A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Thread

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

14 years 3 months

Posts: 1,665

I'll be accompanied by my baby boy, so we have a diversion sorted. No-one ever suspects the baby..

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 7,742

I've been on the OCU Course and converted to bacon cobs! :eagerness:

Member for

16 years 5 months

Posts: 564

LOL !! Hahaha !! Will miss the Banter this W/end, have fun guys.

Bill T.

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 5,088

Please don't tell me you are I/C catering this weekend T/O!

Pack up it is if so...!

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 7,742

Stand easy - I'm not checked out for catering! :eek:

My comment was in response to Mr Finch's comment, "You don't think I'm missing my toasties." and I was merely indicating my new found preference to the bacon cobs!! :D

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 5,088

I now face a dilemma. Toastie or bacon sarnie...

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 7,742

One minor amendment Blue - finest Notts BB (Bacon Bap)! :D

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 5,088

What's this "bap" cobblers?! :D

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 5,088

07/03/16 Update
No work this week to report, but as you may have gathered from the above banter and silliness we took the long trek to Newark to go hunting Meteor related goodies. While the jumble itself yielded little apart from some switches we need to replace the knackered looking ones in the u/c bays, it was a good opportunity to actually speak face to face with other 'Meteorists', and acquire knowledge and hopefully more needed spares.

We did know that we had some parts to collect, courtesy of this forum's very own Bruce. He had a stack of Meteor bits to get rid of, I can only assume to make space for more DH-stamped bits, and had brought them to Newark to pass over to me. While I had for its carrying capacity brought the Land Rover, kindly lent to me for the weekend by my work, I wasn't quite prepared for the steady stream of NF bits which emerged from the back of Bruce's car and piled up (and up) in the back of the Landy. Here is the haul, on my garage floor being sorted through yesterday
Gun bay doors
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160306_173409ed_zpshkjkugk7.jpg
More gun bay doors, and some wing root panels
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160306_173415ed_zpsrj32qknr.jpg
A shiny port inner u/c bay door. Seen here with the original off 788, I think it is a no-brainer that the new one will be going on the jet as it is far better than the original
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160306_173455ed_zpswy1cuigq.jpg

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160306_173520ed_zps8l3omsho.jpg
An airbrake access panel
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160306_173537ed_zps4hi596el.jpg
And finally a brand new starboard u/c jack, seen here with the brand new port one I bought a couple of weeks ago...
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160305_143010ed_zpsnbdwyv2q.jpg
Thankyou for your generosity Bruce! It is nice to know that, when we get on with the outer wings, we have options and potentially better parts to fit to the jet rather than having to get by with what we have.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

Good to read. That post exemplifies all that's best about this forum, Blue!:)

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 8,464

You are more than welcome.

Those parts appeared with another project I acquired ten years ago or so, and I never really saw them as 'mine', as they weren't part of that project. I like to try and help other projects like this if I can - and paying forward can sometimes bring big benefits in the future! Truth is, I always fancied a Meteor 14, but at the point I started looking, those that were available suddenly weren't. There are also, only so many hours in the day...

Bruce

Member for

16 years 5 months

Posts: 564

Agreed !!

Absolutely Charlie,
Well done Bruce !!

Bill T.

Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

Blue 2 you seem to be under the misapprehension that they are Meteor U/C doors when it is clear to me that they are office cabinet doors.

I only have to look 1m to my right to confirm the error in your identification.

Perhaps you can do something similar with the discarded one.

Attachments

Member for

9 years 7 months

Posts: 584

It's a good job those doors are that shape otherwise they wouldn't fit with the shelves.

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 5,088

I could do with those main doors for the jet! What a nice piece.

