Super Guppy Restoration

[Mackrick]

Just a thought are the fuel tanks dry?
What power supplies are you thinking of using?
115 ac 28 dc and 240ac mains aren't a good mix on aircraft. A whole raft of regulations to think about.

[Gaz]

Just a thought are the fuel tanks dry? No, one tank has A DROP in it
What power supplies are you thinking of using? All the internal lights run off mains electricity

115 ac 28 dc and 240ac mains aren't a good mix on aircraft. A whole raft of regulations to think about. Like I say, all of the internals (except the cockpit) run off the mains

If you could elaborate, Rick, I'd be grateful.

Cheers

[Mackrick]

This is the military bit, can't find the Civvy reference at the moment, it's all about bonding, circulating earth currents, etc.

Think about a short circuit or something similar between the tool or mains lead, 240v circulating with all that metal. Now consider a fault with the fuel tank wiring that you don't know about..... Fuel vapour....mains voltages where they shouldn't be..........

You might think yes right ok......I've seen it happen even when done correctly.... A Big Bang.
Talk to some of the CWJ electricians.

6 Use of mains-powered tools and test equipment on aircraft
6.1 Tools
When no suitable pneumatic tool is available, mains-powered tools may be used on aircraft if all the following criteria apply:

1 Their use is specifically authorized by the responsible engineer officer.
2 There is a Risk Assessment carried out to detail any additional precautions required.
3 The tools are double insulated, or the use of directly earthed tools is specifically authorized by the responsible engineer officer.
4 When used in fuel hazard areas, 43only intrinsically safe equipment is used.
5 All electrical supplies to the aircraft are switched off.
6 The GSE earthing requirements of paragraph 5, item 7 are satisfied.

6.2 Test equipment
Mains-powered test equipment is to be used on aircraft only when all the following apply:

1 It is specifically authorized test equipment.
2 It is used in accordance with a test or maintenance procedure.
3 All electrical supplies not directly required for the test are switched off.
4 The GSE earthing requirements of paragraph 5, item 7 are satisfied.
6.3 Protection
Whenever mains-powered tools or test equipment are used on aircraft, personnel and the power source are to be protected by a Residual Current Device and a Protected Earth Monitoring System.

[Gaz]

Having the site sparky and the H&S guy, check us out, soon.

Fingers crossed

[Mackrick]

Gaz wasn't trying to scare the living daylights out of you but with the elf n safety head on its best to cover all bases, didn't want to see something on the news about a fire/death/ accident. Rules are usually there for a reason.

[Gaz]

No, I quite agree, mate!

We want to do this COMPLETELY by the book. DW's got a license to screen things in public, just waiting to see if that covers the whole site or if we'd need to get our own.

I quite like the idea of getting our own, we'd be able to screen new films. Red carpet, premieres coming up, me thinks!

[Xplumberlives]

How will you get the Guppy down to Leicester Square?

[Gaz]

January update for your perusal.

2nd January

Happy New Year, everyone!

Relatively quiet day, today. I helped Gregg and Emma put power on to XX900, just to exercise the electrical system. She looks nice all lit up.

Also, did the FINAL panel on the lower half, in the hold:





Seems like we've been at this for years, which, we probably have so it's nice to finish the main part of it. The upper sections will be done at some point.

Been in touch with our man with the RADAR. Hopefully that'll be in within a couple of weeks

All good!


12th January

Radar collected. Can't tell you how happy we are! It's like she's been missing her nose for years. It will be replaced soon!




26th January

Greetings! Been up today to try and get the radar in.

Ash removing the radome:



Unfortunately, the radar we have is slightly different to the original so it didn't fit, but, Ash is confident he can make it fit with a bit of jiggery pokery.

BUT...

The screen was a great fit!



When you compare this to a before shot:



It's as if she has her nose back!

Now, although the plug was a match, we couldn't get power to it so, we think, the wiring is probably different as the screen was working in the aircraft it came out of. I'm going to approach General Electric (As RCA don't exist anymore) and see if I can blag a new wiring loom. In the meantime, Ash, with help, is going to see if he can figure out the wiring. I'd be happy if we can just locate which pins are the positive and negative so we can, at least, light it up. Also, we will need to fab a bit of plate to fill the holes around the screen. It would appear the original was a square unit

Wind back a couple of weeks and Neil has been a busy bee. He's done a good job on cleaning the MLG nacelles and, also, finished off the little bit of paint in the hold.

Progress!!


30th January

Well, it SHOULD have been a busy day, but, between a film crew hogging the back of the guppy and Gregg not turning up with my key for the unit, it was a bit quiet.

