Save The Cub

[EMFSO]

The roof of Dan's hangar at Crosswinds Farm caved in during an ice storm last winter.
Interested EMFSO members can help save Dan's Piper Cub by volunteering Saturday
July 28, 2018. Plan to arrive by 10:00 am. Please come prepared with safety gear and
a willingness to follow directions. The goal is to lift the roof and pull out the aircraft
from the hangar. Lunch is provided.

[byrocat]

Not sure how much I can contribute (no safety equipment like hat and shoes) but will be there to help.

[byrocat]

Just had a rain shower roll through Aurora. Is there a Plan B just in case it's a rainout?

[byrocat]

Fortunately, Mike and Pat had enough people show up to extract Dan's 1946 (1948?) Piper Cub from the remains of the shed -- Claire, Isaac, myself and one other person who's name currently escapes me (apologies in advance), possibly named Clinton.

First step was figuring out what needed to be done. First out of the shed were a couple trailers with stuff on them that were blocking access behind the wings.

After discussion, the section of the roof that had fallen unto the right-hand wing (still attached to the front rafter of the shed) had a 2x4 jammed under the end of the roof section and was then lifted up so that one end of the 2x4 could rest on the helicopter tail section (now lifted to about 6 feet off of the ground and the other end of the 2x4 temporarily braced on the second beam that had dropped off of a support pillar behind the right-hand wing and which had dropped unto the fuselage behind the cockpit much like a cleaver.

Next step was Mike and Isaac getting up on the remaining roof structure to pull out the nails holding the sheet metal to the 2x4s supporting them, pass the sheets down to ground level and then stacked outside of the shed, and then popping out the 2x4s and stacking them.

Clinton and Mike took a kick at the beam resting on the fuselage and found that it could be lifted. Using scrap short 2x4s, Mike nailed them together for a brace on the pillar that the beam had dropped off of, we then lifted the beam so that the remaining long section of the 2x10 dropped into the brace, and Mike then added more supporting short 2x4 section on the pillar supporting the other end of the beam.

Last step was fixing the 2x4 hlding up the front roof section so that the helicopter fuselage sectin could be moved out of the way.

We then pulled the Cub out of the shed, swung it unto the driveway, then moved Mike's truck and my car off of the patch of grass at teh corner of the driveways to Crosswinds Field and MIke/Pat's log cabin and the drive going up the the hay and the other barns.  Last step before we broke for lunch was to put the cub here. Lots of pictures taken. Clinton had to leave for a wedding in Mississauga and couldn't stay for lunch.

Pat and Mike laid out quite a spread for everyone.  Unfortunately, I had to leave at this time. Dan was going to have to find the hold-down augers, get them screwed into the ground and the plane tied down to them to prevent wind damage.

Oh yes, the Cub looks repairable, with just the corner of the fuselage behind the cockpit being damaged (mushed) by the beam. Of course, it's going to have to be opened up and everything checked.

Pictures to follow.