The story of the Caravelle's Avon engines

Perjantai 10.7.2026 - Ismo Matinlauri

Suomeksi

No engines came with the Caravelle from Arlanda. Understandably, they are valuable and had already been removed for use as spare parts.

The aircraft’s engine nacelles were empty of equipment and fittings when they arrived with the aircraft at the Pansio hall in autumn 2022. Something had to be devised, since there was nothing to display inside the empty nacelles, and leaving them that way was not an option.

For reasons of schedule and cost, we decided to paint the engine nacelles, the lower part of the fuselage, and the undersides of the wings with silver paint instead of polishing them. Developing the working methods for both painting and polishing the other parts also took time.

Of the engine nacelles, we polished only the air intake lip ring, while the rest received a silver-coloured painted surface.

Because the engine nacelles were empty, plywood cover plates were designed for both ends. Two rear-end plates had come with the aircraft; although they were not from a Caravelle, by combining them with bird netting we were able to create a suitable cover for the rear of the engine. The Aviation Museum Society’s logo was painted on the plate, and it works well.

For the plywood plate at the front of the engine, we looked for a suitable photograph of an Avon engine that could be made into a sticker image and attached on the plywood plate. Finding the image turned out to be surprisingly difficult. Front-on photographs of an Avon engine seemed impossible to find, but eventually one was found among the images of an aviation-related organisation. Since the copy rights for the image were fairly unrestricted, two sticker copies of the correct size could be produced from it.

Photo: Wikipedia common

The sticker image was naturally flat and two-dimensional. A spinner cone belonging to the engine would add a three-dimensional effect to the installation; based on measurements taken from the image, it should have a diameter of 21 cm. Original spinner cones would probably have been difficult to find, and at the time we did not make much effort to inquire about them.

Fortunately a solution was found in IKEA’s kitchenware department. They had round metal kitchen bowls for sale, one of which was exactly 21 cm in diameter. Two bowls were picked up, and after going through the cashier we headed back to the aircraft to install them.

The result is quite good and, looking from a distance, several aviation history enthusiasts have asked questions about the origin of the Caravelle’s “Avon engines”.

Photos: Ismo Matinlauri, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Restoration of Flight Sergeant Heikki Marklund's grave memorial

Sunnuntai 28.6.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The propeller blade from the Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard (MA-34) aircraft that crashed has served for 92 years as the grave memorial of Heikki Marklund, buried in Tyrväntö Cemetery in 1934. The grave memorial restoration was completed in early June. The history of the propeller-blade memorial has been described in an earlier blog post.

The restoration of the badly deteriorated propeller blade began with the use of BioComb HOME, a bio-based mould remover. Before this, the bronze memorial plaque attached to the propeller blade was removed. The surfaces of the propeller blade were rubbed with cloths soaked in the mould-removal liquid. The substance both cleaned the wooden surfaces of the propeller blade and removed mould and organic growth from them. As a result of the treatment it became clear, as we had assumed, that the propeller had once had a varnished surface. The rotten root end of the propeller blade was completely immersed in the mould-treatment substance, allowing the liquid to be effectively absorbed into the blade root by capillary action.

After the anti-mould treatment, we proceeded to impregnate the wood material of the blade. A mixture of Valtti Primer and clear Isotrol varnish was brushed onto the surface of the propeller blade. Isotrol varnish is a linseed-oil alkyd primer. For the solution treatment, a basin was made on the table from strips of wood and plastic film, in which the propeller blade lay half immersed in the solution while the solution was brushed onto its surface.

During the solution treatment, air bubbles began to emerge from inside the wood. This indicated that the Valtti–Isotrol mixture was penetrating into the wood material. In this process, Valtti Primer carries the Isotrol varnish into the wood, displacing air and water from the wood and filling its cellular structure with varnish. At first, 10% varnish was added to the Valtti Primer. With each brushing, the amount of varnish was gradually increased to 50%. After numerous brushings, the wooden propeller blade no longer absorbed the mixture of Valtti Primer and varnish, so the blade had been successfully impregnated.

At this stage, the wooden element on the propeller blade’s trailing edge that had come loose was glued back in place. The original blank for the propeller blade had been made from four pieces of wood glued together. The propeller blank was then worked into the shape of the propeller profile.

The glue joints between the wooden elements of the propeller blade had eroded and partly worn into gaps. The gaps were filled with black Casco Multitech sealant. The sealing effectively protects the gaps between the elements from water penetrating into the propeller.

We considered how to treat the root end of the propeller blade, particularly whether we should saw the ragged root end even. However, we decided not to shorten the propeller by sawing it, but instead to fill the ragged root section of the blade with wood filler. This prevents moisture and ants from entering the propeller blade through its root end. The restoration treatment of the propeller blade was thus complete, and it was time to build the stand.

A completely new stand was built to replace the original rotten one. It was built to match the shape of the decayed stand, but this time it was made from pressure-treated wood. For the lowest part of the stand, we chose 75 x 75 mm pressure-treated timber. From this, two pieces were cut, measuring the length of the frame, 28,5 cm.

The four 28,5 cm parts of the stand, to be attached on top of the lowest wooden pieces, were sawn from 50 x 100 mm pressure-treated wood. These four pieces were joined into a single unit with an opening in the centre, shaped according to the cross-sectional profile of the propeller blade, into which the blade is inserted and fastened.

Although we were making the wooden stand for the propeller blade from pressure-treated wood, we further increased the durability of the wood by treating the stand’s wooden parts several times with grey Valtti Color wood preservative, especially the cut surfaces of the stand parts. This was because the cut surfaces clearly showed that the pressure-treatment agent had not penetrated deeply into the wood. Therefore, in addition to brushing the surface, the wooden parts were placed upright in a plastic bowl containing grey Valtti Color preservative. In this way, the preservative was able to penetrate deeper into the wood from the ends of the pieces.

To make the opening in the stand according to the cross-sectional profile of the propeller blade, we made a template from thin plywood, matching the blade’s profile. The oval opening made in the plywood was fitted to the propeller blade several times by sliding the plywood template from the root of the propeller along the blade toward the tip. The oval opening in the plywood was adjusted until the plywood could be slid along the propeller blade to a point about ten centimetres above the ragged root end of the blade. This determined how deep the propeller blade would be inserted into the opening in the stand.

Once the cross-sectional profile shape of the propeller blade had been completed in plywood, the shape of the opening was transferred to the wooden blocks placed side by side for the stand. The excess was cut away from the four blocks with a band saw, forming an oval opening in the middle of the blocks corresponding to the cross-section of the propeller blade. The opening still had to be adjusted several times before the edges of the opening pressed tightly against the sides of the propeller blade. It was time to assemble the propeller-blade stand.

First, the two lowest wooden pieces were screwed onto the metal base of the memorial. After that, the lower layer of the blocks, shaped according to the propeller-blade profile, was fastened on top of them with screws. It was then checked that the blade fitted well into the opening. Assembly of the stand continued by fastening into place the upper pair of blocks with the opening. It was found that the oval opening still needed to be adjusted in these parts so that the propeller blade would press tightly into the opening in the stand. After adjustment, the contact surface between the blade and the stand was made tight, and the blade could be pressed to exactly the right depth. Thus, the stand parts with openings were ready and could be fastened with screws to each other and to the lowest part of the stand. Stainless-steel screws were used.

Eventually the propeller blade could now be slid into the opening in the stand and screwed into place. The seam between the propeller blade and the stand was sealed with black Casco Multitech sealant. As the final restoration task, the surface of the propeller blade was lightly sanded with 240-grit sandpaper and varnished with clear Isotrol. This treatment protects the propeller blade from dirt and UV radiation.

Once the bronze plaque attached to the propeller blade had been screwed back into its original position, the restoration of the propeller-blade memorial on Heikki Marklund’s grave had been completed by the Tuesday Club.

Photos: Lassi karivalo

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Improvements in the Caravelle's rear galley

Torstai 25.6.2026 - Ismo Matinlauri

Suomeksi

In the beginning of June we were donated four used service trolleys by a contact of Janne Salonen. This improved greatly the level of our Caravelle’s galley and catering equipment.

The trolleys were covered with remains of stickers and labels from the trips they had made. The trolleys were cleaned using various cleaning chemicals and scraping off the worst parts. All operator labels were removed too and the outcome looked surprisingly good.

The locking mechanisms were adjusted and checked, and Finnair stickers were attached on the front doors. The trolleys were ready to be assembled into the trolley unit in the rear galley. They fitted in nicely and the galley looks good.

Four years ago an impressive coffee machine was brought from Arlanda together with the Caravelle. The coffee machine is from West-Germany and probably from 1960. It was originally in the front galley of the aircraft. We cleaned it from the outside and installed it on the wall in the rear galley. In our Caravelle the front galley has been completely dismantled to have a clear entrance with more space for the visitors.

The coffee machine has a capacity of two litres, and it has probably been filled up several times during the Caravelle’s longer flights.

