Conservation Update Winter 2019/2020
Bolingbroke 9048
Progress on our Bolingbroke is continuing thanks to the dedication and hard work of the volunteers.
Work has progressed on the centre wing with the riveting of the top skins and repairing of any damage. The structure is now stable and, following the fit of the lower wing skins, will be able to be supported horizontally to allow the attachment to the cockpit and tail fuselage section when we move to the refurbished 16M building.
Newly manufactured lower wing skins are in the process of installation. We also now have an English wheel see above, thanks to a donation, which will enable us to make some of the more intricate panels.
With the wing horizontal we are able to start fitting some of the smaller parts such as the leading edge “D” nose brackets. See above right the “D” nose brackets under manufacture.
The green painted bracket is the one example we have and the wooden bracket is the tooling made to allow the shaping of the aluminium sheet to manufacture enough for the whole aircraft.
A reminder of our aircraft flying over Alaska.
Bristol Fighter
The conservation and restoration work on our Fighter being carried out by Andy Crumpholt in the USA has been completed as far as it will be. The aircraft is now in safe storage pending being transported back to the UK some time in 2020.
Archive
We now have a permanent Archivist, who will be contactable from mid-February.
16M Conservation workshop
The Hangar 16M refurbishment contract has been placed and work is expected to start at the end of January. First will be works to replace various collapsed drains, followed by the stripping of the current roof and wall cladding, and wood frame repairs which are likely to start in February.