MY-14's tail repairs, part one

There was three VL Myrsky II fuselages available and the least damaged of them (MY-14) was chosen as the basis for renovation. The least damaged meant here something far from being intact. All three fuselages (MY-5, MY-9 and MY-14) had been damaged in crashes in front of tailplane. They all had been transported to Valmet Kuorevesi factory to be rebuilt but they ended after war as surplus at a gravel entrepreneur’s back lot in Jämsä.

The empennage of MY-14 is totally missing as it was crushed by MY-41 smashing into it at Pori Airport. Tail assembly for renovation was detached from MY-9’s fuselage.

While MY-9’s tail assembly was rusted all over, it was still sound enough to be sand blown. Inner core of tubing was actually well preserved and tubes contained even some of the original anti-corrosion oil.

After removing all parts which could be detached without cutting, the rest of assembly was cut from MY-9 fuselage at original welding seams. Then it was sent to be sand blown and primed at an automotive and industrial paint shop in Vantaa.

After receiving the tail assembly back to our workshop we went on by doing necessary welding to prepare assembly ready for new stabilizators, rudder and elevator. These were manufactured by Tuesday Club and Vocational College Varia. Some bearing brackets had to shifted because MY-9 had not been built according to drawings. Obviously jigs were not made before MT-14 was assembled. Tail assembly had to be modified to match those newly built parts which were made according to drawings.