Dewline Squadron
West Texas Wing
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Saturday, February 9, 2008 We had a great day of progress today. John Jowell has got the instrument panel looking great with the rebuilt instruments installed. This is very tedious work and John has steadily continued on this project. Gregg Downing was able to get a lot accomplished with the rear bulkhead. This is necessary to re-install the tail wheel. John Webb and Greg Kinnan freed up the bearings on the elevator and flaps before lubricating. They then removed the fuel tank hold-down straps and began stripping and cleaning them. John Jowell also installed the control column "boots" in the cockpit.
Photo by John Jowell
Photo by John Jowell
Photo by John Jowell
Photo by John Jowell
Photo by John Jowell
Photo by John Jowell
Photo by John Jowell Saturday, January 26, 2008 On Saturday, 1-26-08, we had a work day in Guymon
for the C-45. Those going were, Jarrod Crandell, Sam Dean, Bruce
Graham and myself. We worked on several items including instruments,
the bulkhead in the tail section, window openings, fresh air duct for
the cabin and inspection and cleaning of the props. Greg Downing said
he hoped we would have the ole gal flying by summer. Our next work day
may be Saturday, February 9 but I will have to confirm that with Gregg and
plan around his schedule. The attached pictures show some of the work
being done. If you would like to help or if you know of someone who
would like to help, let me know. We always have a good time. John
Photo by John Jowell Bruce Graham working on the window frames
Photo by John Jowell Sam Dean working on the window frames
Photo by John Jowell Gregg Downing working on the important rear bulkhead.
Photo by John Jowell New CAF Col. Jarrod Crandell working on the door frame.
Saturday, July 28, 2007 Jowell and Kinnan went to Guymon today and continued to work on the installation of the cable bracket that is inside of the control pedestal. Some of the cables must be removed and re-routed through the bracket. The work is slow and tedious.
Photo by Greg Kinnan John Jowell inside the nose working on the cables and bracket.
Saturday, 07.14. 2007 Sorry
folks for the long time span since the last update.
We have really been waiting for Gregg Downing to be available to
begin installing the tailwheel bulkhead and tailwheel.
Photo by Bruce Graham John Jowell rebuilding the cable bracket that holds the power, prop, mixture, and etc cables.
Photo by Bruce Graham Greg Kinnan scrapes the cabin interior ceiling. Saturday, 06/02,2007 We were finally able to get another group work party together for the first time in three months. John Jowell has made several trips himself during this period. Bruce Graham, David Graham, John Jowell, and Greg Kinnan made the trip this weekend and work on various projects. Gregg Downing was out of town so no work was accomplished on the rear bulkhead which requires extensive riveting. John Jowell repaired the cable bracket which was broken in two pieces and is mounted behind the instrument panel. Bruce Graham and his son David worked on the window frames which must be cleaned prior to installing the new windows. Greg Kinnan modified the passenger air vent / light panels and installed them both in the passenger compartment. Ted Short is planning a trip to Abilene to remove the nose fuel tank and the tail from the "salvage aircraft"
Photo by Greg Kinnan Bruce Graham scrapes and cleans the window frames.
Photo by Greg Kinnan John Jowell climbs in from the nose to measure and test the cable bracket.
Photo by Greg Kinnan The two air vent / sight panels installed in the passenger compartment.
Photo by Greg Kinnan David Graham cleans a window frame.
Photo by Greg Kinnan Greg Kinnan checks the fit of the modified air vent.
Photo by Greg Kinnan John Jowell welding the cable bracket.
Saturday, 03/10/07 This past Saturday, Bruce and James Graham, Greg Kinnan and I went to Guymon to work on the SNB. Bruce had completed the bulkhead piece for the tail section of the fuselage and got a good start at getting it installed. This work requires Gregg Downing to be involved and he has a lot of people in Guymon seeking his time so we are at his mercy. When we get this work done, we can put the tail wheel back on and we will be able to move the airplane outside for a good cleaning. After we get that done, we will be able to start putting things back together. I am really anxious to get her airworthy again. I will let you know when the next work day will be. If you have some time and would like to go up during the week, let me know and I will try to make myself available to go with you. I have attached some pictures that I took Saturday. John Jowell Photo by John Jowell Gregg Downing getting into position to work on the bulkhead.
