Rebuild Update
by Steve Kaminsen

Another major hurdle achieved! After almost five years, we have an airplane again.

The first weekend in May was an eventful one for the Red Tail Project as many folks gathered at Tri-State Aviation for the mating of the wings and the fuselage.  Regarding the rebuild team, the usual suspects were involved: Tony (Gadget) Pena, John (Scrounger) Beyl, Bryan (Scoop) Darnell, Greg (MacGyver) Benson, John Sinclair, Mark (Guru) Tisler and myself.

We had begun planning for the process of mating the wings and fuselage weeks earlier. This was not going to be a normal process by Tri-State Aviation standards because this mating was different in two respects.   First, usually the wings and fuselage are mated and then the engine is installed - our engine was mounted over a year ago. Second, the Mustang's new wings were the first set out of Brent’s new jig at Odegaard Wing. If all the measurements were correct, then the mating would be no problem, but we had no way of knowing if all was OK until we actually tried to line things up to be bolted together.

On Saturday, we reviewed the plan one more time. The wing was the first thing on the list. It needed to be tilted so it was standing on the mains supported by a bracket at its aft end. Once it was placed in this position, we would put dollies under the mains so the wing could be moved in any direction. We began by hooking one of the forklifts to the wing jig. We then positioned the other forklift so it could lift the leading edge to a more or less level position. This has to be done very carefully and required both forklifts moving in unison, one up and one down. The process proceeded without a hitch, and we were looking at our wing resting on its main gear.  The forklifts were now free to work with the fuselage.

The next step was to bring the fuselage over from the paint hangar. Once the fuselage and wing were in the same hangar, we began strapping the forklifts to the fuselage. With this accomplished, we decided to do a dry run of lifting the fuselage to the desired height (the forklifts had to move in tandem), and again everything functioned without a problem. We knocked off for the day, and went for dinner at around 7 p.m., feeling we'd done everything we could to get ready for Sunday.

Sunday was clear and bright and we enjoyed the nice weather as we waited for our guests to arrive. Around 11 a.m., we began the job with John Beyl and Mark manning the forklifts. Once the wing was in place under the fuselage, it would be Tony’s job to climb into the cockpit and place the four bolts into the holes in the fuselage and wings. John Sinclair, Greg, Bryan, Doug Rozendaal and I practiced some 5th dimensional physics rolling the wing under the fuselage, and all went as planned. It was then time to lower the fuselage to the wing and insert the “lord” bolts. Tony jumped in and began inserting the forward bolts. Port bolt, in and down, nut applied; starboard bolt, in and down and nut applied. So far so good - we were two for two and it appeared that Brent’s wing jig was perfect. Now for the rear bolts: port bolt in with just a little leverage having to be applied and then the nut was applied.  The last one made us work a little, but within ten minutes it was in and captured - THE WING WAS ATTACHED!  Grins and high-fives all around as we rolled the plane out into the sun. The Wahpeton weather cooperated, giving us a severe clear day and the Mustang sparkled like the beauty she always was.

Max Haynes was snapping pictures, and Kara Owens with cameraman Greg Kellogg from KMSP Fox 9 News were rolling tape. We were also honored to have Tuskegee Airman Major (ret.) Joe Gomer in attendance as well as Brad Lang, son of the late Airman Donald Lang. Brad will be one of the pilots of Tuskegee Airmen when she starts flying in the next few weeks.

Well, that's it for now.   Thanks to everyone involved with getting us to this point, with a special thank you shout out to Cindy Beck and everyone at Tri-State Aviation. We are not done yet, but we are VERY close to making that Merlin engine breath fire!

Rebuild Update

It Looks Like A Plane Again

On Sunday, May 3, 2009, the intrepid Red Tail Project rebuild team was in Wahpeton, ND for a very special workday with the folks at Tri-State Aviation: mating the fuselage of the Mustang with the wing. The sun was out, the air was warm and the atmosphere was one of jubilation at what had been accomplished - taking a very broken warbird and putting it back together again.

Tuskegee Airman Major (ret.) Joe Gomer was also there to witness the event.  When asked for his thoughts about having the airplane standing on its own landing gear again, he said, "I was so happy to be there.  I consider this to be a memorial to four of my 1944 tent mates, Faulkner, Maple, Williams and a replacement, also Tuskegee-trained pilots, who never made it back home."

Work will continue on the plane to get it ready for flight tests in the next few weeks.

Here is a link to pictures of the CAF Minnesota Wing's Tuskegee Airmen as the wings are attached to the fuselage and the plane stands on its wheels once more.  These were taken on Sunday, May 3rd at Tri-State Aviation's facility in Wahpeton, ND.

Photo Gallery

Rebuild Update
by Steve Kaminsen

The latest trip to Wahpeton was the first weekend in April. Bryan Darnell, Greg Benson and I made the trip with Mark anxiously awaiting our arrival. Our main chores for the weekend were to prepare the wing for paint. In the aftermath of the latest spring snowstorm which dumped 26” of snow on the Wahpeton area, Mark was, through sheer determination, able to get the wing into the paint shop. More scraping, shaving of rivet heads and filling and sanding of the wing tips were on the agenda.

Mark and I tag teamed the wing tips which required hours and hours of sanding followed by filling and more sanding. Greg was the lucky one (maybe): he was able to operate power tools all weekend although on Sunday evening as we headed home, his drill hand was still numb in spots from the continuous pressure and vibration of holding the drill. Bryan scraped paint with single-minded intensity. We are very lucky to have him on board; his skills at this job have been honed to a fine point (I am sure his wife will be happy to hear that the next time the house needs painting!). As if Bryan and Greg’s jobs were not tough enough, because of how the wing sits in the stand, it tended to undulate as Mark and I sanded on opposite ends of it. Bryan and Greg had to be in rhythm with how the wing moved in order to make contact with its surface. Bryan equated it with trying to scrape paint from the end of a diving board while in use.

Bryan left for home around 5:00 on Saturday evening and we continued to work for a couple more hours.  We then met our friends - and fellow Red Tail Project enthusiasts - Bob May and Eric Trueblood for another fine meal at the Wilkin. Sunday was more of the same and by the end of the day, the tips looked pretty good and were ready for the final application of filler and Greg had completed becoming very intimate with every rivet on the wing. In case you think this is no big thing, try counting how many there are on a Mustang’s wing.

Mark figured he'd be able to begin applying paint by mid-April and we hope to mate the wings to fuselage in late April or early May.  After five years, Tuskegee Airmen will finally be able to stand on her own legs (er, struts). Cheers for now, next update in a couple weeks.