In years past, my Air Camp friend and her husband have camped with me at Oshkosh. This time we got together at Urbana for a different reason. Later this month they will be helping with a fabric module during an Air Camp STEM day, and the restoration shop was the perfect place to get things ready.
Last fall, our Air Camp friend arranged colleagues from Air Camp to visit Urbana. She wanted them to see what goes on here firsthand. To the north of us, the Champaign Air Museum continues its work on their B-17 project. At the south end of the airport, the restoration shop houses several unique vintage aircraft projects.
Our Air Camp friend knew the volunteer work happening around Urbana is about much more than airplanes. The mentoring and encouragement that naturally happens along the way is just as important as the work itself. She wanted her colleagues to see how special vintage aircraft and warbirds are compared to the modern airplanes most people are familiar with.
Many of the construction methods used on these aircraft date back to before the World War II era. Wood and fabric structures, along with traditional metalwork, were once commonplace. While materials and manufacturing methods have evolved, the principles behind those techniques remain relevant today.
With the STEM event approaching, the other restorer filmed a short talk with Air Camp to help spread the word about the upcoming activities. We also donated some fabric that will be used during the event.
One of the other volunteers, built frames for the fabric using 2×4 lumber with a brace across the middle. Fabric will be stretched across these frames so students can iron the material to shrink it and then practice stitching a rib into place.
Volunteer Saturday turned out to be the perfect time to prepare the materials.
By the time we arrived, our Air Camp friend and her husband had already sanded the sides of the frames. I gathered the fabric and pinking shears, and we set to work cutting squares large enough to cover each frame.
Once the fabric was cut to size, the restorer brought out the adhesive. Like many things in aircraft work, the glue process involves careful measuring and mixing. It reminded me a little of the painting process we used on Mama’s Chief a few months ago.
(You can read more about that stage here: [Priming Mama’s Chief] and [Getting Ready for Paint].)
Having worked with mixing cups before made it easier to follow along. This time the mixture was one part adhesive to two parts reducer.
In a previous life, our Air Camp friend had been a chemistry teacher. She laughed that measuring and mixing the adhesive felt a bit like being back in the classroom again. Following the instructions, combining the parts, and watching the reaction take place brought back memories of teaching.
Before long, another volunteer joined us. She had attended Air Camp herself and now volunteers at the shop whenever her schedule allows. A junior in high school, she hopes to fly professionally one day, preferably in cargo operations. In the meantime she has been learning about aircraft structures while assisting the restorers with the nearly complete Gee Bee project. She had already done rib stitching with the restorer on the Gee Bee and left that part to our Air Camp friend, her husband and myself.
While we worked on fabric panels, the restorer and other volunteers were busy with work on another project, the Howard, specifically around the wing attach point. Like most volunteer Saturdays, several projects moved forward at once.
The frames we prepared will allow students to practice shrinking Poly-Fiber onto the structure and stitching a rib into place.
Before calling it a day, the restorer showed us how to iron appropriately (two temperature settings before it is complete) then did some practice stitches on the rib like the participants will be doing soon.
During the same STEM day, students will also visit the Champaign Air Museum at the north end of the airport where they will take part in a riveting module connected to the ongoing B-17 restoration. By the end of the day they will have completed a small metal airplane they can take home along with their fabric project.
Interestingly, while fabric covering is still discussed in today’s Airframe and Powerplant curriculum, it is no longer tested as part of the practical exam. Events like this give students the chance to experience the process firsthand.
As the restorer and our Air Camp friend talked through the demonstration steps, they also noted how some of the principles used in fabric covering are similar to modern composite work such as carbon fiber. Different materials, but many of the same underlying ideas.
The restorer and I have worked with our friend on Air Camp activities before, and we were thrilled to be able to help again with a maintenance-focused day.
You can read about one of those earlier experiences here.
With spring finally starting to show itself, or at least thawing enough that we can work outside without immediately needing to warm back up, it felt good to be back doing what we enjoy.
Preparing these frames was a small project, but the purpose behind it is meaningful. Helping the next generation see how airplanes are built and maintained keeps these skills alive.
Spending the day with our Air Camp friend and her husband while getting ready to bring aviation history and aircraft restoration to life for students felt like the best of both worlds.
Spending time with kindred aviation spirits is never a bad thing.
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