OT-Aircraft guys - Where can I soak up some tech?

I see there are quite a few aircraft guys here. I'd like to lurk on a board to soak up some technology that you guys are familiar with. Working on aircraft seems to require ingenuis and dependable fabrication.

So, can I get some suggestions on online resources where I can hang with some flying fabricators?

 

There's several aircraft fabricators over at "Metalshapers" including several of the "biggies" in the fabricating industry. Google "metalshapers"

 

repo, not exactly what you asked but there is a huge aircfaft show/swap-meet in florida every year (fun and sun or something like that). they have a bunch of clinics on stuff like riveting, shaping sheet metal, etc. it was just like a week ago. there is another one in michigan this summer. they are open to anyone and are very good. a friend of mine is an FAA certified tech. and he goes to these events every year. you could try to find some message boards by looking in magazines. i would look at the ones for experimental aircrafts. they probably would yield some results. maybe you could find some handbooks anyway with some guideline for fab. keep me posted if you find anything good. who are you anyway? you live in new brunswick? i'm mike palazzo from manville. who and/where do you roll?

 

Try this.

http://www.eaa.org/

 

Link here and look for AC43.13-1B and AC43.13-2A publications. Use search function
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/MainFrame?OpenFrameSet

Free Aircraft Spruce & Specialty catologue is good tech reference.
EAA site has good stuff.
Air racing sites

 

Sun and Fun was a couple of weeks ago, but Oshkosh is coming up.

Also Van's who produces the RV series of homebuilts is another source.
the have tapes to teach you how to say buck rivets and such.
They also have tool kits to get you started.

Stevan
1949 Globe Swift GC-1B

 

Does anyone know where I might find a wind speed tube from a B-17 bomber for a gauge that my buddy has? Is there a place that deals in vintage plane parts?

 

Its called a Pitot tube, and you should be able to use just about any pitot.
Some are even heated to prevent icing.
Try you local aircraft salvage, lots of cool stuff in there.

 

Thanks ThunderRocket! I couldn't remember the name of it. Pitot tube.

Is there any difference in a vintage one? Do they look any different? In the interest of keeping a vintage feel and using a wind speed gauge that's from a B-17 bomber, in a hot rod for the heck of it, would a modern Pitot tube look any different than one from back then?

 

This site has some great info and links:

http://www.homebuilt.org/

 

FWIW Aircraft have air speed indicators, gives speed thru the air, not over the ground/water.
I started working on aircraft at the Renton div of Boeing Airplane Co. in Dec 58 working in 707 final assy. When I started we moved a brand new 707 out every 2 1/2 weeks, I quit about 3 years later and we were moving out a new 707 every 2 DAYS. Attests to the "assembly line" ole Henery started so many years ago. Been flying since 64 and am headed back to Alaska to fly floats for another season and will miss all the GREAT events. Oh Well, Next year.. Later, Dave

N185DM, N185DS, N182SM, N180DM

 

Hemi, there all different.
A B-17 tube could be like 4 feet long.
Find a vintage looking GA tube. their usually 5-6 inches tall/long.
Check the aircraft suppliers to get an idea.

www.Wagaero.com
www.aircraftspruce.com

 

LOL- Sorry officer i had a tail wind!

 

The pitot tube on my old J-3 was nothing more than a 1/4" dia. tube pointed forward. The one on the B-17 was probably not much different.

 

Join the Air Force and ask to be assigned to the sheet matal shop!

 

Pitot tubes for aircraft such as the B-17 are a little more then just a tube. I would check with one of the small aircraft manufacturers. Looking for a B-17 part would be like looking for a vintage P-51 part.........scarce, very scarce. The other issue is complexity, B-17s and any other aircraft that can attain high altitude, most likely has anti-icing coils in the pitot tube. There is another post going relative to a B-17 external fuel tank, like one other guy said, there is no such animal. These aircraft island hopped across the pond or used internal fuel bladders in the cargo hold to obtain any distance. F-4 Phantoms utilized a 750 gallon outboard external tank and a 1000 gallon centerline tank. The 1000 gallon would be large enough for a Belly Tanker, check the Defense Marketing and Reutilization folks at any Air Force base, you might luck up on a fuel tank that has been salvaged.

 

I have a Cessna Bird Dog (Vietnam era spotter plane) wing tank gauge in the tank in my modified, tank sits on the rear cross member. In the red sector (1/4 full) it says "No Take Off".

