North American XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887 in 1945

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month!

Firewall Forwards

Two of the team members have spent the entire month manufacturing replacement lower cowl ribs. These are the ribs that the lower cowling attaches with Dzus fasteners. The project had some of the original ribs to use as patterns, but they were totally non-usable due to damage caused by the aircraft being moved countless times when it was in the field in Ohio. All of the upper cowl ribs were completed last month, and when the lower ones are completed this month they will all go together for heat treat up to T4 condition (hardened).

Two of the sixteen lower cowling ribs. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Another pair of the sixteen total lower cowling ribs. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Electrical

All of the generator and starter firewall forward electrical harnesses have now been fit, cut to length, and their large amperage terminals crimped and soldered on. Reilly’s team is in the process of completing the low amperage firewall forward Cannon plug harnesses that go forward and attach to all of the miscellaneous electrical components: tachometer, starter and preoil relays, generator field, supercharger solenoid, mixture and carburetor air temperature controls, oil, glycol and carburetor air temp probes, propeller feather and chip detectors. Both feather pumps for the MT Propellers are now permanently installed on the left-hand lower firewall armor plate.

MT Propeller feather pump mounted on firewall. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Start and pre-oil relays. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Carburetor Air Temperature (CAT) Control Motors

These two CAT motors have been an ongoing headache. For years, Reilly has tried to find replacements, because the originals were open to the weather and full of water for fifty plus years. Both motors, all the sequential limiting switches, and all the wiring and gearing were nothing but a pile of rust and corrosion. Reilly offered this task to one of his ‘wizard volunteers’, Gerald. He took this task on to find replacement limit switches (the original style is no longer available), get the motor armatures and fields rewound, and remanufacture all the interior motor and switch mounting brackets.

The XP-82 Carburetor Air Temperature (CAT) Control Motor. The unit had suffered extensive corrosion damage internally due to decades of exposure to the elements. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The heavily corroded interior of the XP-82 CAT limit switch and gear housing. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Gerald found an electric motor rewind shop that rewound the tiny motors and fields, and repaired the brake assemblies which instantaneously stop the motors at the proper selected positions. There are four positions for this carburetor air control system: ram air, half-hot air, full-hot air, and filtered air. The carburetor air-induction trunks of an aircraft engine must have the ability to control the temperature of the air being forced into the carburetor due to different environmental conditions (temperature and moisture) during flight. The pilot controls this temperature by rotating a switch on the instrument panel to stop the control in each desired position.

All of the limit switch and Cannon plug wiring has now been completed.

The specialty, miniature 16 tooth gears which Weezie managed to find at a New York supplier which proved invaluable to the overhaul of the CAT units. The truck key is included to show just how tiny these gears are! (photo via Tom Reilly)

The magnificently overhauled limit switch housing. Compare this to the corroded mess shown in a previous image. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Oil/Fuel Pressure Senders, Oil & Coolant Lines

All four units are now permanently attached, Aeroquip-hosed from the engine to the sender, and sender to the firewall. These four NOS Rochester units were contributed to the project by Larry Kelley (owner of the B-25J known as ‘Panchito’). Reilly was really grateful to Larry Kelley for this help, and urges everyone to read the article about ‘Panchito’ in the December issue of AOPA Pilot magazine.

The planned trip to mandrel-bend all of the firewall forward oil and coolant lines scheduled for last month had to be postponed, but Reilly hopes to complete this task by the end of December.

Two of the four New Old Stock oil/fuel pressure sender units which Larry Kelley supplied to the XP-82 project, complete with original documentation! (photo via Tom Reilly)

The Right Hand pressure sender unit installation. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Belly Scoops

The final fitting and riveting of the fairing panels are complete on the left scoop, along with both forward airfoil attach rails. This fitting has been a complex process to rivet all of the required threaded nut plates for attaching the fairing panels to the lower side of the center section. These nut plates had to be installed between and under the hat channels in the 95-gallon center section fuel tank bays, and a number of them had to be installed in the hydraulic bay compartment in amongst all of the hydraulic lines and components. A fun job, but now finally completed.

One of the massive belly scoops for the XP-82 project. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The airfoil support rods for mounting the forward part of each belly scoop (shown with a pen for scale). (photo via Tom Reilly)

Seats/Armor Plate/Weight & Balance, Center of Gravity (C/G)

The final assembly of all the seat elevation parts is now complete. Reilly decided to replaced the original steel armor plates with remanufactured units with identical dimensions using 1/4” aluminum plate instead of the original steel to save weight. Reilly had originally planned to hold this decision until the point of doing the aircraft ‘weight and balance’ to see where he needed to add or subtract weight. However, the original steel armor plates were positioned so close to the neutral C/G point that it would not make any substantial difference in the center of gravity of the aircraft if they were made of aluminum.

One of the fully assembled pilot’s seats. (photo via Tom Reilly)

(When manufacturing and/or restoring any aircraft, one has to be very careful when it comes to the weight and balance of the finished aircraft. All aircraft must maintain a specific balance range of inches so that the aircraft flies properly. The ‘weight and balance’ is determined by weighing the aircraft after it is completed to determine where the center of gravity is. The center of gravity can be corrected by adding or taking away factory lead balance weights positioned in the tail.)

The armor plate, replicated in aluminum, rather than original steel to save weight. The welded brackets are for attaching to the seat rail brackets. (photo via Tom Reilly)

And that’s all for November, 2015!

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in January, 2016 for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month!

Center Section Leading Edge Assembly

This leading edge sub-assembly has been completed for some time now, and two team members spent a week fitting it to the leading edge spar. This was a complex job as it had to fit around and in between all of the forward gear door up-lock mechanisms mounted on the forward spar. Also, the six gun ports had to be properly positioned in the leading edge skin to align with the .50 cal. gun barrel blast (cooling) tubes. The leading edge assembly must remain off to perform the preliminary adjustments of the gear door up-locks during the gear retraction tests.

The center section main spar with the exposed gear up-lock mechanisms. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Fitting the center wing leading edge assembly to the main spar. Note one of the huge propeller spinners on the left hand side. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Belly Scoops/Radiators/Coolant Header Tanks

The final two Dzus/nut plate panels that close out at and aft of the bottom of each radiator have now been completed. All four feed and return 2” coolant lines are now completed, along with the 1.25” intercooler lines.

Fitting out one of the remaining two close out panels on the radiator housing. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Fitting out the other remaining close out panel on the radiator housing. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Both pressure relief valves, one mounted on each coolant header tank, are now overhauled and installed.

A pair of airworthy coolant tank pressure relief valves. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A header tank with one of the coolant pressure relief valves installed. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Special XP-82/P-51 Coolant Water Necks

These coolant water necks are peculiar to only the Merlin-powered XP-82 and P-51H engines. They were not included with the overhauled engines as they are considered part of the cooling system. With much searching Nixon Vintage V-12s (the facility in Tehachapi CA, that overhauled the two engines) came up with two pairs of them. They are now permanently installed on both engines.

The components for the coolant water necks supplied by Vintage V-12s. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The main water inlet installed on one of the Merlin engines. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The forward section of a Merlin engine showing two of the water necks in position (note the masked-off black tubes at the lower section in between the two silica gel packs. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Firewall Forward Jobs

The majority of December was spent completing all of the miscellaneous must-be-completed firewall-forward jobs. All of the feed and return vacuum lines from the vacuum pumps to each firewall and air/oil separators have now been completed.

On the left-hand firewall, there is a pressure-controlling valve that manages the vacuum pump discharge pressure airflow through pilot-selected lines out to drop tank mounted on each wing. This vacuum pump discharge pressure is used to pressurize each drop tank in order to push and transfer the fuel without the help of a fuel pump back through return lines to the 95-gallon inboard fuel tank, a unique design. The team managed to salvage enough airworthy parts from three water-damaged valves in their collection to restore one good valve.

Pressure control valve which regulates the vacuum pump discharge pressure air flow. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Two vacuum air/oil separators, two ignition starting boosters in their mounting boxes, two pre-oil solenoids and check valves, two tach generators and the two electric/mechanical carburetor air control mechanisms have now been permanently installed on the airframe.

Air/Oil Vacuum Separator. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Starting Ignition Vibrator. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Pre-oil Solenoid. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Carburetor Air Temperature Control Mechanism. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Temperature Probes (Oil and Coolant), Chip Detectors & Drain Ports

On a number of the coolant and oil lines, temperature resistance probes are threaded into special welded fittings in each line. These electrical-resistance probes sense the coolant and oil temperatures and their ohms resistance is transmitted through DC wiring to the respective instrument in each cockpit to indicate the temperatures. Also on the lower point of a number of oil and glycol tubes, there are welded-in drain ports and, on each oil return line, there are chip detectors threaded into welded tube fittings.

Both entire Firewall forward electrical harnesses have been final installed and attached using Adel clamps and wired in through Cannon plugs to numerous respective locations (generators, starters, tach generators, temperature probes, primers, chip lights, carb air temperature motor controls for induction air temperature, pre-oil, feather pumps, etc.).

The firewall-forward cannon plug harnesses prior to installation. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A closeup of the Cannon plug assemblies. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Inboard Gear Doors

Reilly’s team has just started manufacturing two inboard gear doors. These doors are exceptionally complex riveted and spot-welded assemblies. The Alaskan wreck site yielded two extremely munched doors without one reusable part. However, the damaged door parts are revealing a huge amount of information on how to manufacture new parts and how they go together. Completing these two complicated doors will take some time.