Photos: Ismo Matinlauri

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Making the firewall for the Snoopy

Torstai 18.6.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The firewall between the engine and cockpit of the OH-XEA “Snoopy” has not survived, so one had to be made. Fortunately, we have one photograph in which Snoopy’s engine is shown without its engine cowlings, and the firewall is partly visible. Based on the photograph, we determined what the firewall had looked like in terms of its shape and installation method in order to build a new one.

Most likely, the firewall had been made of thin sheet steel. At its upper edge, the firewall curves a few centimetres over the lower edge of the windshield plexiglass, and at its lower edge it is bent over the lower tube of the nose structure. On the side of the nose, the edge of the firewall likewise bends a few centimetres over the fabric covering of the nose.

At each corner of the nose’s steel tube frame there is a structure for attaching the engine mount to the fuselage. These attachment lugs and their supporting structures make shaping the metal sheet challenging, when making the firewall. We therefore decided to proceed with making the firewall in stages.

When we began making the firewall, we wondered how the firewall had originally been installed, given that all its edges had been folded, or bent. A firewall with folded edges is difficult to press as a flat sheet against the nose end frame, because the engine mount attachment lugs at the corners of the frame prevent the firewall from being pressed flat against the end of the fuselage. We therefore chose a method in which we first make the firewall without the side folds, and create the side folds from separate angle strips that will be riveted to the firewall.

To make the firewall, we first took sturdy cardboard and gradually shaped it into a template for the first version of the firewall. The shape of the cardboard template was then transferred onto a thin, 0,3 mm thick aluminium offset printing plate that is easy to shape. This 0,3 mm aluminium sheet is also easy to cut with scissors.

Photo: Osmo Väisänen

Once the thin aluminium sheet had been cut to the shape of the cardboard template, we test-fitted it to Snoopy’s nose. We found that the sheet still needed further adjustment. We then taped additional cardboard to the edges of the sheet where material was missing and cut away aluminium where there was too much. On this basis, we made a third version of the firewall from the thin aluminium sheet. We were already satisfied with this version, so it will serve as the template for Snoopy’s firewall, which will be cut from 0,7 mm sheet steel.

Photo: Osmo Väisänen

Because the Finnish Aviation Museum has better tools for cutting thin sheet steel to shape than our Puusepäntie workshop, we went there. At the museum, a rectangle was first cut from the steel sheet with a “guillotine cutter” to serve as the firewall blank. The shape of the aluminium firewall, including all its notches, was then transferred to the steel sheet. The notches were cut into the steel sheet with a jigsaw, and the cut edges were filed smooth. Once all the detailed shapes of the firewall had been cut, we returned to our Puusepäntie workshop.

Photo: Juha Veijalainen

There, the steel sheet was test-fitted in place on Snoopy’s nose. The steel sheet that would become the firewall was threaded into position by bending it vertically. The sheet already fitted surprisingly well, but it still needed further shaping and filing of the edges. After a little shaping and filing, the steel sheet was made to sit well in place.

As mentioned at the beginning, we made the firewall sheet so that flanges were left along its upper and lower edges, allowing the sheet later to be bent at the top over the lower edge of the windshield plexiglass and at the bottom around the lower tube of the nose frame.

To make the side flanges, missing from the firewall, we made angle strips from 0,7 mm sheet. They will be riveted to the edge of the firewall sheet only once the firewall is finally in place and its upper edge has been bent over the edge of the windshield and its lower edge over the transverse fuselage tube.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Moving Myrsky's test wing from Museum Hall I to the Aviation Museum Society's sea container

Maanantai 15.6.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The test wing built as part of the Myrsky project has been on display in Hall I of the Finnish Aviation Museum. The two-and-a-half-metre root section of the right wing half was built at the beginning of the Myrsky project. Later, a one-metre-long counterpart representing the root of the left wing half was built. We have referred to this wing entity as the test wing. Building the test wing helped us clarify contradictions in the original Myrsky drawings before we began constructing the actual Myrsky wing, to be assembled on the restored aircraft.

The test wing will become part of the Demo Myrsky currently under construction, which is intended to showcase the internal structures of the mixed-construction VL Myrsky II fighter. The Demo Myrsky will consist of the fuselage frame of Myrsky MY-5, including its tail section, and the test wing. Like the test wing, the fuselage of the Demo Myrsky will be partly covered with plexiglas so that its internal structures remain visible.

The test wing on display in Museum Hall I had to be moved out of the hall. This is related to the Finnish Aviation Museum’s forthcoming relocation, for which preparations concerning the exhibition halls are already under way. Aircraft that will not be included in the exhibition of the new museum, which is already under construction, will be moved into storage from the old museum’s halls. As a result, the test wing standing in front of the hall’s overhead door had to be moved out of the way so that it no longer blocked the passageway.

The test wing was destined to be stored in the Aviation Museum Society’s sea container in the museum yard. This sea container is well suited for the purpose because its entire side can be opened to move the test wing into the container. To make room for the test wing, a sufficient 4,5-metre space was cleared in the container. Some of the items in the container, such as the pilot’s seat and canopy of a MiG-21BIS, could be moved temporarily to the museum’s adjacent fabric-covered storage hall.

To move the test wing, which weighs about just under 200 kilograms, a transport cradle had to be built. The maximum dimensions of the cradle were determined by the 220 cm height of the container opening and the 200 cm maximum width of the test wing. The starting point for building the cradle was that the wing would be moved into the container by forklift and that no modifications would be made to the wing structures. Among other things, this meant that the cradle would be attached to the wing only at the wing’s existing attachment lugs, or brackets. The transport cradle was designed by adapting drawings made by the Finnish State Aircraft Factory for a Myrsky wing transport cradle, which used a similar attachment method.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

The transport cradle is made of wood with metal supports. Its key component is the vertical post attached to the attachment lugs of the right wing, which will carry the full weight of the test wing. The vertical post is supported by three strong angle-iron braces running down to the base frame of the cradle. The structure of the transport cradle allows a forklift to lift it, together with the wing, onto its forks and carry it.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

Sturdy 50 x 100, 50 x 125 and 50 x 150 mm timber was used to build the transport cradle. The metal support structures of the cradle were made from 30 x 30 x 3 mm angle iron, and the attachment lugs from 6 mm flat bar. Strong angle plates and standard 12 mm bolts were used to fasten the parts together. At the two critical attachment points between the wing and the cradle, where the lugs were joined, we used the best possible 12 mm extra-high-strength bolts and nuts of strength class 12,9 / DIN 918.

Construction proceeded according to the drawing. During construction, however, certain considerations emerged that led to minor changes in the plan. Once the transport cradle was complete, it was moved by forklift from the museum’s restoration area to Museum Hall I and attached to the two attachment lugs of the right wing of the test wing with two 12 mm extra-high-strength bolts. Temporary raising blocks had also been placed under the cradle so that the forklift forks could fit underneath it. Before the test wing was moved, the flap was removed from it. This shortened the test wing by just under half a metre.

Photos: Reijo Siirtola

Photo: Juha Veijalainen

When everything was ready, the test wing was lifted manually from the display stand and turned on the floor into an upright position on the cradle. The forklift could then be driven up to the transport cradle and secured with straps. The test wing and its transport cradle rose smoothly onto the forklift forks, and the journey began from Museum Hall I to the Aviation Museum Society’s sea container, waiting in the museum yard.

Photo: Juha Veijalainen

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

Everything went well, and on arrival the test wing, together with the transport cradle, was pushed on the forklift forks to the rear wall of the container. The test wing moving operation had been completed. Finally, the upper end of the vertical post of the transport cradle was secured with cargo straps to the brackets near the ceiling of the container.

Photo: Kari Lehtola

Photo Jouni Ripatti

The wing’s display stand was also moved from the hall into the container together with the test wing. Because the stand takes up a great deal of space when assembled, it was dismantled and its parts were stored in the container. The parts were also numbered in case the stand is ever reassembled. Once the test wing was in the container and the display stand had been dismantled, the MiG-21BIS pilot’s seat and canopy that had been temporarily stored in the fabric-covered hall, could be moved back into the Aviation Museum Society’s sea container. Thus the entire test wing moving operation, with all its stages, was brought to completion.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The AN-2 cockpit seats are restored

Maanantai 18.5.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

For the past few months, the Aviation Museum Society’s Tuesday Club restoration work has focused on the captain’s and co-pilot’s seats of an Antonov AN-2 aircraft cockpit. The difference between the captain’s seat and the co-pilot’s seat is that the captain’s seat has an adjustable armrest on the right-hand side.

The seats, made of aluminium sheet and in poor condition, were cleaned, sanded, and repainted. The jammed seat-height adjustment mechanisms were restored to working order. The rusted metal locks and fastener buckles of the fabric seat belts were cleaned of rust and made functional again.

The restoration began by removing the seat belts, the perforated sliding rods belonging to the seat-height adjustment mechanism, and the captain’s armrest. The height adjustment system consists of two perforated sliding rods attached to the backrest, along which the seat moves vertically. The desired height is locked using a handle on the right side of the seat. We removed the sliding rods from both seats and cleaned off the rust.

