healthy to fly her. Once in the air, she was as sweet as any airplane can be, but you had to be on top of your game on landing and take off. Ours had DC6 wheels and tires, with really good brakes+1,114 gal. of 100/130. We had Wright 1820-76, with 1450 h.p. radial engines, two stage blowers, with auto everything. She had a full de-ice package and a heated wind screen...one molecule thick gold plate window. What surprised me was that the L18 was able to get air born in the same distance as the D18...with three times the load. This was in the early 80's before Fed-X took over the local deliveries with the C208. She trued out at 250kts @ 22,000' and could fly from L.A. to just about anywhere in the U.S....non stop. A night take off was something to behold...fire and flame out the exhaust and what a sound. Those were good days for sure.
I'm old fashioned in some ways, and though I flew turbo-props and turbine helicopters...there is something special about radial engine aircraft. I even flew H34's in Germany...and taught instruments in the H34...it had a Wright 1820 too. It was a Sikorsky built helicopter, and it was a real relic in its day...but that was in the late 60's and all the good stuff was in South East Asia.
As to flying soda pop in Alaska...if your caught, you will lose everything, the machine, your freedom and you lose your flying license for life. That my good friends is just to much to lose, for a quick buck or two. I don't drink...never did...my dad drank enough for both of us. Believe me...I know some folks made out quite well flying stuff around and in those day's, I was approached from time to time to fly goods, with questionable legality. To be honest...it was not worth it and a couple of good pilots I knew, ended up losing everything they had. I flew for the Sheriff in Homer, Bethel and Nome...mostly out to the villages, to quiet the natives and bring in souls from time to time. I also flew USGS, heletack fire fighting and during the fishing season, the county Mounties to watch over the openings.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui