The ground shadow of this P-47D says its about eleven o'clock on a hot and humid morning at 7-Mile, Port Moresby, as a mechanic dissolves Cosmoline from the airframe of a recently-unpacked P-47D.

Cosmoline was a light grease which was sprayed on such airframes before they were packed in wooden boxes in the U.S and shipped across the Pacific. The grease film prevented corrosion and also inhibited the airframe against water.

Metal components properly packed in Cosmoline can survive decades, even hundreds of years. Cosmoline is no longer used for such purposes - thesedays there are better quality inhibitors.

Notice the wooden oval block bolted into the cowl intake of the radial engine - a giant Wright R-2800 as installed in all 'Jugs'. This was also part of the inhibiting process.

Assembling these large fighters at the other end was not as easy as one might suppose. Removing heavy components such as wings without damaging them was hard enough, but then the airframe had to be assembled. Bolting components together was easy enough, but then control cables had to be connected, their tensions adjusted (to about 50 lbs/ft for primary controls such as elevators) , flap link rods had to be torsioned then also adjusted, lock nuts had to be measured and set in aileron and elevator stop brackets, fuel lines had to be connected, electrical harnesses were connected through cannon plugs and did not always work . . . the list goes on and on . . .

Frankly m'dear I'd rather be in Philadelphia . . .

 

  OUR HERITAGE      SERVICES      PRODUCTS      HISTORICAL     PHOTOS     CONTACT US   LINKS