Metal trestles for Junkers 50A Junior and repairing of Junnu's model

Keskiviikko 18.3.2020 - Member of Tuesday Club

Suomeksi

The Junkers 50A Junior was on display at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport for many years, but it was returned to the Finnish Aviation Museum about a year ago because of the refurbishment works in the airport terminal. This aircraft is the famous OH-ABB, registered on 6.3.1931 by Väinö Bremer, who flew several long distance flights on this plane. In 1932 one of his flights reached from Finland all the way to Cape Town in South Africa and back.

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So far Bremer’s Junkers has been in storage at the Finnish Aviation Museum and hidden from the public. Now the “Junnu” has been placed on display in the II Hall of the museum. At the moment the museum is closed because of the corona virus epidemic, but the plane can be admired later. The plane was moved and assembled by the museum’s hot air balloon volunteers together with the museum staff.

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The Junkers is standing in the II Hall on its landing gear wheels with its full weight, so the Tuesday Club team decided to make metal supports under the landing gear wheel axles. This is a normal procedure for aircraft which are on display in aviation museums. When the metal trestles bear the weight of the plane, the tires won’t be damaged when the plane stands on display for many years.

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The Tuesday Club team was surprised to find half-finished metal trestles in the corner of the restoration space in the Finnish Aviation Museum. These trestles could be modified to fit the Junkers 50A Junior. The trestles were covered with rust and the surfaces needed to be cleaned. The tube-shaped adjusting spars inside the trestles had to be modified to fit the new purpose. The trestles were sprayed with black varnish paint.

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The team took the modified metal trestles to the II Hall in the Finnish Aviation Museum and managed to lift the Junkers so that the trestles could be installed under the wheel supports on both sides.

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The Tuesday Club team had also another task concerning Junkers Junior. A model of the Junkers OH-ABB has been on display in the II Hall of the Finnish Aviation Museum. Its skin is made of corrugated cardboard to imitate the real corrugated metal sheet covering of the Junkers. The scale of the model was actually defined by the size of the “waves” of the corrugated cardboard.

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The engine of the model had been damaged during the years and it had come loose and also the cylinders and some parts had broken. The Tuesday Club team repaired the engine and fastened it back into place.

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The model was taken back into II Hall and placed beside the real Junkers 50A Junior (OH-ABB). Now the model and real aircraft are side by side, on display, with a pilot sitting in the cockpit.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation: Erja Reinikainen

Avainsanat: aviation history, restoring, old aircraft, Tuesday Club, Junkers 50A Junior, OH-ABB