Template parts recovered from the mangled inboard gear doors. (photo via Tom Reilly)

And that’s all for December, 2015!

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in February for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

North American XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887 in 1945

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month!

Fuel Systems

The major job this past month has been installing the wing and center section fuel tanks, boost pumps, liquidometers and sump drains. Reilly’s team completed the installation for the two center section 95-gallon tanks around the first week in January. Three of the four outboard tanks are now installed less their pumps and liquidometers. The team expect to have completed these when the fourth tank is finished in the next week or so.

A view of the freshly installed wing center section fuel tank. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The right hand fuel boost pump. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The left hand fuel boost pump. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Inboard Gear Doors

Tom Reilly has been planning the remanufacture of the exceptionally complex-shaped inboard gear doors for several years now. He had recovered two extremely damaged inboard doors from the Alaska wreck site, but neither one had any usable parts. However, the wrecked doors both yielded essential information on how to make new examples. Between these two crashed door remains and the very detailed North American Aviation plans in their possession, two team members were able to complete both door frames in a short amount of time. The press-die pattern for the inside skins is currently under design.

One of the gear doors under assembly. (photo via Tom Reilly)

One of Reilly’s contractor machine shops has supplied the project with the four needed gear door hinge points (see below).

The four, freshly-remanufactured gear hinges sitting beside the damaged original pattern part (left). (photo via Tom Reilly)

Upper & Lower Engine Cowlings

Reilly’s own machine shop finished all of the 4130 alloy steel adjustable-dzus-rail attach points for the left and righthand upper cowlings. These are the attachment fittings that join the two top cowls together down the centerline of the top of each Merlin engine.

Freshly re-manufactured cowling attachment hardware. (photo via Tom Reilly)

With the lower cowling ribs being finished over the past month, the English wheeling of the six (three each engine) lower cowls under way. Within a short amount to time, the team had the first forward, lower wheeled cowl completed. The wheeling of the five remaining cowls should go smoothly. The two filtered-air screen ducts still need to be fitted in the sides of each forward cowl.

Reilly is wistful over how nice it would have been had these cowls been the same as a standard D-model Mustang so that he could have purchased them, more or less off-the-rack, from a current P-51 parts builder, but no such luck!

The lower cowling for the left hand fuselage being trial fitted. The temporary Cleco fasteners are holding the skin to the frame to allow Reilly, a master of the English Wheel, to see if he needs to make any adjustments. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Another view of the lower cowling for the left hand fuselage being trial fitted. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The lower cowling for the left hand fuselage being trial fitted. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Armament / Replica Machine Guns

The Twin Mustang project received its six replica, dummy machine guns from a contractor. The duplication and detail of all the parts copied from a non-fireable, real .50 caliber gun are superb. All Reilly’s team had to do was paint and re-assemble each weapon, and now begins the process of installing them in the center section gun bays. In an extra flourish of authenticity through a machine gun dealer/friend of his, Reilly was able to locate enough, original, pre-fired WWII .50 caliber shell casings with the correct date code of “44” or “45″ stamped on the base.

The six, expertly replicated, dummy .50cal machine guns under reassembly in Tom Reilly’s shop. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Some of the finer details on the superbly manufactured dummy replica .50 cal. machine guns. (photo via Tom Reilly)

One example of the many period, deactivated .50 calibre rounds which Reilly will soon press into machine-gun belts to give the armament bays the appearance of being fully loaded. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The ammunition casings are all period 1944/1945 examples showing the intense level of authenticity that the XP-82 restoration team is endeavoring to achieve. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Rollout Time Frame

Reilly is planning for the XP-82′s first rollout to occur sometime early this summer. The main unfinished task remaining prior to that grand day is the completion and installation of the tail wheel assemblies and retract mechanisms. At that point Mike Nixon’s Vintage V12s (the company that overhauled the XP-82′s engines) will send someone from their base in Tehachapi, California to start both engines and final-test all of the firewall forward systems (fuel, oil, vacuum, hydraulic, propeller, etc., etc.).

Final Major Tasks to Complete

The five major tasks to complete are as follows: the pressing of one, fire-wall-forward dishpan and the two inboard gear door waffle skins, fitting the two outboard gear doors, and then machining and installing the two brake calipers. The final item then will be pressing the parts for and assembling the two air induction trunk forward lip carburetor air control mechanisms; one located under each prop spinner.

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And that’s all of the news for January, 2016!

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in February for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

North American XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887 on a test flight over the Sierras in 1945.

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month!

Firewalls Forward (FWF)

Tom Reilly says his team is progressing well with the multitude of Fire-Wall-Forward tasks. The items remaining for completion include the following: both oil feed lines (one from each oil tank), one glycol coolant return line to each firewall, one oil return line from each engine to heat exchangers and generators.

Paul and Randall hand forming the nose cowling skins using an English Wheel. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The completed lower engine cowlings in place. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Engine Cowlings

Each engine has three lower Dzus cowls. Both lower forward cowls are now complete and both cowls immediately behind these are nearing completion too. All of these cowls have compound shapes requiring English-wheel forming (see photo above).

All of the ram air cooling blast tubes are now formed and awaiting installation.

One of the ram-air blast tubes going into position on the cowling skins. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Another view of a ram-air blast tube going into position on the cowling skins. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A ram-air blast tube in position on the cowling assembly. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Both engine-driven fuel pumps and the left engine hydraulic pump tubing and hoses are now complete. Interestingly, the XP-82 has only one hydraulic pump fitted, but this is not an issue as the landing gear will free-fall and positive lock down into position.

One of the fuel cap assemblies in position. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Fuel Systems

All six fuel tanks, 600 gallons total, are now completely installed including boost pumps, fuel shut-offs, check valves, cross-flow valves, scuppers, etc. Reilly will soon test-fill the tanks with AV gas to check each of them for leaks. With 600 gallons of internal fuel, the Merlin-powered XP-82 burns 100 gallons per hour at 300 mph cruise speed, giving it an 1800-mile range. With four 300-gallon drop tanks added, the maximum range increases to a staggering 5,000 miles.

One of the cooling system header tanks (upper left) and associated tubes. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The coolant tubes running to the bulkhead. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Firewall Aft Coolant System

Every coolant line from both radiators and spherical header tanks running forward to each firewall is now totally installed. This was a substantial job; the same as doing two complete P-51 cooling systems.

Electrical Systems

Reilly estimates that his team is about a month away from completing the last few outstanding items on the electrical system. When that occurs, they will put power on the ship for the first time to check out each system. Reilly wishes to offer a huge “thank you” to the Concorde Battery Corporation for contributing their best, maintenance-free 24-volt battery. He notes that had one in his B-25 Mitchell and it lasted nine years! … Try that with a car battery and see how far you get!

Inboard Gear Doors

Both inboard gear door frames are now with one of Reilly’s subcontract machine shops being fitted to the large aluminum press dies to form the complicated inboard door skins. Reilly wishes to offer another huge “thank you” to Thrush Aircraft, manufacturer of the best agricultural spray aircraft, for the heat-treat processing of hundreds of cowling and gear door parts for his restoration team.

The cooling jackets for the six machine guns. Note the fourth example from left shows the rear end of a gun barrel demonstrating how it slides into position. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Guns/Barrels/Cooling Jackets

The XP-82 project purchased six machine gun cooling jackets that thread into the forward part of each .50 caliber receiver. The six original .50 caliber barrels that the team has also screw into a separate set of threads in the receivers.

A lovely image demonstrating the remarkable complexity of the tail wheel system, and the precision with which it has been restored. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A good view from the Illustrated Parts Manual showing the tail wheel assembly. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Tail Wheel Assemblies

The tail wheel assemblies have come a long way, but Reilly jokes that they must have been designed by Rube Goldberg as they have an amazing amount of moving parts just to retract, steer and lock. Even though the majority of the parts received from the Alaskan crash site were not affected by the impact of the accident, sadly being submerged in water for the past sixty years allowed corrosion to set in which rendered most components non-airworthy. Reilly is making  good headway on the parts though, and plans on having both installed, one in each aft fuselage, within a couple of months.

And that’s all of the news for February, 2016!

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in March for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month!

Firewall Forward

All of the upper cowling hat channel ribs are now complete and final fitted. Three team members have been re-working the original firewall forward left-hand engine and right hand top/side cowling panels that go from the firewall to the propeller, one on each side. These components came with the XP-82′s original purchase from Walt Soplata. They had been out in the weather for years, with countless pieces of steel and aluminum stacked on top of them, introducing numerous dents and scratches. The team members have been English wheeling these dents out of the surfaces and burnishing out the scratches.

The original, right-hand engine top cowling. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Reilly has just received two full sets of new 4130 steel cowling latches. He had to order two complete sets, one for each engine, as all of the original steel parts were rusted beyond repair. Reilly sent these parts out for heat-treating to reach the proper hardness and then sent them on for cadmium plating corrosion protection.

Cadmium plated cowling latch components. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The two New Old Stock generator cores mentioned in previous newsletters have just returned to the XP-82 workshop in overhauled condition from Aero Accessories in San Antonio, TX. Each generator will be installed and in position on each engine by the time you read these words.

