Situation update from Tikkakoski

Sunnuntai 14.12.2025 - Reino Myllymäki ja Mika Rautasaari

Suomeksi

This blog post is based on the photo delivery from Tikkakoski by Jorma Laakkonen on 22 November 2025 and the Myrsky project update provided by Mika Rautasaari / Finnish Air Force Museum on 10 December 2025.

On the fuselage work is ongoing to produce the engine cowlings. After the drawing showing the latest development version of the so-called engine shroud plate was discovered in Tikkakoski, the task of manufacturing this plate was transferred from the Aviation Museum Society’s Tuesday Club Myrsky team to the Finnish Air Force Museum’s restoration team. The lower section of the shroud plate was made in Vantaa by the Myrsky team but, joining the lower and upper sections may still result in changes to the lower part as well.

The production of the engine cowlings has begun by making different wooden moulds for the engine cowlings and the air intake duct. Manufacturing of the sheet metal and stiffener parts for the engine cowlings, as well as the air intake duct itself, has also started, along with the fabrication of the flame tubes.

When the Myrsky’s wing was transferred to Tikkakoski, the undercarriage was fitted with patterned tyres used on the Vihuri. Now Dunlop tyres resembling the originals have been found for MY-14. These have previously been used on a Smolik training aircraft and it is likely that these tyres have fewer layers of fabric than the original Myrsky tyres. One of the tyres broke at the side during inflation and will be repaired, as the tyres are intended to be used only for exhibition purposes and will not be pressurised. Vihuri tyres will be fitted on when moving the aircraft.

The undercarriage struts have been painted with a mixture of Isotrol paint and aluminium powder, which is intended to imitate the original cadmium-plated surface.

The undercarriage and wheel well doors have been test-fitted, but further adjustment is still required before assembly.

The aileron mechanism has been repaired to ensure the ailerons can move along their correct path.

The elevators also need to be repaired, as for example one of the elevators was not straight. Furthermore, the counterweight of the other elevator was replaced with the correct type of weight.

These are the main points for now. This article is the response to many inquiries about what is happening behind the scenes in the Myrsky project. The aircraft will be completed in 2026, but the exact date is not yet known.

Photos: Jorma Laakkonen

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Cleaning Bristol Blenheim BL-106 rudder pedals for painting

Keskiviikko 10.12.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

https://www.ilmailumuseoyhdistys.fi/blogi/2025/12/10/49878Once the pilot's seat of the Bristol Blenheim BL-106 had been restored, we continued our work on the rudder pedals. The pedals themselves are not broken; but they are heavily soiled and the aluminium parts already display corrosion-induced pitting. The steel parts of the controls are covered in rust.

This time, we began the restoration by investigating how the rudder pedals had originally been surface-treated. It seemed that the aluminium parts of the pedals were simply bare aluminium. Their surface was distinctly greenish yellow. There were also traces of grey paint found on the surface of some parts.

We consulted the Finnish Air Force Museum about the colour of this aluminium. It turned out that the aluminium parts of the rudder pedals were zinc chromated. At the same time, we asked if it was possible to determine from the serial number (50966/1), stamped on the surface, whether the pedals were manufactured in England or Finland. The serial number revealed that these pedals were made by the Finnish State Aircraft Factory (Valtion lentokonetehdas). After the serial number, there was also a small VL logo.

The interior surfaces, seats, and controls of the cockpits of Blenheim bombers, manufactured or overhauled in Finland, were painted with VL’s standard grey paint in the RAL 7005 shade. Thus, the remnants of grey paint found on the rudder pedals of the BL-106 confirmed that the same practice had been applied to this particular aircraft. However, most of the original surface paint had already worn away.

We will paint the rudder pedals with Isoguard Pansar paint for metal surfaces, in the RAL 7005 grey shade. This paint is alkyd and linseed oil based. Before applying the grey topcoat, the steel parts of the rudder pedals will be treated with clear Isotrol lacquer. The aluminium parts will be painted directly with Isoguard Pansar paint. This was also the method we used when restoring the pilot’s seat.

We began cleaning the rudder pedals of dirt, rust, and grease. The rusted steel components were mainly cleaned by mechanically grinding their corroded surfaces until they were clean. When cleaning the dirty surfaces of the aluminium parts, we first tried both Sinol and white spirit, but these were ineffective. We had to find a more suitable solvent.

We proceeded to use both Solmaster Painter's Solvent and CRC Brakleen Pro brake part cleaner. We applied these products to the various components, spreading the solvent onto the surface and into crevices with a brush. The solution was left to work for a while. After that, the surfaces were scrubbed using both soft brass and plastic brushes, and for tight gaps, even toothbrushes. A steel brush was not used, as it would have damaged the zinc chromated surface of the rudder pedals. After scrubbing, we wiped the surfaces with a cloth. The solvents proved effective at removing the sticky grease and dirt, although the treatment had to be repeated several times.

A small steam cleaner was also put into use. The surfaces were treated again with the solvents mentioned earlier and then "blasted" with the steam cleaner. The steam cleaner was very effective at removing grease and dirt, but it was not sufficiently effective against oxidised areas. After each steam cleaning, the part was wiped clean with a cloth. By repeating this method, the surfaces gradually became cleaner, as each time more dirt and remnants of old paint were removed.

After using the solvents and the steam cleaner, patches of wear caused by corrosion remained on the surface of the rudder pedals. The corrosion had already broken through the zinc chromated surface of the aluminium components, leaving them mottled. These worn areas were rough to the touch. We considered whether to leave them as they were or to sand them smoother.

