How to Fence a Caravelle

Keskiviikko 1.11.2023 - Ismo Matinlauri

Suomeksi

Since the beginning of June, the restored Caravelle has been protected at Turku airport by temporary rented fencing – providing only rather moral security. On Tuesday October 24th the permanent fence around the aircraft was completed. Fortunately during these months before the real fence was built there were no damages or accidents caused by the lack of proper fencing.

Photo by Ismo Matinlauri

When the Caravelle’s location was planned in the Turku airport area, it was already obvious that a fence must be built around the aircraft. The main worry were vandals, graffiti sprayers and odd curious visitors. Secondly the fencing helps to control visitors and in other times protects the curious passers-by from accidents in the vicinity of the aircraft.

Naturally the fence will not stop the most persistent trespassers, but it will, however, provide sufficient security.

The purchase of the fence material started already before the Caravelle arrived in Turku. In spring 2022 Aviation Museum Society Finland bought the material for the fence and the gates. First the construction of the fence was scheduled to take place before the aircraft is moved to the site in spring 2023. Soon it was discovered that the fence will hamper the crane operations on site during the assembly and also make the actual assembly work more difficult. Therefore it was decided that the Caravelle is assembled first, and the fence is erected after that.

The construction of the fence was left to a professional – that means that a contractor was hired to erect the fence. For cost saving reasons some of the work was done by the Aviation Museum Society Finland volunteers. In this case this meant assisting in setting the fence poles into concrete and in spreading the net wiring between the poles. This reduced the total cost nicely.

Building the fence was an efficient procedure, completed in five workdays:

• Day 1: marking and levelling the fence line, digging the holes for the concrete foundations,
• Day 2: setting the posts into concrete, 50 – 200 litres of concrete was poured into each hole,
• Day 3: drilling the bases for the fence posts on the rock slope behind the aircraft and landscaping the concrete foundations,
• Day 4: fastening the wire net on the gate halves (two 5 m wide gates) and making preparations for fastening the wire net,
• Day 5: unrolling the wire net and fastening on the posts, installing the gates and checking their operation.

Photo by Janne Salonen

Photo by Janne Salonen

Photo by Ismo Matinlauri

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

Building the fence in late October was eventually a good thing. The weather is getting cold and there is quite a limited amount of work which can be done inside and outside the Caravelle due to the cold and wet weather, so we had plenty of time to assist in erecting the fence.

The Finnish DC-Association's DC-3 visited Turku

Sunnuntai 8.10.2023 - Ismo Matinlauri

Suomeksi

On Wednesday, October 4th, the Caravelle restoration work was interrupted in a very positive way: The DC-Association’s Douglas DC-3 OH-LCH landed in Turku and taxied to the airport terminal.

We can say that “the flying eternally youthful visited the new senior”. The DC-3 was in Turku on a training flight and the crew came to see how the Caravelle’s restoration work is progressing.

The crew members who visited the Caravelle: pilot Mikka Rautakoura, maintenance director Jussi Pakarinen, mechanic Reino Ahola and chief pilot Petri Munukka.

There was a lively conversation in the cabin and on the flight deck about the technology used in the Caravelle. The visitors were particularly interested in how the acquisition of the flight instruments for the instrument panel is progressing.

Photos by Ismo Matinlauri

A brief update on the restoration work: This week we installed the last new plywood boards into the floor and now the necessary areas have been replaced. Four boards of 12 mm thick waterproof plywood were needed, but now the critical areas of the floor are in good condition.

We installed a sheet of thick plexiglass in the cabin floor area above the wing-fuselage joint. In the future the visitors are able to see the details of the wing-fuselage joint.

Outside the aircraft the polishing work on the fuselage has also progressed. The polishing of the front section will be completed before the autumn rain and cold weather settle in. During the following two weeks a permanent fence will be built around the aircraft. That will be the topic in the blog at the end of this month.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen except if otherwise mentioned.

Translation by Erja Reinikainen. 

Caravelle's autumn season started in the beginning of September

Keskiviikko 6.9.2023 - Ismo Matinlauri

Suomeksi

The restoration work of the Caravelle OH-LEA at Turku airport started efficiently on Monday, September 4th, when there were nine volunteers at work. In the Turku area it rained a lot in August, and it wasn’t possible to do any of the remaining restoration work outside the aircraft. During the summer weekends the Caravelle was open to visitors, and this led to some restrictions to starting the work inside the aircraft.

On the last weekend we had the summer season’s last open doors event and after this it was possible to continue the restoration work from where we had left it in June. The half cloudy weather was ideal for sanding, polishing, and painting the last identification markings.

On the underside of the fuselage there is a small area which needs to be sanded and painted with aluminium colour paint. The last identification markings will be painted on the wings and fuselage. The largest of these is the registration OH-LEA missing on the underside of the wing.

Photos by Lassi Karivalo.

A lot of polishing work is still needed, this is the main item to be completed on the outer surface. Polishing will be continued as long as the weather allows. However, there is so much to be polished that the work will continue next spring.

The work inside the aircraft has also started. The repairs and painting of the flight deck and the toilet area will be the first work items. The floor and the ceiling area in the cabin will follow in the coming weeks.

It was a pleasure to have visitors from the Tuesday Club at Vantaa. Three club members came to Turku to measure the openings on the tail of the DO-5, which is temporarily parked next to the Caravelle. Protecting covers will be made at the Tuesday Club to cover the holes before the autumn storms arrive.

The busy afternoon was spent at work, but there was a moment for lively discussion when the Turku team and the Tuesday Club members had a coffee break together inside the aircraft at “Café Caravelle”. The Tuesday Club is a valuable support and aid for the Turku team when the details of the restoration work are pondered. We are looking forward to making good progress during the autumn.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen except if otherwise mentioned.

Translation by Erja Reinikainen.