The freshly-overhauled engine generators. (photo via Tom Reilly)

All of the 28-volt Firewall Forward wiring harnesses, fuel/oil/manifold pressure/vapor return and vacuum lines are totally complete and fitted on both engines.

The newly machined carburetor fuel intake fittings. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The XP-82 project also had to have two special, 30° offset #16 (1”) carburetor inlet fuel fittings machined. These two fuel fittings adapt the upgraded Aeroquip 302A-16 fire-resistant hoses running from the engine-driven fuel pumps back to the carburetors.

Wing Center Section Leading Edge
A lot of work has been going into the leading edge stainless steel gun ports (six). Reilly found two at the Alaskan wreck site that were basically undamaged. He also found an additional pair that were partially damaged, but salvageable, with two having to be formed and welded from scratch. This is a complicated procedure, as they must fit the newly-fabricated leading edge precisely.

The leading edge gun ports just starting to be fitted. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Tail Wheel Assemblies
Tom Reilly is about 90% finished with the two tail wheel assemblies with about another 90% to go! These are extremely complicated mechanisms that have at least a thousand moving parts. There are about 20 parts left that are yet to be machined, heat-treated and cad-plated. The new tires and tail wheel tubes are  mounted on the two tail wheel assemblies, and awaiting final mounting when the axles return from cadmium plating. The XP-82 team is having the tail wheel door skins (four) pressed as we speak.

The tail wheels. (photo via Tom Reilly)

.50 Caliber Machine Guns
The final fitting of the six .50 caliber replica machine guns is advancing well. The team was  able to purchase all of the ammunition it needs from a machine gun dealer friend of Reilly’s. They have even gone as far as finding original 1943 date-coded, armor-piercing, empty powder ammunition with live primers and black tip (armorpiercing designation) bullets. For authenticity, they must polish off the black tip on four out of five original projectiles and dip the tip of one of every fifth linked cartridges into an orange-red paint to designate a tracer round. This way, out of five linked cartridges, #1 will be armor-piercing, #2 will be a tracer, and #3, #4 and #5 will be standard ball ammunition.

The armor lady with one of the freshly-assembled dummy ammunition belts for the XP-82. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The armament specialist that the project hired is progressing nicely on fitting the feed chutes and link ejector discharge chutes. All six guns have been temporarily installed for final fitting.

They have also gone to the extent of installing original .50 caliber barrels and cooling jackets so that when one looks into the leading edge of the wing center section, they will be able to see the rifling in the barrels.

The ammunition feed components for the machine guns. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Six .50 caliber machine guns mounted looking aft. One can see the gun heater and firing wires coiled up prior to routing and hook-up. (photo via Tom Reilly)

And that’s all of the news for March, 2016!

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in May for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

P-82 Twin Mustang fuselages in storage at North American Aircraft in 1947 and two jet engined FJ-1 Fury fuselages. (USAF photo via Wikipedia)

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month! The XP-82 is now on the final leg of her restoration, and as Tom Reilly recently stated, “We finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not an oncoming train!”

Center Section
The very difficult job of repairing and remanufacturing the leading edge gun ports is now completed. Most of these gun ports were severely damaged due to crashes and years of being pushed around by heavy equipment while in an Alaska scrap yard.

After a massive amount of rebending and straightening the restoration team was able to reweld the straightened cracked areas using welding rods made of exactly the same stainless steel alloy so that the welds matched the original alloy of each gun port, and the repaired areas are not visible. Reilly stated that he could have easily manufactured all of these gun ports from scratch, but chose to attempt to keep as many of the original parts as possible.

Original reworked stainless steel gun ports. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Armament
All six replica aluminum .50 caliber machine guns are now mounted and aligned perfectly. Reilly’s team is installing original barrels and cooling jackets for authenticity so that when one looks into the barrel the rifling will be visible.

Four volunteers worked to reproduce all 2,400 rounds of inert .50 caliber ammunition for the gun bays. Each ammunition tray holds 400 rounds for each gun. Tom Reilly located hundreds of rounds of original date-coded Milwaukee M-43 (1943) ammunition, and decided to completely fill each tray (box) for authenticity. His team hand-painted the bullet tips with the correct ammunition color code. To determine the colors and round order, Reilly spoke to an original, WWII-era armorer who had loaded P/F-82s during combat service. The Air Force veteran advised Reilly on the color pattern of the linked ammunitions: #1 Red Tip – Tracer, #2 Silver Tip – Armour-piercing Incendiary, #3 – Black Tip – Armour-piercing. #4 – Silver and #5 – Black. This order repeated for all 400 rounds in each of the six gun ammo trays, which was a very time consuming task, thankfully now complete.

Loading the .50 caliber cartridges into the linker. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Pressing the linker. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Linked .50 caliber cartridges and ammo box. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Original .50 caliber cartridges – M 4 3 (1943). (photo via Tom Reilly)

Lower Cowling
The team members are heavily into the last of the six engine cowls. These last two panels will close out the fuselage bottom up to each firewall against the main gear doors. There is also structure that the center section leading edge and to which the fuselage-to-outboard-wing fairings attach, that had to be repaired and/or made new.

The four filtered-air-intake-formed panels have also been fitted in each side of the forward lower cowlings.

Forward cowling and carburetor filtered air intake with temporary Dzus fasteners (1 of 4). (photo via Tom Reilly)

Engine/Carburetor Induction Trunks
These are two parts that are virtually identical to the P-51 Mustang. Reilly was able to purchase these newly-made induction trunks from Aero Trader in Chino, California. They are magnificent pieces of workmanship! The only modification that the parts required was to change the carb-air-temperature-door-actuating-rod lever from the left-hand side, as it is on the P-51, to the right-hand side for the XP-82.

One of the Merlin induction trunks. (photo via Tom Reilly)

One of the subcontractor machine shops completed the air diverter that mounts just under the prop spinner. This diverter controls the air temperature that passes through the induction trunk into the carburetor. The four positions are: Cold Ram Air, Hot Air (for carburetor icing), Half Hot Air and Filtered Air. Manufacturing this air diverter was an extremely difficult job, but it came out beautifully!

Components for the air diverter. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Coolant Tubes
The two venturi coolant tubes that control the Glycol flow (coolant) out of the supercharger intercooler(s) back to the heat exchanger(s) are now both completed and awaiting installation.

The two venturi coolant tubes. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Tail Wheel Assemblies
Both tail wheel assemblies and all of the retraction “A” frame mechanisms are now permanently installed. The project is waiting for the last dozen or so steering mechanism parts from the machine shop to complete the steering hookups.

The right-hand tail wheel retract arch. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Tail wheel lock and steering plate. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Tail wheel up and down position bungee locks. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Part of the tail wheel assembly. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Completion
The last major components to finish are the two inboard gear doors, the two brake calipers, a complete set of fuselage-to-wing and tail fairings; and countless other small jobs that are on the “to be completed” list.

And that’s all of the news for April, 2016!

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in June for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

North American XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887 in 1945

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month!

The right hand fuselage forward cowling during construction. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Firewall Forwards

The team has been busy with the English-wheel, putting the finishing touches on the skins for the three lower cowls on each engine. They also completed the four filter door access panels located in the forward left and right sections of each lower forward cowling. The two original top cowls for the lefthand engine were in pretty tough shape… but, with countless hours spent addressing a multitude of small dings, scratches and the occasion hole and, many hours of English-wheel time, they came out virtually perfect.

The left hand fuselage cowlings coming together. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The team is wheeling-from-scratch the two right hand top cowl skins, each of which is three feet wide by almost eight feet long.

Paul and Randall fitting the side cowls to the temporary wooden form. (photo via Tom Reilly)

They also completed the two right hand, lower side, engine cowlings, the ones that surround the forward, lower and aft edges of the exhaust stack opening. These both required touches from the English-wheel where they curved in and around to match the circumference of the propellor spinner. All of the internal ribbing and structure for the right-hand engine cowling were completed a number of months ago. When the last of the wheeling for the two right-hand top cowls is finished, the team will spot-weld all of these components together. Welding of the 4130 steel, firewall forward throttle and propeller governor control rods is now finished and the parts are awaiting installation.

The re-formed damaged carburetor air induction scoop. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Carb Air Temperature Controllers

The last two complicated jobs to complete firewall forward are the fitting and mounting of each carb air temperature control mechanism and rebuilding the forward air induction intake scoops. The project has one example that suffered extreme damaged due to years of rough ground handing. The team has pressed it out close enough to its original shape to verify what it looked like and to get some measurements from the reformed piece. Two new examples will have to be made as the original is sadly too damaged to save. Thankfully, the existing XP-82 plans that the restoration team owns, coupled with the original, semi-straightened intake in their possession, will allow this to happen.

Ammunition Feed Chutes and Motors

Tom Reilly recovered a partial set of ammo feed chutes with the mounted Hughes (as in Howard Hughes), electric .50 caliber feed motors at the Alaskan wreck site.  All of these components received a lot of damage in the crash, but the restoration team has had no luck sourcing any replacement parts, so must do their best to save what they have.