Photo: Jouni Ripatti

We decided to sand them so that the corroded spots would be as inconspicuous as possible beneath the new painted surface. The corrosion patches were sanded with a scouring pad, which worked well. The more severely corroded spots had become so rough that they were carefully “carved” smooth with a thin-bladed utility knife. In this way, the corroded areas were made sufficiently smooth for painting. The rudder pedals of BL-106, mottled by corrosion, were now ready for painting.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Unfastening of the OH-XTM Super Chug propeller and fitting a new one

Sunnuntai 7.12.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The propeller of the OH-XTM Super Chug (in Finnish Super Sytky), which was damaged in a landing accident and donated to Aviation Museum Society Finland, broke in the crash. A replacement in good condition is required. The wooden propeller on OH-XTM was manufactured in the United States and bears a manufacturing plaque reading “MARFA HEGY TEXAS.” The propeller is stamped with the dimensions 54x44, indicating its diameter and pitch. It is also stamped with the numbers 6-81, which presumably refer to the month and year of manufacture.

Fortunately, we were donated a suitable propeller for the OH-XTM Super Chug’s VW 1600 engine. Antti Laukkanen, restoration manager at the Finnish Aviation Museum, decided to part with a propeller he had for the benefit of our Super Chug’s engine. This propeller was manufactured by E. Pankkonen in the 1970s. Pankkonen produced propellers under official permit, including those for the Fournier RF-5 “Tuulia” aircraft. These were much needed in the 1970s: according to the 1975 damage summary in the Finnish Ilmailu (= Aviation) magazine, the Tuulia in Turku was already using its eleventh propeller in its history!

We were eager to test whether the bolt holes of the donated propeller would fit the propeller hub of the OH-XTM engine. For this reason, the original but damaged propeller, which was still attached to the Super Chug’s VW 1600 engine, needed to be removed.

The disassembly began with the propeller hub cover, i.e. the spinner. Once the numerous crosshead screws at the rear edge of the spinner were removed, the spinner could be pulled off with a bit of prying.

Now the broken propeller could be detached. The propeller hub bolts came loose easily, allowing both the bolts and the propeller's mounting flange to be removed. There was some speculation as to how tightly the propeller would still be stuck to the mating parts of the mounting bolts. However, after tapping the propeller lightly with a rubber mallet, it came off easily.

With the propeller removed, the mounting ring for the spinner’s screws underneath could also be taken off, leaving only the hub with the propeller mounting bolt mating sleeves (threaded inserts) attached. During the disassembly, all screws, bolts and washers were labelled and placed in a plastic bag to await the completion of the Super Chug’s restoration and the installation of the new propeller on the VW 1600 engine.

Once the broken propeller had been removed and the hub was free, the donated propeller was test-fitted to the Super Chug’s engine. The propeller bolt holes in the donated propeller matched perfectly with the threaded inserts in the hub. The new propeller’s holes were, however, slightly smaller in diameter than the mounting bolts. This means that when the propeller is eventually installed on the OH-XTM Super Chug’s engine, its bolt holes will need to be slightly enlarged.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Cleaning and painting the Snoopy?s Continental A 65 engine

Tiistai 2.12.2025

Suomeksi

Ressu, i.e. Snoopy (OH-XEA) was originally equipped with a Continental A 65 engine. However, the original engine has not survived. Nevertheless, we managed to obtain a similar type of engine, from a crashed aircraft, to install in the Snoopy. Although this engine is damaged and unfit for use, it suits our purposes. We are restoring the engine to look like an operational one and supplementing it with missing parts so that it can be mounted on Snoopy’s nose.

All parts still attached to the engine, except for the cylinders, were disassembled. We were unable to detach the cylinders as the pistons were completely seized inside them. The detached parts were cleaned using various methods, including the engine block and its cylinders. For the cylinders, we decided that to paint them properly, including the cooling fins, they would have to be thoroughly cleaned before painting. Therefore, we opted to take the Continental engine block, with the cylinders still attached, for glass bead blasting at Taximo Oy in Tattarisuo, Helsinki.

Photo: Juha Veijalainen

Before sending the engine to be glass bead blasted, it was plugged up to prevent the blasting media from getting inside the engine, even though this engine will never run again. The open intake and exhaust ports were covered with thin aluminium plates. A similar protective cover was made from thin aluminium for the opening left by the removed timing gear cover, to stop blasting material from entering. This was done by placing the removed timing cover on a sheet of aluminium, tracing its shape, and cutting out a piece to match, with holes drilled in the edges for fixing pins.

We mounted the Continental engine onto an engine stand so that it could be rotated easily, much like a spit roast. To install the timing gear cover, the engine had to be removed from the stand. This was done with an engine hoist. Once the protective cover was attached, the engine was returned to its stand. It was deliberately taken for blasting while still mounted, as this made it much easier to rotate during the cleaning process. Our Continental A 65 engine was now ready for glass bead blasting.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

The engine was transported from Puusepäntie to Tattarisuo in a passenger car, where the engine and its stand could be loaded, pulling it in with a cargo strap. A week later, the engine was collected from blasting and, still on the stand, was taken to the Finnish Aviation Museum for painting the cylinders. This was because the museum has a spray-painting tent, which we don’t have at the Puusepäntie workshop. Black and white photographs of the Snoopy show that the engine’s cylinders and valve covers were painted black, while the block was left in aluminium. We followed this original approach as well.

