M2
January 2004
Shown to the left in its jig is the
fuselage being fabricated for the only remaining Stearman M2 Speedmail. This is
one of our current
projects, and it has entailed a large amount of fabrication. The original
fuselage was recovered from a lake in the Yukon Territory and was in very poor shape.
To date, the elevators, rudder, horizontal, and vertical stabilizers have been
completed. In addition the ribs for the wings have all been fabricated, and the
upper center section that houses the fuel tank is almost complete. Many of the
components on the original fuselage have been removed and cleaned up to assess
whether they can be reused. With much of the major structure complete, the
project now requires concentration on all the details to finish the aircraft.
Our
project Stearman was number 9055. It was one of only seven built near the end of the
open cockpit biplane era, and was used by Varney Airlines. Shown in flight
to the right is number 9054, one of it's
siblings.
Click
on the photo at left to see a larger version of the actual aircraft in 1931. It
is number 18 in the picture.
FEBRUARY 2004
The fuselage has been removed from the jig and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, along with elevators and rudder have been installed for fitting purposes. Work on the main fuel tank is taking place as the wing spars continue to be built up. The trim system is being installed, and the seat rails are being installed. You can see the relative position of the instrument panel in the photos below. Click on any photo for larger version.
Here is a picture of the fuselage taken from
the loft.
Here is a shot from the floor. Note the
instrument panel.
Here is a shot from the rear. Some of the
trim system can be seen just
above the ladder.
Here is a shot of James working on a baffle
for the fuel tank. Not
very exciting but we had to get James in there.
Mid March 2004
The fuel tank for the upper wing is being readied for welding. The wings are starting to be built up and the elevator trim system is almost complete.
Here James is working on the baffling for the upper wing fuel tank. You can see the wing center section on the bench behind him.
Here is a shot of the lower right wing undergoing buildup.
In the pictures on either side you can see the elevator trim system. The actuator has been positioned, and the control tube has been routed to the cockpit. The actuator is shown in the full nose down position.
NOVEMBER 2004
M2
wing
M2