The original, heavily crumpled original ammo chute after drilling out the spot welds. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Looking nearly brand new, the original ammo chute shown above after Reilly’s team had worked their magic! (photo via Tom Reilly)

One of the New Old Stock Hughes feed motors which Tom Reilly discovered in a California surplus store, still in its original wrapper! (photo via Tom Reilly)

The freshly unwrapped Hughes motor. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Originally, these motor ammo chutes were spot-welded together. The team had to fatigue-drill each spot-weld and disassemble each destroyed unit to press-straighten and Yoder Hammer each component and then refill each drill hole with stainless steel TIG weld and then weld each unit back together again. Thankfully, Tom Reilly was able to find some New Old Stock Hughes ammo drive motors at a surplus store, ET Supply, in downtown Los Angeles, California. The project has new ammo chuting, and two team members are completing the armament installations.

The feed chutes after carefully re-forming, and during reassembly. (photo via Tom Reilly)

One of the fully restored ammunition feed chutes. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Right-hand Firewall Stainless Dishpan

The pressing and forming of the right-hand dishpan has been a challenge. It somewhat resembles a rectangular kitchen sink. When this dishpan is completed and installed, both oil tanks and heat exchangers (oil coolers) can be mounted and attached to their respective oil and coolant tubes.

The leading edge with the six .50 caliber gun ports being installed on the center section. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Fuselage Closeout Access Panels

One team member has completed the final detail fitting of every access panel on both fuselages and center section. These flush panels required precise edge-fitting as they are flushmounted with the fuselage skins. This involved a lot of detail sanding to maintain a .030″ edge dimension, with a number of panels going into the scrap aluminum bin when the edge distance exceeded that dimension.

Tail Wheel Assemblies

As mentioned last month, and not totally tongue in cheek, this work is 90% done… with another 90% to go! Reilly’s team has had to manufacture two new down-lock barrel stops as, over the years, the tail wheel stop mechanisms striking the barrels had elongated the .750″ barrels and the hat channel structure they mounted into. The fix involved buying a special .770″ reamer with which to ream out each barrel hole so that the new .770″ Outer Diameter barrels fit tightly in the precision-reamed structure. Both steering arms that attach to the top of each yoke are now installed, waiting for the machining of the two rudder control arms that are connected to the lower steering sectors mounted in each rear fuselage. When these two arms and one remaining sector are completed, they can be mounted and the final cables installed to complete the tail wheel steering.

With these tail wheel assemblies finally completed, and the tail wheel tires and wheels mounted, the XP-82 will be able to roll on its own wheels for the first time in 66 years.

A view of the XP-82 from the front. She will soon be resting on her own gear again! (photo via Tom Reilly)

And that’s all of the news for May, 2016!

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Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in July for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month!

Firewall Forwards

The internal ribbing and reinforcing panels are now completed for the two engine side-cowlings, along with new access doors for the right-hand cowlings. The final microscopic adjustments on the firewall forward, lower cowling ribs to match the English-wheeled lower cowls, on both engines, are now done. The restoration team has also completed the final adjustments on the right-hand engine, upper cowl arches.

Randall & Paul press-dimpling the cowling side skins for the Dzus fasteners. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A close-up of the press-dimpling process for the Dzus fastener in the scowling side skins. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Internal ribbing on the cowling side skins. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Carb Air Temperature (CAT) Control Motors, Gear Boxes and Rotating Air Control (#1 Ram Air, #2 Hot Air, #3 Half Hot Air and #4 Filtered Air)

The team has also spent a substantial amount of time installing and adjusting the settings of the rotating cams that actuate limit switches for each stop position on each motor. These pilot-controlled, electrical switches stop the motors at four different carburetor air temperature positions. Also, the original rotating carburetor air control diverter, located under the spinner on the original fuselage, had suffered serious damage due to ground handling and required substantial rework so the internal barrel could rotate. The two shells that hold the barrel were bent, corroded and needed all-new fasteners installed along with the newly-manufactured examples received from one of the project’s contractor machine shops. As you will see from the images below, they did a beautiful job.

The newly-machined CAT shell halves for the air intake diverter. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The fully painted, newly-machined CAT shells assembled with the rotating barrel removed. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A freshly-overhauled CAT motor with six new limit switches. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Air Intake Scoops

This scoop is located under the propellor spinner and houses the carburetor inlet air control mechanism. This complex, sheet metal component suffered extensive damaged due to ground handling, as previously mentioned. With the acquisition of the newly-manufactured carb air temperature shells that hold the rotating barrel machined perfectly to the original North America Aviation drawings, Tom Reilly’s team was able to make the necessary adjustments to the air intake scoop’s shape so it would fit the cowling and the shells properly. With these final, corrected measurements, Reilly has started making press molds to make two brand-new air intake scoops.

The banged-up, original, chin air intake scoop. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Vertical Stabilizers/Rudders

The final 30 degree travel settings to the rudders are complete, and the lower boots are now installed. All four rudder and vertical stabilizer tips are completed through forming and exact bead-welding, as per the originals. Two of the four are now fitted on the left-hand vertical/rudder, and await drilling of the attachment holes.

One of two rudder boots. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A vertical stabilizer and rudder tip set. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Armament

Reilly has had one of his full-time technicians working on the ammunition feed conduits and attachments, from the belting to the ammo boxes, and on the other end to the guns. Welding is now completed for the six stainless steel tubes and spring pins that attach the belts to each ammo feed box. The project has also found a parts supplier, BMG Parts (Browning Machine Gun) in Carson City, Nevada, where they were able to obtain some of the specialized belting and feed chutes that attach to the guns, as well as the stainless steel link ejector chutes and gun heaters. These were all extremely difficult parts to find to ensure authenticity. The few remaining unavailable armament parts can be made in-house.

Gun heater and spring pin. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Ammunition feed chute and connectors. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Ammunition link ejector chutes. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Three Hughes ammo feed electric motor housings and chuting are now installed to the three left-hand .50 caliber guns. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Firewall Forward Dishpan

The project was short one oil tank dishpan to complete the right-hand firewall forward. Reilly attempted to draw-form a new, stainless steel dishpan matching the original XP-82 design, but kept coming up with unacceptable wrinkles on the sides. After much studying of the mashed “E” model dishpan that came with the scrap Colorado parts, and with some serious English wheeling and spot welding, Reilly managed to re-form the “E” model pan to match the original XP-82 pan exactly. He had to spot weld an original stainless steel pocket to the bottom of the dishpan shell to accept the 1 1/2” oil-feed supply line from the tank to the engine oil pump.

The newly-modified E-model dishpan, re-formed to mimic the XP-82 dishpan exactly. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Spot-welding the modified dishpan. (photo via Tom Reilly)

And that’s all of the news for June, 2016!

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Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in August for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

A color shot of the XP-82 back during its test flying days. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The staff at WarbirdsNews has just returned from an adventurous week at Oshkosh, and hope you understand the quiet of the last few days as we recover from what was a spectacular, if exhausting event. While we recoup our senses, we have just received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia and thought we would share what they’ve been up to this month!

Wings

Soldering the Cannon plugs connecting the wiring looms to the boost pumps, liquidometers (fuel gauge senders), tip and strobe lights, pitot, remote compass, bomb arming and release and the main 26-pin plug that attaches to the matching center section plug during wing attach and/or removal is now completed on both wings.

The team was able to purchase two new old stock wing tips for P-51H” wings. The H-model outer wings are essentially the same as those for the XP-82, so the wing tip units should fit perfectly.

Within two months, the wings will be attached to the center section for fuel leakage testing and final rigging of ailerons and flaps. The last remaining item on the wings is to sew the fabric gap seals.

Center Section/Guns/Electrical

Four of the six Hughes ammunition feed motors and belting are now installed and attached to each .50 caliber gun. In the center section, the team only has the six 3″ stainless steel machine gun blast tubes and two Hughes ammo drive motor housings remaining to install. These blast tubes attach to the inside of the formed leading edge gun ports and back to the aft part of each cooling jacket.

All of the wiring is now completed to the boost pumps, fuel shut-off and cross-feed valves and liquidometers.

All of the wiring from the center section gear switches to each main and tail undercarriage unit is now run, and awaiting final hookup and function tests during gear retractions.

The two tail gear steering sectors attached to the pivot tubes. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Tail Gear

The two tail cable steering sectors are now attached to their vertical pivot tubes, awaiting the two top steering arms from one of the contract machine shops. When these two top arms arrive, the team will finally be able to complete the last of the tail wheel steering and retract mechanisms. This leaves only the four tail wheel doors and hinge brackets to complete.

The XP-82’s oil tank and heat exchanger in the port engine accessory section. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Firewall Forwards

Reilly’s team has temporarily installed one oil tank and one heat exchanger, both cellophane dust sealed in the left-hand engine compartment to prove the alignment and fit of all the oil and Gycol lines. All of these lines are now final-fit and installed with the exception of one oil return line from each engine back to each heat exchanger (oil cooler).

Oil vent lines. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Oil Vent Lines

Both oil vent line assemblies have now been mandrel formed around the nose reduction case of each engine. Each oil vent exits out the side of each engine mount at approximately the same place as in the P-51. They will go to the professional welder next week for him to weld the four valve-cover adjoining-breather pipes to each tube.

One of the XP-82’s stainless steel exhaust fairings. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Exhaust Fairings

Two team members have been working for two weeks completing the two exhaust fairings needed for the right-hand engine. Both of these have been pretty time consuming assemblies manufactured out of stainless steel. Each has a substantial number of reinforcement pressings, hat channels and unique shapes to fit around each exhaust stack (six) on each side of the engine. Each stainless assembly, with all of its individual parts, had to be spot-welded together. All that is left is to Yoder-hammer and English-wheel form each outside skin which, when completed, will be spot-welded to the inside of the fairing housing.

