Landing Gear Bungee Installation

"Are you kidding me?" There was nothing particularly intuitive about the bungee installation, and the instructions weren't so instructive.  We were using large closed loop bungees and were respectful of their ability to dangerously bolt off course if we botched the installation.

Under the circumstances, eye protection seems like a good idea.  Another good idea was contacting the Short Wing Piper Club to borrow a bungee attachment tool.  The club has a great lending library for members that lets them borrow specialized tools - all you pay is postage.  Once we figured out how to mount the tool it was a cinch - the scary bungees were demystified and quickly installed.  Thankfully the eye protection wasn't put to the test.

Stretching the bungees into place requires a lot of strength; without the club's tool we might still be at it. Dick stopped by on his way home from work (no, we did not page him), and characteristically jumped in to help.

As Tom pulls the right side bungees into place, Dick helps counterbalance 

the backward pressure. Nick keeps the plane from an unplanned flight.

Pretty, aren't they?  Thanks for the help Short Wing Piper Club.

Contemplating bungees; thank goodness the installation was easier than expected.  In the next post I'll tell you what happened right before the victorious bungee installation. Tom was firm that he wanted to end the day on a good note following the aggravation he and Nick had just had with the left side landing gear.  In this picture Nick and Tom fill Dick in about the landing gear mayhem they'd just encountered. Never mind - all's well that ends well.

Photos and text by Kathleen Jacques.

Adaptation and Creative Solutions

Sometimes you just don't know what you're getting into. Parts and pieces of a 1949 Piper Clipper have been shipped from Colorado and if guessing by the overflow of packages, you might conclude that everything you need is there for "easy" restoration. But some necessary bits are either well hidden at the bottom of full boxes, or in some cases you decide to alter the original design somewhat - now what?

Case in point: Nick and Tom decided that they didn't want a back seat and they adapted the area around the back windows for the redesign.  It wasn't easy to apply the Poly-Fiber around the new back windows but they managed. The rotating support that Nick built allows them to position the fuselage for best access. It only looks easy.

Here they have finished adding the interior's side fabric after much turning and repositioning the fuselage.  The reach is inevitably a couple of inches shorter than required, so Nick turns the whole thing on its side and works through the door openings. Another adaptation is the back interior wall. Now dressed in yet-to-be poly-brushed Poly-Fiber, it was originally planned as a metal barrier.  That didn't seem necessary after all - so Nick crawled under the frame to add the fabric.

When the Clipper was recently rotated for access to the interior cabin roof, I got to thinking about the uncommon views of the fuselage top and bottom. I pay more attention to these vantage points when planes pass overhead now.

One more uncommon view: Nick happily using a cell phone (mostly he mutters about the unnecessary clutter of the "instrument panel"). Once an analog instrument guy, always an analog instrument guy.

Photos and text by Kathleen Jacques.