I did seize the opportunity, as it was indoors, to give the radome the once over:

Guess which bit I'd done:



All done, nice and shiny:



We've had a badge designed, too:



Coming soon in patch, sticker and window vinyl form


Quite an eventful month, despite the weather.

Onward!!

[MOD]

Thanks Gaz:

ibw

[Mackrick]

Gaz check your Pm's

[Gaz]

Gaz check your Pm's

done and done

[Bubbles]

Sorry Gaz

[Gaz]

I should think so, an all!

[Dan4th]

What's the state of your cinematic
preparations, Gaz???????????

Danf.

[Mackrick]

What's the state of your cinematic
preparations, Gaz???????????

Danf.

Ices ices get your chic ices here...........

[Gaz]

What's the state of your cinematic
preparations, Gaz???????????

Danf.

Waiting for site electrician to check the wiring.

BUT:




Coming soon!!!

[Xplumberlives]

VERY nice!

[Gaz]

Tyres set sail on March 6th

[Mackrick]

Tyres set sail on March 6th

They off on holiday ?

[Bovril]

hows the patch coming along?

[Gaz]

Tyres set sail on March 6th

They off on holiday ?

Coming from Johnson Space Center, to Bruntingthorpe, to live


Bovril: Design is with the printers, trying to hammer the price down still. Shouldn't be long

[Gaz]

Seems as good a time as any to do the February Update

6th Feb.

Spent today doing a bit of tinkering on 900.

Also, we've stripped the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer's seat of their cushions. We're having them, pretty much, completely remade. Needs new foam cutting to shape and new covers making. Hopefully have them in by the open day.

The wind is making her move about, quite a bit, so Emma has used her acquisitions expertise to land us several tonnes of bagged rock salt. We're gonna need to re-bag it as it's quite corrosive if it gets out, but, it's a heck of a result and more than we need to, finally, balance the aircraft.

Good few days, all in all.


13th Feb

Didn't get anything done on the aircraft today because......



...it was far too cold for that kind of caper.

BUT

We did borrow the site pickup and nipped out to collect a donation of a projector screen and an entire sound system.

Movie nights are moving closer!!


16th Feb

After spending a few hours, over the last couple of days, sorting out all of the wires and different components, I delivered the sound system to the airfield. It's gonna take some time and a whole load of speaker cable, but, it'll be amazing when we get it done. 3 main speakers, a subwoofer and 9 satellite surround speakers

Hopefully, between myself and Ash, we should be able to wire them in series so they all work from the one output.

So, not very aviation oriented at the minute, but, if the H&S and public performance legality checks out, it could be a good money spinner for us, which, in turn, will get the actual aircraft in to a much better place


20th Feb.

Nice to do some work on the aircraft today.

Our "New" tyres are imminent, so, we need to crack on and get the MLG nacelles looking tidy.

Neil has already been and and started the prep work, using brake cleaner to de-gunk. I went in and started preparing the doors for paint.

Before:



a lot of the paint is still in good nick so I've just keyed it ready for top coat, but, where the paint had blistered, the metal underneath was quite bad, so, I chipped away at the blisters, sanded the corroded aluminium back to good metal and put some acid etching primer on the bare metal.

By the time I'd finished, it looked like this:



shows you how much paint had blistered!

I was hoping to be able to push on with this job, but, it's in worse condition than I thought.

Keeps us busy though


27th Feb

Good day today. The sun was shining for a change, so, I cracked on in the SB MLG nacelle. Moved round to the forward bulkhead, today.

Before:



This was real thick paint that had, in places, cracked quite badly. At least with the paint being so thick, the metal was in tip-top condition, underneath. I chipped away at the cracks, sanded the rough edges, put a key on the rest of the paint and applied primer to the exposed metal. When I'd finished it looked like this:




ALSO:

As I had a bit of time to kill, I finally did a job that's been on my list since the day I started. A flappy bit of trim that used to look like this:



Now looks like this:



It's bugged me for years, but, I've never actually got round to fixing it.

AND ALSO:

Ash has been busy in the last couple of days and he's finished the mounting bracket for the RADAR:



He's done a good job on this. Just need a day when three of us are there to refit the dome

Tyres set sail from Houston on March 6th

All good!!

[Jigsaw]

Really enjoyed catching up with all that.
Progress indeed mate

[Ray C]

Without doubt love on a BIG scale, great stuff Mr Gaz.....

[Dan4th]

That last pic::::::::::::::::::::::::

Looks like a DEATH RAY, Gaz

Steady Progress is a Good Thing!!!!!!!

Danf.