Photo: Juha Veijalainen

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

Before painting the cylinders, the block was protected with plastic. The cylinders to be painted were brushed and washed with Sinol to remove any dust left from the blasting. The spark plugs were then removed, and the edges of the plug holes were greased with Vaseline, as they were to be left unpainted. The engine was then taken to the painting tent in the museum’s yard. The cylinders were spray-painted with semi-gloss black Isoguard Pansar paint. Surprisingly, a large amount of paint was required, as the cylinders and their cooling fins had a lot of surface area to cover. The cylinders and cooling fins were painted twice to ensure the spaces between the fins were thoroughly coated.

Photos: Reijo Siirtola

After painting, the Continental engine was transported by car back to the workshop in Puusepäntie. There, the engine block was wiped down with Sinol, after which a clear Isotrol varnish was brushed onto the block’s surface to protect the aluminium from oxidation. Now the Snoopy’s Continental A 65 engine block and cylinders were cleaned and painted. The transformation from the engine’s original condition was remarkable.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Indoor air humidity control in the Caravelle

Maanantai 1.12.2025 - Ismo Matinlauri & Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

The winter season is severe for the Caravelle’s interior. Especially the high humidity increases the risks of mould and damages the surfaces. Temperature changes cause the indoor air humidity to condense on surfaces which are not insulated.

Cold weather and temperatures below zero Centigrade are not a risk as such. There are no parts or structures in the aircraft which could be broken or frozen in low temperatures. In really cold weather the outdoor air doesn’t contain much water.

Humidity control in winter 2024–2025 

In autumn 2024 the passenger seats and their textiles had not yet been assembled in the Caravelle’s cabin. The interior, however, with the wall and ceiling insulation and its covering materials was almost ready in the front part of the cabin.

That winter we reduced the indoor air humidity by placing 5-6 bags of salt evenly around the cabin. The salt bags remove water from the humid indoor air by absorbing it into the salt, which melts and drips into a bucket below. The method is cheap and easy to assemble, but to ensure optimal results it needs regular monitoring, emptying the drip containers, and maintenance of the salt bags. We had to replace the salt bags once during the winter. We also had borrowed a small condensing air dryer which operated only in temperatures above zero. 

In spring we noticed, to our dismay, small new spots of mould on the new wall surface materials which had been installed before the winter. It was clear that before the following winter we had to find a more efficient way to control the indoor air humidity.

Alternatives

In early autumn 2025 Erja Reinikainen scanned the alternatives we could use for humidity control, and the following three options were chosen for detailed analysis.

1) Air-to-air heat pump

The air-to-air heat pump operates by transferring thermal energy from one place to another via its indoor and outdoor units, utilizing the state changing features of a refrigerant. In winter it transfers heat from outdoor air heating the indoor space where the indoor unit is. In summer the process is reversed, and the heat pump transfers heat out from the indoor space, cooling it. The dehumidifying function utilizes the refrigerant and the cold surface of the indoor unit coil, where the indoor air is cooled and its humidity condenses on the coil. The condensed water is drained from the indoor unit.

Advantages

• Purchase cost 0 €, we have at our disposal a 16-year-old second-hand air-to-air heat pump (with one indoor unit and an outdoor unit)
• The equipment is available without delay
• The heat pump could be used for heating and cooling the cabin and cockpit when there is somebody working inside

Questions

• How to get a contractor to install an old heat pump unit and what is the installation cost?
• Is the refrigerant piping ok and without leaks?
• Will there be problems in the assembly?
• Will the old controls and electronics work reliably in humidity control?

Disadvantages

• Dehumidification will produce condensing water in the indoor unit, the water must be led out from the aircraft
• The heat pump will not dehumidify indoor air in temperatures below +10°C
• The heating capacity of such an old unit may not be sufficient when the outdoor temperature is below -10°C
• There are EU restrictions for using the R410A refrigerant in new and existing installations. Furthermore, there may be problems in purchasing the refrigerant in the future and/or its cost may be high

2. Desiccant dehumidifier
 
A desiccant dehumidifier has a rotating wheel, often referred to as a desiccant rotor, which is made from layers of fibrous material impregnated with a moisture-absorbing substance such as silica gel. As the wheel slowly turns, it divides the airflow through the unit into two streams: the process air and the regeneration air. The process air, which contains excess humidity from the room, passes through the section of the wheel dedicated to moisture removal. Its water vapour is adsorbed onto the desiccant material, resulting in dry air that is then circulated back into the indoor environment. Meanwhile, the regeneration air stream is heated before it passes through a separate sector of the wheel. This warm air drives off the accumulated moisture from the desiccant material, effectively "recharging" it for further use. The now humid regeneration air is expelled outside, usually via a dedicated hose. This continuous cycle allows the dehumidifier to efficiently extract moisture from the air, even at low temperatures, without adding heat to the room.

Advantages

• Ready to use, no installation, plug in
• A compact unit, no piping, no water in the unit
• Dehumidification works up to -10...-20°C temperatures

Questions

• How to duct the humid regeneration air from the aircraft
• Where is the extract air hose stored when the dehumidification is not needed?
• How to clear the equipment away if there are visitors coming to see the aircraft during winter months?

Disadvantages

• The purchase cost is high
• Munters units are more than 2 000 euros + VAT, Trotec TTR 300 has similar capacity and is 1780 euros + VAT
• Are there cheaper models, rented units, second-hand units?

3. Humidity controlled ventilation

The indoor humidity is controlled with mechanical ventilation (supply and extract). The air change rate in the cabin is once in 2…4 hours. Heated supply air is blown in through one end of the cabin, and the humid extract air is taken out from the other end. The fan operation (or air flow) is controlled by measuring the indoor humidity.

Advantages

• Purchase cost for fans, ducts, controls and cables, etc. is difficult to estimate
• Requires a lot of installation work by the Caravelle team, maybe
• Takes time to plan, purchase and install

Questions

• Is the system sufficient for dehumidification?
• What is the energy consumption?