Photo: Mårten Juslin

The restoration of the aluminium surfaces of both seats began with washing them with water. This revealed that part of the blue-grey paint surface had remained in good condition, while some areas were worn and flaking. It was also noted that the paint surface had been touched up previously. Samples were taken from the paint layers to determine the correct shade. The samples showed that the seat had at least three layers of paint. The bottom layer was a yellowish-green primer, with blue-grey or slightly blue-green-grey paint layers above it. Pure blue paint was also found as a result of earlier touch-up work. The blue-grey shade of the seats was determined from a colour chart, and Isoguard Pansar paint was purchased accordingly. Even though some areas still had paint in good condition, it was decided to repaint the seats completely.

Photo: Timo Kopranen

Before painting, the seat surfaces were sanded, and all loose and flaking paint was scraped off. Clean aluminium was revealed beneath the flaked paint. Sanding was carried out using a steel brush attached to a drill, sandpaper, and abrasive pads. This prepared the surfaces for painting.

Painting began by first applying paint to the areas of bare aluminium. Once these areas had dried, both seats were painted all over. It was found that Isoguard Pansar paint produced a beautiful finish on the seats. The shade was also successful and did not differ from the original.

Before the seat-height adjustment tubes could be reattached, the inner surfaces of the tubes were brushed clean of rust and painted with Isoguard Pansar paint. The inside painting was done using a bottle brush cut narrow for the purpose. Once the adjustment rods were back in place, the mechanism was lubricated so that it operated smoothly.

The remaining tasks were restoring the captain’s armrest and cleaning rust from the metal parts of the seat belts, namely the buckles and locks. The captain’s armrest was cleaned of rust and painted with a grey-green paint. Its adjustment mechanism was also restored to working order. The fabric covering the armrest was worn, but we did not replace it.

The metal parts of the belts had been left unpainted, which is one reason why they were heavily rusted. The buckles and locks were cleaned of rust using brush attachments fitted to a drill and sandpaper. After cleaning, the metal parts of the belts were protected with clear Isotrol varnish. With this, the restoration of the seat belt metal parts was completed. Finally, the buckles were threaded back onto the seat belts, and the belts were reassembled on the seats. The restoration of the AN-2 cockpit seats was thus completed.

The restoration of the An-2 cockpit seats had been completed.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Overhaul of the Pedal-Myrsky, MY-52

Sunnuntai 17.5.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

In 2018, the Aviation Museum Society’s Tuesday Club built a pedal airplane for the child visitors of the Finnish Aviation Museum. In summertime, the pedal airplane has been in active use in the museum yard. It was built from a kit based on the North American T-6 Texan. The kit was modified to resemble the Finnish VL Myrsky fighter aircraft. Thus, the pedal airplane, called the Pedal-Myrsky, was painted in the camouflage scheme used during the war by the Finnish Air Force.

Photo: Paavo Antila

Roundels were chosen as the national insignia. They were selected instead of the traditional swastika insignia for two reasons:  today only few people know the history of the swastika symbol used by the Finnish Air Force and the Myrsky aircraft carried roundels after the Second World War. A total of 51 Myrsky fighters were originally built, so the individual marking MY-52 was assigned to the Pedal-Myrsky.

Over the years, the Pedal-Myrsky was popular among young visitors, and it became worn from use. Its hours had thus reached a critical point, and it was time for a major overhaul. In 2025, the Pedal-Myrsky was brought to the restoration workshop of the Finnish Aviation Museum, where all technical parts were removed, including the wheels with pedals, the control stick that steers the tailwheel, and the tailwheel itself. The worn pedals were repaired, as was the mechanism between the control stick and the tailwheel. Faults had also appeared in the fuselage itself, and for that reason the tail section of the Pedal-Myrsky was reinforced.

Photo: Jouni Ripatti

Because the paintwork of the Pedal-Myrsky had become badly worn, it was decided to repaint the aircraft. The Pedal-Myrsky was painted with two-component paints. The museum was responsible for sanding the surfaces and applying the primer coat. The rest of the painting work was to be carried out by the Tuesday Club. Thus, the primed Pedal-Myrsky was brought to the Tuesday Club’s workshop on Puusepäntie.

In the painting process, the underside of the Pedal-Myrsky was given the blue-grey finish defined in the Finnish Air Force camouflage scheme. The upper surfaces were painted dark green, over which a black camouflage pattern was applied. The black camouflage pattern was painted on top of the green so that the outlines of the black areas were first drawn onto the green surface with a marker. After that, the areas to be painted black were lightly sanded to roughen them. We used a small brush to paint the edges of the black areas so that the paint boundary would be neat.

Once the painting of the Pedal-Myrsky was completed, the fitting-out could begin. We reassembled all the parts that had been removed from it, including the wheels with pedals, the tailwheel, the control stick, the mechanism between the tailwheel and the control stick, the grab handle in front of the cockpit, the “radial engine,” the exhaust pipes, and the cockpit backrest. We also tested that the equipment was functioning properly.

The Pedal-Myrsky was still missing its markings. Therefore, the Finnish Aviation Museum acquired the necessary decal markings through Aviation Shop. The roundel insignia, without a black outline, were applied in accordance with the instructions, to both sides of the fuselage and to the upper surfaces of the wings. The roundel insignia with a black outline were applied to the underside of the wings. Finally, the individual aircraft marking MY-52 was placed on both sides of the rear fuselage between the roundel and the tail.

The overhauled and painted Pedal-Myrsky was then taken back to the Finnish Aviation Museum. There it was immediately put to a proper test at the Finnish Aviation Museum’s Children’s Day, held on Saturday, 16 May.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The VL Myrsky MY-14 fuselage and wing are joined

Tiistai 5.5.2026 - Reino Myllymäki

Suomeksi

Monday and Tuesday, 4–5 May 2026, were reserved at the Finnish Air Force Museum for the test fitting of the wing and fuselage of the VL Myrsky MY-14. The success of the fitting would largely determine the final stages of the project.

For the test fitting, an electric forklift had been rented, and in addition, equipment such as cargo pallets, stackers, pallet jacks, and hand tools was used.

First, the aircraft’s tail was lifted onto a stand, supported by an axle pushed through the lifting tube. Next, the fuselage was raised with a forklift from the propeller shaft so that the stand previously used under the fuselage in the restoration workshop could be removed. After that, the wing was slid beneath the fuselage using cargo pallets and the wing transfer platforms built by Matti Patteri.

Under the direction of conservator Antti Lappalainen and assistant conservator Mika Rautasaari, the four bolts connecting the wing and fuselage were eased into place. Three of the bolts were fitted with relatively little effort, but the fourth bolt, the frontmost one on the right, proved far more troublesome. But in general, the work went much more smoothly than expected: the wing and fuselage were already joined by late morning on the first day, although two days had been reserved for the task.

In the afternoon, the aircraft’s main landing gear was lowered and locked into the down position, after which the aircraft could be set down onto it. The landing gear was fitted with stud-pattern tyres from a Valmet Vihuri, inflated to the pressure of 1,5 bar, to be used as transport wheels.

After this, the tail was lowered onto its tailwheel. Finally, transfer platforms were placed under all the wheels so that the aircraft could also be moved sideways. The aircraft was then positioned approximately where it will eventually be displayed in the exhibition.

The next stages will include the installation of the vertical and horizontal stabilisers and their root fairings, installation of the oil cooler, fitting and installation of the wing root fairings, and installation of the engine cowlings.

This day, 4 May 2026, marked a historic milestone in the more than 12-year continuation of the VL Myrsky II restoration project. The restored Myrsky MY-14, representing the only serially produced fighter aircraft entirely designed and built in Finland, was set onto its landing gear, allowing the final restoration tasks to begin and the planning of the unveiling event to get underway.

In the photograph are the Finnish Air Force Museum’s “chief fixers”: assistant conservator Mika Rautasaari, conservator Antti Lappalainen, and museum director Kai Mecklin. Conservator Harri Huopainen is absent from the picture.

The restoration of MY-14 is a joint project of Aviation Museum Society Finland, Finnish Air Force Museum, and Finnish Aviation Museum, with Patria and Sinituote as the main supporters. The Myrsky Group of Aviation Museum Society’s Tuesday Club has built at the premises of the Finnish Aviation Museum in Vantaa the wing, ailerons, stabilisers, and rudder, as well as, among other things, the front section of the engine’s NACA ring and many other smaller parts. The Air Force Museum’s restoration team has focused on the fuselage, engine, weapons, and fitting work, in addition to many smaller tasks.

Photos: Reino Myllymäki

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The grave memorial of Flight Sergeant Heikki Marklund

Maanantai 27.4.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

At Tyrväntö cemetery, north of the town of Hämeenlinna, lies the grave of Flight Sergeant Heikki Ludvig Marklund. While he was a student pilot (AOK 3) at the Air Force Academy in Kauhava, Marklund was killed in an air accident on 7 September 1934. The Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard (MA-34) he was flying crashed to the ground during target shooting practice. Marklund was born on 1 October 1907.

