A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

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LaurenceG
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by LaurenceG »

Thanks for that review of the year, Graham. Having read through your adventures rivet by rivet it's good to be able to look back at that momentous year in a flash. Amazing to see the progress, especially to us non-engineers, who can notably admire the lady's new (old) dress.

Thanks again, and with all my warm greetings for the holidays (what's that for a Meteor restorer?) and the new year in the Naughty Corner.
Laurence

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Blue_2
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Blue_2 »

Cheers chaps. I know I've gone slightly early with the review of the year, but I thought get it out there while I had time before the Christmas tomfoolery was a wise idea.
788 is certainly a very different machine to what she was this time last year!
Meteor WS788/ Chippy WK640 Restoration Project/Shackleton WR963, YAM
Other types meddled with by request!

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TonyC
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by TonyC »

grahamh wrote:
Thu 05 Dec 2024, 3:57 pm
TonyC wrote:
Wed 04 Dec 2024, 8:49 pm
I'm guessing that McVites is owned by an American firm...
I went digging and it turns out the owners are Turkish. Who knew?!
Obviously not me :laughing: , I suppose we should be grateful that its not Kraft otherwise we may have seen chocolate and cheese put together :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

Graham, well 2024 has certainly been a bumper year for '788 and as you say, she is certainly a different bird, than how she started the 2024!
Hopefully, 2025 will see a similar step forward and you and all the '788 crew, deserve a pat on the back for the giant steps forward, made by you all!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :punch: :punch: :clap: :clap:
...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

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Blue_2
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Blue_2 »

It certainly promises to be a busy year! I imagine it'll be a bit quieter as far as 788 goes, as we will have the small matter of a Shackleton to deal with!
Meteor WS788/ Chippy WK640 Restoration Project/Shackleton WR963, YAM
Other types meddled with by request!

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Blue_2
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Blue_2 »

Told you there was more to come, and that we weren't quite done with 2024!
12/12/2024 Update
After being on Christmas decorating duties at the weekend
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A sneaky Monday on the jet for John and I proved productive. Of course, after the weekend's storms we had some putting right to do. Loads of fences down, a few minor blanks etc off aircraft, and it had been noted that the Hunter was shall we say a little light on her nosewheel. So priority job was retrieving the lead we had taken out of the back of the Gannet several months ago, and installing it in the nose of the Hunter
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With this done, John got on with his scavenge pipe rebuild in the starboard leading edge of 788, while I went to war with the flap jack. I had made a tool to pull the pivot bolt out with... and it worked beautifully!
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As you can see. One undamaged bolt extracted (still attached to the tool at this point), one flap jack with dead seals removed from the wing for the first time in decades. It's bay was nice, clean, and corrosion free after a vacuuming out too
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I paid John a visit. He was busy bending, measuring, warming, and tutting at things so I left him to it
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As I had this new jack to install!
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Of course, I then wrote it up in the 700
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It's original paperwork has gone in the box folder all such documents go in. I then declared war on the port flap jack. As you can see, it promised to be as much fun as it's pal in the other side
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Access is the problem. I imagine back in the day, when these were operational, the systems used countless times a week and serviced, and taken apart every few weeks it wasn't a problem as everything would undo. Give it several decades of seizing and corroding together, and you get a very different story. Again, I had to save the bolt as I have nil stock. You watch, I'll find 20 in the bottom of one of the boxes from Bruce now! It was fighting me, but John had won his battle with the scavenge pipe! Here's some pics he took of his repairs as he went along
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That's the full house of pipework in the wing leading edge.
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Hopefully, as it's a scavenge rather than pressure line, the repairs will suffice. As I'm not confident of finding an intact replacement! Nice work John. Back to my war, and I was having fun. I could not get a spanner to lock on the nut on the pivot bolt, and I couldn't get in to see why. Removing the plumbing off the top of the jack didn't actually turn out to be of any help in this endeavour either, sadly
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Yes, that is ancient OM15 still in the jack! And it smelled every bit of its 50+ years old. To try aid access further, I deriveted the access panel mounting frame. It needed a mend anyway, and the Oddie clips that the access panel secures to drilling off and replacing, so it seemed daft not to.
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Finally, I was able to get enough access to confirm that the nut had corroded into a piece of abstract art rather than the small steel threaded securing device it had once identified as. A set of mole grips on it, and a socket and big ratchet on the other end of the pivot bolt, and it was away
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Worth dismantling half the wing for, as again it meant I could extract the vital pivot bolt unharmed
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Again, Henry got to feast on the accumulated debris in the jack bay
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As you can see, the bay is in good condition. As these bays are well protected by years of OM15 leaks, I saw no point in scrubbing them back and painting them, so after cleaning them out I decided to leave them as they are. Under the oil the metalwork is in perfect condition, the factory paint is still doing its job, I see no need to disturb that.
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The all important special pivot bolt, here about to be cleaned up ready for reinstallation
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It is unique to the flap jack fittings on a Meteor, and would be a pain to replicate as it has a grease way drilled through it and the end is tapped with a thread to take a grease nipple. That thread, and the fact that I could get a bolt in there, is what made it possible to extract these bolts by attaching them to my custom built "Bar, Meteor Flap Jack Bolt, Extracting For The Use Of" without which I'm sure I'd still be fighting the first jack! With the bolt cleaned and greased, a new nut for it found, it was time to drop the new jack in
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This went surprisingly painlessly. Unlike the starboard one which refused to align the flap bolt, this one played along and was soon fully installed
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So with the hyds done I drilled off the old Oddie clips, and cleco'd the access panel frame back down ready for riveting
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This is where all that time stocktaking pays off. I knew I had Oddie clips; a quick look in the inventory book... Ah, there they are!
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One visit to Tray 7 later...
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Shiny new clips! So I fitted these, made a repair for the bit of the frame that mounts a captive nut, fitted a new captive nut, riveted the frame down, then etch primed it
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It was soon time to depart, so I tidied my kit away, leaving the kit of parts to refit next time (maybe) around the jack bay
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She's been a pain in the backside on this job...
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...but we are now in a position to start waking up the hydraulic system properly. We can now stick OM15 back in the tank on the jet and see if it all falls straight back out of the bottom, explore whether the cockpit hand pump is functional after all these years, and if it is start bleeding and leak checking systems. IF the aircraft Gods are kind, and IF the plumbing doesn't leak and the hand pump works, we may just have hydraulic services such as airbrakes and flaps working through the selectors in the cockpit and on pressure from the hand pump at the weekend... Now wouldn't that be a fine way to finish the year off! We won't bother charging the accumulator yet, we want to start small and on lower pressures as we awaken long dormant systems, but it's certainly exciting times...


