1954 Avro Shackleton Mr2
Discussion
I dare say retrofitting a Searchwater could be managed. 
I had a long chat yesterday at Farnborough with an RAF Squadron Leader (ex Nimrod) who is on secondment to the US Navy and flying the Boeing P-8. He was actually one of the demonstration pilots for the air show. He told me there are currently ten ex Nimrod aircrew on secondment to the US Navy and a few more in Australia and New Zealand.
Does that mean the procurement of some P-8s might be on the cards?
Does that mean the procurement of some P-8s might be on the cards?
Hi all,
First off apologies for the lack of updates, we have been busy over the past few months, but circumstances at home and work haven't given me much time to write things up.
So what has been going on since June?
Well, we had the hydraulic hand pump issue, which was resolved thanks to a spare sent down from our frineds at Elvington. The hydraulics had been bled, and the system was found to be spot on, with the pump handle staying where it should be and no idling circuit created by fluid travelling through it under engine driven pressure.
The next few runs were carried out without incident, with the exception of one where No 1 engine refused to shut down! We're not sure whether No 1 running on was a gremlin or just WR963 wanting to keep going while she feels fit. Either way - we needed all the engines to start and stop on command, so the Slow Running Cut-off and magnetos were the suspects, especially given the staining under the cowling when it finally shut down..
The intake trunking was removed and the SRCO activated, and we had a few dribbles of fuel. Switching the system on and off produced some fuel down the drain before it cleared up. Chances are it was caused by old seals and long periods of inactivity. 20 minutes of ground running a month just isn't the same as several hundred hours of flight. The magnetos were checked, and a small amount of moisture had caused corrosion on the switch terminals - a perfect example of how small things can cause much bigger problems.
During bouts of wet weather we've been sorting through our stores, which resulted in a deal being made for some surplus mainwheels we had. These went out to Lincolnshire, for NDT, conversion and use on Lancaster aircraft! Loading them was hot and dusty work, but all concerned were happy with the results.
3 hubs still in crates, and six mainwheels, all in all, leaving us with a similar more manageable number in store - and some much needed room!
Work turned back to WR963 and the first thing to get done was to give the aircraft a wash. This was achieved using a rather nifty water supply - some frinds of ours with a classic fire engine - and plenty of volunteer labour! We ended up with a Shackleton that looked more like it was ready to fly over the Atlantic rather than float in it, which raised morale considerably.
Turning back to the aircraft the other long standing pain in the rear has been the pneumatics, in particular the storage crate in the nose. Several leaks have proved remarkably difficult to trace, not helped by the redundant APX-7 crate. The decision was taken to remove the racking and make access to the crate easier, and this meant we could then trace and rectify the leaks in seconds rather than hours. On the next run up we found no leaks, and the system pressure was charging like we've never seen before on both sides. From 0 to 300psi inside 20 minutes, and pressure still showing a week later is a far cry from one system working and leaking it out in minutes.
WR963 is now doing rather well. No electrical gremilns, all generators and inverters working, radio, pneumatics, fuel priming. She's just waiting on our pilot being available and then she will be trying a small taxy up and down to stretch her legs!
In the meantime, we took some fresh fuel on and have some more run ups over the next month or so.
Dates are: 27th September, 11th October and 27th October. As always at 1pm, inside the Classic Air Force compound.
Regards,
Rich
First off apologies for the lack of updates, we have been busy over the past few months, but circumstances at home and work haven't given me much time to write things up.
So what has been going on since June?
Well, we had the hydraulic hand pump issue, which was resolved thanks to a spare sent down from our frineds at Elvington. The hydraulics had been bled, and the system was found to be spot on, with the pump handle staying where it should be and no idling circuit created by fluid travelling through it under engine driven pressure.
The next few runs were carried out without incident, with the exception of one where No 1 engine refused to shut down! We're not sure whether No 1 running on was a gremlin or just WR963 wanting to keep going while she feels fit. Either way - we needed all the engines to start and stop on command, so the Slow Running Cut-off and magnetos were the suspects, especially given the staining under the cowling when it finally shut down..
The intake trunking was removed and the SRCO activated, and we had a few dribbles of fuel. Switching the system on and off produced some fuel down the drain before it cleared up. Chances are it was caused by old seals and long periods of inactivity. 20 minutes of ground running a month just isn't the same as several hundred hours of flight. The magnetos were checked, and a small amount of moisture had caused corrosion on the switch terminals - a perfect example of how small things can cause much bigger problems.
During bouts of wet weather we've been sorting through our stores, which resulted in a deal being made for some surplus mainwheels we had. These went out to Lincolnshire, for NDT, conversion and use on Lancaster aircraft! Loading them was hot and dusty work, but all concerned were happy with the results.
