Please come see us if you can.

As a follow-up to the Tigercat brake test, the brakes worked fine. So at long last the Tigercat is operational without asterisk or footnote, right? Well, that was true for a few moments until I hit a bird. RIP fellow aviator. The impact occurred just outside the port oil cooler intake creating a shallow depression about the size of a cantaloupe. Some rather tricky metalwork will be required. I didn’t notice the strike until a visual wing check before folding the wings during taxi. The first clue was an area of paint undercoating and feathers.

Also this week our DC-3 was flown from Victoria to Campbell River, B.C. I’ll share the story of our DC-3 in a later post.

Thanks for your interest.

Today we changed springs in the master brake cylinders of the Tigercat to provide enough pressure for proper run-ups and taxi steering on one engine. The brake and wheel systems were replaced earlier this year due to a dearth of original magnesium Tigercat wheels. The remaining world supply is worn out or cracked. So we replaced our wheels with ones used on the S2 Tracker as these are one-piece wheels (Tigercat wheels have two pieces with one becoming a ballistic frisbee when the metal fatigues.) of aluminum. The brakes and all the parts worked well and the engineering justification passed muster. Flight test was uneventful except for one problem. I couldn’t stop. This may sound dramatic but really isn’t since what slows down a twelve-ton aircraft is “dynamic braking” or the flow of air against the fuselage when cocked in the landing position. That said, it is nice to have brakes at the end of the roll-out to steer the free-castering nose wheel into the parking area. Without brakes, differential engine power is the only way to steer and as some of you already have imagined, can add to speed and excitement. So after years of restoration and months of wheel and brake work, we replaced two springs, one in each master cylinder, and voila, saw 800 psi in the lines putting the brakes back in business. Tomorrow I will flight test the Tigercat to make sure that upon reaching rotation speed (about 100), I can apply the brakes and bring the aircraft to a safe stop before the runway transitions into grass on its way to trees.

Also tomorrow we’ll try to find someone to fly the Bearcat as it needs to be exercised. The large Pratt & Whitney radials do very well over the long term if run at least every two weeks. Last weekend we featured our Mustang and Mitchell at the Olympia Air Show, so it’s time to give the Pratts some love.

On Sunday, we will host two different film crews, one planning to shoot a commercial in front of the Waco, and the other planning a WWII documentary including shots of the Mustang and Mitchell. With mischief in our hearts, we’ve arranged to have the models do their makeup in the mechanics’ rest room.

Hope to see you soon. JTS

Hello. John, here. I will try to make this worth your time.

Beginning this Friday, the 16th, three of our talented pilots (Lance and Nancy Robertson and Carter Teeters) will learn to fly B-25 “Grumpy” from the left seat as “pilots in command.” The following weekend they will fly a “check ride” with an FAA examiner. I have no doubt all three will achieve their “type ratings” for he B-25. This will allow HFF much more operational flexibility for air shows and other demonstrations. Eventually, we hope to support an ongoing “ride along” program. For those around Paine Field this weekend, there will be many opportunities to watch our B-25 take off and land. By Sunday the landings will be as smooth as silk.

While the B-25 training is underway, I will flight test the F7F Tigercat’s new wheel and brake system. Like many old warbirds, the original wheels were made of magnesium. Over time, these cracked and in two cases lead to rather catestrophic failures when one part of the two-part wheel broke loose. So our Bill Ashworth and Jim Martinelli devised an alternative wheel and brake system using components from more recent warbirds. Machine shop work adapted brake fittings and spacers, but for the most part, the new system represents a clean substitution with a single-piece aluminum wheel. We have shared our engineering with the owners of the other four flying Tigercats and offered to provide machined parts. This weekend we will perform accelerate/stop tests to validate or challenge our system. Assuming the brakes work well on the ground after takeoff speed has been achieved, I will let the brakes cool, taxi back and fly the Tigercat around Puget Sound. For Grumman fans, this likely will occur on Saturday.

Hope to see you at HFF, Kilo-6, Paine Field.