Avro Shackleton WR963 - updates

[richw_82]

Update - Please welcome G - SKTN to the UK Register.

A small step, but still in the right direction.

[Stroudy]

Congratulations. Will the drone (in a good way of course) of the shack soon replace the roar of the tornado role demo??

[richw_82]

It will take a while, but you will hear the drone of the Shackleton in the skies again. This is just the beginning, and starts making the progress official with the CAA.

[DaveChapman]

Great news,looking forward to following the story as it progresses.
Thanks to you all for your efforts it would be a highlight at any airshow to see a Shak in the air once again

[C24]

Good fortune to you.

[richw_82]

Hi all,

A few shows in to the season.. and still more to go. "Zebedee" (nose of the ex Strathallen T4) has been to Burford, Cosford and Wellesbourne, and still has plenty more miles to rack up while championing WR963's cause. Waddington, Fairford, and Yeovilton are all on the horizon.

We now have JustGiving Text Donate and Paypal set up, and there's a number of other things in the pipeline being worked on to raise funding for 'Shackleton - the Return to Flight'. All this will soon be going on the new website, and on leaflets, handouts and anywhere else we can get it put.

Of course, we haven't been ignoring WR963 either..

No 2 engine was tested again this weekend after the fitment of some parts we received from Gatwick Aviation Museum and Newark Air Museum. We now have RPM readings on the gauge which makes life a lot easier! Both No 2 and 3 were started and run up to 2200rpm and 40" boost; which resulted in more noise than WR963 has made in a while - getting towards being a proper Griffon growl.

No leaks, overheating, misfires or shenannigans, so next time its the turn of No 1 and No 4, and then if all is well behaved we'll push all four a little further.

ENERGAS have kindly agreed to meet our Nitrogen requirements which means we can sort out the oleo legs and be able to charge the pneumatics before starting the engines. Kind of useful to be able to do, as thats pretty much all that is left to do before we can taxy. We don't want to risk high speed on the tyres fitted due to their age but we've been advised for a low speed toddle up the taxyway they should be fine.

When? Soon.

Regards,

Rich

[DaveChapman]

Great news,thanks for the update

[richw_82]

Hi all,

Just a brief update on all things Shackleton at Coventry!

As a few of you might have seen we've been getting around the shows with the MR1/T4 nose. Last weekend it was in Rayleigh for the Armed Forces Day; and this weekend it will be at Waddington International Airshow as part of the RAF's 95th Anniversary celebration. We are actively fundraising for the Return To Flight; though its small beginnings and there's still a long way to go. There's a number of events coming up - one of which will be the chance to get your hands on WR963's throttles during a ground run.

What of WR963 herself? She has been sitting silent but satisfied with her performance on the last run, and is now waiting for a tow over to the hangar - as the jacks are back from overhaul and we have the mainwheel swap to do. Its anticipated this will be done over the weekend of the 13th/14th July if the space is available (as there's only one end of the hangar the 120ft of wing will fit into!) Our friends at Air Atlantique have yet again come through for us on the logistics side of things, which should see us get the mainwheels done sooner rather than later.

The nitrogen cart is getting an overhaul in readiness for some new cylinders, as it will be pressed into use as soon as the mainwheel change is done to get the oleos charged back up to the correct height, and charge pneumatics prior to running.

Last but by no means least - we've put a call out to some qualified crew in order to taxy WR963, with dates from the end of July being looked at.

Next update to include photo's as the camera's been in its box too long.

Regards,

Rich

[richw_82]

From SPT...

"ALL -

SUBJECT TO SERVICABILITY AVRO SHACKLETON WR963 WILL BE TAXYING ON SAT 3rd AUGUST.

This is NOT a fast taxy as it is intended as an assessment of the aircraft for further taxy runs in the near future. This will be the first time WR963 has moved under her own power since 2008.

Notice will be given 24hrs beforehand if WR963 is unserviceable, or any circumstances change that prevent taxying."


Kind regards,

Rich

[richw_82]

Hi all,

Its that time again... WR963 will be running her engines up at Coventry Airport on Sat 28 Sept at 1.30pm. This will be the first engine run since the taxy attempt due to her having a brief rest indoors while the mainwheels were changed.

All are welcome, access is through the West Entrance, signposted as DC6 Diner. There is a small charge for entrance onto the aircraft and there may be limited spaces for visitors on board the Shackleton during the run.

Kind regards,

Rich

[richw_82]

Hi Reggie,

I wish you had stuck around a little longer after the first run. We were that hacked off with 1 + 2 failing to start, we went for it and sorted the snag - stripped gears in a priming pump. WR963 ran again at around 3pm, and on all four.

You're more than welcome to come down again, it was our pleasure to let you be on board.

Regards,
Rich

[paddyboy]

Hi Rich

Great you boffins got her sorted

I will come for a visit when I get the chance

Great to have met you at Waddo

Best regards

Paddyboy

[richw_82]

WR963 this weekend, from the Birmingham Aviation Enthusiasts Group's website (http://baeg.blogspot.co.uk/)

[Sparts99]

That is great to see, well done.

[richw_82]

Calling all Shackleton fans... WR963 will be ground running on Saturday 8th March at Coventry Airport! The exact engine start time is tbc, but traditionally we run her up at about 1pm. Access is through the airport's West Gate just outside the village of Baginton, postcode for those that want it is CV8 3AZ.

Its a going to be a day of celebrating all things Shackleton - as on 9th March it is 65 years since the prototype Shack first flew, and a few days later on 11th March is 60 years since WR963 first took to the skies (and the day we consider her 'birthday').

So, if you fancy the sight and spectacle of the UK's only live Shackleton exercising 9,800 horsepower, come along to Coventry Airport, listen to WR963 growl, and share a bit of her birthday cake.