The images are from the book Fatal Flights 1918–1938.

At Marklund’s funeral, his fellow aviators erected one of the propeller blades from the accident aircraft MA-34 as a memorial on his grave. The blade has thus stood as the grave memorial for 92 years. A bronze commemorative plaque was fastened on the propeller blade about twenty years ago. It was acquired and affixed to the blade by Paavo Helanterä from Tyrväntö.

Photo: Pasi Pirttikoski

Aviation history enthusiast Heikki Kauppi noticed the poor condition of the propeller-blade memorial at Marklund’s grave and contacted his friend Pasi Pirttikoski. This led them to the idea of restoring the grave memorial and thereby honouring the deceased aviator from Tyrväntö. No relatives of Marklund could be found with whom the memorial could have been discussed, but permission was obtained from the parish to remove the memorial for restoration.

To restore the propeller-blade grave memorial, Kauppi and Pirttikoski contacted the Aviation Museum Society’s Tuesday Club. This eventually led to the Tuesday Club deciding to include the restoration of the propeller blade in its work program. As the work progresses, we will remain in contact with Kauppi and Pirttikoski.

Kauppi and Pirttikoski removed the propeller-blade memorial, together with its base, from Marklund’s grave at Tyrväntö cemetery. Pirttikoski brought the memorial on 8 April to the Aviation Museum Society’s workshop on Puusepäntie in Tuusula. When we examined the memorial, we found that the wooden base had completely rotted and needed to be rebuilt entirely. The base is attached to a metal frame, which is rusted but otherwise still in good condition. The entire grave memorial had been mounted on a flat natural stone. All that remains of the mounting are the rusted stubs of the fastening pins in the stone.

Photo: Mårten Juslin

Photo: Pasi Pirttikoski

The wooden base had completely rotted away, and the propeller blade itself was no longer in impressive condition either. The root of the blade has rotted and was presumably originally longer than it is now. The decayed root is full of cavities made by ants. Otherwise, however, the blade - despite its alarmingly weathered appearance - is still made of reasonably solid wood. We therefore did not give up but drew up the following plan to restore the propeller-blade memorial.

We will clean rust from the metal frame of the wooden base and paint it with black Isotrol paint to prevent further corrosion.

We will build a new wooden base for the propeller blade according to the original design, but this time from pressure-treated wood. A blade-profile-shaped opening will be made in the base, into which the root of the blade will be inserted and locked. We will paint the base with grey Isotrol paint.

We will remove mould from the wooden propeller blade, as there is organic material on its surface such as mould, lichen, and algae.

After mould removal, the propeller blade will be gradually impregnated with a solvent-based Valtti primer, mixed with clear Isotrol varnish. The solvent carries the wood preservative and the varnish deep into the wood, protecting it against mould and blue-stain fungi while also preventing water from penetrating the wood. The impregnation treatment will proceed so that, step by step, the amount of varnish in the Valtti-varnish mixture is increased. The final treatment will be done using only clear Isotrol varnish, which effectively protects the wood from moisture, dirt, and UV radiation.

Of the propeller blade’s five wooden laminated layers, the wooden strip on the trailing edge side has come loose from its glue joint. It will be glued back into place, but only after the impregnation process has been completed. At the same time, glue will be poured into the gaps between the other wooden strips of the propeller blade.

The restored propeller blade and the wooden base will be reassembled, and the bronze commemorative plaque will be refastened to the blade.

Heikki Kauppi and Pasi Pirttikoski at Marklund's grave. Photo: Pasi Pirttikoski

The restored propeller-blade memorial will be returned to the grave of Flight Sergeant Heikki Marklund.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

A new elbow rest for the Bristol Blenheim bomber pilot's seat

Torstai 16.4.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The pilot’s seat and rudder pedals of the Finnish Air Force’s Bristol Blenheim Series V aircraft BL-106 have been restored by Aviation Museum Society’s Tuesday Club. However, one task still remained unfinished.

The original leather-upholstered and padded elbow rest, on the right-hand side of the pilot’s seat, was still there but in poor condition. The leather on the top surface of the elbow rest was badly worn and partially torn, revealing the padding material underneath. The leather-upholstered rest has a wooden core. The elbow rest is attached to the seat’s armrest with four bolts.

It was carefully considered whether the original leather-covered elbow rest should be preserved and refastened to the restored seat’s armrest, or whether a new, identical padded replica should be made and fitted to the restored seat’s armrest. A replica of the elbow rest would better suit the fully restored seat. Therefore, we decided to make a new elbow rest, matching the original. The original elbow rest would be preserved and stored. So, on to the task at hand.

The original elbow rest was measured carefully, and a drawing was made of it. Following the drawing, the wooden core of the elbow rest was made from 50 x 50 mm pine. The wooden core was rounded at the ends and corners by sanding. As the elbow rest was attached to the seat’s armrest with four bolts, holes were drilled in the new wooden core for the four mounting bolts.

The original bolts were 4,5 x 40 mm. As such bolts were not available in hardware stores, 5 x 40 mm bolts with locking heads were purchased for the elbow rest. The locking head is important, as it sinks into the surface of the wooden core of the elbow rest. This prevents the bolts from turning when the leather-covered elbow rest is tightened onto the seat’s armrest with four nuts. Once the wooden core was ready, its fit to the seat’s armrest was tested. It fitted well. All that remained was the leather upholstery for the wooden core of the elbow rest.

We took the new wooden core of the elbow rest to be upholstered according to the original model by upholstery master Kaisa Haikola at Verhoomo Koto. The original elbow rest was also brought along as a model.

Photos: Verhoomo Koto

We discussed our objectives with the upholstery master. Consensus was quickly reached. Antique leather, well suited for the purpose, was chosen for the upholstery. Pieces were cut from the leather according to the prepared patterns to upholster the top and bottom surfaces as well as the sides of the elbow rest. First, the leather pieces for the top surface and the side were machine-stitched together, using a piping seam matching the original. For this, the sewing machine was fitted with a piping presser foot. The piping core, as in the original elbow rest, was made from linen thread.

Photos: Verhoomo Koto

Under the leather on the top surface of the elbow rest, recycled grey wadding was placed as padding to replicate the original. The original elbow rest’s upholstery was also followed by placing the glued seam of the leather pieces on the sides in the same position as on the original. Bison Tix contact adhesive was used for gluing the leather pieces. As the final step, holes for the four mounting bolts in the base of the elbow rest were made using a hole punch.

Photo: Verhoomo Koto

Photo: Antti Hyvärinen

Thus, the replica of the pilot’s elbow rest for the Bristol Blenheim V series BL-106 bomber was completed. The replica elbow rest was attached to the restored pilot’s seat armrest. It was found that the new elbow rest looked splendid with its surfaces in the fully restored pilot’s seat.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The engine cover and landing gear wheel covers are repaired

Sunnuntai 12.4.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The PIK-21 “Super Chug” OH-XTM is equipped with upper and lower engine covers made of fiberglass, using a mould. The landing gear wheel covers are also constructed from fiberglass. In the aviation accident that occurred in August 2024, the lower engine cover was damaged, though not severely.

Photo: Harri Kaikkonen

Upon examining the damage to the lower engine cover, it was found to have dents and one larger fracture, from which some fragments had also come loose. Both wheel covers had minor dents, while one of them had a somewhat larger damage.

The repair of the engine and wheel covers began by sanding off the paint from the damaged areas to reveal a clean brown fiberglass surface underneath. This step is essential to ensure that the new fiberglass mat adheres properly when repairing the damaged spot. Sanding was carried out manually with sandpaper, but also with a belt sander and a multi-tool fitted with a triangular sanding head. All damaged fiberglass was cut away.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

On the lower engine cover we sanded the edges of the damaged areas both from the inside and outside, so that several centimetres of clean bonding surface for the new fiberglass mat was exposed on both the inner and outer edges of the damaged area. The same procedure was applied to the edges of the damaged areas on the wheel covers.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

Once the damaged areas on the lower engine cover and the wheel covers had been sanded to clean fiberglass, their repair was begun with fiberglass laminating. Laminating was carried out using cross-woven fiberglass reinforcement fabric and epoxy resin. We laminated the fiberglass mat with epoxy, as the mat does not absorb water when laminated with epoxy, even if the surface of the laminate becomes damaged. For the laminating, we used Biltema’s two-component “Laminating Epoxy Art. 30-103” epoxy-based resin.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

On the lower engine cover we started laminating the damaged areas from the outside on the corner where there was a major damage. For this, we made a mould from a plank, and the lower cover was fixed around the mould with clamps onto the workbench. This ensured the cover remained in the correct shape while laminating it from the outside. No stresses are left in the laminated area that could later break. Between the clamp and the mould, we placed yellow plastic tape, to the backside of which the epoxy resin would not adhere. This made it easier to detach the cover after laminating.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

After laminating the engine cover’s fractured area from the outside, we laminated fiberglass mat onto the corresponding damaged spots on the inside of the lower engine cover. This ensured that the repaired area achieved at least its original strength. In the same manner, we laminated all other damaged areas on the lower engine cover as well as on the wheel covers.

