RARE Aircraft

It's Alive!!

2012-02-02T15:29:00.000-06:00

First ground run and leak check of the Doyle Stearman were performed today! So far, everything is green light go! The fuel injection and extended exhaust make for little different sound.

N966CD

2012-01-26T16:42:00.002-06:00

For the first time in a while N966CD sees the light of day as a completed airplane!

N966CD

2012-01-17T08:26:00.001-06:00

The holidays and lots of travel the past two weeks makes the blog long overdue for an update. The Doyle Stearman is near completion with just a couple of details remaining. It's standing proud in the shop looking good. Now we're hoping for some warmer temps to get it in the air! Lets hope the mild winter continues.

2011-12-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

A line up shot of inventory at RARE Aircraft Ltd in 2003. How many WACO's can you count in this picture?

A Pair of Stinsons

2011-12-23T09:26:00.000-06:00

We dove into our next two full restorations this week, two Stinsons. One is a SR-8B which will end up a C model powered by a R-680 Lycomming. The other is a V-77 what will have a R-985 Pratt and Whitney up front. The SR-8 will be complete first and will call Brazil home. With the V-77 fuselage completely stripped and ready for a make over you can see the SR-8 next to it in the photos. Having three Stinsons total in house (one airworthy) and rumor of another on the way is like having a herd of elephants to care for!

N966CD Stearman Update

2011-12-23T09:13:00.001-06:00

For those of you following the progress on the Doyle Stearman you may have noticed it's been quiet on the update side of things. A build up to a finale perhaps.....
BIG things to come after the holidays.

Thanks for checking in!

Custom 450 Stearman #2 progress

2011-12-05T11:14:00.001-06:00

More progress this week on Custom 450 Stearman #2. As you can see, the paint and trim is very similar to the ZPF-7 we produced last spring. However, we are using different trim on the Stearman which will better compliment it's lines. We're getting very close to completion on both. Lots of things in pairs around here lately. Next, a pair of Stinson Reliants! Also coming down the line will be a Taperwing and UPF-7. The temps have dipped and snow has fallen which leaves nothing to do but, build airplanes!

Standing Proud

2011-12-01T10:12:00.000-06:00

The Doyle Stearman is on its feet and standing proud. With the majority of the firewall forward complete its time to get the gear, sheet metal and cowling in order.

N966CD Doyle Stearman Progress

2011-11-23T10:54:00.000-06:00

Lot's of progress firewall forward in the past few days. Show smoke, fuel injection, inverted oil, inverted fuel all custom built. Seeing a hose order go in yesterday and the cowling come downstairs tells me that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It won't be long and you will see this bird on its feet and standing proud. Stay tuned! Thank you for checking in!

Custom 450 Stearman #2 paint

2011-11-23T10:49:00.000-06:00

The recover and paint on the 450 Stearman #2 is going great! The guys have put the pedal to the metal and have made some serious progress. The fuselage gets color today and trim on Monday. By the end of next week it will be going back together.

Doyle Stearman Update 11/17

2011-11-17T11:13:00.000-06:00

Now that all the big pieces are in place lots of engineering and fabrication is taking place to accommodate the "custom" part of the Doyle Stearman. We are designing, fabricating and installing an inverted fuel and oil system. Thankfully we're getting by on this one with help from our friends. A huge thank you to all of you out there that are chipping in. The goal is to have a continuous inverted oil system. Another aspect to this build is the fuel injection system. A custom plenum was fabricated yesterday as well as the oil cooler mount and its air plenum. As all you other builders out there know, it's not just about getting the part(s) to fit, they all need to get along and perform!

Custom 450 Stearman #2

2011-11-17T10:57:00.000-06:00

We have another custom 450 Stearman in the shop right now. It's in for new wings, recover and repaint. It's moving along nicely and should start going together soon. Posted are photos of the cover and paint process. It's going to be insignia blue and cream similar to the ZPF-7 we finished at the beginning of the year. We'll share some photos once it goes into final assembly.
Thanks for checking in!

Stinson SR-8E

2011-11-10T10:50:00.000-06:00

We're pleased to offer this beautiful Stinson SR-8E. Please visit our home site for more details.
http://www.rareaircraft.com/StinsonNC-16164.htm

Stearman 6CD Progress.

2011-11-02T07:26:00.000-05:00

More progress on the Doyle Stearman! The wings and controls are all rigged and ready. Now for the fresh engine install. Inverted systems, fuel injection and show smoke are on the menu. Chuck can't imagine being all shiny and loud without some upside down smoke action! Thanks for checking in.

Stearman Progress

2011-10-31T07:51:00.000-05:00

Last week the wings went on 96CD and were rigged. More photos to come as things move along. Thanks for checking in!

Rolling the Stearman

2011-10-25T15:48:00.000-05:00

A few years back the guys made a clever rotisserie for fuselages while in build up and paint. They used an electric ATV winch motor, chain and sprockets to power the rotisserie. SO.....before we started to mount the wings I couldn't resist trying Chucks competition harnesses out.

Stearman Progress

2011-10-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

Its go time!

Stearman Paint Progress

2011-10-18T10:11:00.011-05:00

More progress on the Stearman. Its still early in the week! More to come....

WACO UPF-7

2011-10-16T04:00:00.000-05:00

We often share photos of the finished product on our site and blog. I thought perhaps it would be of interest to see some of the behind the scenes in process photos. The photos in this post are a progression of one of our Waco UPF-7 Re-manufacture Restorations. Our process is down to the bare bones and back with all new modern materials and practices. Every detail in the aircraft is addressed. This brings to life a instant classic Waco with real history and new standards making it different than the next.

Stearman Compass Swing.

2011-10-15T05:00:00.000-05:00

The brand new black top and newly painted compass rose made for a nice photo. Thank you for checking in.

Stearman Paint Progress

2011-10-13T16:03:00.008-05:00

As promised, more photos of this weeks paint progress. Thanks for checking in!

Trimming N966CD

2011-10-12T11:24:00.007-05:00

We're putting the Doyle signature trim onto N966CD this week. More photos to come.

Turquoise

2011-10-10T14:12:00.003-05:00

The shop is awash in Turquoise!! More to come. Fuselage is in the booth now and one more wing to go. Then, its trim time. More photos to come. Thanks for checking in.

Cub Crafters

2011-10-04T08:39:00.003-05:00

Having Fun Never Gets Old from CubCrafters on Vimeo.

SR-8B Stinson

2011-09-29T12:46:00.008-05:00

After completion of the two custom 450 Stearmans we have on our plate there is more to do. Yesterday we received our next project, a Stinson Reliant SR-8B. This should keep us busy this winter as it is one large bird. We also have two other projects inbound that we'll share with you soon. It's nice to have a full plate going into the cold dark months! Thanks for visiting the blog.

Doyle Stearman Update

2011-09-29T12:35:00.004-05:00

We're moving along on the Doyle Stearman nicely. The wings are all in silver and about ready for color. Over the past couple of weeks we have been working away at completing the pre-cover assembly on the fuselage and getting all the other fabric surfaces up through silver.

