WIX Archives
Diemert construction techniques
Posted by bdk on Sat Jan 11, 2003 12:20:08 PM
In reply top Now with the CAF posted by Cees broere on Sat Jan 11, 2003 09:50:34 AM
The last time I saw this aircraft (about three years ago) it was in Camarillo, California. It looked like they were in the process of reskinning the tailcone. I was told at the time that it was passing through Camarillo and the tailwheel assembly broke, upon further investigation they decided to rebuild the entire aft fuselage.
During the "Defender" video there is a scene of Bob Diemert moving the control stick during the restoration. You could hear the screech of sheet aluminum scraping one of the control rods.
When Planes of Fame was disassembling their Diemert Val they discovered that one of the elevator pushrods had been spliced using steel electrical conduit where the fuselage had been cut during the recovery. Since the interior was painted with the aircraft assembled, paint had not been applied to the back of the tubing. The electrical conduit specifications were clearly visible ink stamped on the back of the conduit. The entire airframe was assembled using "pop" rivets, the mild steel screen door repair variety from the local home improvement store. There were lots of double drilled holes (binocular/snowman holes) attaching the skins to the wing, the metal work was extremely rough and lumpy, and the wing attach fittings were so pitted that replacement parts are being machined from steel billet right now by the POF machinist Dan MacPherson.
Nowadays you would build a new airplane around the dataplate, back then Diemert just scraped off the corrosion and pop-riveted new skins on!
: I understand it was traded to the CAF and when their engin
: eers saw the airframe it almost gave them a heart attack,
: there was Bondo everywhere and instead of aviation parts a
: nd fittings, they found PVC pipes as used in your toilet.
: It was completely rebuilt and is now airworthy
:
: Cees