Disadvantages

• Electricity use for heating supply air may be high
• The ductwork in the cabin is a permanent installation – or then assembly and disassembly is needed every year

Selection of dehumidification system

The selection between the three alternatives had to be made considering ease of assembly, reliability and economy. Looking at the purchase costs and electricity consumption there were significant differences.

The used air-to-air heat pump we were offered was considered too old and a new one too expensive, and the dehumidification in low temperatures wasn’t reliable. The assembly would have required changes in the aircraft to bring in the refrigerant pipes. The installation of the outdoor and indoor units would have been permanent and would have changed the appearance of the aircraft.

The ventilation option wasn’t encouraging. Heating the supply air with electricity during the long winter months would have been too expensive for our limited budget. This option would also have required proper design and planning before buying the equipment. The assembly work would have taken time too. 

This is how we ended up choosing the desiccant dehumidifier. An interesting leasing option was found but eventually we found suitable second-hand devices in an online auction, on a reasonable price. The Aviation Museum Society bought two Trotec TTR 250 dehumidifiers. One of them stayed in Turku to be installed in the Caravelle and the other was taken to Tuusula, to the new premises of the Tuesday Club, to be used for dehumidification in one of their sea containers.

Installation

We decided to place the dehumidifier in the middle of the open area in the rear cabin. The dry air is led through two ducts to both ends of the aircraft, i.e. to the cockpit and the rear galley. The dehumidifier will take in the humid indoor air from mid-cabin, causing an air circulation inside the aircraft. The humid regeneration air is exhausted from the cabin where the dehumidifier is located.
We found a good and elegant solution for the exhaust air hose as we had spare exit hatches available. One of the exit hatches was brought in from the storage container and a through hole was drilled in the middle of its triangular window. The exhaust air hose is led through the hole in a duct bend, which is fastened tightly on the hole. When the dehumidification period is over in spring, the dehumidifier and its ducts and the exit hatch with the hole in its window can be disassembled and taken to storage. An original exit hatch will be put back into place for the summer when there will be visitors coming to see the Caravelle. With this arrangement there won’t be any extra installations, equipment or through holes visible during the summer season.

The installation can be seen in the picture. The dehumidifier had to be placed on a bench which is on a table, because the exhaust air hose for the warm and humid air has to slope downwards so that there won’t be water pockets in it. Through these it might be possible to have the water leak back into the dehumidified space.

In the photo below the humid air intake is behind the dehumidifier and can’t be seen. The dry air is blown through the duct back into the cabin. The T-joint in the duct divides the air into the cockpit and the rear galley. The duct is 100 mm in diameter and 10 m in length to both directions. Towards the cockpit the last 5 metres is made of plastic land drainage pipe with holes in it. This distributes the supply air evenly into the front part of the cabin where the fabric-covered passenger seats are. 

The humid exhaust air is blown out of the cabin through the hose which is led through the hole in the exit window as seen in the picture. We also made sure that there is a sufficient flow of make-up air through the aircraft’s own ventilation ducts, even with natural ventilation without fans.

We asked comments from Sweden how they control the humidity in their museum aircraft which are stored outside. Flygvapenmuseum from Linköping replied that in their Caravelle they use Munters desiccant dehumidifier, i.e. similar to ours. They were pleased with it and said it works very well also in winter conditions.

After a few weeks’ experience we can say that the results are good, the dehumidifier keeps the relative humidity in the cabin about 15-20 percent points lower than the outdoor relative humidity. It is too early to say how well the dehumidifier will work through the winter, but we will collect data during the winter months to ensure that this solution was a good choice.

Photos: Jouko Tarponen

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Painting of the Bristol Blenheim bomber pilot's seat

Keskiviikko 26.11.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The pilot’s seat of the Bristol Blenheim bomber, which was assembled for the Finnish Air Force after the war and designated BL-106, has been under restoration at the Tuesday Club. This aircraft, which received the BL-106 designation, was assembled in the early 1950s from stored parts of various Blenheim individuals as a V-series aircraft. There is scarcely a single part in this aircraft from the original British-manufactured BL-106, which was flown to Finland in December 1937. The original BL-106 overturned in a forced landing on 8 June 1944 and was damaged beyond repair.

Photo: SA-kuva

The restoration of the seat from BL-106, which was assembled after the war, reached the painting phase in early autumn. In preparation for painting, we examined what kind of paint residues could be found on the seat as we cleaned the rusted or otherwise oxidised surfaces of both the seat pan and the seat frame.

After examining the surfaces, we concluded at first that the seat frame’s steel parts had been painted black. However, upon closer inspection, it became apparent that on top of the black paint there had been a layer of grey paint. This was confirmed when brackets, or clamps, were removed from the steel tubes of the seat frame, revealing grey paint underneath. Scraping the grey paint with a fingernail exposed black paint beneath the grey layer. Based on these findings, the decision was made to paint the seat grey.

The same paint was more clearly visible on the surface of the aluminium seat pan, although several different shades of grey and greenish-grey paint could be seen there. It was established that the topmost layer had been grey paint. In addition, a speck of red paint was found at the end of the handle that adjusts the tilt angle of the seat pan.

Bright green paint was also found on the aluminium parts of the control column which is attached to the seat frame. This green paint is a primer, which was used by the State Aircraft Factory. During overhauls at the State Aircraft Factory also the cockpits of Blenheims built in Britain were painted with grey paint in accordance with the VL’s standard, using shade RAL 7005. In the same way, we will paint the pilot’s seat of BL-106.

