Getting the Wind Up …
Earlier in the year, during one of the many gales that the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum experienced, our Gloster Meteor WF643 suffered a collapse.
We tend not to keep aircraft on their undercarriage directly. The tyres are under enormous strain if they are standing on them. Thus most aircraft stand on metal undercarriage (axle) stands. The Meteor had been standing on these almost since its arrival, over 30 years ago. The gale catching the aircraft directly caused the two stands which had been set in concrete to shear off at ground level (where the water collected), the aircraft then shifted about 0.4m towards the entry road and ended up standing on its no longer inflated tyres.
The intention had been to get the aircraft lifted back onto new stands, then along came lockdown.
Today three volunteer members managed to complete stage 1 of getting it back on stands. The aircraft was jacked up on trolley jacks which were standing in turn on metal plates on the ground. The aircraft was then to be winched back to its original position above the concrete pads.
Unfortunately, this meant that the jacks had to be under the aircraft “sideways”, not the easiest position to operate the jacking handle from.
Once jacked up the aircraft was winched slowly across the 0.4m (14″ roughly) and then lowered back onto its undercarriage.
Now that it is in position new stands can be created (a task also started today) then it can be lifted again, and the new stands inserted into position. One advantage this time will be that we can jack it up with the trolley jacks in from the front, far easier operation!
That just leaves us with one question, how comes the wind made knocking it down look so easy compared with us getting it back up.
Author:: Steve Bell
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