Zech Bell is laying up the first of the fuselage covering on the Doyle Stearman today.
We'll be sure to add many photos over the next couple of weeks since there will be lots of visual progress on this job.

WACO Taperwing

2011-09-23T01:00:00.001-05:00

N6714 s/n A-20 was restored by RARE Aircraft in 1998. This WACO has Fuel injection feeding a 975 Wright. Inverted Fuel/Oil and show smoke. A-20 is a real performer! To see more check out the featured restorations gallery on the RARE web site.

WACO UPF-7

2011-09-16T05:00:00.000-05:00

We've scheduled several posts to share photos of past RARE Aircraft Ltd restorations done over the years. Hope you enjoy!

The Flightline

2011-09-15T05:00:00.002-05:00

The Flightline television program ran a segment on the Stearman that we have had the past several updates on. Turn up the sound and enjoy some HD video! Thank you for checking in.

Round Engine School

2011-09-14T13:00:00.002-05:00

Our Good friend Rodney Tangerina from Brazil is here at RARE for a visit. He is here learning more about conducting maintenance on the aircraft we have shipped to Brazil. Rodney is the director of maintenance for the company that operates the Waco's and Fairchild. In this photo he is busy doing cylinder base nut re-torques and valve adjustments on a Jacobs engine. We are also having a good time introducing Rodney to Minnesota cuisine and spirits! Next week we will be doing more training with a second engineer from Brazil for the same purpose Rodney is here. If your in the area stop on in and say hello!

Doyle Stearman

2011-09-14T10:01:00.011-05:00

We're full steam ahead on the Doyle Stearman and plan to be in the air in about a month. Things are progressing nicely. You will be seeing lots of turquoise in the next couple of weeks! Enjoy. Thank you for stopping by our blog!

2011-09-12T08:53:00.002-05:00

We attended the Stearman Fly-In in Galesburg over the weekend with 444 where its owners met us to pick it up. The flight to the fly-in was a great trip and 444 had 8.3 hours on it since restoration when we arrived. What a great fly in. Plenty of flying to do while there and fun events throughout the day. The best for me was watching John Mohr do his routine at the airshow. Heres a couple snap shots of the sea of yellow. Thanks for checking in!

Stearman Details

2011-08-24T16:21:00.013-05:00

Thought we would share a few details of the recent resto. Enjoy and thank you for stopping by.

Finito!

2011-08-23T17:13:00.010-05:00

All done and ready to go. More photos to come. Thanks for checking in!

Tick-Tock

2011-08-20T10:31:00.004-05:00

The clock is ticking on the countdown to completion for the Stearman. It will be making smoke by Tuesday and then, into the air! We'll be sure to post several detail photos once we get it out into the sun. Thanks for checking is.

N44JP gettin all the trimmings......

2011-08-09T10:11:00.008-05:00

Someone had to stay home and work while we were at the show. Roy and team pressed on with N44JP and about have it ready for assembly. All the placards, numbers, and markings were painted on last week and are being completed today. It's looking pretty crisp!

Oshkosh 2011 Complete

2011-08-09T09:38:00.014-05:00

What a great time at the big show! It was wonderful to see all our friends again. Five airplanes, four locations and demo flights in the evenings made for a busy time. Lots of work but, we're already excited for next year!! We're also planning on going to Blakesburg, Galesburg and Tullahoma yet this year so, hope to see more great people and airplanes soon! Here are a couple of shots from the trip to, during and from Oshkosh. Thank you to all our friends for making this year at Oshkosh such a wonderful time. Thanks for checking in!

Oshkosh 2011

2011-07-20T05:00:00.003-05:00

We're excited to once again to be at and see all our friends at Airventure 2011! We are planning on having five airplanes on site and be at three locations throughout the show grounds. We will be at: Antique Classic, Teledyne Continental Motors and Cub Crafters. The following RARE birds will be attending:

N5ZP
N32133
N30107
N8565
N194RA

N44JP Paint Progress

2011-07-15T11:02:00.005-05:00

The Progress Jackpot on N44JP was hit this week! The team worked very hard and produced some fantastic results. Dan Schumaker, the man behind the gun on this project, put in lots of hard work and planning to achieve this level of progress with fantastic results!!! More to come. Thanks for checking in!

015 in France

2011-07-12T14:22:00.006-05:00

A while back we reported shipping a Stearman to France. Friend and customer Julien Paire was kind enough to share a couple of photos of it all settled in across the pond. Thanks for sharing Julien!

4JP

2011-07-11T15:35:00.004-05:00

More Yellow going on N44JP. We're moving right along on both Stearmans today. 6CD in pre-cover and 4JP in color. More to come. Thanks for checking in.

Four Wings!

2011-07-11T14:58:00.004-05:00

Pre Cover Assembly 6CD

2011-07-11T10:58:00.005-05:00

The Doyle machine is into pre-cover today. The Big Sky four aileron, five wire wings are neatly stacked into position. Wires are laid out and center section is being squared up as I type. More to come....

Yellow

2011-07-11T10:54:00.004-05:00

We're shooting the yeller today on N44JP. We'll be sure to share more photos as things progress. Thanks for checking in!

N44JP on to Color

2011-07-05T15:34:00.016-05:00

The Parish Stearman has had some serious progress in the past three weeks. We have covered, stitched, taped and primed all of the surfaces except the fuselage. Color as began today with the wings going into yellow. The crew put some very hard work into accomplishing their goals on this project. The march to completion is on. With the exception of the fuselage all of the fabric surfaces are into prime as well as all the sheet metal. In the coming days the shop will be decorated with numerous yellow parts big and small. Stripped to the bones and brought back this will be one crisp new Stearman ready for years of enjoyment. Hope you enjoy the photos and thank you for checking in!

N966CD

2011-07-05T14:59:00.007-05:00

The Doyle 450 Stearman is moving along nicely. The leading edges are going onto the new Big Sky four aileron wing set today. Precover assembly starts tomorrow. It wont be long and we will be covering the wings and fuselage. The majority of the sheet metal is already painted as are the tail feathers. Instrument panels, instruments and plumbing are still needing to be completed before we go into cover. A custom smoke tank set up was installed using a kit supplied by Smoking Airplanes LLC. We made custom mounts for the kit and plumbed in an external fill point to make the task of oiling up less messy. We hope to be sharing some precover assembly shots of this bird with you in the near future! Thanks for checking in.

2011-06-09T09:21:00.006-05:00

N966CD is moving along nicely. The new Big Sky four aileron wing set is about 90% done and should begin cover next week. Tail feathers are covered and painted with the rudder still needing checkering. The Air Repair STC gear seal kit, redline brake kit and fresh hardware are all installed with the gear ready to go. A few more details in the fuselage such as the instrument panels, plumbing,smoke system and we can begin cover on the fuselage. The guys have worked hard on repairing, smoothing and priming up the BT-13 cowling and Stinson Reliant wheel pants that give this big 450 Stearman its signature brawny appearance. Color will be going on the front end parts very soon. Two airplanes, in cover, both getting parts painted, different coating systems and parts galore. I'm having a hard time keeping it all straight! We're glad Dan Schumaker is the man behind the gun on this one, he'll keep it straight but, after this booth marathon he might forget what the light of day looks like! It wont be long and there will be some huge visual progress with large parts in color and going back on both airplanes.