Caravelle visitors are welcome

Tiistai 4.7.2023 - Ismo Matinlauri

Suomeksi

The Caravelle restoration team went on a well-earned summer holiday after the Turku Airshow. The restoration work is not finished outside or inside, and the team will continue its work in August. However, the unfinished appearance isn’t an obstacle for presenting the aircraft to the interested audience. The nearly 1300 visitors during the Airshow days proved this to be true.

Last week I had the pleasure of presenting the Caravelle to a group of motor bikers consisting of Hornet-men mainly from the Defence Forces, Insta, Finnair and Patria. This was a group of experts and the first hour or so was spent outside the aircraft discussing the wing construction and engines. The Caravelle’s history and similarities to the Comet, especially in the flight deck, were discussed, too.

The visit to the cabin and flight deck was brief, mainly due to the temperature resembling a sauna. There the visitors concentrated on the differences in the passenger cabins of modern and 1960s aircraft. The seat frames in the rear cabin caught the visitors’ attention as they are not from a Caravelle III.

I thank the visitors for their interest in our project – and take the opportunity to welcome more visitors to come and see the Caravelle. English-speaking vistors are welcome, too! At the moment we don’t have regular visiting times, but we try to be flexible in arranging someone to come and give a tour. Feel free to contact me about a visit, preferably well in advance, so that we can arrange a tour for you.

Contact berfore visiting: Ismo Matinlauri, +358405013495, matinlaurii(at)gmail.com

Photos by Ismo Matinlauri.

Translation by Erja Reinikainen.

Thank you to the supporters of the Caravelle project

Keskiviikko 21.6.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

We managed to restore the SAS Caravelle III Sven Viking, abandoned on the edge of the airfield for decades, to the Finnair OH-LEA Bluebird in the schedule we had defined. It was open to the public during the Turku Airshow at Turku airport, on June 17th and 18th. On both days there was a queue at the Bluebird’s gate and the volunteer guides, who have been involved in the restoration work, had an interested audience. After a successful effort – the restoration and the airshow weekend – the team of volunteers can relax and enjoy a well-earned summer holiday.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen

We think that this is a good moment to thank all those who have supported the Caravelle project. Without you the Bluebird wouldn’t be ready to be presented to the public.

In this period of about a year and a half we have received financial support for the procurement of many important items. In a society operating on membership fees we appreciate your support very much. Many of you have lent us special tools which are needed in the disassembly and reassembly work. Without your help we wouldn’t have been able to get these tools. Furthermore, we have been given access to Caravelle archive data, we have been given lots of valuable advice and all kinds of help in the problems we have encountered during the project.  

We thank the companies and societies which have supported us. They are mentioned at the end of this blog.

We thank all the private persons who have helped us in various ways during the project.

And last but not least, we thank the family members and other close ones of our volunteers for patience and understanding for the OH-LEA Bluebird.

Caravelle-project supporters:

Statens Maritima on Transporthistoriska Museer (Sweden)

• Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle III SE-DAF "Sven Viking" aircraft.

Arlanda Flygsamlingar (Sweden) / Jan Forsgren

• Assistance in matters related to Caravelle aircraft.

Le Caravelle Club (Sweden) / Ulf Nyström

• Assistance in matters related to disassembling and reassembling the Caravelle, and tools lent for assembly work.  

Swedavia (Sweden) / Andreas Persson

• Assistance in matters related to moving and disassembling the Caravelle.

Danmarks Tekniske Museet, Helsingør (Denmark) / Susanne Krogh Jensen

• Assistance and archive material in matters related to disassembling and reassembling the Caravelle,.

Ahola Special

• Assistance and consulting in planning the Caravelle transportation.
• Special thanks to the drivers for helping in loading and unloading the aircraft parts.

Finnlines

• Trasportation of four special trucks on the ferry from Kapellskär to Naantali and turning the ferry around in Naantali.

Rantala-yhtiöt

• Assistance and consulting in planning the lifting operations during the assembly phase.

• Special thanks to the crane operators during the assembly.

P. Tyllilä Linja Oy / Juhani Tyllilä, Katri Tyllilä, Kimmo Koskinen

• Travel and accommodation arrangements in Finland and abroad.

Select Service Partner Finland Oy

• Lunches at Turku airport for the volunteers working on the Caravelle site.

Kuljetus R. Stenvall Oy / Jussi Mäkelä

• Sea container logistics and support in planning the transportation, contact information for Finland and Sweden.

Nostot & kuljetukset R. M. Laine Oy / Mikko Laine

• Transportation and lifting of sea containers, passenger stairs, etc. in Turku area.

Toolpoint

• Hydraulic pump and cylinder for the disassembly and reassembly work.

Hyvinkään Ilmailukerho ry

• Cradles and supporters lent for the disassembly and reassembly.

Finnair Tekniikka

• Tools lent for disassembly and reassembly.

Granlund

• Work safety material for the disassembly team.

Finavia / Juha Aaltonen, Veli-Matti Paasikivi, EFTU kunnossapito

• The site for the Caravelle at Turku airport and other assistance in the project.
• Earth moving works on the Caravelle site and wheel loader to help during the preparations of the assembly phase.

Canon

• Colour prints of the OH-LEA painting by Kari Vertanen for a fund-raising campaign.

Port of Turku

• Assistance in bringing the Caravelle to be restored in the Pansio port hall.

RMR Merirakenne

• Assistance and material for building the free-turning pulley system for rotating the aircraft.

Companies in the Pansio shipyard area

• Assistance in moving and lifting the aircraft and tools lent for the assembly work.

Teknos / Markku Uusitalo

• Paint for the restoration work.

Anzo / Oy C.E. Lindgren Ab

• Paint brushes for the restoration work.

Jalmeri

• Mohair paint rolls for the restoration work.

Arctic Decals / Mika Jernfors

• Assistance in acquiring the stencil stickers and in sorting out the details for the painting work.

Peter Lampinen

• 3D-printing of the navigation light covers

Ronema

• Instruments for the Caravelle’s flight deck.

Consolis Parma

• Three hollow core slabs to be placed under the Caravelle’s landing gear at Turku airport.

NCC

• Gravel for building the other driveway to the Caravelle site.