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 5,088

20/03/2016 Update
Yesterday it finally felt like Spring had sprung! The sun was out (initially at least), the weather was dry, and we arrived at the museum with something resembling a plan of attack. The museum site itself felt like it was coming back to life after Winter hibernation too, as many of the aircraft usually found in the hangar were outdoors for a slight reshuffle and to put the Halifax back indoors after starring in the museum's nightshoot on Friday.
Back to Meteor business, our plans for the day were to remove the lid for the fuselage centre section to see what remained within, power wash the main undercarriage bays and the main u/c legs, and get a bit more air in the mainwheels. In addition Rich wanted to finish the removal of the wing leading edges; this was a job I had started, Andy had lent a hand with in the interim, and then Rich had taken on.
First job was to get the canopy cover off and the canopy open. Rich finding and closing the cabin depressurization valve on our last visit has made a big difference to the amount of moisture getting in, as we were greeted by that nice smell of old aircraft cockpit instead of the odour of dampness. I set about freeing the fasteners on the centre section lid off (after doing battle with a couple of seemingly invincible wasps, just coming out of hibernation under the rear canopy fairing!) while Rich battled the leading edges. After much work, and not a little filling the air with some good Anglo-Saxon, I had freed off the fastenings and extracted the remains of the upper rear fastenings. These have suffered a combination of time's ravages and simple old fashioned butchery. I may need to make new locking pins for them, but they will be restored and refitted. Rich had defeated the Port wing leading edge too, and after summoning me to help him, we were able to slide it off. The wing structure is in really good condition, and we found some AW builder's plates, dated 1953!
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_113426ed_zpspw7v9aya.jpg
He soon had the starboard one off, at which point we noticed an anomaly. The inside of the starboard one was painted in the same primer as the wings' interior, yet the port one was grey inside. Closer inspection of the port leading edge's data plates revealed why;
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_125617ed_zps7s5jrgbf.jpg
It had in fact started life fitted to a Meteor NF.11. I wonder if it is a legacy of the accident marked on 788's record card late in her career...
Next job after lunch, after reinflating the mainwheels, was to get the canopy off which we soon sussed out. The canopy is lighter than it looks, and can easily be lifted by 2 people. 788, cabriolet style!
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_131314ed_zpssw0lgnpo.jpg
We lifted the lid, then climbed in to the tank bay to see what chaos lay within.
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_131706ed_zps21rcyfoy.jpg
We found remarkably little corrosion, which was good. The fuel tank has gone, and there has been a lot of wire cutting-type tomfoolery carried out in there, but other than that it looks encouraging. One of the elevator control rods is still present; one of the things we are toying with reinstating is the control surfaces, so once we have sorted just what of the control runs is missing we will see if this is feasible, then start seeing if the parts are out there to be acquired. But at least that is one bit we don't need to source!
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_133545ed_zpslkalqqvm.jpg
With the paint in there being flaky I decided to photograph all the markings, inspector's stamps, pencilled notes etc. I could find to record them. In doing so we found this one on the rear bulkhead of the centre section
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_132338ed_zpsohpa3nth.jpg
Does this mean the centre section originally belonged to WS744 I wonder...?
It then started to shower a little, so we decided to get everything buttoned back up. Before we did I took this unusual view of the cockpit, just as Rich was closing the DV window
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_133556ed_zpsnnefnu9n.jpg
Last job of the day was to break the power washer out and give the main legs and undercarriage bays a good blast out to clean out. I thought this was the easiest way to shift several decades of crud and layers of flaky paint. As you can see in the pic below, judging by the debris on the floor it worked!
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_145418ed_zpslk5vjt9l.jpg
We then buttoned the jet up and called it a day.
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Blue2MGB/Meteor/20160320_150913ed_zpscci2oigy.jpg
In another example of this forum's generosity, we had a welcome visitor in the afternoon. David, better known on here as Lion Rock, had taken the time to photocopy and deliver the Vol.1 and the pilot's notes for the NF14 in exchange for a brew and a look around 788. He even helped us put the jet to bed at the end of the day! Many, many thanks, much appreciated! Hope to see you across again soon.

Member for

18 years 2 months

Posts: 2,245

Anyone know the colour code of the yellow-ish primer seen on this and many other period aircraft?

Member for

14 years 3 months

Posts: 1,665

A little more to Sunday's update.

Our fearless leader (blue_2) enjoying a perk of being in charge, during a brief rain shower.

https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11012610_1687662258172476_1183806173551706586_n.jpg?oh=2b6c4897d6fff3b291fe994b41801316&oe=57842C6B

Pressure washing the main landing gear bays...

https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/v/t1.0-9/1509034_1687674128171289_3751040727434282694_n.jpg?oh=d98dcb71376dedb36fb7517674441277&oe=575047FA

More pressure washing.

https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1934395_1687675031504532_4802010035476303352_n.jpg?oh=e009f79b00ffe3802ca588ea8fadc494&oe=578170B0

As you'll see from that last photo - the starboard leading edge should be chock full of hydraulic piping, control rods, engine controls and other system parts. In our case, its bare, as is the port side. We do have ambition to restore certain systems on the aircraft but its going to be a long road as we try to find, acquire, make and put right! First up on the list is to try and isolate and restore function to a couple of systems to help with getting rid of corrosion; in particular the airbrakes. To get to them properly they need to be open, but the combined might of a couple of hydrualic jacks, the cable synchronisation and a few seized fasteners is making life harder than it should be.

Thanks to all that have helped by way of manuals, parts, contacts and advice so far - its very much appreciated!

Regards,

Rich

Member for

11 years 9 months

Posts: 421

How did this aircraft get into this state of being so heavily stripped to little more than the basic airframe - was it used as a 'Christmas tree' to keep other aircraft serviceable?

Andy

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 5,088

I would guess an element of that, and removing bits to ease her many road moves.