Photo: Meeri Siirtola

After laminating the fiberglass mat, sanding was started. This was done with a flat sander using grit 60. Such a coarse grit can cause deep and difficult-to-repair pits and scratches if used incorrectly, so care must be taken during preliminary sanding. However, sanding with coarse sandpaper levels the materials with different hardness at the repair site, without leaving harder material protruding. Additionally, sanding is quick and the result is already relatively neat.

After the initial sanding, the laminated areas and smaller repairs made without laminating were filled with epoxy-based filler. For this, we used “Biltema Lightweight Epoxy Filler Art. 30-648”, a two-component filler. After filling, we sanded the surfaces with a flat sander, using grit 180. This grit smooths out any unevenness in the epoxy filler as well as any scratches that may have occurred during the initial sanding.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

After the treatment with Lightweight Epoxy Filler, we moved on to priming. For the priming, we purchased grey “Sparymax 1K AC-Fyller” primer from Pintaväri shop. This spray-applied primer evens out the remaining small irregularities and covers well the mottled appearance of the sanded fiberglass surface. An added benefit is the short time before re-sanding can be done; sanding can be carried out just 15 minutes later.

Once the primer had dried, we sanded the repaired spots by hand, first with sandpaper of grit 360 and finally sanded the entire surface of the lower engine cover and wheel covers using wet sanding with water sandpaper of grit 1000. By doing so, we achieved a smooth and clean surface on the lower engine cover and wheel covers ready for the upcoming surface painting. The surface painting will be performed when the restoration of the aircraft frame has reached the painting stage.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Bending the Snoopy's windscreen into shape

Sunnuntai 22.3.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

In the restoration work of the OH-XEA “Snoopy” (“Ressu”) light aircraft, built by the Hietanen brothers from Turku, it was time to bend the plexiglass sheet to serve as the Snoopy’s windscreen. The original windscreen was bent from 2 mm thick acrylic sheet to cover the front section of the cockpit. The sheet was fastened at the edges with screws to brackets welded to the frame tubes. The original cockpit windscreen has not survived, so a new one had to be made.

Photo: Esko Keskinen

Photos: Timo Kopranen

Departing from the original, we made the windscreen from a 3 mm thick transparent polycarbonate sheet, which is very easy to shape and work with. First, we made a cardboard template of the windscreen, based on which we acquired from ETRA a polycarbonate sheet cut to the shape of the template. The straight sheet’s sides are bent against the sides of the aircraft’s nose to form the sides of Ressu’s windscreen. Before bending the sheet, we tested with the cardboard template how the sheet should bend to match the cockpit’s front frame structure. We had never previously attempted to bend a polycarbonate sheet like this, so there was some excitement in the air, but - as the saying goes - fortune favours the brave.

Photo: Erkki Rossi

The method involved heating the polycarbonate sheet with a hot air blower at the point of the front side tube of the cockpit, and as the sheet warmed up, each side was bent in turn against the sides of the front section of the cockpit. We started by bending the left side of the sheet. To enable heating, the protective film covering the plexi sheet was removed from the area to be heated and bent. Likewise, a sturdy wooden strip was attached at the bend, at the location of the frame tube, to keep the sheet firmly in place during bending.

Photo: Ari Aho

We heated the bending area with a hot air blower. Care must be taken during heating not to overheat the surface of the sheet, as this can cause it to “burn” and turn grey. As the sheet warmed up at the bend, we began to carefully press it downwards towards the side of the cockpit. The bending seam of the sheet was heated for as long as it took for the left-hand side of the windscreen sheet to be pressed tightly against the left side of the aircraft’s nose. The sheet bent surprisingly neatly, and at least bending the left side of the windscreen was accomplished quite easily. It was then time to bend the right side of the windscreen.

Before bending the right side, it was ensured that the sheet anchored to the frame had remained at a right angle to the frame during the bending of the left side. It was noticed that it had shifted slightly during the bending, so the upper corner of the left bend of the sheet was trimmed. This allowed the upper right corner of the sheet to be moved about a centimeter higher, bringing the sheet back to a right angle with respect to the frame.

Now the protective film was removed from the area on the right side of the sheet which would be heated and bent. Before heating, the front edge of the sheet was fixed with two screws to the mounting brackets on the frame tube. This ensured that the sheet would remain properly aligned during bending. Next, a sturdy wooden strip was attached on top of the right-side frame tube in the cockpit to keep the sheet pressed firmly against the frame tube.

Heating of the bending area in the plexi sheet began with two hot air blowers. While the sheet was being heated, its right side was pressed downwards slowly with a sturdy wooden strip until it was firmly pressed against the right side of the cockpit. It was found that the sheet did not bend as neatly as the left side, but a slight bulge appeared in the middle. The reason was probably that when we heated the bending area on the sheet with two blowers from each end, the centre of the area unintentionally remained cooler. As a result, it did not bend as flexibly around the frame tube as both ends of the bending area did. However, the bulge was corrected by heating the centre of the crease and pressing the bulged area against the frame tube with a wooden support. As a whole, the right side of the sheet was bent perfectly. This was evidenced by the fact that the rear edge of the right side of the plexi sheet was pressed tightly against the side of the upright frame tube in the cockpit.

After the windscreen sheet had been bent, we noted that there was no need to trim any excess material from the edges, as the lower edges of the windscreen sides lined up perfectly with the rows of mounting brackets on the cockpit frame tubes. Therefore, 6 mm holes were drilled in the plexi sheet's edges at each bracket location to secure the windscreen to the brackets with screws.

Threads matching the screws had been made beforehand in the brackets, so the sheet edges were screwed onto the threaded brackets on the cockpit frame tube. As the bracket with the threads is quite thin, the fastening may be reinforced by putting nuts on the ends of the screws to ensure the sheet is pressed tightly against the brackets. The left side of the windscreen was locked to the upright cockpit tube with a small clamp, as was done with the original windscreen.

Once the contact surface between the rear edge of the windscreen and the front edge of the roof window, which is already in place, is covered with a protective strip, both the roof window and the windscreen are removed, wrapped in protective bubble wrap, and stored. This way, we ensure the windscreen and roof window do not get scratched while the Snoopy’s frame is still being restored.

Satisfied with the result, we concluded that we had succeeded in bending the polycarbonate sheet to serve as the Snoopy’s windscreen, even though we had never bent a plexi sheet in this way before.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Dehumidifier for the storage container at Puusepäntie

Perjantai 20.3.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

Moisture accumulates in the Puusepäntie storage container, which has been made from a shipping container. Especially in cold weather, condensing water collects on the container's ceiling and drips down. This situation is unfavorable for the items stored inside the container. We decided to install an indoor air dehumidifier in the storage container. We acquired a Recusorb DST DS 010B dehumidifier, which draws indoor air in through a single intake, blows warm and humid air outdoors, and returns dry air into the container. To install the dehumidifier, a hole had to be made in the container wall for the dryer’s 75 mm exhaust pipe.

We determined the location of the dehumidifier in the rear section of the storage container, about four meters from the back wall. This way, the exhaust pipe hole would not be positioned facing the wall of the welding container adjacent to the storage container. The dehumidifier itself is installed on top of a platform, so the bottom edge of the exhaust pipe opening is 75 cm above the container floor level. We marked the spot for the opening on the wall, drilled a pilot hole there, and drew a 75x75 mm square around the spot on the outside of the container wall. Using an angle grinder, we cut a 75x75 mm opening in the wall. The opening was temporarily protected with duct tape.

A 75 mm diameter steel pipe will be fitted into this square opening, onto which a 150 x 150 mm square-shaped adaptor, or collar, will be welded to secure the pipe to the opening. The collar is attached at a slight angle, so the end of the pipe points downward. The end of the pipe is cut at an angle to form a lip, preventing rainwater from entering the container through the pipe. Before welding the collar, it is shaped to match the profile of the container wall.

Photo: Ari Aho

To make the exhaust air pipe, a 76 mm diameter, 500 mm long steel pipe was purchased from Motonet. A 150 x 150 mm sheet was cut from 2 mm thick steel plate to serve as the exhaust pipe collar. A circle matching the diameter of the steel pipe was drawn in the centre of the sheet for the pipe opening. Four adjacent holes were drilled along the curve of the circle, which were then joined to form a single opening. The round hole was then cut out of the sheet with a jigsaw. The hole was made slightly larger so the steel pipe could be inserted through it at an angle relative to the sheet. The edge of the hole was filed smooth.

Photo: Erkki Rossi

We visited the Finnish Aviation Museum to use the bending machine to shape the collar of the dehumidifier’s exhaust pipe to match the container wall’s corrugated profile. At the same time, holes were made in the corners of the collar plate for the fastening screws. Corresponding holes for the collar’s fastening screws were drilled into the container wall, and threads were cut into them. Now the collar was ready to be welded at a slight angle onto the exhaust pipe of the dehumidifier. Once the collar was welded, the pipe was fitted into the container opening. It was found that the collar needed a bit of adjustment to ensure it pressed tightly enough against the container wall profile.