The propeller spinner dish pan. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Cowling Dishpans (just aft of the spinner backing plate)

Both of these press-formed dishpans are now completed with the leather air seals that prevent airflow entering from behind the prop spinner into each engine compartment. These leather seals tuck tightly around each vacuum pump and governor. Each one of these dishpans also has a round leather bead that has been soft riveted around the outside circumference of each pan as a seal against the forward cowling rib.

The XP-82’s newly-manufactured propeller blades mounted on original hubs. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Propellers

MT Propeller has completed the final assembly of the two four-bladed propellers at their US base of operations in DeLand, Florida. Both of these propellers were shipped from Germany and delivered to the team approximately four years ago. Due to federal requirements (Germany and the United States), the propeller boxes and contents, inside and out, had to be sprayed with some sort of anti-fungal chemical. A small amount of this spray chemical made it through a small section of the bubble wrap and sealing papers in a few places and created some small spots on the hubs. When the team returned the propellers back to DeLand for final assembly a year ago, Gerd Muehlbauer, President of MT Propeller, looked at them and rejected the two hubs and the eight blades, boxed them up and shipped them back to Germany for complete disassembly, inspection and re-plating. This speaks volumes for the outstanding quality control that MT Propeller insists upon with all of their propellers. Both propellers were assembled by MT and trailered back to Douglas, GA, awaiting installation on the XP-82 engines within about two months.

Radio unit in the left hand fuselage. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Original Radios

One of Tom Reilly’s employees, whose hobby is restoring WWII gun turrets and antique radios, has found almost all of the original XP-82 remotely mounted radios. All were brand new and in perfect condition, including their wiring plugs which are items that are normally impossible to find. The aircraft is still missing one transmitter/receiver unit and one interphone amplifier to complete the original radio/avionics package.

Radio bay in the right hand fuselage. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The magnificent find of these original radios will add to the originality and ensure that the XP-82 goes back together as authentically as it was when it came out of the factory and first flew on April 15th, 1945.

And that’s all of the news for July, 2016!

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Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in September for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

As Tom Reilly just said, “Another month flew by. That light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter each day!” WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this month!

Firewall Forwards

Much effort has gone into the forming and fitting of the carburetor air temperature rotating cylinders and housing brackets that mount these mechanisms. The restoration team had to make male and female dies to press the complicated and extremely deep-draw mounting channels. With these mounting channels completed, the team is now working on forming the lower carburetor air intake lips. Tom Reilly is grateful to Tom Wilson for the excellent press job.

The male and female dies along with the finished channels. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The final-fitting of the press-formed stainless steel exhaust fairings is now complete, and the team is flush riveting the parts to each side cowling.

The inside view of the cowling showing the stainless steel exhaust fairings going in. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A view of the exhaust fairing going in from the outside of the cowling. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Cowling access door. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The freshly-sewn and perfectly copied cushion mounts for the oil tanks are now attached to the tank mounts.

Note the cushion lining on the oil tank mounts and straps. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The team has test-fitted the two stainless steel dishpans into the steel armour firewalls. All of the wired electrical Firewall Forward Cannon plugs, generator shunts and shielded magneto harnesses are complete. Reilly’s team has also fitted the components.

Inside view of the two engine firewall dish pan sheet metal structure along with associated parts. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The backside view of the dishpans. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Electrical

The restoration team applied electrical power to the ship for the first time last week and began testing each circuit. The final hookup of all the instrument panel Cannon plugs is now complete. The final checkout of the electrical circuits through both wings is also done.

Gear Doors

Pat Harker’s shop in Anoka, Minnesota is working on their own F-82E Twin Mustang and has been collaborating with the XP-82 project over the years. They are currently manufacturing the two outboard serpentine gear doors that are needed for the XP-82. These doors have an extremely deep-press internal skin that has created challenges, but Pat and his team have perfected this deep-press procedure and successfully produced these flawless internal skins.

One of the XP-82’s outboard, serpentine gear doors under fabrication at Pat Harker’s shop. (photo via Tom Reilly)

One of Tom Reilly’s subcontractor machine shops is currently completing the pressed inboard door skin forms. Reilly had previously recovered two extremely damaged internal gear doors from the Alaskan wreck site. Looking at other, undamaged doors has allowed him to get patterns and measurements for making a new set. With this data, the machine shop is in the process of milling the press fixtures that they will use to press new internal skins for the doors. These very large internal doors are two of the last complicated parts needed to complete the XP-82 restoration.

Pat Harker’s undamaged inboard doors that the project got excellent data from. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Gun Bays

The following images should illustrate the work going on in the gun bays.

A view of the left hand gun bay. Ammo trays are filled with 413 rounds per tray.(photo via Tom Reilly)

The aft tray in the picture only has one row of bullets on top of a fold-up lid so the ammo tray can double as a storage compartment for tools, etc. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Tail Gear

The tail wheel assemblies are now complete with the exception of the tail steering arms and cables.

One of the tail wheel assemblies shown mounted in the airframe. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Both tail wheels in one image. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Moving
The restoration team will be moving the XP-82 into a large hangar across the field in mid-September so they can  install the outer wing panels and complete the remaining work on the aircraft. While in this hangar, they will install the propellers and test the undercarriage retraction too. The final stretch to finishing the XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration is within grasping distance now!

And that’s all of the news for August, 2016!

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Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in October for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

Photo by Louisa Barendse

Following the momentous news over last weekend concerning the XP-82 Twin Mustang’s first engine runs in Douglas, Georgia, we wanted to know a few more details. A lot of major developments have been occurring with this incredible project in recent weeks, what with the move to a new, much larger hangar, attaching the outer wing panels for the first time, and of course the engine runs. We contacted Tom Reilly to learn more about what his restoration team has been up to, and thought our readers would be as eager as we were to see his responses… so here they are!

Photo by Louisa Barendse

WN: When did you move the XP-82 from the project hangar, and did you move the shop as well?
TR: The XP was moved to the other hangar on 12 October. We are now located on the other side of the airport in the most southern hangar. A partial shop was moved, only what we need to compete the restoration.

WN: How did the outer wing panel installation go?
TR: The wing installation went smoothly and only took minutes. They went on with no issues, and are temporarily installed at this time.

WN: Who conducted the engine tests?
TR:  The General Manager of Vintage V12s [Ed. Jose’ Flores] was here and did the starts.

WN: How did the engine runs go, and did you test any other systems?
TR: The runs went great on the first starts. Other than temps and pressures, no other systems were brought online.

WN: Was there a reason for conducting the first engine runs inside the hangar?
TR: It was raining. The fire department was onsite.

WN: The video shows just one engine being run, did you test both engines?
TR: Yes

WN: What restoration items are still remaining?
TR: Main and tail gear doors, top cowls, coolant door motor wiring and retractions.

WN: Do you have any tentative dates for a first flight, or pilots in mind to conduct it?
TR: No date for the first flight yet. We have talked to warbird test pilots Ray Fowler and Eliot Cross.

WN: How would you sum up the project so far?
TR:  … It has been 8 years and one of the most enjoyable restorations that I have worked on ever!

WarbirdsNews wishes to thank Tom Reilly and Louisa Barendse for spending time with us and sharing some of the recent details of the work going on with this exciting project. We hope to provide news of addition progress very soon. To visit the restoration’s blog, please click HERE.

The XP-82 sitting out in the sunshine during her move to the new hangar. (photo via Tom Reilly)

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this past month!

First of all, the project is fully moved into their new hangar. A lot of progress has been taking place with the finishing touches on the aircraft too!

Firewall Forwards

The last left-hand engine upper, lower and side cowling items are now complete. The final installation of the left-hand propeller has also been completed, with the exception of the spinner. The spinner will remain off during the engine test runs to allow easier observation of any potential leaks.

(photo via Tom Reilly)

(photo via Tom Reilly)

According to Tom Reilly, the final mounting of the right-hand propeller should be complete by the time these words are read.

The induction-trunk lower intake for the left-hand engine. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The induction-trunk lower intakes for the right-hand and left-hand engines have now been completed and are being final-fitted, awaiting sanding and polishing. These were very difficult forming tasks. The rotating carb air temperature barrel mechanisms and mounting structure are now also final-fitted, but presently removed to allow painting.

The heat exchangers now nestle properly into the oil tanks on each engine. You can see how the rings slot into the tank in this shot. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The mounting installation of both heat exchangers (oil/intercoolers) is now complete. These parts both presented a problem, as they interfered with the upper cowling arch framework. The project had the original exchanger mounting straps attached to the dishpans, but did not have the original rings that mounted the exchangers to the straps. When Reilly’s team machined the rings, as per the XP-82 drawings, the exchangers would mount about an inch higher and not nestle into the two factory-formed notches in the oil tanks. After redesigning and machining the four new mounting rings, the restoration team solved the interference problem.

Engines/Props
The test running of both engines and all of their associated systems will start this December.

Outboard Wings

The English wheel forming of the two wing tips is progressing rapidly. Both upper wing tip panels are finished and the two lowers are in production. Tom Reilly expects them to be completed sometime in mid-December.