More next time folks...
Meteor WS788/ Chippy WK640 Restoration Project/Shackleton WR963, YAM
Other types meddled with by request!

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hunterxf382
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by hunterxf382 »

What a lot of changes in the last 12 months! Having seen the aircraft first hand earlier this year myself, I am hugely impressed with this project and the hard work undertaken by the whole team to get 788 looking as she does now!
Every step forwards is another towards getting Jon Corley his wish of firing the old girl up which will be an epic day in itself, but I'm sure some noise will occur beforehand ;) Hopefully the hydraulics will be a lot less troublesome than the electrical battles you've had - and may I wish ALL of the team a very Merry Christmas!!
Pete Buckingham
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ExVulcanGC
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by ExVulcanGC »

I would like to second that, what an effort with the resulting excellent achievements to date, hope you all enjoy the festive season with family and friends.

Brenden S
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Brenden S »

Well done on another huge 12 months of weekend restoration on this jet. Your level of determination and grit is great to see.

Dixie11
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Dixie11 »

Very well done team. Your progress this year is impressive . Have a good break and best wishes for 2025.

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TEXANTOMCAT
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by TEXANTOMCAT »

Well done for another fabulous year and thanks for taking the time to give such comprehensive updates on here.

Merry Xmas from all at Sywell

🫡

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chrisward123
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by chrisward123 »

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thanks to taking your time for posting throughout the year, been thoroughly entertaining.

Christian
Lakes Lightning Collection
Work at Hangar Three, Blackpool

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Blue_2
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Blue_2 »