Ossi Harjula

• Construction contracting services for the Caravelle site works.

Finnish Aviation Museum

• Support in acquiring information, permission to use premises and equipment for doing Caravelle restoration work, tools lent for disassembly and reassembly.

The Media

• Articles and video material about the project in various phases.

Turku Airshow - Caravelle flight to Las Palmas

Maanantai 19.6.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

During the weekend, June 17th and 18th, Turku airport was the venue for the Turku Airshow 2023, which was the main airshow of the year in Finland. Early this year this date was written in large numbers on the coffee room wall in the hall in Pansio, where the Caravelle was under restoration. The aim was to present the Caravelle to the public, outside and inside, and tell its story until this day.

The Caravelle was outside the actual display area and because of this only those who came to the airshow by bus from Turku could visit the aircraft. On the other hand, the location by the pedestrian route allowed quick and easy access to the aircraft.

There were more visitors than we expected. On Saturday there were 865 and on Sunday 430 visitors, in total 1 295. At times the passenger stairs were crowded but some queuing didn’t seem to bother the good-humoured visitors. They told the Caravelle guides many stories about the aircraft. Sometimes it even seemed that the roles were interchanged. The visitor number 1000 was rewarded with a Caravelle key fob. Danial was the lucky winner who was congratulated by Jari Myrsky and received the key fob.

Photos by Ismo Matinlauri

Another visitor must be mentioned. The WWII fighter veteran and Caravelle pilot Mauri Maunula stopped by to have a look at the replica of his previous aircraft. During his brief chat with the Aviation Museum Society Finland’s chairman Janne Salonen several colourful incidents from Mr Maunula’s Caravelle times were told.

There was a small but busy Aviation Museum Society Finland sales stall by the Caravelle. Caravelle caps, T-shirts and mugs were sold there. On the second day of the airshow old aviation magazines were handed out for free to those coming to see the Caravelle. The magazines were popular especially among the younger visitors.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen except if otherwise mentioned.

Busy day at Turku Airport

Torstai 8.6.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

On Wednesday, June 7th, there were about a dozen volunteers at work to prepare “the Bluebird” for public display. The work started at about 10 am and was continued until 6 pm. Now the weather was nicer than last week, the sun was shining, and it was almost warm.

Photo by Ismo Matinlauri

Photos by Jouko Tarponen

The aim is to take down the scaffolding before the end of this week, so the work in the tail has been prioritized. The stencil stickers for painting the “AERO” text on the fuselage below the horizontal stabilizer were fastened into place and the text was painted in blue. In the tail fin there are several fillets and panels and the last of them were fastened into place. When the others were leaving, two men remained on the scaffolding finishing the panel sealings.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

There was activity on ground level as well. The right-hand side main landing gear was being cleaned. The result was surprisingly good although there was no water available. Under the aircraft the panels under the wing to fuselage joint were installed into place. Polishing was under way, too, on the wings and in the nose section. Furthermore, the blue paint on the window line had been slightly damaged by the crane slings when the fuselage was lifted. The damaged areas were sanded and re-painted.

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

The cleaning of the cabin, started the day before, was continued. Now the cabin, flight deck, toilets, and aft upper cargo department have been vacuumed and cleared. The wall panels and overhead shelves have also been wiped with a damp cloth. This was a quick tidying of the appearance so that the inside of the aircraft can be presented to the public on the Turku airshow days. The restoration of the interior will be a project for the future.

Photo by Curt Oksa

There were several visitors during the day. Maybe the Caravelle article on Helsingin Sanomat website today and the beautiful weather encouraged people to come and see “the Bluebird”. There were also visitors from Turku customs office, four officials and a dog. No traces of old smuggled goods were detected.

The "Bluebird" assembly team

Lauantai 3.6.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

The blogs written this week mention several times the Caravelle assembly team. So it is more than appropriate to introduce this group which was working on the Caravelle at Turku airport on two occasions in the past weeks. The first work phase took place on May 22nd-23rd, when the wings were transported from Pansio and joined at the airport. The second work phase was longer, May 29th-June 2nd, when first the fuselage was assembled on the wing and then the horizontal stabilizer and the vertical stabilizer were assembled on the tail. When written like this the task may sound simple, but it was far from that.

During the winter the Caravelle technical team, consisting of Markku Ahokoski, Kari Nyman, Martti Saarinen and Ismo Matinlauri, was coordinating the Caravelle restoration work which was going on in Pansio. Last year Markku, Kari and Martti planned how the Caravelle can be disassembled and now they planned and scheduled how it can be put back together.

Lifting the parts of the aircraft from a trailer and getting them accurately into place in the strong wind was a challenging task. Fastening the fuselage-wing joint bolts in the cramped keel tunnel wasn’t easy as it was almost dark there. Getting the vertical stabilizer and rudder into place on the scaffolding, in the torrents of rain, was quite an achievement, too. Assembling all the wing root fairings required a lot of patience from the team, as there were dozens of panels and hundreds of rivets. In addition to the demanding assembly work there were plenty of other activities during the week: jacks, plywood boards, pallets and car tires were moved where needed, items were taken out from the sea container and put back, slings and cargo straps were used for multiple purposes, there were several visits to the hardware store, etc.

The assembly team was led by Markku Ahokoski and in addition to Kari Nyman and Martti Saarinen, there were Reima Lindroth, Hannu Penttilä and Jouko Rinne, who had also been in Arlanda during the disassembly. Martti Saarinen wasn’t in Turku, but he participated in discussions on the phone during the assembly week. Yrjö Honkavaara and Elias Viitanen from the Pansio group were assisting in the assembly work and Erja Reinikainen worked as an overall helper.

This team of eight volunteers assembled the Caravelle “Bluebird” in five days, not including the days when the parts were lifted on trailers. Now the Pansio team can continue and assemble the remaining fairings and panels and go on with the sanding, painting, and polishing work.

Photo by Jouko Tarponen on May 29th, 2023.