N44JP Stearman

2011-06-09T08:55:00.005-05:00

Pre-Cover Assembly is complete and we are into cover this week on N44JP. A new Stringer cage has been built, is being painted OD green, will go back on the fuselage and cover will commence on the fuselage next week. This airplane has been totally stripped to the bone and brought back up. It's going to be one fresh Stearman. We have completely gone through the landing gear and installed Red-Line Brakes. The tail wheel assembly is all shiny and new as well. This will be a very stock, original airplane with correct markings. With N44JP and N966CD into cover and paint the paint booth will be VERY busy over the next month!

WACO ZPF-7 N5ZP

2011-06-06T11:10:00.004-05:00

We're pleased to report that since delivering N5ZP to its home, the owner has put 11 more hours on it, 60 landings and all is well! He seems to be really enjoying the airplane. Here are a couple of photos from the photo shoot two weeks ago. To really appreciate the shade of blue used you need to see the airplane in person. It is a very deep insignia blue that appears almost black in photos. Exactly what the owner described when we were picking colors. You'll have a chance to see this beauty in person at the WACO fly-in at Mt Vernon and of course EAA at Oshkosh. We look forward to seeing you there. Thanks for checking in!

Great Lakes

2011-06-03T12:54:00.009-05:00

Thought we would share a couple of photos of a Great Lakes that was restored by RARE Aircraft Ltd. Classic Waco is reviving the Lakes and has been using this aircraft as their show example. Perhaps you saw it at the Waco Classic Display at Sun & Fun. Its good to know it's still out and about.
We've restored four Great Lakes'. Nice little airplane with gentle manners. I always tell folks it handles just like a Super Decathlon with twice the drag and the wind in your hair.
Next week we'll share some updates on out current projects. Thanks for checking in!

ZPF-7

2011-05-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

An informal walk around of N5ZP the latest Waco by RARE Aircraft. This Waco is an instant classic with its paint scheme yet modern with lots of custom details. Classy with a touch of race! We have scheduled the air to air photo shoot for the end of this week. Look for some great pics coming up on the main site next month. Come by the Vintage area at Oshkosh this year and check it out in person! We also hope to have it at the National Waco Club Fly-in in June as well.

Gang of Cubs

2011-05-17T15:38:00.000-05:00

Bill Hamsa, a happy owner of his new Carbon Cub SS sent us a couple of photos yesterday from an outing. Looks like Bill got together with the other Carbons in the area and went out to play! Thanks for sharing the photos Bill!

The attached video walk around is of Bills airplane that we previously posted. Carbon Cub sales are strong this year, factory production slots are already full through September. Once you see the quality and experience the ultimate performance Cub on the planet its easy to understand why. Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

Color!

2011-05-17T07:10:00.004-05:00

N966CD is getting some color this week. Dan shot the Doyle signature color on N966CD's tail feathers yesterday. All went well. Its fun to be doing something different!

We're also building up a fresh set of wings using the Big Sky kit with the four aileron conversion. We should be putting these wings in cover in a little over two weeks. As things come together we'll be sure to share some more photos.

WACO QCF N11457

2011-05-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

Waco QCF s/n 3540 was certified for service by the factory on July 10, 1931. It had been commissioned by Miss Georgina P. Yeatman of Cheastnut Hill, PA. Records show that it was delivered to her that date by distributer, Wings Corp., Blue Bell, PA.

The Original registration number was NC-11455. Upon acquiring title to the aircraft in 1990, the owner found that this umber was assigned to another aircraft and not available. A similar number, NC-11457, also originally assigned to a Waco, was reserved and assigned to the airplane.

The aircraft was purchased from noted Waco historian Marion "Curly" Havelaar in 1990, along with a small handful of original parts. Mr. Havelaar procured the aircraft from the last owner, Mr. Roy M. Lamoureaux of Casper Wyoming.

Work began on the airplane in fall 2004. It was recreated throughout that year and completed October 2005. This airplane is as close to new as possible with ALL new wood and no stone left unturned during the restoration process.

The airframe has literally been remanufactured to new but original standards. Original parts were used whereever possible, and what had to be fabricated was done precisely to original Waco factory prints.

The spirit of the restoration has been to keep the original appearance of the airplane as a sincere representation of its 1931 persona while bringing it operationally into the new millennium. In order to display the 1931 originality:

1. The paint Style selected was that of original factory style for the aircraft.
2. The instruments were restored to original.
3. Installation of the Hamilton Standard 5131 Propeller, which was original to the type, the Curtiss-Reed had not yet been certified nor is legal on this aircraft per the TCDS.
4. The fuselage is gas welded as originally done.
5. Stainless steel hardware was used wherever possible. Other hardware was re-plated to clear (silver) cad plate as used in 1931. Cottered nuts wherever possible.
6.Original Pioneer pitot/static mast used.
7. Original new/old stock grimes lights installed with true green lens on the right vs. later plue green.

We did a walk around video of the airplane posted below. There are photos of it on our home site under featured restorations under the WACO heading. Thank you for checking in!

Airmail to France

2011-05-16T07:57:00.010-05:00

Last Wednesday we containerized a Stearman to go to France. This airplane was a flying airplane that we were brokering and it ended up being purchased by a gentleman from France. The crew did a great job packing the bird up in short order. In just under two hours they had it secure and ready to leave. The aircraft will remain in the "N" registry while being operated in France and will be flown regularly. Hopefully all arrives in good order. This is our sixth airplane to get containerized and all have traveled without incident. Knockin on wood, Bon Voyage old friend!

4JP

2011-05-16T07:28:00.006-05:00

The N2S-3 Stearman, N44JP is progressing nicely. We have completely stripped the aircraft down to the absolute minimum, reconditioned or replaced all that was lacking and needing attention. No stone has been left unturned. This will be a very original, stock restoration. This aircraft was actually based and did its service at NAS Ottumwa, Iowa. At one point in its life this airplane sat apart in Jamacia! Funny how these things get around and how they can come full circle. Welcome back the the midwest old training friend. Perhaps we'll get you close to your old home for a visit this year during the AAA fly in or on your way home.

New Family Members!

2011-05-03T07:27:00.005-05:00

Last week we added two new members to the family! Russ Francis, pictured with a few of our team members and N29352 is the happy new owner of this red beauty. You may recognize the airplane as the AOPA Sweepstakes airplane that was restored by RARE Aircraft LTD and given away by AOPA in 2003. It's still looking good and sold in a week within being listed! We gave Russ a check out in his shiny new red machine and sent him over the horizon that afternoon.