It should be noted that the cockpits of the British-manufactured Blenheim aircraft purchased by Finland were painted with the aircraft grey green shade used by the Royal Air Force (RAF Aircraft Grey Green BS381c-283).

Before painting the seat with grey paint, the steel tube frame, which had been cleaned of rust, as well as the steel parts of the aluminium seat pan, were treated with Isotrol lacquer, which is a primer that offers excellent protection against rust. In contrast, the aluminium parts do not require protective lacquer but are painted directly with Isoguard Pansar topcoat paint, which is specifically designed for metal surfaces, using shade grey (RAL 7005).

The seat frame was first treated with Isotrol lacquer. After that, the topcoat painting with Isoguard Pansar paint began with the seat pan. The inside surface of the seat pan was painted first, using brushes. Isoguard Pansar paint has the advantageous property of levelling out very well even when applied with a brush. Once the inside surface of the seat pan had dried, the outer surface was painted. After this, the seat frame was painted.

Once both the seat frame and the seat pan had been painted, the seat frame and the pan were joined together. The pan and the frame are connected to each other by a horizontal connecting tube, resembling a large cotter pin. It consists of two tubes that are pushed against each other and a locking bushing which is slid over their butt joint.

On both sides of the seat frame and of the the seat pan, there is an opening aligned for this steel tube. The ends of the connecting tube are pushed through these openings from both sides of the seat, towards each other. Once the ends of the tubes meet, the locking bushing, which is fitted onto one of the tubes, is slid over the butt joint to secure the connection and make it rigid. In this way, the seat frame and the seat pan were joined together. The connecting tube also serves as the axis that enables the adjustment of the seat pan’s tilt angle. The seat itself has its own separate mechanism for adjusting the angle.

Getting the connecting tube with its three parts into place proved to be a challenge. It took some time before the locking bushing, which secures the ends of the tubes, could be locked in place with the bolts running through the connecting tube. We had to enlarge the holes for the connecting bolts using a thin round file before we could push the bolts through the connecting tube. It was also tricky to get the bolts that prevent the connecting tube from moving sideways into place and to tighten the nuts onto their ends.

The restoration of the pilot’s seat for the Blenheim BL-106 has now been completed. Or, in fact, there is still one more task to be done. The leather surface of the grip padding on the right side of the seat is badly worn and partially torn. We are considering whether to restore or conserve this worn seat padding. We are leaning towards conservation, and for this we need an expert, since there is not enough expertise for this in the Tuesday Club.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

MY-5 fuselage frame brought from Finnish Aviation Museum to the Puusepäntie workshop

Perjantai 21.11.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The Tuesday Club has been working all autumn at the Finnish Aviation Museum and also at the Aviation Museum Society’s workshop in Puusepäntie to build the Demo-Myrsky. The Demo-Myrsky is built to display the inner structures of the Myrsky II fighter, designed and built by the Finnish State Aircraft Factory. Myrsky had a mixed structure, its fuselage was made of welded steel tube and the front fuselage had aluminium plate covering and the rear part was covered with fabric. The wing, the vertical and horizontal stabilizers and the rudder were made of wood and covered with plywood.

At the Finnish Aviation Museum the fuselage frame of Myrsky MY-5, which is in poor condition, has been restored to be used in the Demo-Myrsky. This work has continued at the museum, because the work phases on the fuselage frame have required welding and other metal work and the Puusepäntie workshop doesn’t yet have the facilities for doing this kind of work. Missing parts have been added to the MY-5 fuselage frame, and the windscreen entity, canopy frames and foot controls have been installed. At Puusepäntie the fuselage formers, horizontal stabilizer and rudder have been built and the original, but badly damaged Myrsky aluminium-structure vertical stabilizer has been repaired.

Finally we are in the situation where the work on the MY-5 fuselage frame has been completed at the museum, and the fuselage could be transported from the museum to Puusepäntie. At Puusepäntie the fuselage covering work can be started by fastening the formers on the fuselage frame. The fuselage will be covered only on one side so that the inner structures remain visible.

Photo: Jaakko Rantasalo

Before the Myrsky fuselage was brought in, some rearranging was needed in the Puusepäntie workshop so that the MY-5 fuselage would fit in with the Super Chug OH-XTM and the Snoopy OH-XEA fuselages, which are already there. When the preparations had been made, the MY-5 fuselage frame was loaded on a trailer, waiting outside the museum, on 17 November. On the following day the trailer was fastened on the towing hook of the Octavia and the journey to Puusepäntie began.

When arriving at Puusepäntie, the cargo straps around the MY-5 were unfastened and the fuselage frame was lowered from the trailer on the tarmac outside the workshop. Then the fuselage frame was pulled on its auxiliary wheels, welded on the frame, into the workshop. It fitted well into the working area. Now the three fuselages (Super Chug, Snoopy and MY-5) stand side by side, waiting to be restored.

We can soon call the workshop the Aircraft Factory of the Aviation Museum Society!

Photos: Lassi karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The repairs on the Super Chug fuselage under way

Keskiviikko 19.11.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The repairs on the Super Chug OH-XTM, which was involved in a serious landing accident, have started. The first target will be the damaged fuselage of the aircraft. The lower part has been damaged between the rear section of the cockpit area and the firewall. The firewall is the rear section of the nose part, covered with a metal plate on the outer surface for fire protection. The lower part of the fuselage has been completely destroyed to the floor level, and the covering plywood on both sides is partly tattered halfway up the fuselage. The rear fuselage remained intact in the crash.

The fuselage between the cockpit and the firewall of the OH-XTM was laid ”inverted” to facilitate repairs.

