corsair: flying

from Sport Aviation magazine

from Wisconsin Wing News newsletter

This week I checked in with Michael Guslick after I picked up a "new" Stratasys 3D printer (more on this later). It was So good to reconnect with him. Michael is a an outstanding individual that I first met at a metals workshop that I taught at UWM. I ended up standing and talking with him and his friend Charles for hours after that first workshop and a friendship with both of them was born.

Anyway, Michael and I reconnected via email and he shared the info above about the Corsair that he was working on when I left Milwaukee. I made a few posts about this project here:

http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/03/corsair-project.html

http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/08/corsair.html

http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/07/corsair-hinge-cap-die.html

http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/08/aileron-hinge-covers-flow-formed.html

http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/03/dennison-enterprises-llc-scott-dennison.html

http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/07/scotts-projects.html

http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/07/scotts-press.html

http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/08/friends-of-east-troy-airport.html

https://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2015/03/cessna-flight.html

https://frankieflood.blogspot.com/2014/11/max-aero-inc.html

I was so happy to hear that the Corsair is now airworthy. What a cool thing to work on, and Michael informed me that he and Marc are now the goto shop for Corsair ailerons. How cool is that?

 

aileron hinge covers: flow formed

Scott used the dies that I made for the Corsair aileron hinge covers. The first attempt with urethane rubber and hydraulic press proved to thin the metal too much and in one spot; thus a tear. He figured out his method though and now has a couple covers using his air riveter with forming head to flow form the aluminum. Check out the video as it explains the process, but is done with steel. I'm glad to see that Scott ended up with a good result.

corsair

Michael asked around and we located Sam Taber's hanger and he was kind enough to show us the progress on the Corsair. The complexity of the Corsair drawings have been evident from the start of this project, but viewing the interior sections of the Corsair makes it more evident the extreme complexity of the machine. I was so glad we could look the plane over. Sam told us that the wings should be close to being completed by mid fall so that will open the opportunity for the ailerons to be completed and fitted.

friends of east troy airport

Today we went to East Troy, WI for the Friends of East Troy Air Port Open House. I was hoping to get a chance to see the Corsair project that we are doing the ailerons for. Michael had mentioned that this might be an opportunity for us to see Sam Taber of Tab-Air who is coordinating the Corsair restoration. We took part in the breakfast and we walked around with the kids and looked at cars, vintage warbirds, models, planes, and helicopters. It was too bad that the weather was so overcast as the fog made the biplane and helicopter rides difficult, but it was a really nice event. We ended up seeing Michel there and we made our way over to some of the hangers to see if we could find the Sam and the Corsair.