The exquisitely re-manufactured upper wingtip skins. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Landing Gear/Doors

The subcontract machine work of the press dies for the inboard gear doors is progressing nicely. The outboard door skins have been ready for some time now, and are awaiting the completion of both interior frameworks.

Tail Wheel Steering

Both tail wheel steering mechanisms are now final-installed, less tensioning. A number of moving parts are required to turn the two tail wheels left and right.

Part of the tail wheel steering mechanism. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Brakes

The machine shop is currently 3-D modeling both brake calipers. These brake assemblies fit only the XP-82 and subsequent Twin Mustang production models. They have a unique, anti-skid design and worked extremely well according to pilot reports.

Authentic Interior Cockpit Furnishings

The restoration is heavily involved with completing the internal parts for each cockpit: gun sights, gun camera, oxygen regulators, gauges and blinkers, original radio heads, heater and defrost controls, exterior ADF ring antennae, etc., etc.

VIP Visitor

The project had the honor of a visit from WWII Army Air Force veteran Col. Robert Thacker, now 98 years young. He is famous for piloting the P-82B named “Betty Jo” on its non-stop flight from Hawaii to LaGuardia Airport in New York on February 27th, 1947. Tom Reilly was amazed by how sharp and alert Col.Thacker is for such an advanced age. He still remembered every detail that went into the record-breaking flight’s preparation – the test flights, the additional fuel tanks installed inside the fuselages, and the exterior drop tanks … as well as why three of the four drop tanks could not be jettisoned (the sway braces were over-tightened by a ground crewman which prevented the release hooks from operating). One of the tanks did drop leaving the other three under the wings,  creating a dramatic yaw condition which required a substantial amount of rudder trim drag.

DAYTON, Ohio — Col. Bob Thacker stands beside the North American F-82B Twin Mustang in the Modern Flight Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The museum’s F-82B, “Betty-Jo,” flew from Hawaii to New York on Feb. 27-28, 1947, a distance of 5,051 miles, the longest non-stop flight ever made by a propeller-driven fighter. (U.S. Air Force photo – via Tom Reilly)

A vintage shot of ‘Betty Joe’. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Col. Thacker described, in detail, the additional 150-gallon fuel tanks installed behind each pilot seat and the 60-gallon tank installed in the gun bay. He even distinctly remembered a plug being inadvertently left in the gun bay tank vent line during one of the test flights, resulting in the tank collapsing and a replacement having to be manufactured.

The P-82 had a total of 1,860 gallons of fuel at lift off, including the 600 gallons of production center section and wing tanks, two 300 gallon and two 150 gallon wing drop tanks, and the 360 gallons of additional internal tanks added for the long flight.

Total distance from Hawaii to New York – 4,899 statute miles. 14.5 hours total flight time. Average cruise speed – 338 miles per hour. Taking tail winds into consideration, that’s 300+ mph cruise.

Tom Reilly hopes his own memory of the details Col.Thacker related during his visit three weeks ago is as good as his memory at 98 years young!

Concorde Battery

Tom Reilly also wished to offer special thanks to Mr. Don Grunke of Concorde Battery Corporation. Concorde contributed a brand new battery for the XP-82 project. The quality of their batteries is outstanding, according to Reilly, with one of their units lasting nine years in his B-25 Mitchell!

And that’s all of the news for November, 2016!

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Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in January, 2017 for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

North American XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887 in 1945

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this past month!

Fuselages

The team has spent a lot of time final-fitting the rotating carburetor air temperature mechanisms, along with the air intake lips and the four side panels.

Lower carburetor air intake chin cowl. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Carburetor air control housing assembly and rotating internal barrel. ((photo via Tom Reilly)

As mentioned last month, all of the lower and side engine cowling panels are now completed. The final shrinking/stretching, English wheeling and Yoder hammer forming of the top two, right-hand engine cowlings will be completed during January. The left-hand, top panel for the right-hand engine is now final-formed and fitted. The right-hand top panel still needs a little more stretching and wheeling.

Tom Reilly working his magic on the English wheel. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A completed cowling panel (left) beside the newly wheeled skin for its counterpart to its right. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Trying to find the original routing of the oxygen system tubing was a challenge, as all of the available plans show extremely stylized drawings which contradict each other. Thankfully, the restoration crew was able to locate the drilled holes in some of the rejected original side ribs, allowing them to determine the proper location for the line clamps. They were in dramatically different locations to those shown in the stylized drawings. Reilly was also able to source some New Old Stock, four-way Schrader check valves to install, which will help maintain the authenticity of the O2 systems.

The pilot’s oxygen diluter with its associated gauges mounted to the removable cockpit panel. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Routing the oxygen tubing was tight work in places, as is demonstrated ably here by Josh, who is working a line around the coolant header tank. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Two small oxygen bottles are mounted in the top forward section of each rear fuselage. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The large oxygen bottle mounted in the lower rear of each fuselage. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Team members are currently working on how to install the gun sight in the left-hand cockpit and the gun strike camera in the right-hand cockpit, but it is a slow process. Trying to put everything back into this XP-82 exactly as it was on day of its first flight, April 15th, 1945, is excruciatingly time consuming.

The gun strike camera being fitted on the right-hand glare shield. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Gear Doors

The preliminary forming dies for the main gear center section doors are now complete. The internal pressed skin for each door is a mirror image of the other side. Many hours of machine shop computer work went into these press die patterns. These two center section gear doors are two of the last four major items to complete on the XP-82’s restoration.

A computer generated model of the interior gear door skin. This is used to make an accurate die for forming the new parts. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Control Surfaces

The final balancing of all the control surfaces – the four ailerons, two rudders and one elevator – is now complete. Aircraft control surfaces must be precisely balanced – in accordance with the XP-82 Erection & Maintenance Manual – equal weight forward and aft of the centerline of the hinge points. If they are not balanced properly, they can flutter in flight – much like a flag in heavy wind – and this can lead to catastrophic failure of the part. The restoration team needed to add supplemental leading edge weights to each control surface, because they had replaced all of the hinges, trim tab fittings and trailing edge strips using a much stronger and heavier weight 7075 T6 aluminum alloy in place of the lighter original cast-magnesium components. Trim tab fitting failures due to fluttering in high speed flight have lead to fatal accidents, so getting the correct balance is essential.

The newly installed XP-82 aileron leading edge counterweights denoted by arrows. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Wingtips

Three of the four formed wingtip skins are now finished, with the fourth due due for completion this week. When the parts are ready, the project’s professional welder in Florida will TIG weld (tungsten inert gas) each pair of wingtip halves together. He will match exactly the TIG welding bead pattern of the original wingtips.

(photo via Tom Reilly)

(photo via Tom Reilly)

And that’s all of the news for December, 2016!

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Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in February, 2017 for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

The XP-82 is getting really close to completion! (photo via Tom Reilly)

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. Here’s what they’ve been up to this past month!

The team has been very busy this past month working to complete the hundreds of small “to-do” tasks that needed finishing, which included the gun sight, completing the 90˚ periscope for the gun strike camera, making heat and defrost, repairing or remaking electrical switch panels, bomb arming panels, fairings that surround the throttle quadrants, a second mounting panel for the oxygen quantity gauge, blinker and diluter valve mechanism, two induction trunk carburetor filtered air boxes, one last 28-volt power supply harness going to the circuit breaker panel, preliminary location for the shielded wiring of the microphone and headset jacks, modifying the shelf underneath the oxygen diluter mechanism to fit the new Garmin radio package, along with the avionics electrical harnesses, etc., etc., etc.

All of these cockpit panels, which Tom Reilly’s restoration crew had to repair or make new, have been shipped off to the printer for silk screening the correct verbage on each panel.

Cockpit panels. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The pilot’s radio control panel is now being silk-screened. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The 90˚ periscope on the gun strike camera is now installed. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The curved, copilot’s circuit breaker panel is currently being silk-screened. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The throttle quadrant fairings have been repaired. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The gun sight awaiting its mounting bracket. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The second mounting panel which contains the oxygen quantity gauge, flow blinker and diluter valve mechanism. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Garmin Radio Package

The project’s avionics specialist came to Douglas with the Garmin radio mounting tray and fitted it into the righthand cockpit underneath the oxygen diluter panel. With a small modification to one rib, the package slotted in perfectly. The microphone and headset jacks will mount in the original locations in the adjoining switch panel to the left of the Bendix Radio panel. And, in the co-pilot’s cockpit, they will mount in the original radio switch panel with the addition of one newly-drilled hole for the headphone jack.

Bendix Remote Control Unit

With much searching, Weezie was finally able to locate this Bendix Remote Control Unit with a collector in California. An extremely rare unit, the last time the team saw one change hands was back in 2006. They were able to purchase this unit only with the express proviso that it was going to be installed in the XP-82.

The ultra-rare Bendix Remote Control Unit for the radio. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Filtered Air Boxes
The last major work ongoing firewall forwards is the manufacture of the two filtered air boxes seen below. The rotating carburettor air valves located under the spinners have four selectable positions: ram air, hot air, half-hot air and filtered air. These are complicated boxes with many angles and shapes that hold the filters for cleaning the air. It will still take two team members about two weeks to complete and fit both units.