Photo by John Jowell Kinnan reinstalls hardware after cleaning the starboard side air vent.
Photo by John Jowell James Graham inside the tail cone during bulkhead installation.
Photo by John Jowell Bruce Graham setting clecoes on the outside.
Photo by John Jowell Poor James Graham in the tight spaces of the tailcone. Thank goodness he is young and small.
Photo by John Jowell Bruce and Gregg aligning and drilling new holes in bulkhead.
Photo by John Jowell More alignment!!
Photo by John Jowell And even more alignment
Photo by John Jowell Gregg checks progress. There is not much room for any work.
Photo by John Jowell Kinnan harassing Downing this time.
Photo by John Jowell Bruce viewing progress.
Saturday, 02/04/07 This past Saturday, Greg Kinnan, Bruce Graham, Sam Dean and myself went to Guymon and worked on the C-45. It was cold outside but nice and warm in the hangar. We had a productive day. Work accomplished:
Gregg will order the defective aluminum tail pieces and have them ready to install on our next trip. He will also order more instrument hose and hose fittings. We may have another
work day this coming Saturday. The following weekend is winter
conference in Thanks, John
Photo by John Jowell Bruce Graham working on the new rear bulkhead.
Photo by John Jowell Greg Kinnan replacing control cable pulley cotter pins.
Photo by John Jowell Sam Dean cleaning the oil off of his hands after changing the fittings on the right oil tank while Bruce is still working on the bulkhead. 01/30/07
went to Guymon yesterday and worked on the Twin Beech. I had hoped to get the elevator back on but when the elevator was removed, Gregg found a bracket that needs to be replaced. When we get the bracket replaced, the elevator will be ready to go back on. Gregg had the parts for the elevator trim mechanisms and I got them installed. I repositioned the actuator for the elevator trim indicator and it seems to be working okay now. I removed the instrument panel and brought it home with me so I can repaint it. Gregg ordered and ;has received the tubing for the instrument lines. Our next work day will be this coming Saturday if weather permits safe travel. I hope you can make it. I have attached a list of work that remains. There may be other things that I have missed but this is most of it. There is still lots to be done so all help is appreciated. Be Blessed! John TWIN BEECH WORK LIST
01/12/07
Hi, I hope everyone is staying warm today. It is still below 20 here in Dumas this morning.
I went to Guymon yesterday and worked on the C-45. We removed the elevator to gain access to the elevator trim mechanisms. I got both trim gear boxes out, cleaned and relubricated. They will be ready to put back in on the next trip. I also removed the instrument hoses that need replacing so hose material can be ordered. I also asked Greg to order us 200ea 6-32 x 1/2 screws and 200ea 8-32 x 3/4 screws. Many of the screws we have removed need to be replaced.
Looking back over the past several months, we have accomplished a lot. There us still much left to do, but we are making steady headway. Bruce Graham is working on the bulkhead that goes in the tail section and John Webb is working on the cabin windows. Some of the things left to do are to replace the tail section bulkhead, replace the cabin windows, finish the elevator trim mechanisms and reinstall the elevator, install the right engine oil tank, prepare and paint the instrument panel, install the instruments, finish up the fuel tank bays and install the fuel tanks, replace some aluminum skins that have been removed, install the right engine, send the props off for inspection and install them when they return. There will be other items that will need attention but that is the bulk of what we have left to do.
My goal is to have her
ready to fly by
I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting Thursday the 18th. Come and bring a friend.
John Jowell
Saturday, November 18 was a work day for the C-45 project in Guymon. We really had a good turn out and I think everyone enjoyed the day. Those in attendance were Sam Dean, Bruce and James Graham, Greg Kinnan, Glenn Larson and John Jowell. We had plenty of work to keep everyone busy and everyone worked like a trojan.