To start the repairs on the wooden fuselage, which had been stripped of the engine, the front section of the fuselage was emptied of all the wires and gadgets. First the fuel tank, which filled the front section of the fuselage, had to be removed to gain access to the wires and tubes leading from the cockpit to the engine bay. The fuel tank fastening straps were opened, after which the tank was lifted out of the front section of the fuselage. The tank straps were left in place for the time being.

After the fuel tank had been removed, the wires and cables going through the firewall from the cockpit to the engine bay were detached from their holders and the wires were pulled through the firewall. To completely empty the front section of the fuselage, we had to detach the rudder pedals, which were attached to the broken front fuselage former, and the wires leading from the pedals to the rudder.

Photo: Jouni Ripatti

When the aircraft hit the ground, the firewall was mostly torn loose from its fuselage joint and simultaneously it was damaged at the edges. It had to be taken out for repairs. The firewall and fuselage joint seam was sawn open, using a multi-tool saw blade, to cut loose the part that was still hanging to the fuselage. Thus the firewall could be detached from the fuselage for repairs and the space between the cockpit and firewall opened, apart from the fuel tank straps.

Photoa: Ari Aho

As to the fuselage side damaged covering plywood sheets, it was established that the repairing would be better done by covering anew the side areas with plywood. Thus the damaged areas of plywood were sawn off with the saw blade of the multi-tool. The plywood was sawn along the fuselage stringers so that about 10 mm of plywood was left outside the edge as a rabbet for the future butt joint. A 20 mm high wooden batten will be glued on the fuselage stringer as a support for the butt joint where the edges of the old and new plywood join.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

ranslation to English: Matti Liuskallio

The service door stair restored

Sunnuntai 16.11.2025 - Ismo Matinlauri

Suomeksi

The Caravelle restoration team usually uses the right-hand side service door, located opposite to the passenger door. It is smaller than the passenger door, but more convenient to use in the daily activities as it is located on the side of the office container. The problem has been that we haven’t had a suitable stair for the door.
  
The picture below was taken on 6 October 2025, when the fuselage was cleaned on the outside after the summer. The stair in the picture was already in use in Pansio where the aircraft was being restored during the winter 2022-23. We had to build additional steps to the top and bottom to make the height match and to have safe access to the doorway.

In summer Inter Handling Finland Oy donated us a used airport stair, which had a perfect height to fit our service door. The stair looked rather worn but was sturdy and safe to use. The picture below was taken on 9 September 2024.

Several alternatives for repainting the stair were investigated. The main idea was to have it sandblasted and painted twice. We had paint left over from painting the aircraft so there would have been enough of grey primer and white top-coat paint.

However, transporting the stair to be sandblasted turned out to be a problem, and the painting plans ground to a halt. The stair was slightly too wide and too tall for ordinary truck transport, so in autumn 2024 we decided, for economic reasons, to leave its refurbishment to wait for better times.

In early autumn 2025 Inter Handling contacted us and offered to sandblast and paint the stair in their premises at Turku airport. We accepted this offer with cheers.

When the Inter Handling stairs were taken to be painted, we took the temporary stair (seen in the first photo) into use once more.

After a couple of months we got the refurbished and re-painted stair back into place. The new-looking stair was handed over by the chairman of the Inter Handling Finland Oy board, Mr. Tero Nurminen. In the photo taken on 12 November 2025 he is seen on the right, with Ismo Matinlauri from the Caravelle team.

Next spring when the weather gets warmer, the painting will be finalized when the logo of Aviation Museum Society Finland is painted above the words Turku Airport.

Aviation Museum Society Finland thanks Inter Handling Finland Oy for supporting our Caravelle project by donating and refurbishing the service door stair.

Photos: Jouko Tarponen

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Fashion photogarphs from the shoot at our Caravelle in july

Lauantai 8.11.2025 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

A Caravelle blog published in the summer talked about a photo shoot on the Caravelle site at Turku airport when the fashion collection of Konsta Eskola, an Aalto University fashion design student, was being photographed.

The collection is a part of Konsta’s final project in his bachelor’s studies, where he has evaluated airline uniforms and the possibilities for their reuse. All materials of Konsta’s collection – except aluminium and recycled leather – are from parts of Finnair’s and Norra’s used uniforms. He has taken apart the uniform parts he received from the airlines, and from this material he created new outfits. Konsta’s final project collection includes six looks.

We got pictures which were taken on that day by photographer Simran Kaur and with Konsta’s permission we publish some of them on this website.

Photos: Simran Kaur

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The OH-XEA Snoopy fuselage covering

Lauantai 8.11.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

Before the Tuesday Club’s summer break, we had attached the covering fabrics on the Snoopy’s fuselage upper and lower surfaces and on both sides of the cockpit. We couldn’t have covered more at the time because we had run out of the covering fabric we used. However, we had time to start the tightening lacquering on the fuselage upper and lower covering.

After the beginning of the autumn season we found a solution for continuing the Snoopy’s fuselage covering, because a bolt of fabric was found at the Finnish Aviation Museum and we got the use of it. We made the standard tightening test with nitrocellulose lacquer by attaching the fabric to a test frame. The test was started with water tightening, advancing by stages to 25%, 50%, 75% to full 100 % lacquer. The result of our testing was that the fabric seemed to be suitable for continuing the Snoopy’s fuselage covering.

