One of the restorer’s airport sons gave us hangar space to put the Chief in while we figured out more hangar space.
The next week we came back and went through in more detail looking at condition of parts and beginning to get a rough idea of what parts were needed, which was a lot, and the condition of what was there. Some was repairable and others will have to be replaced.
In the meantime, a friend of the other restorer had brought his Champ into Urbana to recover the wings. Aeronca used the same wings between the Champ and Chief.
Watching the covering come off of their wings along with the inspection of the surfaces underneath – the spar, fittings and ribs in particular – gave me a better idea of what our wings should look like.
There was some question if the spars were in good condition on the Champ, after calling out to an Aeronca expert, it was decided they were still good.
After the discussion with the Champ’s spars, I understood better why the restorer said that the two spars of the four spars on our Chief were likely destined for replacement, one cracked on the drive home.
The sorting of parts to look at condition and list what we had vs what was needed took a few afternoons.
Sitting underneath the wings of the L-4 (a military version of the Piper Cub) owned by on of the restorers airport sons, it was interesting to hear of other projects that had taken place at the airport and in that hangar as the former owner was a fixture at the airport when the restorer was growing up.
Some of the containers holding parts were a smile as much as a vessel: Christmas tins! Opening up several holiday tins to find brake parts made me smile while the restorer kept plodding along with the sorting and cataloging.
The nosebowl had room for the MacDowell starter, a device to start the Chief’s engine without an electrical system or hand propping.
Our Aeronca friends on the field were quite happy with the condition of the Chief and excited with what was already there.
The restorer said it is the fussy things that make a project stand out. The small parts that are hard to find. While there are a lot of larger parts that need to be addressed, they are available. The little parts that make the project complete can take time and effort to find.
Some of those fussy things are the original glass and window moldings were there along with one of the two gas tanks. Airport friends who stopped by while we were cataloging mentioned finding the other tank should not be too difficult.
The interior panel that goes inside the cabin below the window was there as well. The Chief project came with part of the instrument panel but there was certainly more we would need to find and do before assembly.
Putting everything into the structure gave a good Idea of what the Chief interior should look like.
I could see my cousins playing around the cabin as kids, but only the little kids! Hearing that little tidbit makes this feel more real to me – the life that happened around this project might not be the same as flight time but the time and effort my mom, dad and their friends and family put into this is a reminder of the passion we all hold for flight transcends time.
While sorting and inspecting, the restorer took a closer look at the lower portion of the tail support where a longeron attaches and mumbled something about a closer inspection from Uncle Paul or another welder on the airport.
At the end of the sort, the list of what parts are needed for the Chief to come back to life was well in hand.
As with any labor of love, progress will transpire while memories are made.