2013 at the Hammond Barn

[RHClarke]

Bob was off murdering lobster in Maine. Grant has been busy at work. I have been spending time at the barn stripping down the Pilot Model HUP, working at home and helping Gunner with museum issues out in Kars, Ontario.

The Pilot Model is coming apart with surprising ease. With the exception of the nuts on the sheet metal, all the other parts came off nicely. The engine came out in the blink of an eye using a rudimentary “A” frame and pulley system - just like the one Bob and I used in our first engine recovery all those years ago! The next step with the Pilot Model is to pull the bottom end off the engine and then prepare the frame for eventual sandblasting. I will be tackling some of the sheet metal issues this fall and winter.

At the Swords and Ploughshares Museum, Mike and I discussed the operations of the museum and the way ahead. We also tackled some ground maintenance issues. It is amazing the amount of work that gets done behind the scenes by Mike. Running a museum with so much going on as a "one-man-show" is near impossible, but somehow Mike makes it work.

My youngest son Jesse helped us out with brush clearing and general cleaning tasks at the museum. It was good to see him un-tethered from his electronic devices for a morning of hard work. I hope to drag Jesse out to the barn to begin working on his truck in earnest this year, but time will tell!

See the photos - any ideas of what Jesse is sitting on? Note the use of the old axle shafts...

Photos:
1 - Jes taking a break
2 - Re-purposed vehicle axle
3 - Same - new angle