About wing root fairings on VL Myrsky II

Maanantai 9.11.2020 - Tuesday Club member


Suomeksi

The wing root fairing, which covers the joint of the Myrsky’s wing and fuselage, consists of two sections. The longer rear section of the fairing covers the joint of the fuselage and wing from the trailing edge of the wing up to the level of the front spar. From there the front section of the fairing continues all the way around the leading edge of the wing. The front and rear sections of the wing root fairing are joined together with a butt joint. An aluminium plate has been riveted on the lower surface of the rear section of the fairing and this plate is pushed under the edge of the front section of the fairing. The wing root fairing is fastened on the wing and the fuselage mainly with flange nuts. The front fuselage of the Myrsky is covered with thin aluminium plate.

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The front section of the wing root fairing bends around the leading edge of the wing to the lower surface of the wing, up to the edge of the wheel wells. The fairing also covers the bottom of the front fuselage between the engine stand and the wheel wells. The wing root fairings on the port and starboard side are joined together in the middle of the fuselage. Both fairings can be unfastened separately. The outer edge of the port side fairing borders with the oil cooler air intake. The cooler exhaust opening is located on the starboard wing root fairing on the lower surface of the leading edge.

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Not a single original Myrsky wing root fairing has been preserved for the restoration work. This means they had to be built. The Tuesday Club team decided to make first the front sections of the wing root fairings based on the original drawings. Manufacturing them was a complicated and multi-staged process. The front section of the wing root fairing curves in many directions and it had to be made from three different aluminium plates, which were modified separately and welded together.

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The material for the fairings was 1 mm thick aluminium thin plate, from which the billets for the front sections of the fairings were cut. To shape the fairing sections into the desired shape, a mould of the front fuselage and wing connection was made from battens and plywood. Separate moulds were needed for the port and starboard wing root fairings. The billets of the fairings from aluminium thin plate and the two shaping moulds were delivered to Flanco Oy, where the shaping was done. From there the shaped fairing sections, still attached to the shaping mould, were delivered to GA Telesis Engine Services Oy for welding. From there the welded front sections of the wing root fairings came back to the Tuesday Club.

The shaped front sections of the wing root fairings are now waiting for the Myrsky MY-14 wing halves, built by the Tuesday Club, to be joined with a steel plate into a uniform wing. Then the wing will be tested on the fuselage frame of the MY-5. The fuselage frame of the MY-5 has already been sandblasted and painted. At the same time, the front sections of the port and starboard wing root fairings can be tested, whether they need additional shaping before their details can be finished.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation: Erja Reinikainen.

Avainsanat: aviation history, restoration, VL Myrsky, MY-14