Coff,
Thanks for the foregoing. As an aid to taking the pressure off I will "spill the beans" from my point of view, it may amuse our fellow posters as we await your deliberations. Beware there's a challenge in this for you, so you don't get off lightly
A Chippy Tale
In late August 1979 I was finally recognised for my fantastic ability as an Airframe fitter and promoted to Sergeant. This meant a move from OUAS/ULAS/6 AEF (University Engineering Flight) and a posting to Field Repair Squadron (FRS) part of the former 71 MU based now at Abingdon as two squadrons, Crash and Smash (who attended all fixed wing aircraft crashes in UK) and FRS, who carried out Category 3 repairs to all military fixed wing aircraft in the UK, as a "gang boss". I believe that my experience on the venerable Chipmunk led to my being given repairs on a Spitfire, Devons galore and eventually I ran a team of 50 plus tradesman in a six month rebuild of the wings of PA474. The subject repair was quite a small job that might make it interesting to Chipmunk devotees.
Circa 1980, I was detailed to take a 2 + 1 (Two lads and me) to Woodvale where someone had taxied an aircraft over a "bad ground marker" on the airfield, causing some severe damage to the underside of the fuselage. I'm sure some years later I saw an accident report or incident report in Air Clues. Anyway, we duly arrived to find no accommodation on camp, so our Jnr Tech, one Alfie Bass, a scouser, got us a room at his aunties house, we were on Rate ones, and with Alfie working from home we were well chuffed with the arrangements.
Arriving at the hangar at Woodvale we found the aircraft prepared for the repair with wings removed and placed in rigging position on trestles. With the damaged area at around 4 feet off the ground it was a very awkward position to work on the underbelly. I contacted base and our surveyor agreed that there was no reason that the fuselage could not be laid on its side on the trestles as the fuselage frames would be done in sequence, ensuring that no change to the structure would occur. A full symmetry check would be carried out on completion. The Shorts Ltd manager was not best pleased, and threatened me with the wrath of Kahn, but eventually had to concede that until I handed it back, it was an Abingdon aircraft.
Anyway, all above is background, and I apologise for the lengthy diatribe, it serves to set the scene for a strange discovery. At some point during the repair we dropped a steel nut inside the fuselage and, like all "top notch" gang bosses, I dug out the magnet on the locking wire to retrieve it, we fumbled about and eventually, retrieved the errant nut. Somehow during the search the magnet came into contact with the lower spar tie bar, and was not attracted. As an old (ish) Chippie man I felt that something was amiss. Doing some research through the Aircraft publication I found two things of interest. There was a Modification, introduced some years previously replacing the Aluminium lower spar tie bar with a Steel one, and this mod had been signed as having been embodied on this aircraft. Apparently the mod was the result of some failures of the tie bar under the stress of aerobatics. Anyway, Mr Kevin, the Shorts manager was pleased that it had been discovered, and we were all happy as our repair was extended to accommodate incorporating the modification. To this day I do not know what made me offer that magnet to the tie bar, but I'm glad I did. I wonder if any others escaped the mod but were signed up ?
Here's a challenge Coff, can you find which aircraft had that taxiing accident at Woodvale circa 1980 ?
Once again, I apologise for this long post, I just can't explain it in fewer words !!!
Smudge