 

Screw that... lol.
If I was going to join the Air Force, I'd ask to be a fighter pilot like my cousin..... Uh...I can go MACH IV??? Hell yeah, sign me up!

 

Thanks John. So if a fellow had an airspeed gauge out of a B-17 and just for kicks wanted to hook it up, would any old Pitot tube work if it was the correct voltage? (I've seen some that were 24 Volt) Are they pretty much all the same?

I'm not sure a car could go fast enough to even make the gauge register, but it would be neat to have it hooked up!

 

No electrical source is required for an ASI, they work off a pressure system provided by forward movement thru the air and are vented somewhere outboard of the aircraft depending on make/model. All you would need is a tube to provide the source of pressure and a sopurce to vent.

 

Ahhh...so the volts are for the lighting or de-icing element I presume... Very helpful, thanks!

Has anyone ever seen one installed in a car?

 

You would not want to connect the de-icing element even if you could find a 12 volt one. They get hot enough in a matter of seconds to burn through a canvas cover.

 

Good to know...we're in California the only ice I ever see is in my glass.

 

Steve is right, they get hot as hell. If the aircrew leaves the power on the tube and the crew chief puts the cover on, it's history. I have worked on a lot of military aircraft and in plants of the aerospace industry, I have never seen one that is not 24 volts.

john

 

After this thread, I ran a search on Ebay and found several. Some were even "12/14 volt"



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Heat...632062726QQcategoryZ26439QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

See...we all come together on the hamb and learn something new every day. Thanks to all for the responses.

 

I have to agree, EAA all the way. The two big shows, Oshkosh and Sun'n'fun, are loaded with books that show how to do damn near anything. If you do go, they also have hands on demonstrations and forums. As a side note, if you're looking for the newest inovation in aviation, homebuilders are the new state of the art, not the factories anymore. If you look up a local EAA chapter, you my be able to borrow books and tools and knowlege, rather than buy them.

 

Thanks all. I have some good sources now. Looking at the 'Ask an expert' page inspired me to get to the roots.

I've also been trying to get involved with vintage warbirds. My old shop was a hangar. One day I was in the shop when I heard an engine that made the hair stand up on the back of neck. I jumped out from under the car, scrambled across the garage, and there was a real live P-47 rumbling down the taxiway outside my door. I didn't even know what it was at the time, except that it was one of the greatest things I ever saw.

I think looking outside the world of cars will be a good influence.

 

Go hang around your local general aviation airport,chances are pretty good that the mechs are into cars.There are several free trade magazines floating around the FBOs that have good info.In Nashville there is a school named Baker that carries the FAA publications,the Airframe Handbook has alot of usefull information in it.Check out Kent White's site there is alink to it on metalshapers.org which was started by A&Ps.

 

Sorry to hi-jack your post repoman...(no pun intneded) I figured while we had the propellor heads and wing nuts looking it would be a great place to ask about the Pitot tube.

One thing that crossed my mind was that show about the airplane they pulled from the ice and restored. There are several restoration projects going on, one was a larger plane, that museums are slowly working on, and you can volunteer your time and help out. You spend a weekend or a dayoff helping them with the restoration, donating your time. I'm sure you'd pick up all kinds of info doing that.

I thought that would be a cool thing to have a part in, and I'm sure if they got it flying again, they'd give rides...


Maybe check around at some aviation museums or the web and see what you can dig up.

 

and on the subject of planes....I had a job at a propellor shop for a couple of months, we overhauled props. Across the street was a small airport, and we occasionally had to go there and do installations.

One day there's all these airplanes buzzing around doing manuvers and loops and dive bombs and we ended up over there. Turns out the poultry guy in town owns a bunch of old war planes and once a year had Chuck Yager fly his upper staff members around in these old Mustangs and what-not. We were there as he dive-bombed the strip and landed and he got out and spoke (more like boomed, his voice is very commanding) with us for a few minutes and climbed back in with another round of passengers and took off for more loops.

How cool would that be to have Chuck do combat moves in a P-15 Mustang with you on board???

That being said, a lot of guys were always hanging out in the hangers working on planes. Many of them build and even paint their own machines and the ones we ran into were usually pretty friendly.

One day I'd love to have a small Piper Cub or something to zip around in...