10/01/2025 Update
Happy New Year people! Figured it was about time I got up to date but, as you’ll see, it’s been a bit of a chaotic time so I think I can be forgiven for being a bit behind. So, what have we been up to...? We continued the battle with 788’s plumbing, John having mended some pipework for the jet’s hydraulic system, namely the engine driven pump’s scavenge line. Image
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Of course it was handy to have the schematic when we refitted all the pipework to the jet, having no previous visual references to go by as regards piping routing on 788 herself as everything else had been pillaged from the wings many many moons ago.
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Going through the services piping, we removed the 4 way unions in the flap system as we don’t need the feeds to the outer flaps 788 no longer has, replacing them with 3 way unions to feed the systems we do have.
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We also found the main feed pipe to the flaps through the port undercarriage bay had issues.
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Well that’s not entirely fair, the pipe itself was fine, it was the union on the end that was knackered
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This is where it would be great to have a proper aircraft pipe flaring tool, to repair these pipes. We have decent pipe, we have unions, we just don’t have the right flaring tool sadly. Hey ho. Moving on back to the wing hyd bays, I painted up the area round the port flap jack where I had been doing restorative metalwork previously
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We also got the hydraulic tank fitted, and for the first time filled.
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Blood back in 788’s veins! We then refitted the airbrake, using the correct bolts we never thought we’d see hide nor hair of
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Special guest star engineers Chris and Nick trying to fit the airbrake. They got there in the end!
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Nick also brought more decorations to make our Christmas tree far too professional!
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We also did a bit of reclaiming and restoring fixtures and fittings, such as these grease nipples for the end of the flap jack bolts
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And fastenings for the starboard flap jack covers, here enjoying the attentions of Jenolite
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You can see how they fit on this panel
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And now, a Kipper Fleet interlude. Our mates on the Nimrod team are looking to bring some shiny new crew through to operate XV250 in the future. In the absence of some shiny new crew, they are having to make do with Adam and myself! So Adam is learning the front seats, and I have to learn to orchestrate this lot, the Flight Engineer’s panels!
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It’s quite daunting at first look, but it does start to make sense as you actually “drive” it. The flight deck crew after the run...
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...and the day’s full team.
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Great people, and it really is a huge privilege to be asked to join the guys running the last live “Mighty Hunter”. Back to 788, and I was reconfiguring a flap jack access panel. It seemed I had several starboard ones, but no port ones! So, Tom drilled the top off one to move it across on a NOS unhanded door baseplate we found in the stash of spares
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Cleco’d together
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Test fit
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I’d damaged one of the top covers while drilling it (see, not afraid to admit cock-ups!) but fortunately we have a spare or several
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Swapped and primed
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Always time for one more “make sure” test fit
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And the previously jenolited fittings were painted with rust preventing primer
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It really was a “get lots of small jobs done” kinda run up to Christmas. We had a sad occasion at this time too, the funeral of our good friend and YAM guide Roger Lawson. If it wasn’t for him 788 would be nowhere near as complete as she is, and we do miss his presence in the hangar and his friendship.
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In the wind-down before Christmas, more stocktaking happened. A nice easy job done sat at a desk!
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We really are ploughing through the stocktake, its heartening to see the pile of spares awaiting processing getting smaller. It is getting smaller, honest...! The short days offered us a great opportunity to photograph some of the resident fleet in lovely sunset conditions, which I couldn’t pass up!
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One other really cool little thing that happened before Christmas was the arrival of an unexpected present from the kit manufacturer Revell. You may recall we had them with us earlier in the year, measuring up and getting reference photos for a forthcoming series of 1/32 Meteor kit releases, and they sent us a nice little thankyou in the form of a model kit for the Christmas tree!
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Painted, assembled, and deployed!
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It’s little things like this that make our efforts feel appreciated, as well as making us smile! After Christmas but before New Year I had to de-festive the Dakota, after it came off-charter from Santa Airlines
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I then got on with restoring a Meteor 8 GGS tray I had been donated by Mike Eastman, reconfiguring it to NF spec to fit in the cockpit rig. It needed a lot of TLC...
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Stripped, unseized, and starting to sport new paint
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Seen here with the Vampire one (right) I had been very kindly lent by Joe Blackburne in the interim, prior to fitting in the rig
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Installed!
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While I was at it I made and fitted a new front screen to the rig
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...all the better to see the lit up GGS graticule with!
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I also did a little subcontracting job, helping our hangar neighbours the Lightning team by spraying up a set of relay mounts for them
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After a leak rectification, the pipe John had repaired was refitted
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Only to find we’d got a leak elsewhere under the belly! Which confused us as there was a leak where no hydraulics were
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But that would be next year’s problem, as we had now run out of year. Last sunset for us of 2024...
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Returning in 2025, first job was stashing the Christmas tree away for another year
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It’ll be back in 11 months or so, to dazzle you all with its dazzling mediocrity! Then it was leak chasing. I removed the rear seat again to rule out the possibility of the leak coming from the tank and somehow seeping out of the pressure cabin.
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Literally one drip to be seen. So the leak under the jet isn’t that! This will just require a union tweaking to sort. The investigation continued, and led to one of the pipes from the hydraulic pump back into the fuselage. It was leaking from its internal join, down the inside of the fuselage skin, then tracking along the stringers forward (downhill), leaking from rivet holes on its way
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We also had a leak at the hyd pump, caused because Tom had omitted to fit the olives in the pipework. Luckily I had checked a packet of these into stock only a few days previously
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They have been waiting patiently since 1957 to be used!
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So that was that weep sorted, and a Pipe of Rebuke for Tom! Then we were on NF night ops...
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...but you’ll have to go look at the Shackleton page for the reason why. Not quite yet though, give me chance to get it written! This weekend just gone is best described as Wintry...
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Aside from the obvious arrival, there was an arrival for 788 too, in the form of more pipework from East Midlands Aeropark
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Who took away with them our Javelin, to start a new life and in-depth restoration at Donington
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It’s been a week of taking it easy really after the efforts of the weekend. Again, you’ll need to look at the Shack page for that though. Some more stocktaking has occurred as the NAAFI have been briefed to put aside mushroom trays for me
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We have also had some Serviceable/Unserviceable labels copied, so we can start labelling components appropriately. Such as these, the leaking scavenge pipe and duff flap jacks
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We’re in grave danger of looking like a professional setup if we’re not careful! I also made up the wires for our desynn test box, which we found when we went to Bruce’s a couple of months ago.
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We tested the box and found it working, but lacking its test wires. So, I cut and tailed some from some redundant wiring
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Voila! One set of power and test cables made, to live in the test set
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I thought I’d best prove them... Shorthand for “play”!
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So this kit is now ready for use by ourselves, or anyone else on site with desynn kit. Happy days! I then decided to give the trolley acc its monthly battery condition
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So... that’s you about up to date from a Baltic Naughty Corner!
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More next time folks...
Meteor WS788/ Chippy WK640 Restoration Project/Shackleton WR963, YAM
Other types meddled with by request!

