Cub Progress 2-24-09--Tearing the engine down.

Put the attach screws in the three top stringers and clamps on them. Straightened 2 of them, 1 to go. Put some wood putty on the floorboard and let it dry. The big news is, this afternoon Glenn wanted me to take the engine apart. Three hours later, it was sitting on the table no two pieces connected. It's just like a big lawnmower engine.

Big Day for Lindsay-1st Day of Day Care

Today was a big day at our house as it was Lindsay's first day of Day Care or School as she calls it. She took her Strawberry Shortcake backpack and only stayed 1/2 a day. She had a great time, made many new friends, ate her entire lunch and is ready to go back.

Flying without an Airplane.

I took Sunday off to spend with the family. We went to the Mall where we played blacklight golf and then Sky went bungee jumping off of a trampoline. Looks like he's having fun.

2-21-09 Cub Progress

Glenn hoisting the Hisso out of the Standard.

We're waiting on more parts, which are supposed to arrive Tuesday. We've decided to put in an 8 gallon gas tank in the left wing for when we need to put a bigger engine in the Cub. A-65 parts are starting to get scarce and we wanted it to be easy later on when we put the bigger engine on her. We spent the day putting on stringers and helping Glenn remove the Standard engine. Sky spent most of his time filing the primer drippings and runs off the fuselage frame.

2-20-09 Taking the wings off the Standard.

Glenn spent the morning tagging all the flying wires so he could remember where they went. I spent it sanding and painting my floorboards. (I propped them up on spare 2x4's this time!)

Then we cut all the safety wire on the turnbuckles, took them off and then took off the lower left wing. I had to go home, but the lower right wing was ready to have the attache bolts knocked out and that wing taken off. Glenn's plan was to have all four wings and the tail off the airplane today. He'll take the engine off next to major it.

Glenn's New Project- The J1 Standard

Glenn brought the "Waldo Pepper" J1 Standard down to his hangar this afte.rnoon to begin the restorsation process

Where is Gate A5 for the flight to Baltimore?

Happy Birthday!

Today is my beautiful daughter's 3rd birthday. We had cake and ice cream and opened presents from her Grandmothers and Aunts. She told her one Grandmother that she was dressed as a Princess, but she wasn't one. I disagree.

2-09-09 Cub Progress-Sanding down the Varnish

I spent 4 hours sanding down the varnish on the floorboards. It had some large bumps and the worst of it was that part of it had stuck to the butcher paper I put underneath it to protect the table. I didn't elevate it enough to prevent the runs from adhering to both the floorboard and the paper. Glenn lent me a chisel, I had my orbital sander with medium grit sandpaper to sand off the paper/varnish mess. It's almost done now. I'll have to repaint it and then revarnish it, but it's quicker than making new ones.

Glenn meanwhile attached the lower wings to the Museum's Sopwith Pup replica built by Pat Tomlinson. Here he's setting up the dihedral for the wings. He hopes to have the airplane out of his shop by wednesday and bring in his next project-Waldo Pepper's J-1 Standard!

2-07-09 Wash Day at the airport.

It got up to 69 degrees today so we had "wash day" at the airport. The airport doesn't have city water, it has well water that leaves a stain. Still having concrete dust residue on the entire aircraft, we lathered up some mild dish soap and washed the fuselage and the tail. We didn't have enough fresh water to do the wings which we'll do later. Sky also rinsed off his bike and rode it around for awhile.

Out my Hotel Window-Denver

We're out in Denver right now, at Front Range Airport. I woke up at 5:11 mountain time since I'm on east coast time, promptly rolled over and went back to sleep. When I did get up, I saw the mountains just starting to be illuminated by the rising sun and quickly grabbed this picture out my hotel window.

Collings Foundation down in Boca.

I'm down in Boca Raton, FL over Super Bowl weekend. As luck would have it, the Collings Foundation is here with their B-17, B-24 and P-51C. Not wanting to flight the long lines of admirers waiting to tour the bombers as well as having seen them a couple times before, I was content just to walk around looking at the aircraft.