Also new to the family is Pete Neal of Buffalo NY. Pete purchased the beautiful one owner 2002 Super Decathlon that we had listed and had sold new. Karen gave Pete a check out in his new bird and we all spend some time together helping getting Pete and his bird acquainted. Pete made it to Dunkirk NY the first day and made a short hop home to Buffalo the following morning. A special thanks to Dennis Borkowski, one of our ACE WACO Ferry pilots, for turning Pete onto his new bird. Dennis is also from the Buffalo area and is currently waiting for weather to clear so he can head our way in the Taperwing, N565T.
This week we're doing more covering on our current projects. Next week we're shipping a Stearman to France and preparing to send a Top Cub to Australia. Hopefully we can get some good shots to share with you all on the blog. Thank you for checking in.

N5ZP Flight Two

2011-04-30T10:34:00.008-05:00

We were able to put another hour on N5ZP yesterday. All went well. Everything is in the green and working smoothly. So far the only adjustment needed is to turn up the volume on the show smoke! When we get the formal photo shoot done we'll be sure to post some photos. Thanks for checking in!

N5ZP First Flight

2011-04-27T17:30:00.006-05:00

It's a bit cool and cloudy today but, still a good day for a first flight. We put the first bit of time on N5ZP today and all went well. Smooth, solid and fast are the first things that come to mind when reflecting on the flight. The team put together a fantastic airplane. To date my favorite "7". More flights and photos to come!

Warhawk

2011-04-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

We are recovering our fourth set of Curtiss P-40 control surfaces. We recover the surfaces according to original factory drawings which makes for an interesting exercise. You will see in the detail shots here metal rods we fabricated are used rather than rib stitching. I suspect this was done to speed up the process however, the guys may disagree with that idea. Not the norm for the covering we do and thought we would share a couple of photos. A project like this is a pleasant touch of variety in the shop. This set will be painted by the shop completing the restoration Fagen Fighters & Warhawks Inc, where as the last set we did we painted camo to match an existing paint job.

Covering

2011-04-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

We're into cover on N966CD. A Minnesota aviation icon 6CD is owned by Chuck and Jody Doyle of Webster MN. Chucks father bought the aircraft in 1948 and operated it until 2001. N966CD was used for sky writing and banner towing often seen in the sky above Minnesota flying over the cities and events such as ball games. Outfitted with a R-985, 50 gallon smoke oil tank and custom exhaust some serious sky writing could be accomplished with this Stearman. Several other details other than the smoke system make this a very custom airplane.
Chuck is restoring this airplane and returning it to the signature Doyle color, turquoise. It will also sport the same trim it spent its life in that his father designed. Chuck and Jody's Super Decathlon and Twin Beech are also turquoise. We are currently building a new set of wings adding a four aileron set with the help of John at Big Sky. The fuselage is about ready for cover and we have started on the tail feathers. We're honored to be working for our good friend Chuck and to return N966CD to the sky over Minnesota.

WACO ZPF-7 N5ZP

2011-04-15T11:59:00.007-05:00

N5ZP, formerly N29904, the latest creation from the team at RARE Aircraft is near completion. A few items to address and finishing touches for N5ZP (project Kilo-7) are all that's left before it takes to the sky for the first time. Overall we're very pleased with the results on this remanufacture. Most important, so is the owner. To see his reaction yesterday when viewing the final product was the paramount of reward for the entire process. We will be doing a full air to air photo shoot soon. Stay tuned to the web site for the final photos. Thank you for checking in!

RARE Aircraft Web Site change ups

2011-04-06T11:08:00.006-05:00

We're doing some spring changes to our web site. Our last change was to add some of the magazine articles about our restorations to the site. On the bottom center of the home page there is a button titled; RARE Aircraft Press Releases.
A common request is more photos. We are working hard to add more photographs of finished aircraft, restorations in process and sales aircraft with video walk around. If you all keep asking for more we better listen up and, give you more! In addition to the video walk around on sales aircraft we are also posting PDF's of logbooks. If there are features or photographs you are interested in seeing please send us an email with your suggestions. We want to consistently refresh our site for continued viewing enjoyment. Thank you for visiting our site and blog. The PA-18 we are offering has the first virtual walk around. Next will be the Carbon Cub SS. Check the for sale areas of the home site for these updates. Thank you for visiting the RARE Aircraft site and blog!

Kilo-7 project update

2011-03-23T12:51:00.005-05:00

Completion is near for project K-7. The wings went on last week and we are rollin right along! All the paint work is complete except the lower wing and tail fairings which we are fitting presently. It wont be long and this beauty will be in the air. Insignia blue, cream with gold pinstripe is looking great but we're having a hard time capturing it's true personality with the camera indoors. We will be able to better share this combination once we get outside with this stunning ZPF-7. As a matter of fact we have a photo shoot already scheduled! Once the news of first flight hits the blog check the main site often to see a full gallery. I can't wait to kick off the flying season in this beauty! It's going to be great seeing the fun this airplane shares with people; High Def 1080P camera, I-tunes, XM Radio/Weather, Show Smoke and more in a classy package the retains an old school look. I do believe I just ended up in the throws of my latest airplane crush.....

Lego WACO!!

2011-03-03T08:30:00.006-06:00

Friend and customer of RARE Aircraft, Dave Sterling seems to have a bit of a Lego habit. He and his wife Stacy can build ANYTHING out of Legos. Proof is in the photos of the Waco he constructed and was kind enough to share with us! The Sterling's own a beautiful '57 Tri-Pacer, the nicest I've ever seen. Thanks for Sharing Dave and thanks to all for visiting our web-site and blog!!

Wet Paint

2011-03-02T08:56:00.010-06:00

Project Kilo-7 is well into the paint process. The last K-7 update we were starting the cover process, now paint and soon final assembly. Photos make it appear black however its a very deep, dark blue with cream and gold pinstripe. We're very excited about this airplane and pleased to be again doing something out of the norm. The owner has been wonderful to work with and is responsible for all the fun details and creativity going into this one. We are merely guides to the whole process. It won't be long and this one will be ready for the air!! Stay tuned for more updates and thanks for visiting our website and blog.

Next project we're dropping the hammer on...completion of the Doyle Stearman!

2011-03-01T06:54:00.018-06:00

We have returned from Brazil after another successful mission with new found perspective, better forged friendships and plenty of great stories. We gave the F-2 a check up and found all to be well. It receives the best care and is flown regularly. The Fairchild received a check up as well and we placed the original brakes and wheels where they belong, the garbage can. An upgrade to Cleveland wheels and brakes gave it a new lease on life. The ZQC-6 arrived well and without damage. We assembled the C-6 with lots of help from all around. The upper wings are pretty good size so we were happy to have all the extra hands when it came time to hoist them up in the air. Of course the lowers went into place first. We were running and conducting the first taxi test in two days.
>
The first flight went well as did the following flights. Some training with the chief pilot Cassiano was done as well as some pleasure flying in the F-2. Cassiano was kind enough to give me the back seat for the F-2 flight. I really miss that F-2 as it's my favorite. Having the opportunity to take it for a spin was a real treat. I snapped a photo of our flight in the F-2 while over the city. The other photo is of Cassiano and I in the Cabin during flight #1.

