Shackleton WR963

[Dan4th]

I just hope she doesn't ever
keep you AWAKE!!!!!!!

Danf.

[Richw_82]

Assuming we stay on track with the work, one Friday night in September I can gurantee you I won't be sleeping much due to WR963.

I'll be a whole bundle of nerves while thinking about activities the next day.

[Xplumberlives]

Assuming we stay on track with the work, one Friday night in September I can gurantee you I won't be sleeping much due to WR963.

I'll be a whole bundle of nerves while thinking about activities the next day.

Very much looking forward to that day Rich, checking my diary for openings!

[Richw_82]

Mid week update -

Nearly all the required parts for the prop have been found or are being manufactured. We're now just trying to find some spacers - we need at least one if only to use as a pattern part.

The spacers go over the ends of the propeller racks and are secured by castle nuts. The racks are the items that transmit the movement of the oil fed piston at the front of the propeller to all the individual blades, so you can appreciate we can't afford to cut corners here..

Once we have them then the front propeller will be joining the rear one up on the engine.

[Jigsaw]

Great stuff Rich. Glad to see your getting there

[Xplumberlives]

Mid week update -

Nearly all the required parts for the prop have been found or are being manufactured. We're now just trying to find some spacers - we need at least one if only to use as a pattern part.

The spacers go over the ends of the propeller racks and are secured by castle nuts. The racks are the items that transmit the movement of the oil fed piston at the front of the propeller to all the individual blades, so you can appreciate we can't afford to cut corners here..

Once we have them then the front propeller will be joining the rear one up on the engine.

Hopefully you wont end up taking another prop apart to get a pattern spacer!

[Richw_82]

Not an option.

There are other ways of getting the spacers made if really necessary, but it involves digging through the drawings and getting calipers and things out.

[Xplumberlives]

Not an option.

There are other ways of getting the spacers made if really necessary, but it involves digging through the drawings and getting calipers and things out.

Oh, you mean ENGINEERING!

[Richw_82]

Shush! In this massively technological age of iPhones and things you're not supposed to use words like that!

[Richw_82]

18 Aug

We're making great strides with getting WR963 ready, and the various work happening on the radios, windows, and tailwheel is nearly finished. With this in mind we needed to wake WR963 and find out if evrything was still in good order.

During the ground run for the Project Propeller event in June, some difficulty was found with No 4 engine responding very slowly. Initially it was thought to be something in the throttle/pitch lever mechanism out to the wing, and some work was done here to go through the system lubricating all the points listed in the AP.

WR963 wasn't really happy having a couple of months off while we fixed her tailwheel, and was extremely grumpy to start, but once she did all three engines showed good temperatures and pressures. No 4 - despite good indications was slightly poorly. Dropping the propeller into coarse pitch to exercise it was then extremely reluctant to come back into fine pitch. Even advancing the throttle only made it respond very slowly. The diagnosis is that the CSU (constant speed unit) is at fault, so that now needs to be replaced.

The last required parts (rack nuts and spacers) for the No 2 propeller have been found! We also have a local engineering firm standing ready to make us some more. At the moment these guys are making us a tool to remove/replace the intershaft bearing inner race and its retaining nut.

Airbase's website lists us as doing a ground run for their open cockpit day on 25th August, but with the work still left to do to get our Shackleton running on four engines - its looking unlikely.

Regards

Rich

[Xplumberlives]

Thanks Rich, the great day gets ever closer!

[Sooty655]

Hi all,

You'll notice that there hasn't been an update for a couple of weeks.... its not that we have been ignoring things, more that there's no real visual progress at the minute. We've had a couple of weeks of irritating fault finding.

We've had a problem with the No 4 engine's propeller refusing to respond to its controls which has been a real pain in the rear (why it couldn't wait just a few weeks longer.. ) with the control linkages, CSU, and propeller itself all coming under suspiscion at various times. We are starting to see a little progress on this, and its hoped by the 22nd Sept when WR963 is scheduled to run for the Shackleton Association it will be behaving again.

We still of course have the fornt prop to mount on No 2. This is waiting on a couple of bits of engineering work being done off site. Predictably this engine had to be the one missing a few bits; and though they were found and acquired fairly quickly, we've had to get a tool made to refit them.

The taxy run... well we were aiming to try to taxy before the end of September. We've persuaded WR963 quite a way on, what with the tailwheel replacement amongst other things, but the clock is ticking relentlessly. If we overshoot September a little, we'll still find a way to invite you all to see WR963 taxy as soon as she's ready. We aren't about to quit yet though - we're going to keep at it to see if we can make it happen some time inside the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime have some youtube Shackleton goodness to keep your interest alive. This is Woodford, 1989 and the Shackleton's 40th Anniversary - complete with a really bad crosswind.



And here's WR963 being grumpy. Watch for coolant blow off at around 6 minutes.



Kind regards,

Rich


ps. I think I've screwed up linking the videos. Help, anyone?

[Jigsaw]

I'm glad you posted the Woodford clip on here Rich (I was going to do it after I suggested it on FB).

Good luck with everything

[Hazzer111]

Let's hope she's taxing by September, you have come so far!

[Richw_82]

We're trying my friend, but we don't have much of September left...

If all goes to plan tomorrow we may have the front prop fitted on No 2 engine. Wish us luck and good weather!

[Hazzer111]

We're trying my friend, but we don't have much of September left...

If all goes to plan tomorrow we may have the front prop fitted on No 2 engine. Wish us luck and good weather!

Fingers crossed it all goes to plan, good luck!

[Xplumberlives]

GOOD LUCK!

[Jigsaw]

The very best of luck from me as well. All the hard work and dedication, you guys deserve it

[Sploosher]

and good luck from me too Rich.................

how much notice will you be giving of any impending taxy runs..............

[Richw_82]

Around 7 days if its still September. I'll know better after tomorrows work. If we end up putting it back to after September I'll try to give a little more.

[Richw_82]

More to come later, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words.







Thanks to all that have helped us along this far!

Kind regards,

Rich

[MOD]

Well done to all at SPT. She looks great again and nice shots Rich.

ibw

[Hazzer111]

Well done rich and spt looks fantastic with all of her propellers

[Dan4th]

That is One Sweet Photograph

Or should I say THREE or........

You know what I meant

Danf.

[Jigsaw]

Bloody brilliant