3 hubs still in crates, and six mainwheels, all in all, leaving us with a similar more manageable number in store - and some much needed room!
Work turned back to WR963 and the first thing to get done was to give the aircraft a wash. This was achieved using a rather nifty water supply - some frinds of ours with a classic fire engine - and plenty of volunteer labour! We ended up with a Shackleton that looked more like it was ready to fly over the Atlantic rather than float in it, which raised morale considerably.
Turning back to the aircraft the other long standing pain in the rear has been the pneumatics, in particular the storage crate in the nose. Several leaks have proved remarkably difficult to trace, not helped by the redundant APX-7 crate. The decision was taken to remove the racking and make access to the crate easier, and this meant we could then trace and rectify the leaks in seconds rather than hours. On the next run up we found no leaks, and the system pressure was charging like we've never seen before on both sides. From 0 to 300psi inside 20 minutes, and pressure still showing a week later is a far cry from one system working and leaking it out in minutes.
WR963 is now doing rather well. No electrical gremilns, all generators and inverters working, radio, pneumatics, fuel priming. She's just waiting on our pilot being available and then she will be trying a small taxy up and down to stretch her legs!
In the meantime, we took some fresh fuel on and have some more run ups over the next month or so.
Dates are: 27th September, 11th October and 27th October. As always at 1pm, inside the Classic Air Force compound.
Regards,
Rich
Edited by richw_82 on Friday 19th September 22:16
Edited by richw_82 on Friday 19th September 22:24
Edited by richw_82 on Friday 19th September 22:26
We got WR963 taxying yesterday. Not as far as we'd like as we had a brake sac start to leak, but its a start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWrO7w4iO8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWrO7w4iO8
richw_82 said:
We got WR963 taxying yesterday. Not as far as we'd like as we had a brake sac start to leak, but its a start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWrO7w4iO8
that would have looked great flying with the two lancasters and the Vulcan!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWrO7w4iO8
richw_82 said:
how may do you need to buy before you have your own squadron???Cornish Aviation Society look after it, but their numbers have dwindled. I did hear Classic Air Force were looking it over, but were struggling as they were running out of room.... but I hope they do bid as I think realistically that is the aircraft's only chance for survival.
Overall she's not in bad condition, but has been robbed a bit. The Griffons still turn over, so they're not a total loss. The worst aspect is the undercarriage is corroded and very fragile.
How many for a Squadron? Well 8 Sqn were down to five at the end... we have one and a bit, so a little way to go!
Overall she's not in bad condition, but has been robbed a bit. The Griffons still turn over, so they're not a total loss. The worst aspect is the undercarriage is corroded and very fragile.
How many for a Squadron? Well 8 Sqn were down to five at the end... we have one and a bit, so a little way to go!
Hi all,
Sorry for the long period of silence since the last post, we have been busy pulling propellers on and off and overhauling various parts and systems.
Three weeks ago things took a significant step fowards, in that we had what is the first of many visits by the aviation authorities. As a consequence the way we have been doing work, recording it, and the way we will be doing things as we take things forward is under review to meet their requirements. The majority of pieces in the puzzle are in place (hangarage arrangements, spares, tech documents and manuals etc, etc) and there is feverous activity happening behind the scenes in getting the word out and chasing up more support.
This activity and the results of the visit by the airworthiness chap will allow us to make swifter progress towards our goal of flight, so we'll be increasing our efforts accordingly to step up the pace of work on the Shackleton herself. 2015 is shaping up to be an interesting year!
Regards,
Rich
Sorry for the long period of silence since the last post, we have been busy pulling propellers on and off and overhauling various parts and systems.
Three weeks ago things took a significant step fowards, in that we had what is the first of many visits by the aviation authorities. As a consequence the way we have been doing work, recording it, and the way we will be doing things as we take things forward is under review to meet their requirements. The majority of pieces in the puzzle are in place (hangarage arrangements, spares, tech documents and manuals etc, etc) and there is feverous activity happening behind the scenes in getting the word out and chasing up more support.
This activity and the results of the visit by the airworthiness chap will allow us to make swifter progress towards our goal of flight, so we'll be increasing our efforts accordingly to step up the pace of work on the Shackleton herself. 2015 is shaping up to be an interesting year!
Regards,
Rich
Some photos of what we've been up to...
Investigation into an oil leak and sluggish response to pitch on No 4 prop revealed some issues that had long been hidden from years gone by; probably during WR963's time as propeller test bed for WL790 (the one that went to the USA). This included refitting a vital part that had either perished and been destroyed, or may have been overlooked when the prop was fitted - an O-ring that goes right next to the rear propellers rear cone. So with a team comprising of one ex-Shack engineer and plenty of willing hands, the propellers from No 4 engine were removed, cleaned, inspected and refitted.