With the exhaust pipe provisionally in place, the cut points for the pipe’s inner and outer sides were determined. Marks were drawn at the cut points, and the pipe was then cut to its final length according to these markings. The external end of the pipe was cut at an angle to form a lip that protects against rain.

To prevent small birds or mammals from entering the pipe, a protective mesh made from plastic-coated metal was fastened to the outside end of the pipe. The mesh was fixed to the outer edge of the pipe with two-component Plastik-Padding compound. Once the compound had dried, the attachment area of the mesh was sanded smooth.

The surface of the finished pipe was lightly sanded, after which it was treated with Isotrol lacquer to protect it from rust. The intention was to paint the pipe with the same blue paint which we had used on the container's surface. However, the paint had run out, so the exhaust pipe was painted with yellow Isoquard Pansar paint. The colours of Ukraine are now visible in our yard.

The dehumidifier’s exhaust air pipe was finally attached to the wall of the storage container by its collar using four screws. Repair compound, normally used for patching metal roofs, was placed between the collar and the wall. This ensured the contact surface between the collar and the container wall was watertight.

Now, the dehumidifier inside the storage container could be connected to the end of the exhaust pipe passing through the container wall and put into operation. Time will tell whether the existing dehumidifier is effective enough to remove moisture from the indoor air of our storage container and thus protect the stored items from spoilage.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The reparation work on the Super Chug wing is under way

Maanantai 2.3.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The wing of Super Chug (OH-XTM Super Sytky) remained almost intact in the landing accident in August 2024. However, a large area of the covering plywood at the root of the left wing's underside was damaged. The damage occurred when the landing gear folded beneath the fuselage, causing the left wheel of the gear to strike the underside of the wing and break the plywood covering. A small hole appeared on the upper surface of the right wing's trailing edge, and there were a few cracks in the plywood edges of the trailing edge. Otherwise, the wing surfaces are intact.

Photo: Timo Kopranen

So far, the Super Chug wing has been stored in our sea container outside our Puusepäntie workshop, waiting for the repair work to begin. The start has been delayed by the question of whether the wing would fit in the workshop among the fuselages of Super Chug, Snoopy and Myrsky MY-5, which are already there. The Super Chug wing is a single piece with a wingspan of 5,3 metres.

We measured the workshop space and concluded that the wing could indeed fit between the fuselages of Super Chug and Snoopy, placed on wing stands, if we move the fuselages of Snoopy and MY-5 about a metre sideways. However, when placed horizontally, the wing would not fit between the fuselages of Chug and Snoopy.

Photo: Timo Kopranen

Once the fuselages had been moved, we carried the Super Chug wing from the storage container into the workshop. There, the wing was placed on wing stands. Surprisingly, there was still plenty of working space around the wing. We set the wing on the stands in a slanted position so that the more severely damaged underside of the wing was well exposed, making it easier to repair.

The damage caused by the landing gear wheel striking the underside of the wing will be repaired by removing the plywood covering from the damaged area, rebuilding the inner wing structures destroyed in the accident, and finally re-covering the opening.

To remove the damaged plywood area, a rectangle was drawn around the damage so that the damaged section was well within the rectangle. The plywood was then cut away along the outline of the rectangle using a multitool blade.

Underneath the plywood an area of about 40 x 60 cm was exposed, damaged from the wing spar towards the trailing edge. Of the three ribs in the damaged area, two had broken. The covering plywood left on the surface of the intact rib during sawing was carefully tapped off with a chisel.

Now we were also able to examine the structure of the wing. It turned out that the Super Chug’s wing ribs are not of the “traditional” type with lightening holes and cap strips. Instead, the Chug’s wing rib consists of a rib edge plywood, reinforced with a cap strip, to which a lattice of thin strips had been glued. The plastic tubes for the pitot tube, which run inside the wing and are attached to the ribs, were now visible too. The pitot tube, which was removed from Super Chug’s wing after the accident, has a horn-like appearance and points directly downwards. It is similar, for example, to the non-heated pitot tube of the Piper PA-28 Cherokee.

The broken wing ribs in the damaged area were dismantled so that new ribs could be constructed to replace them. At the same time, patching the small hole at the trailing edge of the right wing was started. In this case as well, a rectangle was drawn around the hole, and an opening was cut in the plywood accordingly. Plywood strips were glued under the edges of the opening so that they extended about half a centimetre inside the opening. A plywood patch was shaped to fit snugly into the opening. It will be glued in place to cover the hole. The seams of the plywood patch will be filled and sanded smooth before painting the patched area. A couple of cracks in the plywood edges at the trailing edge were also glued. The work to repair the wing of Super Chug OH-XTM has got off to a good start.

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The construction of Demo Myrsky continues

Lauantai 21.2.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The Tuesday Club began constructing the Demo Myrsky after the restoration work on the VL Myrsky II (MY-14) was completed. Demo Myrsky will be used to showcase the internal structures of the VL Myrsky II fighter, as it will not be fully covered. Demo Myrsky is built from the fuselage frame of the Myrsky MY-5 and the test wing, which was constructed at the start of the Myrsky restoration for testing the construction and assembly, and is now on display at the Finnish Aviation Museum.

During last year, the Demo Myrsky construction work gradually shifted from the Finnish Aviation Museum to the workshop rented by Aviation Museum Society on Puusepäntie. In this workshop, the Tuesday Club will continue its activities until the Finnish Aviation Museum has moved and begins operations in its new museum building. At Puusepäntie, the Demo Myrsky's horizontal stabilizer, elevator, and fuselage formers are under construction, and the damaged aluminum elevator is being repaired.

A jig was built for assembling the Demo Myrsky's horizontal stabilizer, and the assembly is now underway. The ribs have been attached to the front and rear spars in the jig. The stabilizer is already taking shape, awaiting the covering to be started.

Construction of the wooden rudder has begun, starting with the plywood ribs of the rudder. The construction of the formers, which are to be attached to the sides of the fuselage, has been completed and their installation onto the fuselage frame is about to commence.

It should be noted that the plywood blanks for the ribs were cut to shape, including the lightening holes, using a laser. The laser-cut plywood rib blanks were attached to a plate-like construction jig on the table, where the edge strips and vertical strips were glued onto the blanks. The finished ribs were coated for protection with nitrocellulose lacquer tinted with iron oxide.

The original but broken aluminium elevator we received has been repaired. As the elevator will be fitted to a static exhibit item, it is not being repaired to the standards required for an airworthy aircraft.

The fuselage frame from MY-5, which will be used in Demo Myrsky, was repaired and supplemented with missing parts at the Finnish Aviation Museum. Once the repair and supplementation work was completed, the fuselage frame was brought to Puusepäntie. There, the previously constructed vertical stabilizer and the wooden, plywood-covered upper covering, which fits between the cockpit and tail, were assembled. Both items have been covered only on one side, so their internal structure remains visible. Numerous metal clamps to be attached to the fuselage have been manufactured. These were painted with grey Isotrol paint. Bearing mounts were made for the rudder bearings, enabling the bearings to be fitted into place.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Exhaust pipes are built for the Snoopy´s ("Ressu" OH-XEA) engine

Perjantai 30.1.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

We have constructed exhaust pipes to be fitted onto the Continental A 65 engine we acquired for the Snoopy (“Ressu” OH-XEA). This engine was damaged in an aviation accident, but it suits our purpose. We are refurbishing the engine on the outside to make it presentable for mounting onto Ressu's nose.

Photo: Esko Keskinen

The exhaust pipes are being built to match the Snoopy’s original Continental engine, based on photographs taken of the aircraft. The exhaust system on the Snoopy consisted of two straight pipes coming from each side of the engine’s two exhaust ports. At the end of the pipes was a barrel-shaped silencer with a diameter of 100 mm. Around the silencer, there was a separate shroud welded onto the surface of the exhaust pipe for preheating the intake air.

From the Continental engine we received, we managed to salvage the mounting flanges, which were still attached to the exhaust ports. Although the flanges were corroded and partly damaged, we decided to use them to connect the new exhaust pipes to the exhaust ports. The blanks for the new exhaust pipes were cut from 40 mm thin-walled furniture tubing. The flanges were cleaned of rust and then welded onto the ends of the exhaust pipe blanks.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

On some parts of the flanges, the mounting surfaces were not completely even after the damage and welding. The end surface of the flanges was ground down so that the exhaust pipes could be joined at a right angle to the engine's exhaust ports. The flanges were ground by pressing the end of the pipe, locked at a right angle in a wooden frame, against the side of a grinding wheel.

Photo: Jouni Ripatti

Once the Continental A 65 engine had been blown clean and painted, we were able to start fitting the exhaust pipe blanks to the engine's exhaust ports and test-fitting the silencer pipes to be attached to the ends of the exhaust pipes. Two silencer pipes, each 100 mm in diameter and welded from thin sheet metal, were manufactured as an external job.