The covering of the Snoopy’s sides was started by making a cardboard template of the sides. According to them, pieces of fabric were cut off for the covering of the sides. The pieces of fabric, cut to form, were attached to the frame of the fuselage with contact glue. The fabric was first glued from its upper edge to the frame tube of the fuselage. After this the fabric was glued from its lower edge to the frame tube, stretching it from the hem at the same time. This way the fabric was made tentatively tight to wait for the water tightening and the subsequent tightening with nitrocellulose lacquer.

After the glue had dried at the seams, the pieces of fabric were water tightened, i.e. soaked with boiled water. After the fabric had dried, the tightening process with nitrocellulose lacquer was started. We began with 25% lacquer and now we have progressed to 50% and 75% lacquer. As the lacquer we used NC-Speed nitro lacquer, tinted with iron oxide. Simultaneously the tightening lacquering of the fuselage lower and upper surfaces, and the cockpit walls have been continued.

As the lacquering of the Snoopy’s sides proceeded, we noticed to our dismay that the tightening of the side fabric wasn’t even. The warp of the fabric had tightened better vertically than horizontally. The consequence being that a waviness was to be seen in the fabric. This new fabric wasn’t as well tightening as we had observed in the test we made. To be honest, we noticed that after 50% of lacquering, the waviness had diminished but not entirely vanished. It is unlikely that we will try to acquire a new better fabric to re-cover the Snoopy’s sides.

We still had to fabric the cockpit door and the floor of the cockpit and the bottom of the nose section. Cardboard templates were once again made of the above mentioned, and the right size pieces of fabric were cut off. The fabric was identical to the fabric used to the fuselage sides. We, however, believed the fabric will tighten enough in small areas. Again, we attached the fabric rims to the fuselage metal structure with contact glue.

The door with windows was covered up to the window opening, which will be cut open only after the fabric has been finally tightened with tightening lacquer, and the fabric glued to the door’s window frame. The cockpit door and the cockpit fabric and the fabric of the nose section lower part have now received two applications of 25% NC-Speed nitrocellulose lacquer, after the initial water tightening. The tightening of the covering fabric seems to be promising.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Matti Liuskallio

Restoring the instrument panel in the cockpit

Maanantai 27.10.2025 - Ismo Matinlauri and Martti Saarinen

Suomeksi

When the former SAS Caravelle SE-DAF arrived in Finland in August 2022, its fuselage was tilted 45 degrees due to the limited height in the ferry’s vehicle deck. In the former Pansio shipyard hall, where the aircraft was brought for restoration, the fuselage remained in this position for the first five months. This allowed easier access to the upper section of the fuselage where the cleaning and grinding work started.

In the beginning of 2023 the fuselage was turned into an upright position, and we could enter the cabin and the cockpit for the first time. We were shocked – a mild expression for what we felt – to see saw how drastically the interior had been disassembled. The cabin seats, overhead shelves and surface materials had been removed, and there was not much left of the cockpit equipment either.

Cockpit interior on 27 March 2023 when the Turku team saw it for the first time

In the cockpit, about 30-35 instruments or display panels were missing from the instrument panel. The paint was peeling and the surfaces looked rundown after decades of neglect on the edge of Arlanda airport.

Martti Saarinen, a member of the Caravelle technical team, set to looking for the missing instruments and radio operating panels in co-operation with Antti Hyvärinen. Janne Salonen, for his part, contacted the aviation museums in Sweden to find missing instruments.

The cockpit on 25 October 2023, about seven months after the previous picture was taken.

Several of the missing instruments have been found, many have been donated by various organisations and private persons. Some instruments have not been available, so Martti Saarinen built copies (non-operational replicas) to replace them.

Painting work progressed in the cockpit, and the glare shield was unfastened to be restored. 
The side panels of the cockpit were painted by the Turku team. To maintain an authentic appearance, the original paintwork was retained on the instrument panels.
The glare shield above the instrument panel was restored at Vantaa by the Tuesday Club of Aviation Museum Society Finland.

The hunt for the missing instruments was still on and one by one items were found online. In autumn 2025 the instrument panel was quite complete. Other equipment in the cockpit was also restored, e.g. the throttle levers. In 2025 also the textiles of the pilots’ seats were cleaned, repaired and partly replaced.

The cockpit on 24 September.2025 when lighting had been installed

When the electrical work progressed, lighting was installed in the cockpit. The new led strip under the glare shield lights up the instrument panel quite nicely. There is still some painting work remaining and we are looking for the last missing parts and radio panels.

The autopilot control panel in September 2025

One of the latest additions on the instrument panel is the autopilot panel. Martti Saarinen had to build it because a real one couldn’t be found.

The radio panels in the pilots’ ceiling panel on 13 October 2025

The latest addition is the control panel of the ADF radio, which we were donated in early October 2025. It can be seen in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture.

We are still looking for some items and maybe one day we will find real instruments to replace the replicas we have now in the cockpit.

The control panel of the HF-radio and the fault indication panels for the navigation systems are missing. Although the HF-installation varied on the SAS aircraft. Initially, black cover plates were used on the aircraft when some equipment had not been installed.

Photos: Jouko Tarponen

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

OH-XTM Super Chug fuselage ready for repairs

Lauantai 18.10.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

After the Super Chug fuselage had been moved to the Puusepäntie workhop, the preparations to restore the damaged fuselage began. The first task was to detach the engine from the fuselage, because handling the damaged fuselage with the heavy engine in place would be nearly impossible.

Photo: Matti Kainulainen

So we started to detach the Super Chug’s VW 1600 engine from the fuselage together with the engine mounting. In doing so we’ll avoid detaching the wires, tubes and engine equipment within the engine mounting frame.