This photo of the assembly team was taken in the Pansio hall on May 29th when the Caravelle fuselage had been lifted on the Ahola Special Transport trailer and the Society’s banner had been straightened. From the left: Hannu Penttilä, Yrjö Honkavaara, Reima Lindroth, Markku Ahokoski, Ismo Matinlauri, Elias Viitanen, Erja Reinikainen and Jouko Rinne, on far right ”Curre” who came to see what is going on in the hall.

The "Bluebird" has been assembled

Perjantai 2.6.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

On Friday, June 2nd, the Caravelle assembly team and the assistants who came to help from Pansio were facing the dreariest conditions of the week at the Turku airport: it was +6°C in the morning, there was a strong wind from the north and there were heavy showers of rain during the day.

Photo ny Janne Pauni

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

In the morning the scaffolding builders extended the scaffolding around the tail. The rudder was unloaded from the sea container and pieces of metal net were fastened on the holes in the leading edge of the rudder to prevent birds from getting inside the rudder. A new cable was installed for the anti-collision light – it will wait for the new electrical system to be installed later. The rudder and the elevators were locked into a fixed position by preventing the movement of their servos.

Photos by Erja Reinikainen

The assembly team prepared to assemble the vertical stabilizer and the rudder in the usual way: the tools and accessories, bolts, safety harnesses, cargo straps, etc. were arranged for use. First the vertical stabilizer was lifted from the ground, a rather challenging operation in the strong wind. High on the scaffolding around the tail the tall stabilizer was inched into place although a shower of rain disturbed the assembly team. The main bolts could be installed quite easily. The rudder is a difficult item to lift, tall and narrow, and it had to be fitted accurately into place in the strong wind. The cargo straps held by the assistants prevented the rudder from swinging during the lifting and assembly. This time it took more effort to install the fasteners – and another heavy shower disturbed the team on the scaffolding. By lunchtime the rudder was in place and the Finnish flag was up on the Caravelle’s tail – a fine sight. It was time to call the aircraft by its Finnish name, “Sinilintu”, i.e. “Bluebird”.  

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

Photo by Janne Salonen

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

The Friday afternoon was spent on miscellaneous tasks. The installation of the stabilizers was finalized on the scaffolding, the floor in the cabin was temporarily fixed with plywood boards, the car tires, and pieces of cardboard on which the stabilizer and rudder had been on the ground were collected, the cargo straps were picked up, the contents of the containers was arranged, etc. The repaired and painted radome was installed on the Caravelle’s nose, and this changed its appearance remarkably.

Photo by Janne Salonen

During the day an electric cable was pulled from the Finavia area to the right-hand side of the nose wheel. Hopefully the installation will be ready next week, and power will be available on the site. This would make it possible to start sanding, polishing and installation work.

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

The assembly team (Markku, Kari, Hannu, Jouko, Reima and Erja) were relieved, they had completed this phase in the Caravelle’s restoration successfully and in the planned schedule. Now the Turku (former Pansio) team can continue and finalize the outside of the aircraft and prepare the cabin for display during the following weeks before the Turku Airshow. The daily reporting of the assembly work ends to this blog.

Assembly of the horizontal stabilizer and farewell to the hall in Pansio

Torstai 1.6.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

On Thursday, June 1^st, the Caravelle’s horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer were lifted on the Ahola Special Transport trailer, and these were the last items to be transported as special transport. This load was not tall and not very wide either, so it could be taken to the airport during the day. The last items were packed into the sea container and the Pansio hall was ready to be vacated.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen

Photo by Janne Salonen

At the airport the assembly work was continued in windy weather. In the morning preparations were made for assembling the horizontal stabilizer and the assembly team checked that all needed special bolts, tools, safety harnesses, etc. were at hand. The “hiab” loader crane arrived soon after noon. When everything was ready for the lift, the wind got stronger, there was a brief hailstorm and sand dust was flying in the air.

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

First the vertical stabilizer was lifted from the trailer and lowered to the ground on car tires to wait for assembly on the following day. The rudder was brought to the airport from Pansio in the afternoon, in the sea container which had been loaded there in the morning.

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

The Caravelle’s horizontal stabilizer is large and lifting it in the gusty wind on the fin root on top of the fuselage was quite an achievement. Fortunately the wind was blowing against the nose of the aircraft and towards the tail, so the stabilizer didn’t swing too much from side to side during the lift and assembly. Cargo straps had been fastened to the tips of the stabilizer and the assembly team members holding the straps were prepared to prevent the swinging. Once again there were professionals at work – assembling the stabilizer on the scaffolding and operating the crane – and the stabilizer was soon in place without too much effort. The main bolts could be fastened without major difficulties and the assembly team could sigh with relief. Then it was time for a coffee: the aggregate was started, coffee was brewed, and the team sat beside the sea container, in shelter from the wind.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen

Photo by Janne Pauni

There were other activities during the day too: more wing to fuselage fillets were assembled and fastened using rivets and screws. The pop rivet guns were causing some trouble again, the battery driven one didn’t function well and the manual one broke the day before. The large rivets are so thick that the tools are strained to the limit. There was also activity in the cabin, after a long silence, when the wall upholstery was tidied, and the toilets were fixed. The plywood floorboards will have to be repaired before the public can be allowed to come and see the cockpit and cabin.

Work on the nosewheel and wing fillets

Keskiviikko 31.5.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

On Wednesday, May 31st, the Caravelle assembly team worked at Turku airport in windy weather, concentrating on smaller and less impressive, but nevertheless important details.

Photos by Erja Reinikainen

The assembly of the wing to fuselage fillets was continued. In the wing root there are several fillets, of different shapes and sizes, fastened with rivets and screws. The assembly team spent all day fitting these fillets into place, on top of the wing and below it. Fasteners, which had been drilled out in Arlanda had to be removed, holes were opened, and countersunk edges drilled. New fasteners were installed, screws with cup washers and pop rivets. Probably hundreds of pop rivets were used during the day. Unfortunately the bottleneck in the assembly work was that there was only one battery-driven pop rivet gun in use.