The newly-constructed filtered air boxes. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Internal Press Dies for the Main Gear Door Skins
The team’s machinist in Michigan has completed the two huge (350 lbs. each), mirror image press dies shown below, and personally delivered them to Douglas, Georgia on his trip to Florida. Tom Reilly did not want to trust these critical items to a shipping company, as they were very expensive to 3D design and machine, not counting the cost of the two 40” square x 3” thick aluminum plates. The team will take these dies to Atlanta to press-form the gear door skins as their own rubber press is not large enough to handle the exterior dimensions.

The enormously heavy press dies for the inner gear door skins. (photo via Tom Reilly)

And that’s all of the news for January, 2017!

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Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for the update! You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in March, 2017 for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

North American XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887 in 1945

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia. This update is a couple of weeks later than usual, as they’ve had a lot on their plate finishing up all of the small, but still-hard-to-do details. So here’s what they’ve been up to this past month and a half!

Lower Cowlings

The final spot-welding on all of the lower cowls is now completed, and the interiors are now painted in the appropriate color.

Here is one of the lower cowlings following the final spot-welding. You can see the many tell-tale dull spots where the two metal sheets were spot-welded together. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Filtered Air Boxes
The filtered air boxes are now also completed and permanently riveted to each forward induction trunk. These filter boxes hold carburetor air inlet filters just in case the aircraft is operated off a dusty or unimproved runway. The filtered air position is selectable by either pilot. Of course, the chance that this XP-82 will ever operate off such a rough strip is probably less than zero, but for authenticity, they had to be installed. (Please note that the camera white balance isn’t quite right in these images, and distorts the true color somewhat.)

A close up view of the filtered air box for the starboard engine. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Another view of the starboard engine’s filtered air box. It gives you a strong sense of just how complex this component must be to manufacture! (photo via Tom Reilly)

Antennae
Both the MN-26C Radio Compass ADF Loop and the AN/ARC-3 Radio Antenna Mast are now installed. Tom Reilly wishes to thank Larry Kelley and Bill Saunders for contributing these rare items.

A close up of the ADF loop antenna. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Another view of the ADF antenna, showing its position on the port rear fuselage. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A photograph of the right rear fuselage showing the location of the AN/ARC-3 radio antenna mast. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Wing Tips
The four wing tip panels, two top and two bottom, are now final fitted. They are just awaiting the welding of their center seams and mounting screw holes and the installation of tip lights and strobes.

The underside of the nearly completed port wing tip. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Cockpits
Both the pilot and co-pilot oxygen regulator/blinker panels, along with the gun sight rheostat are installed. All of the oxygen bottles are now stenciled with the original markings and reinstalled in both fuselages.

The cockpit side wall showing the O2 regulator and blinker as well as the circuit breaker panel in the process of being completed. The breaker panel is awaiting its silk-screened labels to return from a subcontractor. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The oxygen bottles are now in place. Note that the stenciling is intentionally inverted to match the original installation. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The K-14 computing gun sight and gun strike camera are now permanently installed. The strike camera presented a problem because the 90º top periscope interfered with the center armor glass since the glass had more sweep back than the P-51 windscreen. The periscope had to be shortened by a ¼” for clearance, as the later camera version had.

The gun strike camera in its position. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Th K-14 gun sight. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Main Gear Doors
The frameworks for the main inboard gear doors are now being formed to fit the curvature of the press dies for the inboard door panel. These two inboard doors are one of the last two complex hurdles the team must complete on their XP-82 restoration project.

One of the gear door frames. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Brakes
The last complex items are the two brake calipers. These two brake calipers are now being machined and are expected to be delivered in about two months.

The late Walter and Peggy Soplata, salvors of the XP-82, among many other rare aircraft. Sadly, Peggy passed away recently. You couldn’t hope to meet two sweeter people, and their loss will be felt among the entire vintage aviation community. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Walter & Margaret (Peggy) Soplata
With much sadness we must announce the passing of Margaret (Peggy) Soplata. Walter (who passed six years ago) and Margaret Soplata from Newbury, OH, were the husband and wife team, along with their five children, who saved countless extremely rare warbirds and priceless artifacts from the smelter.

All of the warbird community owes them a debt of gratitude for saving these precious, historic artifacts for us and future generations to enjoy.

A small list of some of the aircraft and parts that the Soplata family saved:
• 2 F4U Corsairs, one 4360-powered FG1
• 2 North American B-25s
• 1 B-36 Peacemaker
• C-97 and C-82 Fuselages
• 1 A-26 Invader
• 2 TBM Avengers
• 1 P-63 King Cobra
• 1 AD4 Skyraider Prototype
• 2 F86 Sabres
• 1F7U Cutlass
• 2 T-28s
• 1 Victor Cockpit
• 1 SNJ – 7
• 1 XP-82 Twin Mustang Prototype/1 F-82E Twin Mustang
• 1 BT-13
• A rare snow-ski configured P2V Neptune that is the lone survivor of an epic
Navy expedition to explore Antarctica in the 1950s
• 1 partial F4U fuselage
• T-33 and F100 cockpits
• A number of V-12 Merlins, Allisons and radial engines
• Numerous cutaway display engines
• Countless propellers, starters, generators, magnetos, and antique WWII radios
• Countless other aviation-related artifacts

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for this update. You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in April, 2017 for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia, and we thought you would all be pleased to see the latest progress!

The left-hand wing tip. Notice also the mount for the wing tip light. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The right-hand wing tip with tip light mount and three holes on the wing underside for the identification lights. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The left hand horizontal stabilizer fairing prior to welding the seam. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The right hand horizontal stabilizer fairing prior to welding the seam. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The forming of the fuselage-to-wing/center section and trailing edge fairings has just got underway.

The right hand top cowl after much rework. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The BC-966-A Receiver, the last original radio needing installation. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The detonator impact switch. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

One of the Carburetor Air Temperature Control Motors with it’s protective lid removed. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

Another image of a Carburetor Air Temperature Control Motor with it’s protective lid removed beside a reduction gear assembly. (Photo via Tom Reilly)(Photo via Tom Reilly)

Screen-printed Panels

All of the screen-printed panels have now been fitted with their switches, rheostats, lights, push buttons, etc., and mounted in their respective positions in each cockpit.

The left cockpit flap handle, aileron trip, landing light switch, rudder trim, elevator trim and gear handle. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The radio channel selector alongside the Emergency Gear Uplock Release Pull Handle in the right hand cockpit. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The Bendix Radio Remote Tuning Unit MN-28-C. The red handle is the emergency landing gear up-lock roller(s) and gear door hook(s) releases (Pilot’s cockpit). (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The pilot’s main circuit breaker panel. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The co-pilot’s circuit breaker panel. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The pilot’s left hand switch panel. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The co-pilot’s left-hand switch panel. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

The undercarriage jack plate visible in this shot during the undercarriage trials. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

A detailed view of the jack plate. (Photo via Tom Reilly)

And that is all for this month’s report.

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for this update. You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in May, 2017 for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

F-82E Twin Mutstang at Adak Island, Alaska, 1948. United States Air Force via Wings magazine – October 2003 edition “Alaska Twin Mustangs”

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia, and we thought you would all be pleased to see the latest progress!

Electrical

The restoration team is in the last phases of testing each electrical circuit. These are quite complicated systems in the XP-82 and also the first twenty B-model Twin Mustangs, which all had full dual controls. Each pilot had the ability to switch all electrical controls back and forth between each cockpit, i.e. boost pumps, fuel shut-offs, cross-feeds, all lighting, electronic mixture controls, coolant door motors, carburetor air temperature motors, generators, bombs, rockets, guns and superchargers. The transfer of electrical control was effected by selecting certain switching relays.

This unique ability to switch electrical control from pilot to co-pilot or vice versa was necessary because the Twin Mustang had a 12-hour plus range with external fuel. It allowed pilots to take turns resting on long missions. As an example of extreme endurance in a Twin Mustang, Col. Robert Thacker flew ‘Betty Jo’, a Merlin-powered P-82B, non-stop from Hickam Field, Hawaii to LaGuardia Airport, New York in 14.5 hours on February 27th, 1947. Thacker is still living today at the tender age of 100!

Tom Reilly finally found the last of the two electrical components necessary to complete the original radio installations. The impact detonator switches are now installed in both cockpits. These devices could be activated by either pilot prior to bailing out in order to ensure destruction of the then top secret IFF radios when the abandoned aircraft crashed.

The copilot’s radio package. Note the impact destruct switch (the red panel with two black buttons). (photo via Tom Reilly)

Pilot’s radio package. Note the impact destruct switch (the red panel with two silver buttons). (photo via Tom Reilly)

Fuselage Fairings

Most of the months of April and May have been spent English-wheeling skins for the fuselage-to-center section and fuselage-to-outboard wing trailing edge and wing fairings. Quite a number of complicated special curvatures had to be wheeled into the trailing edge fairings that do not show in the pictures. All four fairings are temporarily fit prior to final trimming.

The lefthand inboard fuselage-to-center section fairing in place during trial fitting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The righthand inboard fuselage-to-center section fairing in place during trial fitting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The lefthand outboard fuselage-to-center section fairing in place during trial fitting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The righthand outboard fuselage-to-center section fairing in place during trial fitting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The team has just started forming the four compound curved leading edge fairings that go from the fuselages to the center section and fuselages to the outboard wings.

