Museum’s
Anson Restoration Project
February
29, 2004
by
Colin Ainsworth, Project Leader.
Over
the past four weeks we have been concentrating on the fuselage.
While we were  disassembling
the fuselage it was noted that one of the fuselage frame members was
missing. Since this was an essential item required to complete the
restoration, it was necessary to locate one. The Museum Curator, Bryan
Nelson, contacted Byron Reynolds of the Reynolds-Alberta Museum to find
out if one was available.
After
a few days, word came back that part had been located and it would be
included in the next shipment along with the two main wheel tires. The
item has now been painted and installed, and the fuselage frame is now
complete.
After
Ernie Killen had finished manufacturing the many wooden frames for the
fuselage, it then became the task of Keith Brensen and Mike Dandurand to
install them. This entailed using the aircraft drawings to match up each
of the individual frames to the correct aircraft station. Once this was
accomplished, each frame was then attached and painted. The next step is
to manufacture and install the fuselage stringers and then the 1/8"
plywood outer skin covering on the top of the fuselage.
Many
of the Anson components are very badly corroded and require sand
blasting. Since we don't have a sand blaster at the Museum, the team
approached the 14 Wing Fire Hall. After the problem was explained, they
graciously agreed to letting us use their machine, as long as we
provided the sand that would be required. This excellent co-operation
allowed team members Peter Miller and Jerry Aucoin to clean many of the
components prior to them being re-installed on the aircraft. Two of the
items that have been cleaned are the pilots rudder pedal assemblies and
both control columns.
These
will be installed over the next few days.
Dustin
Colwell and Phil Weedon, who are in the process of rebuilding the two
Jacobs engines for the Museum project, have offered to clean the two
nacelles and engine mounts. Once these are finished they will be
returned to the Museum to be painted prior to being refitted on the
aircraft.
One
of the interesting aspects to the restoration is discovering the history
associated with the Avro Anson, and each month I would like to include
in this column a bit of "Anson Trivia".
The
following is an excerpt from the Chronology Of Canadian Military
Aviation, page 65.
"On
the 14 May 1943 a pilot of an Avro Anson from No 4 AOS, London Ontario
became incapacitated at the controls. LAC KG Spooner, a student
navigator with no pilot training, took over the controls to enable three
of his comrades to bail out. Soon after, the aircraft crashed into Lake
Erie. The George Cross was posthumously awarded to LAC Spooner in
tribute to his act of self sacrifice that others might be saved."
Next
month I will tell the story of how an Avro Anson saved Britain during
the Luftwaffe bombing campaign.
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