The weather there is nothing short of spectacular as was the flying and new sights. Many wonderful memories were made. I will definitely say the best part was being treated like family by the entire team. Being so far away from home can be difficult but the hospitality, enthusiasm and warm reception by all made it a wonderful experience. Many in Brazil have earned a permanent place in my heart as family. I truly feel as if I have new found family members. To be honest I really can't begin to put this experience into words. Yes, I know, even the guy who always has something to say about everything is at a loss for words. With that being the case I will say something about the stars of this show, the airplanes......
It never ceases to amaze me how these old airplanes take us on such adventures. Many of them offer an adventure when we meet them for the first time. The Fairchild, I met tucked away quietly in a Quonset on a little grass strip in Iowa. It offered a two day wrench turning adventure followed by flying it home. If at that time you told me on the other side I would be in Brazil with it a year later I would have laughed and called your crazy. The Cabin Waco, I met tucked away sitting in a quiet hangar on Washington Island. Dusty and lonely it had been left to sit. Its mags were tinkered with and left apart, fuel tanks empty and tires flat. Three trips and many hours were spent reviving the Cabin with a great adventure in the retrieval alone. It was with us for quite some time, received new cover and paint and well, you know the rest. Now having been through a few "meetings" with many old airplanes I always ask them the same question on our first introduction, "where have you been and where will you take me" because as I always say, airplanes are people too. If you don't think so, you're not listening to them.

Cover Week

2011-02-03T08:34:00.007-06:00

This week the team has been busily covering Kilo-7 and they are sure making good progress. All surfaces are covered and rib stitching begins today.

It won't be long and you'll be seeing some color! Thanks for checking in and we'll be sure to post some more progress photos soon.

Project Kilo-7 Update

2011-01-21T12:21:00.012-06:00

We're moving along at a nice clip with the latest WACO project. Pre cover assembly will be complete Monday and covering will begin! It won't be long until you'll be seeing completion photos of this exciting newly remanufactured ZPF-7. Lots of exciting little extras will be featured on this airplane and we're pleased to be painting this one a color set we have not done before. What colors would those be....

Lots of skilled hands at work to make this much progress in such little time.

The customer works directly with Curt to come up with a tailor fit custom interior and matching custom baggage! We would be pleased to offer an interior for your own project or existing airplane as well.

Thank you for visitng our website and blog!

WACO Propellers

2011-01-03T07:22:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year to all our Waco and antique aircraft friends!
Let’s open the New Year with some talk about propellers. It’s a subject that’s of interest to all of us since each of our airplanes has one! We all have a rudimentary knowledge of props; low pitch, high pitch, wood, metal, cheap, expensive (although most are in the expensive category!).
Props are a subject that can fill a book, or several books. So let’s begin with just one…the constant speed Hamilton Standard, commonly referred to as the “2B20”. This tells us that the hub is a type 2B that fits an SAE no. 20 shaft (20 spline). This is a good place to start.
Calling the prop a “2B20” only identifies the hub, with no reference to the blades. The blades, in a sense, ARE the prop. That’s what makes the airplane go. So let’s address the blades.
The common blade model number mated with a 2B20 hub is the 6135A. Following this blade model there is always a “dash” number, which causes some confusion.
It would be more correct to call the “dash” a “minus” because it actually tells us the length of the prop below full spec. Full spec of a 6135A prop is 108 inches. Therefore, a -15 (dash 15) is 15 inches less than 108, or 93 inches long. A -9 (dash 9) is 9 inches less than 108, or 99 inches long. A -6 (dash 6) is 6 inches less than 108 or 102 inches long. Pretty basic, huh! Now let’s inject a little history.
The most common WWII aircraft using the 2B20/6135 prop was the venerable Cessna UC-78 Bamboo Bomber. The UC-78 primarily used -15s. There were 5200+ built which means that the production generated about 10,000 props. Some UC-78 wonk will probably e-mail that there were variants with other props, which I acknowledge. The point is, however, that there were a BUNCH of -15s available surplus, and many made their way to our treasured antiques.
Numerous Waco Aircraft Company models left the factory with the 2B20/6135 prop pre-WWII. Several of the cabins specify -6 (102”), others -9 (99”). The exceptions are some Wright powered models that required -13 (95”) because of their need to reach 2400 RPM on takeoff. I’ve examined records of a couple C6s and they both left the factory with -6s (102”). OK, so what’s the deal about length?
Prop length is one of the single most important items relating to aircraft performance…a BFD to quote our VP. We all know that the prop converts power to thrust. That’s pretty basic. So let’s consider some statistics.
A -15 (93”) has a prop disc area of: 47.17 square feet.
A -9 (99”) has a prop disc area of: 53.46 square feet.
A -6 (102”) has a prop disc area of: 56.75 square feet.

So…
The -9 has 6¼ more sq ft of prop pulling you than a -15.
The -6 has almost 10 sq ft more pulling you than the -15.

I’ve been quoted as saying “A dash 15 doesn’t fly a Waco worth a s---.” Maybe now you can see why.
That’s why we equip all our Jacobs powered Wacos with the -9. It makes the UPF-7 (more correctly a ZPF-7) a dramatic performer! No Jake powered open cockpit Waco can touch it!
A fixed pitch prop on a 275 Jake? Doesn’t make any sense to us. Why have the 275 horsepower and not be able to develop it for takeoff & climb? Especially considering the Jake is all set up for a 2B20/6135 and a governor.
For the Cabin guys…A ZQC-6 came to us several years ago with a -15. It had been operating in that configuration for many years. The first thing we did when we got it home was swap the prop for a -9. The performance change was dramatic. Cruise increased over 10 mph. Takeoff performance improvement was striking as well, and we didn’t need a stopwatch or a tape measure. Not surprising when you consider that the airplane was designed to fly with a -6.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that finding a 102” 2B20/6135 is nigh unto impossible these days. The 99 inchers are out there, though. Yes they are expensive, but what good prop isn’t?
Hope I haven’t worn you out. I don’t have a reputation for brevity.
Cheers,
Roy

2010-12-23T09:27:00.021-06:00

What a year! Looking back at 2010 I wonder where it all went so fast. Having moved into our new facility at the end of March after breaking ground the November prior made for an interesting time. The move was a feat in itself. Thanks to all for your support and to those who said it couldn't be done, well.......come on by and we'll show ya around.

Personally, I had the joy of another great year with my family doing what we love to do. The best part about working with family, you can say what you want to get things done. The worst part, you can say what you want to get things done...... Working with family and our tight knit group in the shop plays a major role in the creative process. I believe it demands a higher level of standard and pride beyond what can be found in a factory or corporate setting type of shop. Everyone in the shop is an integral part of the process equally important in their contributions to the end product. Each year brings a new set of challenges and accomplishments for our team. I look forward to seeing what we can do in 2011. Immediate family aside we also have our extended aviation family that gets larger every year. I know it sounds cliche to say such because you hear this often with different aircraft manufactures but, we really do gain family in what we do. So many "customers" have become very close to us and a very important part of our lives. So call me a bit bias but I think aviation people are the greatest on earth and that's why its so easy to make such great friends when you play with airplanes.
Looking ahead to next year I'm very excited to see all the great friends we have throughout the industry. Often seeing everyone is only a yearly event but we talk on the phone regularly. The best laughs and memories are made at the shows with you all. I feel very fortunate to call many of you friends and look forward to making new as well. Happy New Year to all!! I'm already excited about the possibilities for 2011!

