Loaded on the Truck

Successfully loaded on the truck.  We have to wait an additional 30 days for a special permit now pursuant to Caltrans requirements (California Department of Transportation).  Our permit does not include going under one of their highway bridges on our approved route.

 

We'll be back in mid December and continue, except now have decided to keep the plane on the west coast until spring, based on mid west winter weather moving in for good.

 

I will fly it up to Stockton California to Taigh Ramey's base, where resides his Bomber Camp and Museum.  There is a silver lining - it will be much simpler to refine a well-outlined maintenance program and get the 2018 ANNUAL done there, along with getting the plane properly certified (FSDO), and fix any squawks. Taigh is an expert on these type of war birds.  I will fly it home in early spring.

 

Here are some images of the airplane being lifted and secured on the truck.

 

 

 

 

 

Left to right: Steve, Taigh, Ron

X-rays completed - Cleared US Customs

Some great news - 30 minutes ago received the call that our TBM Avenger has cleared US Customs.  The ship apparently passed the x-rays.

 

We are now awaiting word on when the truck and crane can be scheduled to bring the TBM from the shipping dock to Long Beach Airport.  Hopefully it will be scheduled for Monday. 

 

Then, next and final steps will include servicing, setting up avionics, filling of oil and fuel, testing / run-ups.  If all goes smooth, we should be wheels-up for Wisconsin middle to end of next week.

 

 

US Customs still Ruminating

US Customs is still trying to figure out how many more tests they can apply to the TBM.  So earlier this week on Tuesday morning we hired a Chicago attorney who specializes in trade law.  Now, all of a sudden, we are coincidentally getting more information and faster movement.

 

Mid day yesterday some seemingly good news came in (through our attorney Paul Anderson) that there was some type of big exam to happen, which was to commence at 1800.  They had earlier in the day requested overall airplane dimensions. We then heard back through Paul that they shared that the airplane would not fit through their "drive thru" x-ray machine.  So we can now only speculate that last night's exam was for x-ray, and must have been with portable x-ray scanning equipment.

 

In the meantime, we have finalized our art for the TBM.  In keeping with the Wolf Gang squadron who flew from the USS Bunker Hill, we have carefully replicated the squadron's patch.  We need to give shout out for Spark, a division of PBD, inc., which is led by Karyn Wanaski.  And special thanks to Charlotte Gotfredson, of Spark, who rendered all the artwork.  And also thanks to Jill Wicklund from Cushing & Company for the fabulous production.

VT-84 "Wolf Gang" Squadron who were assigned to the USS Bunker Hill, CV-17

 

Trick or Treat?

Lot's to catch up on here in the last 4 days. Let's start with the Halloween special:

 

We have been waiting now all week for the TBM to clear US Customs.  So we went to the docks to spy on things today and saw that new concrete barriers have appeared on all sides of the plane.  We inquired and were informed that the plane is now quarantined.  So it is evident that our TBM is going to be sitting there for a while longer now.

 

So we are all leaving for our respective homes.  Taigh (our specialist, consultant) and Steve (our mechanic), are headed to Milwaukee with another client who owns a Beech 18, then back to Stockton, CA.  I am flying back to Chicago mid day tomorrow.  When the TBM does clear customs, hopefully next week, we will all return and resume the process.
 

Trapped and quarantined - October 26th

View from above in the Beech 18 (picture taken 2 days ago before the barriers were added).

 

 

In the meantime, some highlights touring around the last couple
of days waiting for US Customs.

The Lyon Air Museum at John Wayne Airport:



Jim "Eshie" Eshelman, Served heroically in WW2, B-17 tail gunner over France and Germany,
Purple Heart, Air metal & French Metal of Honor recipient.

Inside the famous C-47.  Note the seat tubs for paratroopers.  Also note the detail parts of the paratrooper's uniform,
looks like it is very authentic.

 

San Diego - at the aircraft carrier USS Midway CV-41:



USS Midway CV-41 in San Diego, CA

 

 

The famous Douglas SBD Dauntless (my favorite plane all time)

The Swiss cheese dive brakes

SBD - close up of pilot

 

SBD nose

 

Grumman TBM-E Avenger N337VT Arrives in Long Beach California

 

This morning our Grumman TBM Avenger arrived safely in Long Beach California.  Everything went as smooth as silk.  Now we have to sit tight through tomorrow and hope things go as smoothly with US Customs.  If things do go as planned, will be bring the TBM to the Long Beach Airport on Tuesday morning under a California Highway Patrol police escort, which for now is scheduled at 7AM.

