Status
– January 2006
Sitting
in the Restoration Area, the machine looks as if it is simply
receiving its annual winter inspection. The wings are installed.
The fabric skin is tight and smooth and any metal panels are in
place. The much sought-after wheels have been installed, and the
big radial engine with its propeller is at the ready. From some
perspectives, the old bird looks a bit like a dragonfly. Painted
in striking yellow and black stripes, the Canadian Warplane Heritage
Westland Lysander seems ready for the sky.
Please
click here
for the full story.
Status
– November 2002
At last view, the wings are off the Lysander again.
But,
this time, the news is good. Very good in fact. They are being
fabric covered! And, according to those who know, and have been
observing from other spots in the hangar, the work is positively
exemplary!
Overall,
the machine’s wiring is 95 percent complete, with minor
additions needed once the engine is mounted and the landing gear
fairings are complete. Cockpit instrumentation is either on-hand,
certified and waiting for installation, or suitable alternatives
are available. Hand fabrication of the landing light housings
is progressing well. The plan there is to use modern lighting
devices that will be both more efficient and produce less strain
on the electrical system.
The
engine itself is virtually ready to go with fuel and oil pumps
still needing to be tested. The carburetor has been rebuilt in
Europe. The crew feels that these necessary running tests can
be most easily and best accomplished with the engine in place.
It
may not look like it, at least to the eye of one without inside
knowledge of the Lysander project, but the progress is much farther
along than it appears. Congratulations to the Lysander crew!
Status
- March 2001
The museum is proud of the work that has been accomplished in
recent years on our Lysander IIIa. The museum took advantage of
the summer months in 2000 to re-evaluate progress on the project.
It was becoming apparent that work was proceeding too quickly
as it approached completion and quality assurance and task interdependencies
were becoming serious problems. The project is now back on track,
and work by both museum staff and volunteers is proceeding under
the direction and supervision of CWH's Engineering Department.
Wings
In our last update we indicated that the wings were complete,
covered with fabric and ready for painting. In fact, one win was
doped, and the other doped, primed and painted. Unfortunately
the redesign and relocation of access panels in both wings became
almost impossible in the painted wing. Efforts to remove the epoxy
based paint proved difficult, and a decision had to be made to
remove the fabric from the port wing. This was a difficult decision
that was only taken after considering all the options. The decision
allowed for a final result that is both functional and esthetic,
and that will be much better than the patchwork repair that would
have been the alternative. Work is now proceeding in learning
everything we can about the internal structure of the wing and
included mechanisms. This problem will not be encountered on the
opposite wing since it was only doped, and any modifications to
the fabric covering will be relatively easily done. Reinstallation,
restoration and re-fabrication of aileron and flap coves was recently
begun and is almost completed.
In
consultation with the "Shuttleworth Museum" we have learned that
the wings should be mounted and all rigging of the control systems
completed and tested before the recovering of the port wing and
completion of the starboard wing. The experience of Shuttleworth
indicates this is "the only way to go".
Fuselage
Fabric covering and painting of most of the main fuselage and
tail feathers was completed in the spring of 2000. A review of
metal cowlings and panels required to complete the fuselage is
currently underway. Sources for panels, patterns, and fabrication
methods continue to be researched. This will become one of the
more active phases of the project in the next few months.
Engine
The Bristol Mercury engine was rebuilt in Minnesota in the winter/spring
of 2000. Since receiving the engine back, work has been underway,
under the leadership of Bill Halvorson, testing and installing
many of the auxiliary components that mount on the engine. The
mounting of the exhaust ring was a major installation project,
and items such as the procurement and/or restoration and certification
of the starter, generator, fuel pump, vacuum pump, oil pump, and
lubrication lines, are all tasks that have been completed or are
underway. The engine has now been remounted in a specially adapted
engine stand to permit access to its rear, where many of these
components and systems are located. The Hobson carburetor has
been shipped to the UK for evaluation and restoration with an
anticipated return date of summer/fall 2001. The carburetor will
be mounted on the engine before the engine is remounted on the
aircraft.
Electrical
John Wilder and his crew have been working continuously on the
electrical system throughout the aircraft. The creation of a "wiring
harness" from scratch has been no easy task, and the adaptation,
design and testing of both electrical and mechanical systems has
demonstrated John's considerable talent and commitment to this
project. Special thanks go to Don Pendergast, and Peter Waterman
for their assistance to John in this area. Work yet to be completed
includes - procurement of batteries, analysis of the generator
(when returned from overhaul/certification), selection and installation
of the voltage regulator, and final connections to various engine,
instrumentation and lighting systems.
Landing
Gear
An inspection of the strut structure by CWH Engineering staff
indicated that there is very little and only superficial corrosion
in this component. The decision has already been made to modify
and remove the aircraft's original air brake system in favor of
a safer and more modern hydraulic system which is, for the most
part, now on hand. After much research, we believe we have a source
for a safe, modern, and compatible tire. This search has been
underway since 1997. While we do have at least 6 wheels in our
possession, unfortunately none are serviceable. The original castings
were all of a magnesium alloy, and are badly corroded, cracked
and damaged. One set of "new" experimental aluminum castings were
unfortunately so roughly cast that they were off-centre, and remedial
machining had resulted in their becoming below diameter tolerances.
Alternatives are being reviewed and this will be another priority
in the coming months. |