English wheeling one of the fairings. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Top Engine Cowling

Prior to spot-welding, the tack riveting of the top right cowl for the right-hand engine is now being completed. The solid rectangular line of clecos shown in the picture is holding in the stainless exhaust trough. These will be filled with rivets as spot-welding will not attach stainless steel to aluminum. The opposing left-hand top cowling panel requires refabrication.

An interior view of the top right cowl for the right-hand engine during the tack-riveting process. Clecos are holding the ribs in place at this point. (photo via Tom Reilly)

An exterior view of the top right cowl for the right-hand engine during the tack-riveting process. Clecos are holding the ribs in place at this point. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Hydraulic System

The hydraulic system tests for the landing gear and flaps should be completed by the end of June.

Control Systems

The final rigging of range movements for the primary flight control cables for both the elevator and rudders is now completed, along with their associated trim tab systems.

When the outboard wings are fully attached, the final rigging for the ailerons and trim tab will take place.

Firewall Forward

Engine crankcase vent tubes that are attached to each valve cover and the nose case vent port are now completed. (photo via Tom Reilly)

And that is all for this month’s report.

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for this update. You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in June, 2017 for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

North American XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887 on a test flight over the Sierras in 1945.

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia, and we thought you would all be pleased to see the latest progress!

Since the project is coming very close to completion, there are fewer and fewer major accomplishments that can be photographed. Therefore project updates will now come every two or three months following this edition.

Top Engine Cowlings

Casey Hill, one of two English wheel subcontract wizards working on the project, came down for three days to help on the fairings. Tom Reilly pointed out the non-fitting top right-hand engine cowl to him and asked if he could do anything with it. It took him and Paul a day, and the two of them had it fitting perfectly. The team should have this left-hand top cowl completed within the next two weeks.

Left top cowling, exterior view. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Left top cowling, interior view. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Fuselage Fairings

All of the outboard fuselage-to-wing fairings, from leading edge to trailing edge, are now complete. The team finished the final seam welding of the two outboard forward fairings this past week. Only the two lower halves for the inboard side of each fuselage-to-center-section fairing still need work.

Paul, the project’s lead sheet metal team member, has done a wonderful job by learning these English wheel and Yoder hammer sheet metal techniques, with the help from Rick Reeves, the XP-82’s other English wheel subcontract wizard. These have been very difficult pieces to form, but they have come out beautifully. In one more week, Paul will have the two bottom halves completed, awaiting seam welding. Then all of the XP-82’s fairings will be done.

Outboard fuselage to wing leading edge fairings. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The right hand, leading edge outer wing root fairing during trial fitting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The left hand, leading edge outer wing root fairing during trial fitting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Lower Chin Cowl to Air Induction Trunk Adapters

Randall and Paiden have accomplished in two weeks what Tom Reilly expected would take at least a month: forming the two adapters that join the chin cowls to the air induction trunks as well as the adapter covers to rubber seal these two removable joints. The parts have extremely complex compound curves, which is what makes them so difficult to replicate by hand, but they are now almost ready for final installation. The only remaining thing to do is to install the rubber for the seals (presently on order).

The right hand engine’s lower chin cowl to air induction trunk adaptor, seen from the right side. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The right hand engine’s lower chin cowl to air induction trunk adaptor, seen from the left side. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The left hand engine’s lower chin cowl to air induction trunk adaptor, seen from the right side. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The left hand engine’s lower chin cowl to air induction trunk adaptor, seen from the left side. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Electrical

Two team members have been completing and checking out each electrical system, one circuit at a time. Every circuit is now proven, except for one wire on one coolant door motor, two rotating beacon resistors, and the entire up/down landing gear circuit. Within the next two weeks Tom Reilly expects to have the remainder of the electrical system completed.

Exhaust Fairings

When Tom Reilly collected the XP-82 from Walt Soplata’s farm, he found only two of the four exhaust fairings required. These secondary stainless steel exhaust fairings only fit the P-51 H Mustang and the first 22 Merlin-powered P-82s. The restoration team has scoured the earth, and surrounding planets, for a spare pair of these exhaust fairings, but none could be found. There are only three H-model Mustangs still flying, and their owners have no clue where extra fairings could be sourced.

Remanufacture of these fairings is very difficult in part because of the complex shape, but also due to the heavy gauge (.050″) of the sheet stock required and the very sharp-edged detail around each exhaust port. Thus the project has had to have to have a pair of aluminum male and female press dies (four) machined to form the replacement fairings. The team has sent one of these two mirror image exhaust fairings to a subcontract machine shop to have it 3D printed, as the computer can easily flip the orientation of the virtual part to create its mirror for 3D printing.

The stainless steel engine exhaust fairings. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Avionics Package (Garmin)

The Garmin radio package has arrived and the team will begin installation sometime in July.

Man (and woman) hours spent on the XP-82 restoration to date

Tom Reilly states that his team of workers, subcontractors and volunteers, etc. has put over 173,000 hours of labor into the XP-82’s restoration over the past nine years. In contrast, North America Aviation’s engineering and fabrication teams put 1,462,190 hours into the design and manufacture of the first XP-82 up to and including its first flight. That aircraft was 44-83887, the very same Twin Mustang which Reilly and his team have been working so hard to bring back to life…

And that is all for this month’s report.

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for this update. You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Although we are not exactly sure when the next formal update will come, please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in a couple of months for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!

Tom Reilly getting settled into the pilot’s seat for the engine run-up on October 17th! (photo via Tom Reilly)

WarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia, and we thought you would all be pleased to see the latest progress! As we mentioned in our last update in early July, since the project is coming very close to completion, there are fewer major accomplishments that can be photographed, which means that our usual monthly reports will happen more infrequently, hence the two month gap since the last posting. This does not mean that plenty isn’t happening on the resurrection of XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887, just that only some of it can be documented easily. This restoration update will mostly consist of a photo-essay with captions to show which areas have been receiving attention most recently.

Cockpit Instrument Panels

Pilot’s instrument panel installed. The loose wires are avionics (radio) wires which still require hooking up. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Hoses and wiring behind the pilot’s instrument panel. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Co-pilot’s instrument panel installed. Note gun strike camera mounted. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Hoses and wiring behind the co-pilot’s instrument panel. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Wingtip Lighting

Left-hand wing tip with position light installed. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Right-hand wing with position and recognition lights installed. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Gear Doors – Two Main & Four Tail

A job that Tom Reilly thought would be very difficult, pressing the two inside waffle skins, turned out to be a very quick and efficient job that came out perfectly within three weeks. Two team members completed all of the interior framework, including the installation of the up-lock latch forgings (two per door) along with the two flat exterior skins.

Left-hand inboard gear door showing uplock latches, pins, hooks and the internal rib structure. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Left-hand inboard gear door without external skin during final fitting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Left-hand inboard gear door with latching during final fitting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Reilly took the two main gear doors, along with the four tail wheel doors to Kermit Weeks’ facility in Polk City, Florida for spot welding. With these six doors completed, that completes 99.9% of the sheet metal work on the XP-82. The only remaining sheet metal items are the two outboard gear doors and the adjoining lower engine close-out fairings that cannot be completed until the team ascertains the exact curvature and pattern off each outboard door. The project is waiting for these two outboard doors to be delivered.

The main gear doors and interior skins went through an alodine dip (note the yellowish hue) prior to primer-painting. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The exterior of one of the main gear doors with its outer skin firmly riveted in place. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Shaping stainless steel sheet into the liners for the interior of the main gear doors. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Larger strokes are made using the rubber mallet to ‘bash’ the sheet metal into the die form beneath, whereas finer manipulation is achieved using a rubber-tipped set on the rivet gun as shown in this closeup. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The finished article, complete with rivet holes for mounting onto one of the main gear doors. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Pat Harker supplied the project with four tail gear door interior pressings. Within a few days these two team members had them fitted to the eight installed hinges with the newly formed outside skins. These outside skins are now spot welded to the inside pressings.

The tail wheel doors. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Engine Exhaust Fairings

A newly-machined press die (male) for the exhaust fairings for the right-hand engine. (photo via Tom Reilly)

The female die for the engine exhaust fairing alongside the finished article. Tom and his team will use a 200 ton hydraulic press to form these .050″ stainless steel fairings between the male and female dies. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Carburetor Air Induction System

The final installation of the rotating barrels, located underneath each spinner that control the air induction temperatures, and all of the induction trunks back to the carburetor inlets are now completed. The only thing to remaining to be done on these induction systems are the rod and lever mechanism adjustments that open the hot air doors for carburetor heat.

The carburetor air intake barrel; newly completed, and installed on the right engine. (photo via Tom Reilly)

A view of the newly-installed carburetor air intake barrel on the left engine giving an idea of how it operates to regulate intake air temperature. (photo via Tom Reilly)

Engine Run

In a major restoration landmark, Tom Reilly and his team pulled the XP-82 out onto the ramp, tied down both tails and chocked both main wheels and started both engines simultaneously for the first time. Reilly initially ran them at idle for about two minutes, until the oil and coolant temperatures rose, and then he brought both engines up to a little over 1000 rpm (not fast enough to check generator or propeller functions). All of the fuel, oil, tachometer and associated temperature gauges worked as expected.

Both engines running October 14th, 2017. (photo via Tom Reilly)

And that is all for this month’s report.

Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for this update. You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Although we are not exactly sure when the next formal update will come, please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in a couple of months for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!