Cheers,

Ben

P.S. One of these days I'll figure out how to get the photos and text the way I want them on this darn thing!!

Stearman? Really a Stearman?

2010-12-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

We've done them before and we'll do them again. Actually my first rib stitching lesson from Dad was on a Stearman wing. This may be somewhat of a surprise since we're known as Waco people. After witnessing and admittedly partaking in some of the lively banter between Stearman and Waco folks I'm sure we'll take a few in the ribs over the one in our shop, um I mean two, oh wait, THREE!?! These things are multiplying! Actually we have two in restoration and one airworthy for sale. To date Wacos are our most numerous restoration however we still do handle airplanes in the other category from time to time. Staggerwings, Stearmans, Great Lakes, a Luscombe or two and I think I see a Howard in our near future.....very near.

The two Stearmans in restoration are quite the contrast. One is a stock Navy N2S-3 that will remain so. The other will be an airshow airplane and is already a notable one at that.

A feature of each will appear on the blog soon. We're looking forward to seeing these well built beloved trainers through restoration.

The N2S-3 arrived last Thursday....

Wrapping Presents the RARE way!

2010-12-20T08:39:00.008-06:00

We recently finished an extensive recover and repaint on NC16009 a 1936 ZQC-6 Cabin Waco. This exercise was to bring the aircraft up to standard for our friends in Brazil. The structure, interior and overall quality of this aircraft is excellent. It was restored elsewhere about 14 years ago and the paint that was used was very brittle. A complete recover and repaint was in order and our guys made short work of the process. We also converted the brakes to new Cleveland's, built a new oil tank and tightened up the firewall forward installation.
Once all the work and the export C of A were complete we spent last Tuesday containerizing the C-6 for its trip to Brazil. From quietly residing in a hangar on Washington Is, Wisconsin, to our shop awaiting new owners to Brazil where it will get cared for, flown, and enjoyed regularly. This Cabin Waco doesn't know it yet but, it's going to have a great new life. It will be fun to see it join the F-2 and Fairchild in Brazil! We'll be on hand in Brazil to assemble and fly it soon. With our current weather situation I can't wait!

A short clip sent by the F-2 to let us know all is well.

Genesis of Kilo-7

2010-12-08T04:55:00.007-06:00

ZPF-7 - production code name; Kilo-7

We are very fortunate to have yet another customer that fuels the creative process and pushes us to new limits. A remanufactured beyond new standards WACO by RARE with flare. I can't wait until spring to roll this baby out. All new tip to tail with great custom features. All the woodwork is complete and the fuselage build up is underway.

It might get boring around here if we were just putting together another WACO like the last one and the only change ups were colors or the instrument panel. With our list of options and the customer being an integral part of the process we're having a ball! Check back for more progress photos of Kilo-7.

K-7's wing set ready for cover. New front cockpit access door. New Instrument panels.

Repaint Reporter Volume 69 Number 2: The Waterborne Trend

2010-12-01T07:22:00.003-06:00

PPG has been our finish of choice for 20 years. Although we're still capable of doing an old school dope finish the most popular option on our birds is PPG polyurethane. Founded on Roy's vast paint experience, Dan and Jeremy are the two responsible for our final product today. The whole shop pitches in for the entire process leading up to color. We're pleased to be recognized by PPG for our work in the latest issue of PPG Paint Reporter. Below is a link to the publication, you'll find us on page 22.
Repaint Reporter Volume 69 Number 2: The Waterborne Trend

2011

2010-11-30T13:56:00.006-06:00

We're sure excited to be on the 2011 Goodyear Aviation Calendar!! A huge thank you to Goodyear and all involved with the photo shoot. Last but not least, the Nalbone brothers for their vision and involvement in creating this unique airplane. The calendar is available from the Goodyear Aviation Tires web page or Aircraft Spruce;

http://www.goodyearaviation.com/about/calendar.html

It's been tricky keeping this one under our hat, especially since I'm (ben) known to be the big mouth of the family. This panned out at Oshkosh this year. We really had fun with the folks from Goodyear. RARE won't be publishing any of these photos on our site and won't have the calendar available through us but, you'll be sure to see one on our wall.

**Goodyear owns all rights to the image. It cannot be used for any promotional or other commercial purpose without expressed written permission.**

Step Back In Time

2010-11-22T16:04:00.003-06:00

We're pleased to be able to share a piece written by our Taperwing Customer Dennis Guentzel of Bozeman Montana. This was recently published in the RNPA, Retired Northwest Pilots Association, magazine, Contrails. Photo credit and layout to Gary Ferguson, story written by Dennis Guentzel, published in Contrails magazine RNPA.

It's always fun to see how customer's "use" their airplane. I think it's safe to say that Denny gets some serious enjoyment out of his Taperwing and maximizes that potential by leaving the local pattern for some adventure. Not only a pilot, he's a bit of a gear head too! Vintage Porsche's, racing boats and owning airplanes have made him quite capable of some heavy wrenching and keeping the Taperwing in tip-top shape. Hope you enjoy this article as much as we did and as much as Dennis does flying his Taperwing!
Step BAck in Time 176

New Web Site Page

2010-11-09T15:11:00.003-06:00

We've added a new page to our web site. On the bottom center of our home page is a block you can click on titled; RARE Aircraft Press Releases and Articles. Or go to http://www.rareaircraft.com/press/ We will be adding several more over the next couple of months. Thanks for taking the time to visit our site and we hope you enjoy!

Web Update

2010-11-02T10:14:00.003-05:00

N2279 the EGC-8 has been added to our gallery and featured restorations page. Check back to the RARE Aircraft Web site often over the next few weeks; www.rareaircraft.com we're going to be adding lots of updates!

2010-10-18T07:20:00.017-05:00

Last Friday we flew the Staggerwing to Tullahoma Tennessee for the Beech Party at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum. The Staggerwing had about 30 minutes of local testing time on it and we found it fit for what it does best, cross country. We left Faribault full of fuel,climbed to 9,500 and set up cruise. With a nice tail wind we made it non stop in 3 hours and 20 min with a average ground speed of 190 kts. Not bad for a 1944 Biplane! Everything performed great and we found the engine to be excellent as it used only two quarts on the way down and left the belly dry and clean. It was great to bring the Stag back to where it came from. This was a nice opportunity to visit and exchange information with other enthusiasts. Our hosts showed us a "big time" with the finest of hospitality. There were Beechcraft airplanes of all models and years present and I must say, what a great group of people. I highly recommend this event to anyone, its first class all the way and one of the best events I've been to in years. The museum is well worth the visit. If your ever in the area be sure to check it out. http://www.beechcraftheritagemuseum.org/
We were delighted to find out that David Oreck was going to arrive in his G model Staggerwing that RARE completed in 1994. The paint scheme and paint was designed and executed by the man himself, Roy Redman. This is the last paint job Roy executed completely by himself. It still looks fantastic. We ended up having our new completion and Davids airplane parked next to each other entirely by coincidence! Davids airplane still bears Dads original logo. We enjoyed looking the G over as it has been a few years since we've crossed paths.
David Oreck and Frank Ryder give the thumbs up before departure.