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

The nose landing gear has been retracted since Arlanda as the fuselage has been on supporters on the floor. Now an external hydraulic pump was connected to the actuating cylinder of the nose landing gear and using the emergency manual unlock mechanism the landing gear was extended. The nose was lifted a little with the jacks under the front fuselage and now the aircraft looks as if it is positioned on the nose wheels, although its weight is still on the jacks. In the future a support will be made for the nose landing gear to take the weight off the wheels.

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

During the day scaffolding was built around the tail for the assembly of the stabilizers. On Thursday, June 1st, the horizontal and vertical stabilizers will be transported from Pansio to the airport. The aim is to lift the horizontal stabilizer from the trailer on the Caravelle’s tail. It remains to be seen whether this is possible or not if the wind is as strong as it was today.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen

While the riveting of the wing fillets was going on at the airport, the Pansio hall was cleared. The hall contract ends on June 1st and all the parts, tools and accessories which are still there will be brought to the airport in a sea container. In the coming weeks the Pansio team will go on with the remaining painting and polishing work at the airport.

The fuselage is installed on the wing

Tiistai 30.5.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

The Caravelle’s fuselage was transported from Pansio to Turku airport during the night, May 29th-30th. The load on the trailer was so tall that the Ahola truck had to do quite a detour to get to the airport. On Tuesday morning the Caravelle trailer was waiting for the assembly team to arrive.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen

Photo by Janne Salonen

In the morning there was a mobile crane with two hooks and a “hiab” loader crane, on which the free-turning cable pulley system was fastened. This made it possible to lift the fuselage and to turn it around all its axes. First the fuselage was lifted from the trailer and supported by the cranes. The assembly team placed groups of three jacks on plywood boards under the fuselage, one group in front and another in the rear. Then the fuselage was lowered slowly into its position on the wing.

Photos by Erja Reinikainen

The fuselage was carefully manoeuvred downwards, inch by inch, guiding it to meet the assembly points on the wing and the front and rear edges of the wing joint. The final inches required accuracy from the crane operators when the fuselage had to be turned towards the road or towards the forest, the nose or the tail had to be lowered or the whole fuselage rolled slightly. Fortunately there were calm professionals on the crane controls as well as in the assembly team and eventually the fuselage settled into place. This phase took about one hour.

Photos by Erja Reinikainen

Getting the bolts connecting the wing and the fuselage into place took more time. The fuselage was still supported by the crane slings when the position of the fuselage was manoeuvred so that the bolts could be fastened. The first fasteners were easy to get into place but the attachment bolts in the fuselage keel tunnel area and especially the front lower fittings were the most difficult to install. To get the bolts into place the position of the aircraft was inched by using the tripod jacks, changing the position of the wings, and trying to get weight into the tail. A couple of times all members of the assembly team climbed into the tail section as weight load. By lunchtime all bolts had been installed.

Photos by Erja Reinikainen

In the afternoon a large tripod jack was brought under the tail to support it, assembly work in the keel tunnel was continued, and the assembly of the wing leading edges and the wing to fuselage fillets was started. During the disassembly in Arlanda the leading edge, flaps and wing root fillets of the left-hand wing had been removed – and now they will be installed back into place. A lot of fasteners will be needed, and there will be demand for the fasteners which were cleaned in the ultrasonic washer in Pansio. A leak was observed in the hydraulic system of the integral stairway, now it was repaired, and the stairway is operating again.

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

Members of the Pansio team and of the airport staff came to see the Caravelle and to take pictures. There were also curious visitors who had read about the aircraft in the local paper, Turun Sanomat. There will be more to see on Thursday when the vertical stabilizer is lifted into place.

Last-minute rush in Pansio

Maanantai 29.5.2023 klo 22:00 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

The transportation of the Caravelle’s fuselage is approaching and the Pansio team members have been busy all weekend, completing the last tasks on the fuselage. The fuselage will be lifted on a trailer on Monday evening, May 29th, and transported to the airport during the night.

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

The last tasks included the stencil stickers, which were fastened on the fuselage for painting the texts and logos according to the Finnair paint scheme. The stencils came from the print cut into individual text sheets and the largest Finnair texts divided into several parts. The letters and logos which will be painted were picked away from the sheets – i.e. there are holes in the areas which are painted. When this had been done, an adhesive foil was placed on the stickers to hold the letters in shape when the stickers are fastened on the aircraft. The stickers used as stencils are placed carefully on the fuselage and the texts, logos and registration are painted with a roller, following the holes in the stencils. When the paint has dried, the stencils are removed.

Photos by Ismo Matinlauri

The stencil stickers for painting Finnair and OH-LEA, which are the largest and most difficult stickers to handle, were fastened on both sides of the fuselage on Friday, May 26th. The stencils stayed well in place when the adhesive foil was removed, and the texts have been painted. Some of the stencils have already been removed, some of the texts are still drying.

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

During the weekend the blue stripe on the window line was painted once more. The blue paint is drying and the preparations for transporting the fuselage are on the way.  

Caravelle towbar restored

Lauantai 27.5.2023 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The original towbar for Caravelle III (SE-DAF), acquired from Sweden by Aviation Museum Society, was brought along. It was used by SAS. The towbar was abandoned by SAS along with the termination of the Caravelle fleet’s career. The towbar had lain decades at Arlanda Airport along SE-DAF.

The towbar was taken under restoration at the Tuesday Club in the autumn of 2022, in a similar fashion as the derelict Super Caravelle towbar was restored, used by Finnair. The SAS towbar is of the first version made by the Sud Aviation industries. For its part the Super Caravelle towbar used by Finnair is of the third and last version. The differences between these towbars are minimal and concern mainly the wheel rack of the towbar.

Along with the spring all the parts of the towbar were refurbished and painted. The last job before assembling the towbar was to repair the wheel rack to working order. When the towbar wheel rack was dismantled in the autumn season, it was noticed that the rim of the other wheel was so far gone that it was unusable. The other wheel’s rim was sound enough to be usable with a bit of welding. A new tyre and inner tube were bought for it and one of the bearings, which had broken when the wheel was dislocated from the axle of the wheel rack. When the rim had received its blue colour, the inner tube and the tyre were fitted in place.