First view inside cargo hold

Covering the brakes for the tow

Outside - ready for US Customs

 

WW2 Planes - The Bad Boys

Today at Chino Airport in Chino Hills, California.  Probably two of the best warbird museums around;
Planes of Fame Air Museum and Yanks Air Museum.

Here are some short videos of the highlights.

 

USS Iowa Battleship

A bow view of the battleship USS IOWA (BB-61) firing its Mark 7 16-inch/50-caliber guns
off the starboard side during a fire power demonstration.

Arrived in Long Beach. 

While getting the ground work started to receive the TBM, I had a chance to go and check out the USS Iowa,

USSA Iowa is USA World War 2, Korean War and Cold War battleship, which is docked at the harbor here.




 

Iowa fires a full broadside of nine 16-inch (410 mm)/50-caliber and six 5-inch (130 mm)/38 cal guns during a
target exercise near Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, on 1 July 1984. Shock waves are visible in the water.

During World War II, she carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic to Mers El Kébir, Algeria, en route to a meeting of vital importance in 1943 in Tehran with Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Britain and Josef Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union.

Here are pictures I took today in the stateroom and Captain's cabin, which is where President Roosevelt stayed and slept for 2 weeks on the trip to Algeria.

Here to the right is the ship's mascot, Vickey, short for Victory.

Vickey stayed with President Roosevelt during the entire voyage.

Panoramic of Captain's state room, which was part of a suite where President Roosevelt stayed.

When transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1944, Iowa shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetok in advance of Allied amphibious landings and screened aircraft carriers operating in the Marshall Islands. She also served as the Third Fleet flagship, flying Adm. William F. Halsey's flag at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.

Iowa in the Pacific; Indiana can be seen in the distance.

Missouri (left) transfers personnel to Iowa in advance of the surrender ceremony planned for 2 September.



Today - Guns 1 and 2

Today - Gun 1

 
 

All 16 inchs at the muzzle - note the deep rifling twist

5 inch guns, mainly used for anti-aircraft defense

Inside a 5 inch gun battery

View from the underside hatch at the number 3 main guns

View inside the underside hatch at the number 3 main guns

Above: Super close up view inside the underside hatch at the number 3 main guns

Below: Video of the Conning Tower,
protected by 18 inch solid steel





This is a view straight down a vertical delivery shaft. Note the powder charge on the upper left. 
6 eighteen inch long charges were loaded for each shell fired. 
Maximum effective distance was over the sight horizon of 25 miles.

Some Great TBM Images from WWII

TBF-1 white 18 over Wake island – original color photo
 

TBM-3E Avenger #3 of VT-33 in flight over USS Sangamon March 2,7 1945

Avenger #22 on deck of carrier USS Anzio during a typhoon east of the Philippines 17 December 1944.
Some pretty brave young sailors with the flight-deck crew, no lines, no life vests.
 

TBM-1C Avenger #48 of VT-10 on the hangar deck of the USS Enterprise – June 12 1944. 
Minus one whole side of the elevator that was shot off. 
Still made it all the back and landed the crew safely on the carrier deck.
 

TBF Avenger of VT-31 scrambles from the sinking aircraft after the pilot ditched it during
flight operations on board the light carrier USS Cabot (CVL-28) on September 6, 1943

Initial Details

Great news on the rear gunner's turret - it is mostly intact, including the electric drives.  The one thing missing is the trigger grip from the gunner's aiming / control box.  We have found a replacement (pictured).

Also, TBM Avengers were a single position pilot controlled platform.  The position behind the pilot was originally for radio equipment.  But in later models, many were manufactured (or converted) to house an autopilot. The old autopilots were connected directly to the main aileron and elevator flight control action shafts and cables via the same means: an actual yoke stick.  In our Avenger, we have a middle seat and the lower yoke element is still there.  However the yoke stick has been sawed off.  We have a replacement for this too, and plan to install it so that the ship can be partially dual controlled (no rudder pedals for now for middle seat position though).