The Travel Air Mystery Ship was on hand and has returned to the museum. This is THE one and it was a real treat to take in. This is a wonderful addition to the collection. This is a great restoration with nice details.

It took me a while to notice the green pinstripe since gold is usually used with red/black. I like it!

Morrison's F17D Staggerwing. Restored and owned by a pair of brothers. It was their fathers airplane.

The local Porsche club stopped in for a visit to the fly in. Lots of shiny cars.

I like to think the cars are looking on at the Stag with envy wishing for wings!
A absolutely beautiful Twin Beech owned by the Parish clan. My favorite airplane on the field over the weekend.

What a trip! We made new friends and caught up with some old friends. Perfect weather, flying and fun. It doesn't get any better! On the way home the batteries conked out on the hand held GPS. Of course no aux power plug in the panel because it wasn't there in 1944! So, I navigated home by RPS, Roy Positioning System. We dead reckoned like we use to when he was teaching me to cross country. As they say, this was one for the books!
Where to next? The Staggerwing goes home to Seattle!

2010-10-09T15:43:00.009-05:00

Rollout!
Need to Feed the Beast!

First run today! It went well. Need to do a few final adjustments and ready to fly!

Staggerwing

2010-09-28T10:49:00.014-05:00

This Staggerwing came to us from the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma TN as N35JM. Prior to being donated in 2003 to the museum it was restored and owned by Jack Munroe. From the Beech Heritage Museum web site;
N35JM was built under a USAAF contract as Beech c/n 6914, and assigned AAF serial 44-76069. It was reallocated to the U.S. Navy as a GB-2 model with U.S. Navy BuNo 23737 and delivered to Station Operations Naval Air Station Seattle, WA on May 20, 1944. Subsequently stationed at NAS Pasco, WA and NAS Tillamook, OR, it was stricken from the Navy on July 31, 1946.
It was sold to a U. S. civilian as D17S NC67737 and was registered in Canada as CF-GLL in 1951. Based in Vancouver and Calgary until May 1975 when purchased by Jack H. Munroe of Brighton, CO and registered as N35JM.
Jack notes that “my interest in airplanes started in the mid-twenties with model-building. Then Lindbergh came to Denver and that was that. I was a kid with a bike and there were three airports within range of our house.” Jack completed an extensive restoration of N35JM with the first flight occurring in 1982. In the October of 2003 Jack donated his D17S to the Staggerwing Museum where he has been a trustee of the Foundation since 1981.
The current owner is based in Seattle so, once again this Staggerwing will end up where it did in 1944.

We found the airplane to be in pretty good shape overall. We fabricated a completely new instrument panel and returned it to original configuration however added dual controls with late style "bow-tie" yokes. A new period correct interior to round out the cabin.

The current owner decided to go with civilian paint and our favorite combination, red and black! The Beechcraft Heritage Museum was kind enough to loan us a original side panel with a perfect Beechcraft Bird on it for a pattern. A bit of a challenge to layout.

We're pretty happy with the paint. Getting the Staggerwing into the booth and being able to shoot the entire fuselage in one session was quite the challenge.

Numerous items were replaced or rebuilt during this restoration. The landing gear received lots of attention and is about as close to factory new as you can get. Once reinstalled the process of rigging and fitting began. Its quite a impressive system considering its age however, a bit complicated.
Were full steam ahead for final assembly phase this week and next and hope to be flying soon. We'll share some more progress photos soon that hopefully show some daylight between the tires and runway!

Oshkosh

2010-08-10T08:59:00.007-05:00

Oshkosh 2010 was good, very good. We had three airplanes in the Antique-Classic area, all WACOs. EGC-8 N2279, UPF-7 N32133 and ZPF-7 N173E. We had our Top Cub and Carbon Cub present and, gained another UPF-7 during the week. A total of six airplanes at the show made for some work to and from but, it was worth it. We divided our time between Cub Crafters and the WACOs during the week and spent the evenings doing demo flights in the Carbon Cub. Talk about long days at the show! We attended the Waco dinner Thursday and had a great time catching up with several friends. On Saturday we had the unique opportunity to fly in the Goodyear Blimp. What a great ride and impressive flight department. Goodyear holds; the Type Certificate to the Blimp, a certified repair station certificate and has a complete flight department centered around the Blimps that run like an well oiled machine. The hour flight was one to remember and quite an education. It was like riding in a ship at sea. The week ended with many new friends, great face time with old friends and the awards ceremony. We spotted what we believed to be the Grand Champ the second it arrived, Engelskirgers UPF-7 what a beautiful restoration. They indeed took the honors of Grand Champion home that was much deserved. We really enjoyed looking at it. We were fortunate enough to bring some hardware home too! All three WACOs brought home trophies; N2279 Outstanding Closed Cokpit Biplane, N32133 Outstanding Open Cockpit Biplane, N173E Bronze Age Champion Bronze Lindy. We're proud to have earned these awards. Without the owners' vision for these airplanes we would not be here, thank you Mac, John & Lou. Coming soon; F-series comparison Staggerwing progress and ZQC-6 update.

N32133 Complete

2010-07-22T08:21:00.005-05:00

Last week we completed UPF-7 N32133. It's first flight was last Friday. What a great flying airplane. A silk smooth W670 supplied by Air Repair Inc coupled with a light and fairly stock airframe make this bird an absoulute joy to fly. Only a minor rigging adjustment was required and so far there are no other squwaks. Yesterday we took it to Oshkosh along with N173E the ZPF-7 and N2279 the EGC-8. This is the first show for all three airplanes. We hope to see you there!

ZPF-7

2010-07-06T18:34:00.006-05:00

Lou and John Nalbones ZPF-7 on a photo shoot over the Faribault MN area lakes. What a fun airplane to fly! Fuel injected Jacobs engine, great panel and tons of show smoke to play with. The team at the RARE shop did a great job on this one. Stay tuned to www.rareaircraft.com for more great photos, HD videos of the flight and a cockpit tour.

32133 Progress photos

2010-06-19T11:21:00.009-05:00

The team is on the march to completion of N32133, our latest UPF-7. Here are some more photos. There has been some serious daily progress! Take a look.

Inside Out

2010-06-19T09:48:00.011-05:00

We have added upholstery to our list of can do at RARE. Curt, our ace of the base when it comes to the stitch and hide game has been at it for 30+ years. He has masterfully created our interiors on several restorations as a subcontractor in years past. We are pleased to now have Curt as a member of the family working in house. If you would like to give the RARE Aircraft touch to your aircraft or auto restoration we are ready and willing. Complete and partial jobs, retro or modern style. Why put a production interior in your one of a kind restoration or cream puff contemporary when you can make it your own. Give us a call for a quote, you'll be suprsied at what we can do for you!

Tin Time.