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TonyC
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by TonyC »

Thanks for the update, late is better than never, every time :laughing: although, given the amount achieved during 2024, I don't think that anyone would have blamed you, if you had decided to take a festive break!

You obviously were busy elsewhere :grinning:
...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

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hunterxf382
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by hunterxf382 »

Graham - you and your team have achieved a staggering amount over the last few weeks overlapping into this year with that big white bird's arrival, so it's nice to see that 788 has also been on your radar too. Superb progress all round, and certainly worthy of some stock-taking of the obligatory stash of orangey goodness in biscuit form me thinks - especially after certain Coventry crew depleted your stocks somewhat :)
Pete Buckingham
Volunteer in Aviation
Former RAF Engineer
http://hunterxf382.weebly.com/

Brenden S
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Brenden S »

Top effort mate. Well done and I look forward to what you can achieve in 2025.

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Blue_2
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Blue_2 »

Cheers gents. I've just changed job, and am in the process of moving, so spare time is a rarity, but I will get caught up on here at some point!
Meteor WS788/ Chippy WK640 Restoration Project/Shackleton WR963, YAM
Other types meddled with by request!

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Archer
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Archer »

That’s two major changes, both for the good I hope. Good luck with all that in the meantime. Actually, I changed jobs myself a couple of months ago myself and would welcome the honourable gentleman from Yorkshire’s opinion on my new boss’s biscuit tin. I mean, is this acceptable in a respectable 21st century workplace?
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TonyC
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by TonyC »

Blue_2 wrote:
Tue 28 Jan 2025, 7:56 pm
Cheers gents. I've just changed job, and am in the process of moving, so spare time is a rarity, but I will get caught up on here at some point!
Hi Graham,
Are you staying in the industry or has the open road, lost its allure?
I'm in a similar circustance, working for DHL on the Homebase contract and following the entry into administration, the 3 sites are closing by the the 28 February (well, Swindon will be closed by tomorrow, if it hasn't done so already), so the hunt for a new job is on!

Shame really, as I only have 15 months left until retirement, but life moves on!

As for moving, will you still be within easy reach of YAM?

Good luck!
...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

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Blue_2
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Blue_2 »

Archer, I think that is a perfectly acceptable tin, and a boss with such discerning taste can only be a good thing!
Tony, sorry to hear of your problem, but the powers that be keep telling us there is a driver shortage so hopefully you find something suitable soon. I'm glad to say I've hung up my drivers card. It would have been 24 years on the road this year, and enough is enough. A trip to Bentwaters for YAM last week in a 7.5 tonner was enough to remind me why I want to be off the road! So I'm working for a little engineering company now, the money is considerably better, I'll still be conveniently close to YAM, and my daily commute to work is about 8 minutes!
Meteor WS788/ Chippy WK640 Restoration Project/Shackleton WR963, YAM
Other types meddled with by request!

