More speed Scotty

With the main bellows now rolling and pitching, we were hoping to get the ANT-18 off the ground.  But, with full throttle, we have no air speed, and no engine RPM.  We checked wiring to the primary instruments, cleaned the slip ring contacts, and various connector contacts till we got continuity.  Since the RPM cockpit instrument is operated pneumatically directly from the tachometer regulator bellows, we thought that was a good place to start troubleshooting.  That eliminated wiring and Telegon instruments as a potential problem, and let us concentrate on vacuum and linkage.  Our tachometer regulator bellows was very stiff.  We decided to restore both regulator bellows and the stall bellows since they were all stiff, and all related to air speed or engine RPM.

Outside of regulator bellows during restoration.

Straighten up and fly right

With vacuum applied to our newly refinished bellows, our ANT-18 was leaning badly to the left (or as our Navy buddy Jeff said “it is listing to port”).  We had to keep the yoke’s wheel at about 45 degrees to the right to counteract it.  After fixing all the leaks in the aileron pneumatics that we could find, we decided to adjust the aileron valve.  It took only a tiny adjustment of the torque linkage that goes to the center leaf of the aileron valve to correct the problem. 

While looking for aileron pneumatic leaks, we also restored the ANT-18’s rough air system.  Its key valves were leaking badly. 

Meet Carl

Carl can fix it!

Carl is our ace simulator technician; he helps us out when we can’t figure out how to do something – you’ve seen him on blueboxdriver.com  ‘s banner.  He is an electronics technician by trade, but can make or fix most anything mechanical too.  He helps out on the Blue Boxes when he has spare time.  Carl has restored Telegon oscillators, made a new rudder pivot block identical to the original, and looks like a pro when repairing fabric skin.  He completely reworked the linkage in our ANT-18 yoke; it had been damaged and poorly repaired in a former life.  Carl doesn’t like to fly, but is looking forward to one day taking his first Blue Box flight. 

What is a Jiggley ?

Here is a Link Trainer “Jiggley” action trading card.  After the bubble gum is gone, you have this great toy.  Jiggleys were made by the Model Airplane Company, Brooklyn, NY in 1950 and 1951.  They made several series of trading cards; Military, Cowboys, Circus, Weapons, Guns, etc.  Ours is No 45 from the Military Series 6  “Jiggleys”. 

Front of Link Trainer “Jiggley” trading card.

The Blue Box and his instructor are die cut punch outs.  You remove the background stencil that you can use to trace more “Jiggleys”.  Once the stencil is removed, there are two narrow strips of card in the back that connect the Blue Box and instructor together, each with a staple.  See the rusted staple popping through the orange Blue Box base, and the instructor’s pants?  You hold the strips, and jiggle them left and right, to see the Blue Box fly and the instructor scold the cadet pilot with his finger.  Too much fun. 

Back of Link Trainer “Jiggley” trading card.

I thought it odd that the instructions said “Replace Stencil to Pitch, Trade, Collect.”  Why “Pitch”?  Then I remembered how, when we were kids, we used to “pitch” baseball cards at recess to see who could get closest to a line or land it to tilt against the side of the school building.  Winner takes loser’s card.  Wow — that was a long time ago.