Attaching the round exhaust pipe blanks to the round silencers required, not only cutting them to the correct length, but also shaping the ends of the exhaust pipes to match the silencers. This was done using a “cutting jig” made from a 100 mm plastic pipe, the same size as the silencer. A hole was made in the plastic pipe, matching the size of the exhaust pipe, through which a slightly thinner pipe was inserted, allowing the exhaust pipe end to be slid on top of it inside of the plastic pipe.

With the help of this jig, it was possible to accurately draw onto the exhaust pipes the double-curved cut line, needed for welding the parts together. The pipes were then cut with an angle grinder in the fireproof workshop container at our Puusepäntie workshop. Then their ends were further ground to better fit the curved surface of the silencers, enabling them to be welded together. Now the exhaust pipes were ready to be welded to the silencer pipes.

In order to get an overall picture of what we were doing, the exhaust pipes on both sides were attached by their flanges to the engine’s exhaust ports. After this the barrel-shaped silencer pipes, still open at one end, were fastened with cargo straps against the ends of the exhaust pipes. In this way, for the first time, it was possible to visualise the complete assembly of the exhaust pipes and silencers for the Continental engine. Its appearance closely resembles the original exhaust system built for the Snoopy by the Hietanen brothers.

To ensure that the exhaust pipes would remain at the correct angle when welding them to the barrel-shaped surface of the silencer – a thick plywood support plate (jig) was made, carefully modelling the location of the exhaust ports on each side. The exhaust pipes were attached to the support plate, and it was further ensured that the exhaust pipes could not move in relation to each other. It was also checked that the exhaust pipes were at a right angle to the support plate.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The Super Chug´s landing gear attachment frames are repaired

Tiistai 13.1.2026 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

Repair work on the damaged PIK-21 Super Chug (OH-XTM) continues in the Tuesday Club at the Puusepäntie workshop. One of the areas being repaired is the damaged double fuselage frame, located between the cockpit and the firewall. These frames are the front and rear attachment frames for the landing gear, to the lower ends of which the undercarriage is attached. Furthermore, the frames ensure that the nose of the aircraft keeps its shape. The rudder pedals are also attached to the bottom rail of the front attachment frame for the undercarriage. For the rudder pedal cables there is an opening in the lower part of the rear frame.

In the crash of the OH-XTM in August 2024, the undercarriage collapsed and folded under the fuselage, severely damaging the lower section of the aircraft’s nose. At the same time, the lower halves of both undercarriage attachment frames were broken, all the way up to the mid-point of the frames. The upper parts of the frames remained intact. The rudder pedals were still attached on the broken lower sections of the undercarriage frame pair.

When considering how to repair the fuselage frame pair, we decided that it was not necessary to rebuild the entire pair. This way, we avoid having to dismantle and rebuild the intact upper parts of the frames, and the entire area between the cockpit and the firewall. The undercarriage attachment frames will be repaired by reconstructing the destroyed lower parts and joining them to the upper parts that have remained undamaged. We can proceed in this way because we are not making OH-XTM airworthy but rather restoring it to become an exhibition piece.

To join the new reconstructed lower sections of the double frames to the intact upper parts, the stubs of the frames were trimmed to equal length. On each side of the frame stubs the 2 mm thick plywood on the sides, supporting the frame, was removed for about five centimetres in preparation for the upcoming new joint.

Fortunately we have access to the original Super Chug drawings, made by Kai Mellén, which provide precise details of the frame structure and the materials required for their construction. Moreover, our work is made easier by the fact that the frame drawings are at a 1:1 scale, allowing us to build the damaged lower section of the frame and check its shape directly on top of the drawing when the work is under way.

To obtain the material needed for the construction, pine strips measuring 12x12 mm and 12x40 mm were sawn according to the material list specified in the drawings. The wood for sawing was obtained from the Myrsky restoration project, so it is dense-grained and of so-called aircraft quality. We also have at our disposal some 2 mm thick aircraft plywood, also left over from the Myrsky project, to be glued on both sides of the new fuselage frame piece for support.

We began constructing the lower parts of both attachment frames simultaneously. We made all the necessary components for building the frames. Once all the parts were ready, they were glued together to form the lower half of each fuselage frame. We used Casco Outdoor wood glue for the work. The glued lower sections of the frames were then sanded with a disc sander. An opening, as shown in the drawings, was made in the rear frame’s bottom rail to allow the rudder pedal cables to pass through.

Both lower sections of the frames were made slightly too long at the top. This gave us some leeway for making the joints, ensuring that the new undercarriage attachment frames would match the drawings exactly in size. We placed each lower section we had built on top of their respective drawings. They matched their drawings well. The following step will be to join the newly constructed lower sections of the undercarriage attachment frames to the original undamaged upper parts.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The Aviation Museum Society's Tuesday Club activities in 2025

Keskiviikko 31.12.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The year 2025 was an exceptional one for the Tuesday Club compared to previous years. In March, we moved from the Finnish Aviation Museum to continue our ongoing restoration projects in the premises rented by Aviation Museum Society Finland at Puusepäntie in Tuusula. The reason for leaving the museum was that the restoration space there was modified to prepare for the museum’s future relocation, thus our restoration activities at the museum came to an end. However, our cooperation with the museum continues, and it is fortunate that the premises at Puusepäntie are only a ten-minute drive from the museum.

After moving to Puusepäntie, the initial months were focused on equipping the premises for the society’s meetings and as an actual workshop. Fortunately it was fairly soon possible to restart the interrupted restoration projects at Puusepäntie. The first to be moved from the museum to Puusepäntie was the fuselage of the Snoopy (OH-XEA “Ressu”). After the summer break, we continued equipping the workspace and refurbishing and painting the exteriors of two dilapidated shipping containers acquired for the Puusepäntie yard. Restoration activities also gained full momentum.

At Puusepäntie, the Tuesday Club members were divided into two work groups, mainly because the size of the workshop limited the whole group from working there at the same time. One group worked on Tuesdays, and the other on Wednesdays. Alongside them, the Demo-Myrsky builders operated as their own Tuesday Club project group at Puusepäntie. During 2025, there were 27 active club members in the Tuesday Club. The Demo-Myrsky builders completed about 1,500 working hours over the year. Other restoration projects by the Tuesday Club took about 3,200 working hours. Altogether, we achieved a total of 4,700 working hours in 2025.

Project activities in 2025

Equipping the Puusepäntie premises

The equipping of Aviation Museum Society’s rented premises was completed during the autumn term of 2025. During the autumn, the 40-foot and 20-foot shipping containers acquired for the yard were also refurbished externally. The 20-foot container, which was insulated, was equipped as a hot work area, while the 40-foot container was set up as a storage space.

We refurbished a decommissioned aluminium neon light advertising box to promote our Puusepäntie premises. A new front panel image was made for the lightbox, featuring the Society's Stieglitz SZ-18, flying among the clouds, with the Society logo and the text "Ilmailumuseoyhdistys ry" below. The illuminated sign was installed above the entrance door to the workshop.

Restoration of the Snoopy

By the end of 2024, we had completed the restoration the Snoopy’s (OH-XEA, “Ressu”) wings, tail sections, and their associated equipment. We had also started work on restoring the Snoopy’s fuselage. We managed to clean and paint the previously rusty fuselage frame and installed the controls and their cables to the elevators and rudder, before the work paused for a few months due to the move to Puusepäntie. In the spring work continued at Puusepäntie. By the end of the year, the entire fuselage had been covered with cotton fabric and tightened with shrinking dope.

The cockpit received an original-style roof window made of polycarbonate plexiglass, and the undercarriage wheels were fitted with hubcaps. The engine, badly damaged in the crash, was refurbished externally to resemble a functioning engine and is waiting to be installed on the Snoopy’s nose. It will not be made into a working engine. Exhaust pipes, resembling those on the Continental engine previously used on the Snoopy, were constructed for the engine.

Demo-Myrsky

The Tuesday Club’s Myrsky group continued the construction of the Demo-Myrsky. The Demo-Myrsky is being built using the test wing from the Myrsky project, combined with the fuselage frame of the Myrsky MY-5. The MY-5’s fuselage frame has been restored and otherwise equipped, and welded in the Myrsky container located in the yard of the Finnish Aviation Museum. The fuselage frame was brought from the museum to Puusepäntie on 19 November. There its completion has continued by fastening the previously finished wooden vertical stabiliser and the rear upper fuselage section behind the cockpit. The fuselage formers are ready, so their installation can also begin.

At Puusepäntie, the wooden horizontal stabiliser and elevators for the Demo-Myrsky have been constructed. The original aluminium elevator we received, which was broken in two, has been repaired.

Restoration of the Super Chug

The restoration of the Super Chug (OH-XTM, “Super Sytky”), which suffered a landing accident in summer 2024 and was donated to Aviation Museum Society, began with the badly damaged fuselage. The aircraft is the prototype Super Sytky, designed, built, and initially owned by Kai Mellén.

