Construction of a Light Aircraft

[H80N]

Here is an instructional film of the construction of a Piper J3 Cub during WWII...

Part of it illustrates the fixturing and welding of the Chrome Moly tube fuselage..
the same techniques would apply to a sports racing car chassis... with some adaptation to the TIG welding process.... as opposed to oxy-fuel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Q6q1VKsTeKQ

It is instructive to see how effectively things were done some 70 years ago... before hi-tech

This link had been posted on SFT... credit where due and kudos to diggerdoug..

[H80N]

What a difference 70 years makes.... here is a Bearhawk 4130 tube fuselage TIG welded with a Dynasty...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guZCK_0BMqo

this is fairly short but very informative on tube welding technique..... the rest of his videos worth watching as well.....

[kvwall]

Great videos. As a former pilot, I always enjoy instructional videos that include welding and aircraft.

[dandeman]

quote from above: "It is instructive to see how effectively things were done some 70 years ago... before hi-tech"

and the skills of those doing the work that were not so obvious to the bystander..

I had an older brother who started working at a local small airport in exchange for flying time.. He was flying at the age of 14 and went on to become a Navy carrier pilot flying the F8 Crusader.

A fringe benefit to me as a young kid was a free run of the place (times were different back then) and I learned alot just from visual observation of engines and aircraft in various states of disassembly and the bone yard out back of one of the hangers of a few aircraft that had crashed or were scrapped out.

This strip was run by an FAA certified A&E mechanic who rebuilt engines, did major repairs to aircraft and that of course got into O/A gas welding of the chromemoly tube frames that a number of aircraft including the Piper J3 were constructed of.

Pieces of chromemoly were cut out of the boneyard scrapped airframes on occasion to make repairs to other aircraft.. Of course it was only in later years I myself learned of the care that must be taken, and post heat treating of chromemoly after the gas welding..

I've have a few photographs from this era and documented some of the memories in this link.. http://home.4x4wire.com/deddleman/se...navy_days.html

[JacksonJerry]

I am not aware of the need to heat treat after gas welding. Can you expound on that statement?

"I myself learned of the care that must be taken, and post heat treating of chromemoly after the gas welding.."

http://home.4x4wire.com/deddleman/se...navy_days.html[/QUOTE]


Jerry Jackson
San Antonio