It’s been quite awhile since the last time at the airport. The weather was beautiful for an October day; warm and breezy. We have been spending most of our time getting packed up for our move to our new house the first week in November, and the Jetwing rebuild project has not been on the top of my priority list.
I finished up my dual with Don without a solo endorsement. It seemed like all was going well, but a couple of poor landings did not give Don the assurance that I could be as consistent as he was looking for. Although I did better than most of Don’s student in only 10 hours, he couldn’t sign me off.
Today I went to the airport to pick up some tools and take some pictures of a couple of things stored there that we want to sell. I wasn’t going to work on the Jetwing, but after I got there and looked things over, I figured I could finish up the carriage side support rails and engine mounts, which I did. I think the next step will be to mount the engine and begin to task of getting it to run. The throttle cables, electrical wires, and fuel tubing were cut, so it will take some time to get everything re-attached.
One other task is to get the main wheels done. Larry Miller is also working on the same thing with his Jetwing; the Skyway plastic wheels get sloppy over time, with the brass bushings wearing the plastic hubs. We both need to find the right oversized bushings to press into the wheels so they are taut and strong. So that’s a project that needs to get done.
But I’m pleased with the progress. It might be awhile before I’m back up there, but I want to go as soon as possible after we’re moved. There will be lots of little things to do at the new house, so it might be awhile before I can get up there again.
