Sincerely,

The Return to Normandy Team

Filming has started on a feature documentary that we are producing about Whiskey 7’s Return to Normandy. We have found living pilots from our plane’s squadron and even an 82nd Airborne paratrooper who jumped from Whiskey 7 on D-Day over St. Mere Eglise. Here is an excerpt from an interview we recently conducted with Leslie Palmer Cruise, Jr.

In the hanger Saturday: Work continued on installing the accessories on the engines (Hugh, Dave A, John P, Loren H, and Jon C.). We approved the work on the first batch of engine accessories which are out for rebuild at Aero Accessories in San Antonio Texas. The donated paint for the ailerons arrived this week from Polyfiber so that work will start next week. -- Sincerely, The Return to Normandy Team

W7 Mainenance News

Scott Yoak reports that he will have the pan seat mounting structure to us by the end of March.  Once in hand they will become a high priority install as it will make the events planned for Normandy much easier to complete.

#1 Engine Sump Installed 
#2 Engine Generator Installed

Tentative Flight Dates - W7 plans to arrive in Prestick, Scotland on May 21st; Visit Ramstein AFB in Germany on May 26 with the final destination of Cherbourg, France by June 3.  Aerial activities are being finalized.

Duxford - Official Stop on the way to Normandy!

Whiskey 7 will be appearing at The D-Day Anniversary Air Show Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May 2014 in Cambridgeshire, England.  For more information on the air show please visit IWM Duxford Website

Winter Maintenance Continues

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.

Starting the Journey: Winter Maintenance Gets Underway

As soon as Whiskey 7 touched down in Geneseo the mechanics got started getting the airplane ready for her trip next year. The first order of business was to do a compression check on all 28 cylinders while the engines were still warm. A compression check tests the seal of the valves and piston rings and gives a general indication of the health and wear of each cylinder. Checking all 28 took up a full afternoon. All of the inspection covers were removed so that the aircraft structure, cables, and wiring can be checked.

The next weekend (November 22nd) the airplane was put onto jacks to allow for the removal and inspection of the wheels and brakes. The mechanics removed the center floor section and the ailerons, both will be refurbished and repainted over the winter and started removal of the engine accessories from the left engine. Additionally, the voltage regulators and Emergency Locator Transmitter were pulled for replacement.

On December 9 the hydraulic regulator and accumulator assembly was removed from the airplane and mechanics also started removing two cylinders from our spare engine to be overhauled in case they are needed during the trip.

Check out the slideshow above for pictures and stay tuned for more updates!