Standard J-1

The Standard J-1 was produced in 1917 to train pilots for the Great War.   They were not very popular due to the relatively unreliable Hall-Scott motor.   After the war, most of the surviving aeroplanes were re-powered by more reliable motors.   The most popular was the Hisspano-Suissa which had almost twice the rated horsepower of the original motor.   This particular J-1 was resurrected by Ray Folsom in 1973 to be used in the movie “The Great Waldo Pepper”.   The only available Hisso at that time happened to be an E-4 rated at  240 HP ( nearly 3 times the airframe design rating !! ).   Some other appearances were in “Ace Eli and Roger in the Sky”,  “The Young Indiana Jones”, “The Rocketeer” and a still cameo in “Titanic”, on TV in “The Fall Guy”, and numerous commercials.   The final appearance was a Japanese beer commercial a couple years before entering the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum.

In the shop 3-4-09

Tail is off

Wings coming off

Left top wing is off

Both right wings

Center section is off

Motor is off

Fabric falling off the fuselage

Undercarriage is off.

Bare fuselage frame

Removing rudder fabric

Elevators half way uncovered

Taking the fabric off the wings

Bare wing.

Disassembling the undercarriage

Inspecting the fuselage

Fuselage in the alignment fixture

Standard J-1 in kit form ready to assemble

Metal fittings restored

Fuselage being reassembled in the fixture

Safety wiring all the turnbuckles (105 of them!)

Fuselage removed from the fixture

Making a new rear deck framing

Gluing parts

Fitting stringers

New instrument panel

New seat upholstery

Fuselage framing finished

Carving new landing gear legs

New undercarriage fitted

Gear legs finished.

Wings being installed to fabricate new rigging wires

Soldering a cable end

One of many many many new cable ends

Wing rigging finished

9-14-09

Fuselage prepared for fabric cover

Rolling out the fabric

Cutting fabric

Fabric laid on the bottom

Gluing fabric on the bottom

Bottom and right side on

Applying finish tapes

Fabric finished and colored to represent cotton fabric used in the 1920’s

Covering the vertical tail

Stabilizer covered

Center section covered

Fuselage painted

Motor installed

Sheet metal parts painted.

Side panel installed

Doors installed

Side and top  finished

Fuselage finished

Tail and center section installed

Waiting for wings and wheels

Top right wing ready for fabric cover

One wing covered

Rib lacing  using 17 needles and walking around and no bending over

All the wings are covered

Both right wings finished

Assembling right wing cell

Ready to install

Right side is finished!!

Left wing cell going on

Too windy to go farther out

Waiting for undercarriage and propeller

Landing rear assembly

Installing shock cords

Shock cords finished

Left side done

Finished undercarriage assembly ready to mount on the aeroplane

Ready for the undercarriage

Retractable landing gear ????

Out in the Sun FINALLY !!!!!!!

Ready to FLY ??!!!!!!!!!!!