The lower part of the fuselage is severely damaged between the rear cockpit and the firewall. Therefore, everything in the badly damaged area was removed from the front section of the fuselage. The broken plywood surfaces of the damaged front fuselage were removed to allow the sides to be covered with new material. The main focus of the repair work so far has been reconstructing the lower part of the double fuselage former in front of the cockpit, rebuilding the fuselage under the cockpit floor, and repairing the firewall. The surfaces of the Super Chug’s VW 1600 engine, which was removed from the fuselage, have been cleaned. The broken propeller was detached from the engine and replaced by a wooden propeller, which was built in the 1970s and donated to us, and is suitable for the Chug’s VW engine.

Restoration of the Blenheim V-series bomber (BL-106) seats and rudder pedals

During the spring term, we completed the restoration of the BL-106 bomber co-pilot’s seat, after which we were able to begin restoring the pilot’s seat. We removed the seat shell from the seat frame and cleaned the rusted steel surfaces as well as the oxidised aluminium surfaces. After cleaning, the parts were painted with RAL 7005 grey paint, in accordance with the wartime VL standard of the Finnish State Aircraft Factory. Once painted, the restored seat was assembled.

Alongside the restoration of the pilot’s seat, the restoration of the BL-106’s rudder pedals was also started. The steel surfaces of the pedal components were cleaned of rust. The aluminium surfaces were cleaned of grease and dirt using CRC Brakleen Pro brake cleaner and a steam cleaner. After cleaning, the rudder pedals were painted grey, as with the pilot’s seat.

Floor panel repair in the Douglas DC-3 OH-VKC

A new surface was made from 1 mm thick aluminium sheet, bent to match the original floor panel, to replace the worn-through surface of the DC-3 cockpit’s aluminium floor panel.

Instrument panel for Iljušin IL-2 Sturmovik

In autumn 2024, we built an IL-2 Sturmovik instrument panel with authentic instruments for the Finnish movie “Sisu 2 - Road to Revenge”. The instrument panel was used in the IL-2 flying scenes. After the filming was completed, we received the instrument panel back. The panel will be put on display on the wall of the instrument department in the exhibition building of Hallinportti Aviation Museum. Wooden supports were constructed for the panel, which will be used to attach the panel to the instrument department wall next spring. A text board will be placed alongside the panel, introducing the instrument panel, its construction by the Tuesday Club, and its use in the Sisu 2 movie.

Singer Link cockpit operations simulator

The Tuesday Club repaired the door of the Singer Link cockpit simulator, which was once used for pilot training at Malmi Airport. The hard plastic door of the simulator had become brittle and had partially broken into pieces. We repaired the door by filling and patching the damaged sections back into place. The repaired areas were painted with a grey primer, and they will later be painted with Singer Link’s characteristic turquoise matt paint. The dull plexiglass window in the door was polished clear using car headlight lens polish. The plexiglass is now almost fully clear, but polishing will be continued.

MiG 21 BIS cockpit simulator

The cockpit section of the MiG 21 (MG-111), owned by Aviation Museum Society Finland, is being converted into a simulator. The Tuesday Club has removed metal brackets from the cockpit walls to make room for the simulator equipment to be installed on the walls.

Roadside guide signs for the Caravelle III

We made two guiding roadside signs for the restored Caravelle III OH-LEA “Bluebird”, located at Turku airport. The signs were made from 3 mm thick aluminium sheet. The guide signs were designed and painted to match the appearance of official attraction signs, complete with St John’s arms emblems.

Cooperation with the Finnish Aviation Museum

In 2025 regular collaboration meetings were arranged with the Finnish Aviation Museum staff. Members of the Tuesday Club participated in preparatory tasks at the museum, related to the museum’s future relocation. Among other things, we have cleaned aircraft engines which are on display in the museum.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Repairing the Singer Link cockpit operations simulator door

Maanantai 29.12.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

At the Tuesday Club, our focus has been on repairing the door of the Singer Link flight simulator. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a cockpit operations simulator, since these old Link Trainers or Singer Links cannot really be compared to modern flight simulators.

This Singer Link cockpit simulator is of the same lineage as the famous Link Trainers. The history of Link Trainers dates back to the late 1920s, when the Link Company began developing and manufacturing simulators.

Link Trainer simulators were wooden constructions with wings made either of plywood or, like actual aircraft wings, covered with fabric. After going through various changes of ownership, the Link Company eventually became part of the Singer Company in 1968. After that, the simulators were renamed Singer Links.

The Singer Link door being repaired at the Tuesday Club comes from a cockpit simulator that was used for pilot training at Malmi Airport and has since been removed from use. The Singer Link was used at Malmi in the 1970s and 1980s. This particular Singer Link device is made of hard plastic. Over the decades, the hard plastic interior surface of the door has become brittle and has started to break into pieces. Our task was to repair the cracked interior surface of the door and to polish the cloudy plexiglass window in the door.

We unscrewed the aluminium plate covering the inside surface of the door. Underneath, we found that the hard plastic interior of the door, including the lower edge of the window, was almost completely shattered. At first, we thought about gluing together the cracked pieces in the middle area of the door’s inner surface, but they turned out to be so fragile that we abandoned the idea. Instead, we decided to remove the brittle hard plastic pieces from the middle area of the door’s inner surface, since this area is completely covered by the aluminium plate. Only the damaged areas visible outside the aluminium plate would be patched. For this, we chose to use two-component Souda Metal Plastik Standard polyester filler.

We mixed the two-component filler according to the instructions to achieve a uniform consistency. We joined and filled the broken pieces in place with the filler and used it to patch all the visible gaps. Once the polyester filler had dried, the filled areas were sanded smooth in preparation for painting. The rough sanding was done with a chisel blade, and the finish was smoothed with sandpaper.

The repaired and smoothly filled areas were primed with light grey Isotrol paint. The intention is to paint the repaired spots later with the turquoise colour of the Singer Link’s hard plastic.

There were apparently dried adhesive residues left by masking tape on the outer surface of the door frame. These glue residues were removed using xylene as a solvent. Since the plexiglass window in the door had become cloudy, it was decided—rather than replacing the plexiglass—to try and clean and polish it until clear.

For polishing, we purchased Headlight Lens Repair & Reviver polish, intended for cleaning car headlight lenses. We used the polishing pads supplied with the polish, as well as a soft fabric buffing wheel attached to a screwdriver. After the polishing, the plexiglass was reasonably transparent and shiny. Some cloudy areas still remained. Polishing will continue after the Tuesday Club’s Christmas break in January, possibly by trying a different plexiglass polish.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Hubcaps for the Snoopy's (OH-XEA) wheels

Lauantai 27.12.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The original aircraft undercarriage wheels of Snoopy (OH-XEA “Ressu”) have not survived. The undercarriage was fitted with new wheels and it turned out that the wheels of a ride-on lawnmower were a perfect fit for the axle. By coincidence, their tyres were also the same size (15 x 6.00 – 6) as those commonly used on light aircraft.

The undercarriage wheels originally fitted to the Snoopy had metal hubcaps that curved outwards, or bulged. We decided to make similar hubcaps for the wheels we are using. Thus, we needed hubcaps with a diameter of 15 cm to fit the rim. We considered various options for manufacturing them, even as far as spinning them on a lathe.

Sometimes luck lends a hand, and that’s exactly what happened here. The solution was found in the kitchen. It turned out that the lids of small stainless-steel saucepans are generally 15 cm in diameter – exactly the size of the wheel rim on the Snoopy’s undercarriage. Such steel saucepan lids were found at a flea market for 1,05 euros each. However, some modification was necessary: the knob in the centre of the saucepan lid had to be removed, and 10 mm had to be cut off the stepped edge so that the lid would fit neatly against the rim.

All that remained was to design a system for fastening the lid to the rim. We drew various alternative solutions on the paper covering the workbench. We ended up on choosing a fairly simple model and made a drawing of it. A bracket shaped like a capital 'A' with flat ends, made from sheet metal, would be fastened to the rim and reach over the end of the axle. The bracket would be secured to the rim at both ends of the 'A' using small bolts. An 8 mm bolt, inserted from underneath, would be fitted at the tip of the bracket. This bolt would protrude about half a centimetre through a hole drilled in the centre of the hubcap, allowing a nut to be tightened onto the end of the bolt.

To make the brackets, 20 mm wide strips of sheet metal were cut and bent into the A-shape according to the drawing. A hole for the 8 mm bolt was drilled at the tip of the bracket, and holes for 5 mm bolts were drilled in the legs.

The bracket was fitted inside the rim, and the positions for the bracket bolts were marked on the rim. The holes were drilled in the rim using a pillar drill. Now the hubcap bracket could be fastened at both legs to the rim. An 8 mm bolt was pushed through the hole at the tip of the bracket and tightened in place with a nyloc nut.

The hubcap was now ready to be fitted. The wheel was put back onto the undercarriage axle. The hubcap was pressed against the rim so that the bracket’s tip bolt protruded about half a centimetre through the hole in the centre of the hubcap. All that remained was to screw the nut onto the end of the bolt, and the Snoopy’s undercarriage wheel hubcap was complete. The hubcap will be painted bluish grey when the fuselage covering is painted.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen