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An impossible case, some would say! |
Just wait until you see my new shiny yellow nose! |
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Guess someone forgot to use the pee tube! |
The wings, in particular, required some serious work. Much of the work
involved the cutting out of substandard old repairs and re-doing them. |
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The maestro (Bert) at work. Both wings had to be partially re-built,
including sections of the leading edge, "D" box, ribs, air brake
boxes and trailing edge. The leading edge was swept back slightly half way out due to
a previous bad repair. |
The log book reported the glider as having a "substantial
turn". She flies straight now. The red on the wing is the "Stitts" dope on
the new fabric. |
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Ernie Clark hard at it! |
Speedy at work on the fuselage innards. |
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Many months had passed before the wings could be put back
on to check the incidence at the root and wash-out at the tips. |
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Just how long does it take to check if things are properly lined up?. |
What is Bert doing here? |
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The elation as Speedy (front seat) and Bert (back seat) find that
everything did come together OK. |
And then the finishing touches ... what a nose-job that was! |
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Yes ... the nice new canopy does fit. |
Translation please? |
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And finally the Test Flight Day! Transformation of GAB is complete (note Bert's modern day chariot ready in the
background) |
Bert about to see if she would actually fly. |
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And fly she certainly did! |
A happy ending to a great deal of very hard work! |
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| To quote Speedy (on behalf or the restoration team) ... |
| "Boy, if you only knew how much had to be done! It all adds to the
satisfaction of seeing it finished though. Very rewarding. To fly around in a glider with
so much history and a chapter where you played a major role is special. She lay
dormant for 15 years before we brought her back to the sky. I feel like she is smiling at
us now." |
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