Work accomplished: * A new bracket for the left main landing gear switch was made, the wiring was repaired and the switch was reinstalled. * The two oil temperature gauge leads were threaded through their pathways to the right and left engine nacelles. * Sheet aluminum was cut out for the bulkhead that goes in the tail section. * Paint stripping was begun on the instrument panel in preparation for repainting. * Work was done to remove the left engine oil tank for inspection since holes were found in the right tank. * Work was done to get to the elevator trim gear boxes - these may be harder to get to than the rudder trim gear boxes and they were a bear. As an added treat, George Schwarz with an independent Amarillo news paper, Jim Cope with Channel 10 TV station and Teddy Aklin, their pilot, joined us at the hangar in Guymon to do a story on the C-45 project. They interviewed Greg Kinnan on camera and he told them about the CAF, the Dewline Squadron, the West Texas Wing and our project. They took several still photos and several minutes of movie footage while we were working on the plane. They wanted a before and after story, so Greg Downing was kind enough to fly the Cimmaron Strip C-45 for some air to air shots as well as some photo passes for the cameras on the ground. This gave them an idea of what a C-45 looks like when it takes to the air. They said they would let us know when the story will appear on television and in the paper. If you see any of these men, be sure to tell them how much you appreciate their efforts and the coverage. We are going to get some priceless exposure to the folks of the Texas Panhandle. Our next work day is scheduled for Saturday, December 2. Be Blessed and have a Happy Thanksgiving! John Jowell, Project Officer 
Photo by John Jowell Glenn Larson installs the newly crafted limit switch bracket on the left main gear.
Photo by John Jowell Bruce and James Graham battle the elevator trim gear boxes. There is absolutely no room to work on them.
Photo by John Jowell Bruce, Glen, and James creating the new rear bulkhead.
Photo by John Jowell Forming the bulkhead prior to the bending.
Photo by John Jowell Sam Dean performing the tedious task of routing the temperature leads from the panel to the nacelle.
Photo by John Jowell Greg Kinnan applying paint stripper to the instrument panel to prepare for painting.
November 11, 2006 The replacement wing skins were remanufactured and are ready for installation. November 7, 2006 Since the last report, a wooden form has been made to use in making a new bulkhead for the tail section and has been delivered to Guymon. Tuesday, 10-31-2006 I went to Guymon and removed, cleaned, lubricated and replaced both rudder trim gear boxes. After replacing the gear boxes, operation still required quite a bit of effort. On the next trip, a search will be conducted to determine the problem. The rudder trim indicator was removed and inspected. It is defective and needs to be replaced.
Saturday, 11-4-2006 Saturday was a planned C-45 work day in Guymon. Those in attendance were Greg Kinnan and John Jowell. Work accomplished: * We lubricated and installed the new "up" elevator cable and set the tension to approximate specs. Vern or Greg will check tension, inspect and install cotter pins and safety wire. * The rudder trim cables and chains were inspected to make sure they were tracking properly and that they were on the pulleys and not binding. The chains and pulleys were lubricated and the operation is considerably smoother. The rudder trim tabs were connected to the gear boxes and operation was checked for proper direction of travel and proper deflection. * The right engine oil tank was cleaned and inspected and two toothpick size holes were found in the bottom of the tank. The tank will be sent out for repair. * We found 12 rivets in the trailing edge of the left rudder with heads missing. These 12 rivets were drilled out and replaced with new rivets. * We checked the operation of the elevator trim and found it to be rough and difficult to operate. The pulleys were lubricated but operation was still difficult. The cable needs to be tightened and the elevator trim tab gear boxes need to be removed, cleaned inspected and reinstalled. The trim tab travel and deflection is questionable. Will need to check and set to proper specs. The next scheduled work day is Saturday, November 18. If you can go, let me know so we can coordinate our travel arrangements. All help is greatly appreciated.
Be Blessed! John Jowell
September 16th and 23rd Work Parties We had a C-45 work project Saturday, September 23 in Guymon. Those in attendance were Greg Kinnan and John Jowell. Several had conflicts and could not participate but we had a productive day. Bruce and James Graham went up to Guymon last Saturday and worked to clean on the main spars in preparation for priming and painting. * The bearings in the right main landing gear wheel were replaced with new bearings. Thanks to Berry Smith at Texas Bearing for he donated bearings for both main gear wheels. * A frayed elevator cable was removed and will be replaced with a new cable. * Two engine instruments were removed from the instrument panel and will be checked, refurbished and replaced. * Additional cleaning was done on the main spars. * Gregg and Vern have removed the rear bulkhead that was cracked and have begun the recreation of that vital part. * The two right side aluminum pieces that had several cracks have now been removed and are ready to be used as templates for new pieces. There is still a lot of work to be done but most of the parts that needed replacement have been removed. There is still some cleaning that needs to be done and after that, the primary job will be to replace the parts that have been removed. Our primary focus is to get the airplane airworthy first and then we can work on cosmetic aspects as time and money permit. The next scheduled work day will be Saturday, October 21. If you can go between now and then, let me know and I will coordinate with the folks in Guymon. All help is much appreciated and the more we are able to do the sooner the bird will be flying.