To replace the unusable wheel, we managed, after a spot of searching, to find a wheel with an inner tube looking like the original wheel, and fitting the towbar’s 25 mm axle. A majority of the “wheelbarrow” wheels on sale were made for a 20 mm axle. When the rim of the new wheel had also been painted blue you could hardly tell them apart. The wheels were attached on to the wheel rack’s axles, after which the test assembling of the towbar could be commenced.

The test assembling will be necessary, because the towbar will be transported in parts to the Turku Airport area, where it will be assembled on show next to the ex SAS Caravelle SE-DAF, now being restored as the Finnair “Bluebird”. By test assembling it will be ensured that the assembling in Turku will take place without surprises.

The towbar test assembly was started by setting against each other the flanges of the halves of the towbar. We had to do some thinking, because the guiding pins for the flanges of the towbar halves didn’t line up with their holes so that the lifting handles are in the same line. We established that the towbar halves must have been 180 degrees out of line of each other already when they came to Finland.

This we hadn’t noticed when dismantling the towbar, because the towbar lacked the lifting handles, which would have indicated the position. If they had been there, we would have noticed that one handle was beneath the towbar, the other one above. So our conclusion is that the towbar was wrongly assembled at Arlanda. An indication of this is that in the photos we took before the dismantling of the towbar, the metal support of the towbar which should touch the ground is sticking to the skies.

To solve the problem of test assembling we sawed off the guiding pins and pressed the flanges of both the bar halves against each other so that the lifting handles were above the towbar and lined up properly with each other. After this the flanges were locked to each other with two locking collars around them. The collars were tightened fast by their brackets with bolts. This way the towbar halves had been connected.

Now it was time to attach the wheel rack to the towbar. The wheel rack was attached to the towbar by its attachment collars. The rack wasn’t attached in the middle of the towbar, but some way on the pull loop end side of the centre of gravity. Thus the aircraft towhead end, which connects with the nose gear, weighs down and leans on the ground by its support. Finally we attached the manufacturer’s plaque on the side of the towbar. The towbar is still lacking the Caravelle logo, which will be painted on its side before it will be ready to be delivered to Turku.

The derelict towbar underwent a complete transformation at the hands of the Tuesday Club. It changed from the rusty and partly damaged towbar into a renewed one, resembling the towbars used by the Finnair Caravelle fleet. It received the same appearance as the Finnair Super Caravelle towbar we restored a year ago.

Photos by Lassi Karivalo

Translation by Matti Liuskallio

Caravelle's fuselage is painted

Torstai 25.5.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

While the assembly team was working at the airport with the wing junction, the upper part of the Caravelle’s fuselage was being painted white in the port hall in Pansio. The spray-painting was done by a contractor (Maalausliike T. Nikander). A layer of white paint was sprayed on the fuselage surface on two consecutive days, so two layers. Finally a protective layer of lacquer was sprayed on the painted surface.

The Pansio team found spray-painting to be a challenging task for amateurs and decided to hire a professional to do the work. The project schedule doesn’t allow any practise rounds at this point. The spray-painted area looks good, thanks to the professional.

Photo by Ismo Matinlauri.

Actually we ran short of time with the painting work because the spring was very cold, the temperature in the unheated hall remained low for so long that the painting couldn’t be started in the planned schedule.

Photo by Ismo Matinlauri

When the paint and lacquer on the fuselage have dried, the protecting plastic can be removed from the window line and the stencil stickers can be fastened on the fuselage for painting the airline and aircraft type texts.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen except if otherwise mentioned.

Caravelle's wings are transported and assembled

Tiistai 23.5.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

At the end of May the lease of the port hall in Pansio will terminate, and during the winter all Caravelle’s restoration, painting and assembly work has been scheduled to keep this deadline. The assembly phase started on Monday, May 22nd, when the assembly team (6 people) and an experienced aircraft polisher came to help the hard-working painters and polishers in Pansio.

Photos by Erja Reinikainen

A lot happened in the hall in just half a day, when preparations were made for the transportation, painting, and assembly, which were at hand. The list of completed work is long: The lower part of the aircraft’s fuselage on the left side was polished, mainly below the wing area. A large area of shiny polished surface was completed. The ready painted and polished surfaces of the fuselage were covered with thin plastic to protect them from the spray painting of the upper fuselage, which will begin on the following day. The remaining fasteners of the wing junction were cleaned. The stabilizers, which have been painted and polished, were covered with tarpaulins. Aviation Museum Society Finland banner was fastened on one wing for the transportation as a commercial. The sea container, which has been used as a storage in the hall, was emptied. All essential aircraft parts, tools, fasteners, assembly accessories, etc. which are needed in the assembly work, were loaded into another sea container, parked outside the hall. Only the tools, paint, and stencil stickers, which are needed in the painting and polishing work during the next ten days were left in Pansio.

Photo by Erja Reinikainen  

The assembly team spent part of the afternoon on the aircraft’s future location at Turku airport, measuring and planning how to make sure the wings are in the correct position and can be joined.

Photo by Janne Salonen

In the afternoon the sea container was packed and ready to be taken to the Caravelle’s future location at the airport. Moving the container on the trailer was not an easy task, but eventually the chains were in the correct position and the container was on the trailer. The truck carried also a couple of passenger stairs and two large jacks.

Photos by Jouko Tarponen

Photo by Juha Paju

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

Loading the wings on the Ahola Special Transport trailers went well, the same procedure had been done in August 2022 when the aircraft was brought from Arlanda. The bridge cranes in the hall were used to lift up the wings, one at a time, then the trailer was reversed under the wing. When the position of the wing had been checked the wing was lowered on its supports on the trailer. The two trailers were taken to Turku airport before midnight.

