Some visible changes have occurred in the restoration of Lope’s Hope 3rd these past few weeks.  All of the cowl formers have been fabricated and fitted.  Fitting of the new top cowl skins is being done now. Ryan fits upper cowl skins. Work on the doghouse and scoop progresses. Always a noticeable assembly is the...Continue Reading

The final stages in the George H.W. Bush Stearman’s restoration Stearman happened this month. The covering was completed, correct yellow #4 paint was applied.  One concession to safety was made. The  landing gear was overhauled and Hayes brakes were installed. Gidair master cylinders were used. AirCorps recently purchased the STC for that installation. BuAer 3347...Continue Reading

This month the final permanent riveting of many of the fuselage skins took place. The balsa fuselage tank supports were completed. The doghouse progressed nicely and is nearly finished. One of the major mysteries was what command radio and radio compass would be correct for a CBI P-51C-5NT. Through lots of help from knowledgeable Mustang...Continue Reading

As more skin is added permanently, the P-51C characteristic cockpit windows are beginning to take shape. Research has centered around determining the correct radio compass and command radio installations for the original Lope’s Hope 3rd. Those installations aren’t detailed in the engineering drawings we have so we are searching tech orders for the information. Fuselage parts...Continue Reading