Despite the winter cold, the volunteers at the NWM have been making great progress getting Whiskey 7 ready for Normandy. The annual inspection program is in progress with many items have been completed and only minor items having been discovered which are being captured and corrected.
The main wheels and tires were removed from the aircraft and inspected, including cleaning/repacking of the main bearings and replacement of shims to improve brake performance. The gear has now been reinstalled and W7 is back standing on her own feet.
Scott Yoak, a great friend of the museum and pilot of the P-51 Quicksilver, was kind enough to visit in January to lend us a hand in testing the hydraulic system. With his help we found a worn check valve near the regulator which will be replaced. (We now have the new parts from the supplier and hope to install soon). Scott will also be helping us with the manufacture of hardware for the paratrooper seats from the original Douglas Aircraft engineering drawings.
All of the engine accessories that we had scheduled for rebuild this year have been sent out to Aero Accessories in Texas and it is hoped that these will be back soon.
The team set the goal of doing a complete valve timing and clearances check on the engines and plan in starting that job this weekend. We are also continuing the replacement of worn hardware on inspection plates and cowling to make maintenance easier as we go forward.