2010-06-09T07:23:00.005-05:00

We couldn't call our airplanes remanufactured to better than new standards without all new sheet metal! No stone has been left unturned on this restoration! Real history, real standards, all NEW!

32133 in Color!

2010-06-09T07:07:00.010-05:00

Last update we were covering 32133 and now, its in color. Trim and sheet metal will be next. This bird will be Green/Cream with black trim. Here are some photos of the guys doing what they do best, WACO Magic!

Lay it On!

2010-05-11T10:01:00.007-05:00

The guys are in full cover mode this week. In the last update we shared some pre-cover photos of N32133 and now, cover time! Monday we took 32133 all back apart after completing the pre cover checks. Everything fit great and there were only a few minor adjustments required. The difference between our remanufactured to better than new standards aircraft and production aircraft is that we are constantly improving our fit and finish. Sometimes it takes a little longer but, in the end you'll have a trophy worthy aircraft, not just another one off the line. Not only do they look good, they fly perfect and true. Any bi-plane can be force rigged to fly straight. There is a difference between flying straight and flying true. The goal is to have the rigging provide both straight and true. When this is accomplished the aircraft achieves maximum cruise, has all control surfaces in trail flush and gives the best handling characteristics possible. Having the privilege of test flying the end product I'll tell you these guys have rigging nailed down. The past three UPF-7's have been hands off on the first flight! If all goes according to plan this week we'll have the wings, center section and tail feathers covered and thru nitrate. Stay tuned for more photos from the shop and have a great week!

Pre Cover!

2010-05-06T08:16:00.004-05:00

UPF-7 N32133 s/n 5765 is on the march to completion. It is undergoing pre cover assembly this week and will be going into cover the next. The new wings fit up and match beautifully. As you can see everything on this airplane is new or as we say, remanufactured to better than new standards. This airplane will be "stock" and powered by a W670 from Air Repair Inc. Stay tuned for more progress photos.

Brazil

2010-04-29T08:55:00.007-05:00

On earlier posts we shared with you the containerization of a WACO QCF and Fairchild 24W to be shipped to Brazil. About two weeks ago two of us, Justin Black and Ben Redman went to Brazil to assemble the airplanes. What a great experience!

We learned that ANAC, the Brazilian FAA has created a new Experimental Category to help facilitate aircraft like this being imported to Brazil. The QCF and 24W will be the first aircraft certified in Brazil under this category. We met and worked with the inspector who is assigned to this task and learned about their certification process. I believe this will open many doors for general and vintage aviation in Brazil. The interesting thing is that both Waco and Fairchild exported many airplanes to Brazil however, they must have all been for military or government use because, there is no supporting certification data on record with ANAC. Possibly their records don't go back that far or the people who operated them in the 40's just did not observe the rules.

Every day was an adventure. We had many people happy to help but, getting our hands on hardware or tools was a interesting task. Our hosts were incredible. The food was spectacular as well as the scenery. We even had the opportunity to do some flying while we were there. I will post a few different photos every few days for a while since there are so many. The best part was making great new friends while there and, knowing RARE will be in Brazil two more times this year!

Back to Work

2010-04-29T07:47:00.002-05:00

We have been in our new facility for almost a month. What a move! Things are starting to find their final resting places piece by piece. We have a ways to go but, keeping focus on our work is important too. The team has done a great job moving and keeping customer work progressing as well. I've attached a walk through movie that takes you through part of the offices and most of the shop. Enjoy! If you want to see the whole place, stop by!

2010-03-22T06:50:00.006-05:00

N173E took to the air last week for the first time since restoration. Here are a couple of shots from the flight. The show smoke is on but, did not show too well against the background. Good thing its adjustable, we're gonna turn it up a notch for the next flight.

73E flew well and, its pretty fast too! We have scheduled a formal photo shoot so stay tuned for some great pics!

Tick Tock

2010-03-06T07:41:00.005-06:00

The building is almost done! We are planning on moving the week of the 3/22. With drywall complete in the offices the final wall color and tile is already going in! We are seeing huge amounts of visual progress at this point and the reality of the move is definitely here. Attached is a photo from the loft above the offices across the shop and a 360 video from the shop floor. Thank you all for the support and offers to help us move! Stay tuned for more updates.

Furniture?

2010-02-25T08:19:00.010-06:00

There are a couple of companies out there taking wings, putting some legs on them, calling them a table and charging an obscene amount of money for them. Since we were interested in having a conference table made out of a wing for our new facility and a customer was interested in one for his new hangar we decided to get into the furniture business, sort of. So, in between wing sets, tail feathers and waiting for glue to dry, the guys are making some wing tables that will knock your socks off.

Dan and Steve our resident wood workers, a title that does not begin to address their talent, are quite creative and gifted. These guys can make anything happen when it comes to working with wood, they are true artisans. This same craftsmanship goes into every wing, stringer cage and other wood parts on our re manufactured to new standards restorations. No production type wood work in our as good as new airplanes. I've included a couple of photos of their handy work. Enjoy!

Finito!

2010-02-08T07:14:00.010-06:00

N173E is complete and YELLOW! Rolling another one off the shop floor is a big deal at RARE Aircraft. Its big because we take pride in different and meeting our customers expectations while maintaining our standards. It comes down to one simple fact, we don't build airplanes with a cookie cutter that only gives options with panel and paint. We remanufacture airplanes to better than new standards while customizing it to meet customer expectations. This F-7, N173E is an example what our recipe can render. With a total of 10 field approvals and countless other details this airplane is very custom. Hope you enjoy these photos from the first run and taxi last Friday. Be sure to check back for more!

2010-02-08T07:06:00.002-06:00

Last week our new hangar doors were installed by Schweiss. The building is now fully enclosed with one door sheeted last week and the other is being covered today. The office spaces have been heated for over a week now so the concrete work will begin this week. Everything is on or ahead of schedule for completion which puts the move on the calender for March. I think today's meeting with the contractors to pick out interior colors and furnishings will put a touch of reality on how close we really are.

Pack 'em up!

2010-01-14T14:19:00.008-06:00

This week we prepared the QCF and F24 for shipment to Brazil. The guys came up with great ideas for packing the airplanes and implemented them perfectly. Fitting these two airplanes into a 40' container was a challenge and then some! Everything fit into place the airplanes have began their journey which will take well over a month. To St. Paul via truck, east coast by rail and to Brazil by ship they will go! Here are a few shots of the birds being loaded into the container. They have been checked, double and triple. An accelerometer and GPS have also been placed into the container so we can track their progress during the journey. It is now in the hands of the shipping company, we'll see 'em on the other side so now, back to work on making some more airplanes to fill the hole in the hangar!

2010-01-14T09:39:00.006-06:00

Our new facility continues to take shape every day and, is on schedule. Here are some photos of this weeks progress. It has been a challenge for sure since we had sub-zero temps all last week and the substantial snow fall the week prior. It has been quite impressive the see the contractors in action. With the temps in the 30's this week I think I saw a guy at the job site in shorts. Stay tuned for more updates on the building and other happenings since it had been a very busy week at RARE Aircraft Ltd.