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Not long after I took my first Young Eagles flight, at Flabob Airport, I was asked, by one of the EAA representatives, if I might be interested in participating in one of the EAA, Young Eagles plane restoration projects. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and a few weeks later my regular Saturday appearances at Flabob began. At the time, I had little knowledge of aviation history and the number of people at Flabob that helped to make that history, but my eyes were soon opened. |
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Skycoupe Restoration Project
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Ray Stits (L) & Al Gester (R) |
I had no idea what was involved in restoring a plane, when I volunteered, but I had seen the final results of the first restoration project performed by the EAA Young Eagles, a beautifully restored 1941 Aeronca Super Chief, and I knew I wanted to be a part of a project like that.
Under the “Expert Adult Supervision” of Al Gester, we were ready to start with the latest plane restoration project however, before we could start, we needed a plane that was in need of restoration. In the interim, our Saturday volunteer time was spent doing other projects geared towards promoting aviation to school aged kids. The new restoration group started small, often I was the only volunteer, but over time we grew to a pretty regular group of about a half dozen kids.
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The Project Plane Arrives
And then the day came when Al told us that he had secured a restoration project for us. Well known aircraft designer and founder of the EAA Chapter One, Ray Stits offered up one of his early designed planes for the restoration project. Donated to EAA Chapter One, several years prior, and then ending up getting stored up in the rafters of one of the old Flabob hangars was a 1963 SA-7D Stits Skycoupe, the only "D" model Skycoupe ever built. From a distance, the Skycoupe looked as though it had been in a wreck, but upon closer inspection Al found the plane to be a worthy project for us Young Eagle volunteers.
Click on images to enlarge
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A Historic Work Environment
| And if it wasn’t enough that I have been given the privilege to participate in a restoration project of a historic Ray Stits aircraft, I get to do so inside the legendary replica aircraft builder Bill Turner’s Repeat Aircraft hangar, surrounded by the most accurate flying replicas of some of the most famous racers in aviation history.
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Tearing Down The Skycoupe
When the Skycoupe first arrived it looked like a mess. The entire body of the aircraft was covered in dust and the fabric was destroyed. The first day we started working on the Skycoupe we tore off all the fabric. Once the fabric was removed we were able to see the inside workings of the aircraft and what everything looked like. Inside of the cockpit, all the gauges were broken, the instrument panel was destroyed and the seats were ripped. The next several weeks were spent removing everything from the inside of the aircraft and eventually stripping the Skycoupe down to her bare tube frame. All the parts were boxed and shelved for further inspection and restoration.
Click on images to enlarge
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Wing Restoration
The wings were removed from the Skycoupe and the fabric was taken off so that the wing structure could be inspected. Most of the wing ribs were warped, from years of being exposed to weather, and in need of repair or replacement. To fix the wing ribs, a piece of hardwood was placed on either side of the wing rib and a heavy duty clamp was used to apply pressure to the hardwood and rib. Over time, this would straighten out each of the warped ribs.
All the metal wing struts were removed, cleaned and punch tested. The struts that failed the punch test were scrapped and replaced with new struts. The struts were then primered, painted and re-installed.
After the wing rib repairs were complete, the ribs and other wooden surfaces were prepared for paint and then varnished to protect the wood. The wings are now ready for fabricing but this will not be done until the rest of the plane restoration is complete.
Click on images to enlarge
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Putting The Pieces Back Together
We’ve come a long way, with the Skycoupe project, since first started, but we still have a long ways to go. It is my hope that we complete the Skycoupe project, before the end of my Junior year and that we get to fly her to Oshkosh as they were able to do with the Aeronca restoration project. And of course, if we do get to take her to Oshkosh, I hope to be one of the pilots that gets her there and back home.
Click on images to enlarge
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