Friday, February 28, 2014

“Miss Pauline”: Work progresses on museum's WW II aircraft

Working on “Miss Pauline” is like working on a giant puzzle with thousands of pieces in two different locations.

“Miss Pauline” is an AT-6 that is being built from an assortment of parts, nuts and bolts.

Sam Dodson, who joined the project in January, fabricated a dolly that is going to take a section of the plane mounted with wheels from a hangar at Terrell Municipal Airport to the No. 1 British Flying Training School on Saturday.

Dodson, who is an airframe and power plant mechanic with Southwest Airlines, along with many other people, is helping rebuild a part of Terrell’s and the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum’s history.

The plane has been named “Miss Pauline” in honor of Pauline Bond Baxter who was an instructor at the flying school during WW II.

The AT-6 is being stripped, cleaned, refinished part-by-part, section-by-section from several planes.

The goal is simple: put together an AT-6 similar to what was used to train cadets from The Royal Air Force, Canada and the United States during World War II and use it as the main display at the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum on Silent Wings Boulevard.

Dodson said the main landing gear has been installed on the center wing section.

“In the meantime, we still need to finish stripping paint and prepare the top skin of the CWS for primer application this week .... before fuselage attachment,” he said in an email on Monday. “If anyone is available to help during the week for this critical task, please let me know.”

Jim Evans, a BFTS board member and the “Miss Pauline” project manager, said he will need all hands on deck Saturday to help mount the wing center section to the fuselage.

“Sam has designed and constructed a dolly which will wheel the wing from the hanger to the museum where we will lift up the fuselage to accommodate the assembly,” Evans said. “This is a major step in our restoration …. You will be a part of important local history in action.”

Cliff Taylor, who is chairman and treasurer of the No. 1 BFTS Museum, said the project still could use about 10 more volunteers, especially people with good mechanic skills.

“We believe we will have a pretty complete plane by Sept. 20, but it will be fully complete by the end of the year,” Taylor said.

Once the plane is completed, the next challenge will be where to put it on display.

Taylor said they will have to make space in the back of the museum, at least initially, to display it.

A committee, he said, is working on where to build a new museum that would accommodate it.

As of late January, Taylor said $38,000 had been spent on the “Miss Pauline” project and there was $9,500 in the bank. He estimates another $3,000 to $5,000 is needed.

People interested in volunteering their skills and time should contact Taylor at 972-551-1333.

To make donation, send a check to No. 1 BFTS, Box 6, Silent Wings Boulevard, Terrell, Texas 75160.


Story and photo:  http://www.terrelltribune.com

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