Regards,

Rich

[richw_82]

Hot weather this weekend but maintenance goes on... a new hydraulic hand pump supplied by the Victor XL231 team at Elvington has been built up with a new handle and correct fittings; and fitted into the No 3 nacelle. The old one is shown close up, and quite obvious is the failed seal which let full engine driven hydraulic pressure act upon its piston, shearing the pushrod. The new one was fitted, the fluid topped up and the lines bled off. We could then drop the flaps, and close the bomb doors, bleeding more parts of the system; but there is still air in the system. Overall though it works and is leak free! More OM15 will be added next week and another bleeding carried out to purge the last of the air.









The CSU on No 1 engine was reset and is ready to try out on the next run, it shouldn't drop into feather range this time. From fine pitch (maximum revs) to coarse pitch (minimum revs) the arm has 61 degrees of movement. The next 19 degrees of movement puts it into feather range. This movement at the CSU has to correspond with the movement of the pitch levers in the cockpit. With the wear in WR963's linkages the CSU was into its feather range before the lever in the cockpit was past its gate. The adjustments we have done at the engine put it back into its correct position against the setting in the cockpit.





Some general maintenance was done in and around the No 3 engine nacelle, involving lubricating various fasteners and fittings, and replacing a couple of DZUS fasteners that had broken or worn. Interesting to find was more Lancaster/Lincoln DNA in the wing... the inboard flap carries on across above the nacelle, but on the Shackleton it is split; as the rear of the nacelle doesn't move with the flap. Hinge and flap are still there though, though only a small portion of it moves!





Now for some good news... we had a meeting recently with a top notch company willing to give A8-20 E4/M5 support to the Shackleton so things have just taken another big step forward. We will be upping our fundraising efforts as a result, to include making a HLF application in the near future. We may have mentioned it before, but we really need your help to see WR963 fly again now more than ever! If you haven't already donated we encourage you to do so, as every little helps get a Shackleton closer to flight.


Regards,

Rich

[richw_82]

WR963 will be carrying out a ground run on 14th June at 1pm. Usual access around the aircraft until we get ready to start up.

Regards,

Rich

[richw_82]

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of updates, the back end of 2014 wasn't great for me but I'm trying to get on top of things again. The work on WR963 has been continuing though!


So... 2015 is here and what have we been up to? Well, we've mostly been hefting propellers about, and on a Shackleton there's plenty of them to go around.

Investigation into the No 4 prop oil leak revealed some issues that had long been hidden from years gone by; probably during her time as WL790's propeller test bed. This included fitting a vital part that had either perished and been destroyed, or may have been overlooked when the prop was fitted - an O-ring that goes right next to the rear propellers rear cone. So with a team comprising of one ex-Shack engineer (camlobe), a rigger turned grollie (hunterxf382) and plenty of willing hands, the propellers from No 4 engine were removed, cleaned, and refitted.

Then it was onto No 3. This propeller had a badly cracked backplate on the front propeller, fortunately we had a few spares in store.





With the team getting better at prop removals, this was the site that met visitors after an hour or so of us being on site...



While it was off it allowed the cleaning of a lot of accumulated oil and grime. 24 years worth by the look of things inside this spinner shell.



We were also able to clean around the rear propeller and translation unit.



It seems trivial, but it helps massively with tracing any leaks if and when they happen. Once things were as they should be and with the new backplate fitted it was time to get the whole lot back together again.



All the other props are now being checked for similar issues, which has turned up some stiff/seized spinner latches, and and no other problems.

Around the rest of the aircraft the ongoing saga of the hydraulic hand pump resulted in a second attempt at fixing it. We ended up fitting a brand new one, as the ex Elvington one kept things working long enough to get to the end of teh year, then suffered a similar failure to the last one meaning it wouldn't pump fluid around the system. Despite it being funny to watch new volunteers trying to pump the bomb doors open with it, something had to be done and replacing it was the speediest way to solve the issue. Both old pumps are being rebuilt to provide a source of spares should we need them in the future.

Fitting the new pump meant we could inspect the flap operating jack and if necessary replace it, as there has been a telltale weep of fluid from around that area.



Thankfully the weep was nothing serious and the jack won't have to be replaced. We did find that the rubber gaitors that take the flap operating tubes through to the wing have perished and fallen away though, so we'll be back in here again at some point soon once replacements are found.

The front bomb bay doors are now open, as we're reviewing our options as to how best to reinstate these, and the way forwards is looking to be using the drawings and a significant amount of manufacturing new half ribs to fill the gap. Even with a chunk missing, the full length of the bomb door does look rather good, and eases the servicing of the throttle and pitch control systems.




So thats the aircraft. Now what of her future?

Well, in 2012 the Shackleton Preservation Trust announced the decision to attempt to return a Shackleton to the skies and since then most of what has been done since has been maintaining the aircraft in a ground running condition. Three weeks ago, things took a significant step fowards in that we had a visit from the Civilian Aviation Authorities, and following discussion with them during the day the green light was given to proceed with the restoration to flight.

As a consequence the way we have been doing work, recording it, and the way we will be doing things as we take things forward is under review to meet the requirements of the authorities. The majority of pieces in the puzzle are in place (hangarage arrangements, spares, tech documents and manuals etc, etc) and there is feverous activity happening behind the scenes in getting the word out and chasing up more support. This will hopefully allow us to make swifter progress towards our goal, and we'll increase our efforts accordingly and step up the pace of work on the Shackleton herself.


Regards,

Rich W
SPT

[napalm42]

Great news - fantastic work by all

I last saw `963 flying at Abingdon Air Day in 1980,I believe.

chipmunk22

[JAWS]

Very interesting and some great work by all involved . Would love to see a Shack in the air next time I'm over the pond .