Photo by Janne Salonen

In Pansio the hall was almost empty now and it is really strange that the hectic final push is almost over. The top part of the fuselage will be painted during this week and the stabilizers are waiting to be transported at the end of May.

Photos by Erja Reinikainen.

On Tuesday, May 23rd, the wing assembly work began at Turku airport. In the morning two mobile cranes were on site bright and early. Before the wings were moved, the aircraft’s future position was measured carefully and marked on the concrete slabs, which had been dug into the ground. The left wing was lifted from the trailer. Finding the correct position required some work and patience from the crane crew and the assembly team members who were measuring and operating the jack. Finally the wing was lowered on the ground, its weight resting on the support under the landing gear, on a wing jack and on two wing supports. The right wing was aligned into place, inch by inch, using the two cranes. The wing junction brackets met each other, and they were secured using the assembly pins which had been made to assist in the aligning. When some final adjustments had been made on the wing position, the wing junction expansion pins could be installed, and the wing lowered on its supports. By mid-day all expansion pins were in place and the assembly team could sigh with relief: everything had gone far better than expected.

Photo by Erja Reinikainen

The wing junction’s canted brace struts were installed into place, then all tools and assembly accessories were collected into the sea container and the aircraft was surrounded with warning tape. The assembly will be continued next week when the fuselage has been painted and it will be transported from Pansio and lifted on the wing.

Caravelle salvage crew, part 1

Sunnuntai 9.4.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

Several blogs have been written about the Caravelle III aircraft which is under restoration in Pansio, about its history and the progressing of the work. Without enthusiastic volunteers there wouldn’t be any activity, so it is time to talk about the people behind this project. This blog introduces an overview of the tasks which are needed before the aircraft is ready for display. I hope to continue with some personal interviews in the following blogs.

Photo by Reino Myllymäki

In the early phases of the project Janne Salonen, the chairman of Aviation Museum Society Finland had a key role. He has good connections to Jan Forsgren, who is a member in the voluntary organisation Arlanda Aviation Museum’s Friends (Arlanda Flygsamlingars Vänner). In spring 2020 Jan informed Janne that the owners of the Arlanda Aviation Museum, the representatives of Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums, had decided to give up the Caravelle. The first assessments on bringing the aircraft to Finland were carried out by the board of Aviation Museum Society Finland. Also the official decision on launching this project was made by the board.

Photo by Raímo Korpi

The seven members of the board have supported and promoted the Caravelle project all along, without reserve. The project outlines and the major acquisition decisions have been made by the board. The rental agreement of the Pansio port hall and the final display site at Turku airport have been negotiated by the chairman and the board. Also the details including major costs, such as the transportation of the aircraft parts, have been negotiated and approved by the board. Finding funding for the project has been a long and challenging effort. Funding and sponsoring arrangements are negotiated by the chairman and board members.

Photo by Raímo Korpi

Aviation Museum Society’s board member Reino Myllymäki is responsible for the public relations of the project. He is assisted by two or three bloggers and by Jouko Tarponen, who is responsible for photographing the project’s progress in Pansio. All blogs and Caravelle news in the society’s Feeniks magazine are published also in English and this task is taken care of by two volunteers.

Photo by Raímo Korpi

The members of Aviation Museum Society Finland were informed about the Caravelle project at an early stage. In the beginning of year 2021 the search for the technical team members was launched. During the spring the former Finnair mechanics Markku Ahokoski, Martti Saarinen and Kari Nyman answered the challenge. During the winter 2021-22 they led the discussion and assessment on how the aircraft could be disassembled and transported to Finland. This team has now been working in the project for a couple of years.

Photo by Reino Myllymäki

The disassembling (and re-assembling) of a passenger jet airliner means that a huge number of details need to be planned. The technical team has faced the task undaunted by the scale of the job. The task has included decisions on the main issues (how to disassemble the fuselage off the wing?), practical solutions (how to lift and turn the aircraft using the bridge cranes in the hall?), taking care of the small odds and ends (how to keep track of the origin of all screws and bolts which have been unfastened?), not to mention all kinds of issues which we ordinary non-technical people are not even aware of. These tasks have required good professional skills and the ability to foresee problems, and furthermore, also cool-headed decision making when something needs to be done which hasn’t been done before.

Photo by Ismo Matinlauri

In the spring 2022 Ismo Matinlauri joined the technical team. His work has included recruiting the team of volunteers in Turku as well as coordinating the restoration work. Ismo has also managed all kinds of fixing and acquisition tasks.  For Ismo the Caravelle project is almost a full-time job when the Turku team works in the hall three days a week and the remaining two days are spent running errands and acquiring material.

Photo by Ismo Matinlauri

During the project several people, many of them former technical staff from Finnair, have participated in solving technical problems and dismantling or restoration work. A group of enthusiastic volunteers without aircraft work experience has also joined the project, wanting to have a part in making aviation history. In summer 2022 there were about twenty volunteers from Aviation Museum Society Finland (and one or two volunteers from Sweden) disassembling the aircraft in Arlanda. This group is invited to join the Caravelle polishing session which will be arranged in Pansio this spring.

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

A team of about ten Turku area volunteers have been restoring the aircraft during the winter, working on three days a week. I take my hat off to these volunteers, they have been cleaning and sanding Caravelle’s surfaces for several months now! The sanding work is finally approaching the end and there is polishing and painting ahead.

Photo by Lassi Karivalo

In addition to Pansio, Caravelle restoration work is ongoing also in Vantaa, where two or three people have been preparing for sheet-metal work and repairing parts which have been brought from Pansio. The Tuesday Club of Aviation Museum Society has also participated in the project by repairing e.g. the damaged Caravelle’s radome and nose bulkhead.

Photo by Jouko Tarponen

Based on the estimations presented in this blog, it can be estimated that about 40 people have participated so far in the Caravelle project, some of them joining the team of volunteers for a single effort (such as the disassembling), others working on the project almost daily. Warm thanks to you all! Without volunteers this project would never have been possible. Hopefully in the following blogs we can read why they joined the team.