Then it was onto No 3. This propeller had a badly cracked backplate on the front propeller, fortunately we had a few spares in store.
With the team getting better at prop removals, this was the site that met visitors after an hour or so of us being on site...
While it was off it allowed the cleaning of a lot of accumulated oil and grime. 24 years worth by the look of things inside this spinner shell. Unfortunately you can't remove the rear spinner shell until you get the front prop off so you take the chance to clean things as and when the opportunity arises.
We were also able to clean around the rear propeller and translation unit.
It seems trivial, but it helps massively with tracing any leaks if and when they happen. Once things were as they should be and with the new backplate fitted it was time to get the whole lot back together again.
All the other props are now being checked for similar issues, which has turned up some stiff/seized spinner latches, and and no other problems.
Around the rest of the aircraft the ongoing saga of the hydraulic hand pump resulted in a second attempt at fixing it. We ended up fitting a brand new one, as the ex Elvington one kept things working long enough to get to the end of the year, then suffered a similar failure to the last one meaning it wouldn't pump fluid around the system. Despite it being funny to watch new volunteers trying to pump the bomb doors open with it, something had to be done and replacing it was the speediest way to solve the issue. Both old pumps are being rebuilt to provide a source of spares should we need them in the future.
Fitting the new pump meant we could inspect the flap operating jack and if necessary replace it, as there has been a telltale weep of fluid from around that area.
Thankfully with the covers removed and the flaps cycled manually the weep was nothing serious and the jack won't have to be replaced. We did find that the rubber gaitors that take the flap operating tubes through to the wing have perished and fallen away though, so we'll be back in here again at some point soon once replacements are found.
The front bomb bay doors are now open, as we're reviewing our options as to how best to reinstate these, and the way forwards is looking to be using the drawings and a significant amount of manufacturing new half ribs to fill the gap. Even with a chunk missing, the full length of the bomb door does look rather good, and eases the servicing of the throttle and pitch control systems.
Lots more to do, but progress is being made.
Regards,
Rich
Investigation into an oil leak and sluggish response to pitch on No 4 prop revealed some issues that had long been hidden from years gone by; probably during WR963's time as propeller test bed for WL790 (the one that went to the USA). This included refitting a vital part that had either perished and been destroyed, or may have been overlooked when the prop was fitted - an O-ring that goes right next to the rear propellers rear cone. So with a team comprising of one ex-Shack engineer and plenty of willing hands, the propellers from No 4 engine were removed, cleaned, inspected and refitted.
Then it was onto No 3. This propeller had a badly cracked backplate on the front propeller, fortunately we had a few spares in store.
With the team getting better at prop removals, this was the site that met visitors after an hour or so of us being on site...
While it was off it allowed the cleaning of a lot of accumulated oil and grime. 24 years worth by the look of things inside this spinner shell. Unfortunately you can't remove the rear spinner shell until you get the front prop off so you take the chance to clean things as and when the opportunity arises.
We were also able to clean around the rear propeller and translation unit.
It seems trivial, but it helps massively with tracing any leaks if and when they happen. Once things were as they should be and with the new backplate fitted it was time to get the whole lot back together again.
All the other props are now being checked for similar issues, which has turned up some stiff/seized spinner latches, and and no other problems.
Around the rest of the aircraft the ongoing saga of the hydraulic hand pump resulted in a second attempt at fixing it. We ended up fitting a brand new one, as the ex Elvington one kept things working long enough to get to the end of the year, then suffered a similar failure to the last one meaning it wouldn't pump fluid around the system. Despite it being funny to watch new volunteers trying to pump the bomb doors open with it, something had to be done and replacing it was the speediest way to solve the issue. Both old pumps are being rebuilt to provide a source of spares should we need them in the future.
Fitting the new pump meant we could inspect the flap operating jack and if necessary replace it, as there has been a telltale weep of fluid from around that area.
Thankfully with the covers removed and the flaps cycled manually the weep was nothing serious and the jack won't have to be replaced. We did find that the rubber gaitors that take the flap operating tubes through to the wing have perished and fallen away though, so we'll be back in here again at some point soon once replacements are found.
The front bomb bay doors are now open, as we're reviewing our options as to how best to reinstate these, and the way forwards is looking to be using the drawings and a significant amount of manufacturing new half ribs to fill the gap. Even with a chunk missing, the full length of the bomb door does look rather good, and eases the servicing of the throttle and pitch control systems.
Lots more to do, but progress is being made.
Regards,
Rich
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