August 19-20 Work Party This weekend we had a work crew to go to Guymon to work on the twin Beech. Those helping were John and Barbara Webb, Ross Flowers, Bruce and James Graham, Sam Dean and John Jowell. We had a great time together and we had a productive weekend. On Saturday, the major accomplishment was the removal of the left main landing gear to replace the strut seal. The seal has been replaced and the gear has been reinstalled. While the gear was off we replaced the wheel bearings and reinstalled the wheel. (Notice the wheat seeds in the dust cover for the bearing - where do you suppose that came from?) Also on Saturday, the right main wheel was removed and the bearings were checked. It was determined that they need to be replaced due to some pitting and rough spots. We will do that on the next trip. We put the wheel back on so the plane could be moved if needed before we get back to replace the bearings. John and Barbara Webb and John Jowell spent the night in Guymon and worked on Sunday. On Sunday the side windows were removed and taken to Amarillo for cleaning and for the frames to be stripped. Also on Sunday work was done to remove two engine instruments. So far the instruments are still in the plane. There are cables running from the instrument panel all the way to the wheel wells behind the engine firewalls and there are brackets holding them in place that are next to impossible to get to but where there is a will there is a way - right? There is still a lot to do and the next work days will likely be on the weekend following our regular squadron meeting. If anyone wants to go up between now and then, let me know so I can coordinate with Greg and Vern.
John Jowell SNB Project Officer
Picture by John Jowell Picture by John Jowell
Picture by John Jowell Picture by John Jowell
Picture by John Jowell Picture by John Jowell
Picture by John Jowell Picture by John Jowell
Picture by John Jowell Picture by John Jowell
Picture by John Jowell
July 22, 2006 Work Party The Dewline Squadron held a SNB Work Party this Saturday, July 22. This work party had the largest turnout of participants since the project was moved to Guymon. Attendees were: Rod Bannister, Ross Flowers ( new member), Bruce Graham (new member), James Graham (son of new member), John Jowell, John Webb and Greg Kinnan. With this large group, a lot of work was accomplished. All of the instruments were removed from the panel to be inspected, refurbished, and certified if necessary. Cracks were found on the upper right wing aluminum sheet between the fuselage and nacelle. Most of the rivets were drilled out so that this piece can be removed and a new piece fabricated. Numerous patches were on the lower inner right engine nacelle and the decision was made to remove this piece and fabricate a new one. Most of the rivets were drilled out. The wing tank locker covers, which were removed from the spare aircraft, were stripped of paint. They are now ready to be installed after the fuel tanks are installed. The port side air ducting was cleaned by removing the adhesive. The electrical circuit was tested and one light switch was repaired.
The fabric patches have all been glued and ironed in the fuel tank bays. They will be primed at the next work party. The left gear strut has been leaking, so a seal kit is being purchased and will be installed in the future. .
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 Picture by John Jowell Picture by John Jowell The "Group" is briefed on the tasks of the day. Instruments removed by John Jowell.
Picture by John Jowell Picture by John Jowell Ross Flowers removing rivets from nacelle. Leaking left gear will have a new seal kit.
Photo by John Jowell Photo by John Jowell Bruce Graham with the able supervision of son James. John Webb removing rivets from nacelle.
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June Work Party
Photo by Greg Kinnan Photo by Greg Kinnan John Jowell replaces old hoses with new ones. Left engine ready for fire suppression ring
Photo by Greg Kinnan Photo by Greg Kinnan Right engine off and new hoses and fittings being replaced Ted Sanchez preparing cabin for primer
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