Caravelle III OH-LEA "Sinilintu" ("Bluebird")

Keskiviikko 29.3.2023 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

The Caravelle III, which was brought from Arlanda to Finland by Aviation Museum Society Finland, served in the SAS fleet with registration SE-DAF and name Sven Viking. In Pansio the aircraft is being restored to Finnair colours as its first Caravelle OH-LEA, Sinilintu (Bluebird). This blog tells about the long and colourful history of this aircraft.

Photo by Finnish Aviation Museum photo archive / Ilmailu magazine

In 1958 the Finnish airline Aero Oy (later Finnair) ordered three Caravelle IA passenger jets from the French Sud Aviation aircraft factory. The Finnish airline was one of the forerunners of air travel and was the fourth airline to order the new passenger jet type, after Air France, SAS and the Brazilian Varig.

Photo by Finnish Aviation Museum photo archive / Börje Hielm.

The first jet aircraft in Finnish civil aviation was Sud Aviation Caravelle IA, which got the registration OH-LEA and was named Sinilintu (Bluebird). It was handed over in Toulouse on February 21st, 1960, and it arrived in Finland on February 22nd, 1960. The aircraft was flown to Finland by Olli Puhakka, who was a former fighter pilot and Knight of the Mannerheim Cross. The co-pilot on the flight was Olavi Siirilä, also a former war pilot. Among the guests of honor on the flight were minister of transport Arvo Korsimo, Aero Oy’s managing director Leonard Grandell, chief editor of the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper Yrjö Niiniluoto and maritime counsellor Antti Wihuri.

Photo by Finnish Aviation Museum photo archive / Börje Hielm.

During the spring 1960 the Bluebird was followed by Sinisiipi (Bluewing, OH-LEB) and Sininuoli (Blue Arrow, OH-LEC). These three aircraft were later modified to type Caravelle III. The fourth aircraft was already a Caravelle III when it was purchased in 1962. It was named Sinipiika (Blue Maid, OH-LED).

Photo by Finnish Aviation Museum photo archive / Ilmailu magazine

Photo by Finnish Aviation Museum photo archive / Ilmailu magazine

During its service in the Aero fleet the Bluebird appeared in three different paint schemes. It was delivered in its first appearance, where the rudder was blue, and the name Aero was written in large on the upper part of the vertical stabilizer. In the second paint scheme the rudder was blue and a blue cross on the vertical stabilizer replaced the text. Otherwise the paint scheme was identical to the first one. The third painting was done when the aircraft was updated to type Caravelle III.  This is the appearance into which the former SAS SE-DAF will now be restored. The paint scheme can be seen in the visualization image on the front page of the Caravelle-project. When Finnair celebrated its 40th anniversary, a special anniversary logo and text were added on the aircraft.

OH-LEB. Photo by Finnish Aviation Museum photo archive / Finnair Oyj

In the Finnair fleet the Caravelle had 16 seats in the first class and 75 in the tourist class. Starting from April 1960, the Caravelles operated on routes to European cities. In the beginning the destinations were Stockholm, Copenhagen and Frankfurt, followed by several other cities during the coming years. The Caravelles replaced the Convair 440 Metropolitan piston engine aircraft in Europe, and they were transferred to domestic routes. In late 1961 Oulu was the first domestic route operated with passenger jets.

Olli Puhakka and Olavi Siirilä in the cockpit of Eskil Viking (SAS). Photo by Finnish Aviation Museum photo archive / Ilmailu magazine

A Finnish speciality was flying the Caravelles with only two pilots, when other airlines had two pilots and a mechanic in the cockpit. Another remarkable difference was the surrounding and existing environment, which was why the Aero Caravelles had a brake parachute installed. The Caravelle III had Rolls Royce Avon engines and there was no reverse thrust in them to assist in the braking. The brake parachutes were only used when the friction conditions on the runway were really poor. The pilot opened the brake parachute by pulling a handle during the landing run. When the aircraft left the runway, the parachute was released by pulling the same handle. The technical ground crew then collected the parachute for reassembly.

OH-LEB “Sinisiipi” (“Bluewing”) uses drag chute. Photo by Finnish Aviation Museum photo archive / Ilmailu magazine.

The OH-LEA Bluebird flew its first flight on February 11th, 1960. It belonged to the Finnair fleet in 1960–61 and logged 9091 hours. The aircraft was sold back to Sud Aviation on December 4th, 1962, and it was flown to France on September 20th, 1964.

The following user of the Caravelle was the German LTU, which got the aircraft on February 12th, 1965. It was registered as D-ABAF and named Nordrhein-Westfalen. The next user was Transavia Holland. It rented the aircraft between January 30th, 1969, and April 16th, 1970, as PH-TRM.

F-BSSR in August 1978. Photo by Michel Gilliand via Wikimedia Commons.

From the Netherlands the aircraft returned to France, where it was registered as F-BSRR in Air Inter’s fleet where it flew from March 19th, 1971, until December 1980. During this time the Caravelle was rented to Royal Air Maroc and SNIAS, among others, having different registrations.

Air Inter sold the aircraft to Altair in Italy, where it was registered I-GISA. It was removed from service in September 1983 with 37 532 hours on its log. But the story doesn’t end here.

From Italy the aircraft was bought to Congo by IAC Airlines. In Congo it was registered 9Q-CPS and it was named Santeny. The last airline to use the Caravelle was Air Transport Service, which flew it until 1994. The Caravelle was scrapped in 1996 at the N’djili international airport in Kinshasa, Congo.

As we can see, OH-LEA was an individual with a long history. It served for 36 years, and it had more user airlines and operators than any other first generation Caravelle.

Following sources have been used for this blog:

• www.caravelle-projekti.fi
• www.lentoposti.fi news on 31.02.2020
• www.wikipedia.fi/Sud_Aviation_Caravelle
• www.issuu.com/aviatorlehti/docs/2013_aviator_nr2, artikkeli Finnairin Caravelle-laivaston vaiheet
• Juha Klemettinen has provided technical comments.