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TonyC
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by TonyC »

I can fully understand your decision, drivers are treated poorly, the roads are in a terrible state, as is the industry!
Good luck with the new job!
...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

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Blue_2
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Blue_2 »

Cheers!
At some point I'll have time to write an update... honest!
Meteor WS788/ Chippy WK640 Restoration Project/Shackleton WR963, YAM
Other types meddled with by request!

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Blue_2
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Re: A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

Post by Blue_2 »

03/02/2025 Update
As has been mentioned in the Shack thread, things have been a bit busy at YAM. And as has been mentioned here, things have been busy in my life too! I'm in the midst of a house move, and have hung up my truck keys and tachograph card in favour of a career off the road and instead at an engineering bench, working at a local company manufacturing high-end hardware for racing simulators. It's a lot more fun than driving, I get to see my own bed every night, and it's proper hands-on engineering which, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm quite fond of...! Anyway, to matters in the hangar. After the knackering ordeal of the Shack move, it took a while to get back into the swing of things. One job I have done was modifying the trolley acc so it once more sported an external plug. Partly because this would be its original configuration, partly as I wanted to be able to run things like the Desynn test set off it without having to take the lid off, and partly because I wanted to be able to recharge it without, yes, you guessed it, having to take the lid off! Here you can see where the plug would have been
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Reinstated and tested...
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Job done, and an external isolator switch fitted too.
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I have a guard to fit around the plug at some point also. The cockpit rig has seen some work too, with the knackered Workmate cluttering up the back garden being shorn of the knackered bits and reduced to a frame which will at some point become the mount for the rig
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As part of the effort on the rig, and because I felt like making something for a change, I dug out the pattern seat kit of parts supplied by Chris Elliot of East Mids Aeropark a couple of years ago. As their TT.20 was bereft of seats, they made up a set of parts to make new ones, and supplied me with a set too. One kit of parts and instructions!
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Part way through correcting the metalwork and fitting it all together
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Working out all the bracings, using 788's seats for a guide
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As, unlike the real seats, these are cut in steel, I got busy with the red oxide primer
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Making the most of a sunny day to get a good coat on!
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Then I hand brush painted the black, trying to mimic the rather agricultural authentic finish on 788's seats
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Fitting a NOS leg guard from the stash of parts from St Bruce of Norwich, and making up a representation of the seat adjuster
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Resulting in one very convincing looking seat!
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Another little side quest was an ebay win, a Mark 1a bonedome. Seen here as arrived, apart from I was test fitting my visor to it as it arrived sans visor
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So of course a full dismantle, restore, and return to silver finish beckoned!
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Happy with that!
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Modelled beautifully by 788 who, it seems, has for now stopped leaking hydraulic oil. This union I retightened hasn't leaked any more since I fettled it
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Nor has John's re-plumbed hyd pumps scavenge pipe
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We'll just keep monitoring the situation. But so far, so good. Speaking of St. Bruce of Norwich, the bullets I had found in the stash from him and Tom cleaned up have been primed too, to keep them nice until we need them for wing bolt changes
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But as we are back to the "one weekend on, one weekend off" rota, I've re-covered 788's cockpit for now
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Another aircraft that has taken our time has been another new arrival, the Tucano. A couple of weeks ago, the guys got the aircraft's fuselage trestled, and the wing trestled beneath it ready to lift into place. We then carried out that lift under the leadership of Jim and Al, who were part of the Linton on Ouse dismantling crew back in 2019! The wing somewhere near
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From another angle
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Nearly home...
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And after a lot of jiggling of the aircraft, careful synchronised lifting and dropping of trestles, and a few judicious taps with a percussive adjuster.., ZF448's wing and fuselage were one for the first time since 2019!
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The team responsible...
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(L-R Jim, Al, Scott, John, self)
Of course there were still a lot of bolts to fit to fully secure the wing to the fuselage, many of which were borderline inaccessible. We cracked on with these, in several cases relying on the "shufti scope" to actually locate them!
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This awkward little beggar was only visible with the scope, which I guided a screwdriver onto the top of to hold it in place, while someone under the aircraft threaded a nut on!
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Another one was held in place with this aerial out of my Meteor stash, as it was the only thing thin but strong enough to feed into place to hold the bolt down.
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An unusual view of 448's special display scheme markings; I'm glad I did a better job of the roundels on 788 than this effort on the bottom of 448!
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At least she looks more like a Tuc; apparently there has been more progress, I'll take a look at the weekend!
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More next time folks...
Meteor WS788/ Chippy WK640 Restoration Project/Shackleton WR963, YAM
Other types meddled with by request!

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