Photo: Jouni Ripatti

The engine mounting was attached to the fuselage with five bolts. We tried to open the nuts of the bolts that penetrated the firewall. The bolts, however, turned simultaneously when the nuts were turned. Somehow, we had to gain access to the bolt heads behind the firewall. If the nose of the aircraft were intact, gaining access to the bolts would be almost impossible, because the bolts were situated behind the fuel tank between the cockpit and the firewall. Now, however, the nose of the aircraft was torn because of the crash, so we could reach the bolts and unscrew the nuts.

Photo: Ari Aho

Photo: Antti Hietala

At the same time all the wires and cables, connecting the engine through the firewall, were detached. Part of them could be easily detached, but others fought us all the way. When the engine oil had been drained, we were ready to detach the engine.

Photos: Antti Hietala

Photo: Ari Aho

The engine was tied with cargo straps to an engine hoist, and the engine was pulled gingerly out of the nose of the Super Chug, hanging from the straps with the engine mounting. The detached engine was lowered on straps to a solid worktop to wait for further action.

The fuselage without the engine was still resting attached to a support frame made of pieces of four by two. Now the fuselage could be detached from the frame. The straps and other devices were opened, and the fuselage was carefully lifted from the supporting frame on to the table. We were a little apprehensive to lift the fuselage, nearly broken in half, but it held on well.

Because the fuselage of the OH-XTM has been damaged in the lower part between the cockpit and the firewall, it would be the most convenient, if the fuselage were to be on its back. So it was decided to place the fuselage on its back on two trestles, to facilitate the restoration work. One trestle would be by the cockpit opening and the other would support the rear fuselage at the stem of the vertical stabilizer.

We pondered what the suitable working height would be to restore the fuselage. It was decided to be 120 cm from the floor level. We adjusted the legs of the trestle by the cockpit so that the Super Chug’s fuselage top line, or in this case the damaged bottom line, would be at the height of 120 cm. The rear fuselage trestle had to be built.

It was built from the dismantled four by two pieces of wood of the Super Chug’s supporting frame. It resembled a normal wing trestle, only it was narrower. The level of the trestle was adjusted with a piece of fire hose used as strap, so that the whole of the fuselage was level and 120 cm from the floor.

After finishing the rear fuselage support trestle, the fuselage of the Super Chug was lifted upside down on the trestles. Thus the fuselage of the OH-XTM is ready for the restoration work.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Matti Liuskallio

Inventory and other work on an autumn friday, 19 september 2025

Perjantai 19.9.2025 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

The Caravelle volunteers in Turku have been busy all autumn with the interior work in the rear cabin, electrical installation and other finishing work as well as improving the outdoor area. This blog, however, concentrates on the activities of a day when the three Team Helsinki/Vantaa/Vihti members were on site. Another blog will be written later about the interior work.

Instruments have been installed into the instrument panel in the cockpit and finally the last item could be added. We don’t have an original autopilot operating panel, but a skilfully made copy was assembled – and it looks great.

Photo: Martti Saarinen

In the cabin new stoppers were tested on the curtain track. They prevent the curtain roller slides from slipping from their track if the curtains are moved. We have some original stoppers, but new ones are needed too. The prototypes of the new stoppers proved to work well, so some additional copies will be made.

We were donated an original Caravelle first class double seat and its refurbishment will be done next spring, before bringing it into the cabin. We have already started with some preparations and planning for the refurbishment. The seat will need mechanical repairs, and new padding and covers need to be made. Now we did some measurements and padding tests for drawing the patterns for new covers.

Photo: Erja Reinikainen

You may remember that a container full of material came from Arlanda along with the aircraft. It has been parked in our storage area at Turku airport since early summer 2023. Another container, located beside the aircraft, has worked as a shed for tools and material needed in the restoration work. Quite a job was done as the contents of the two sea containers were now inventoried and organized. In the organizing work the visiting volunteers were accompanied with two Turku team members.

Photo: Jouni Halme

The container in the storage area still contains some items which were dismantled from the SE-DAF in the summer in 2022, but there is a lot of other material we got from Arlanda, packed in wooden boxes and some loose in the container. At Arlanda the material was inventoried, and the boxes were labelled with texts describing the contents. During the years parts and some cabin textiles have been collected from the boxes and installed in the aircraft. The boxes have also been rummaged through for other purposes.

Now all loose items in the container were checked, the boxes were opened, and an inventory was made of the material we have. The material was sorted into two categories: a) Caravelle parts which may be used in the aircraft or in the exhibition and b) material from other aircraft types which may be sold or placed on display. A real treasure were the six original and well-preserved unused windowpanes (plexiglass) which can be installed in the cabin. Cockpit items were found too, pilot headset and microphones, among others. There is plenty of interesting material for the exhibition, such as the “black box”, refuelling panel, radio equipment and different kinds of tools and small parts.

Photo: Jouni Halme

We also collected all kinds of waste and disposable material from the storage container. This included cargo pallets, timber used in the transportation of the aircraft parts, etc. and material which had corroded or crackled or become brittle during the decades. There were also some textile items which had been dirty, torn or damaged already when they had been packed.

There is plenty of material in the wooden boxes, waiting to be used in the future: e.g. seat covers, seat belts and tray tables which are not from a Caravelle. The boxes were re-labelled and packed into the container so that they are easily accessible.

It is easy to continue from here in the spring.

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Restoration of the Bristol Blenheim pilot's seat under way

Maanantai 8.9.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

Last year we finished the restoration of the co-pilot’s stool from a V-series (BL-106) Bristol Blenheim bomber. Our object was a short-nosed Blenheim, assembled after the war from surplus parts in the 1950’s, having dual controls for training purposes. Beside the pilot’s seat there was a stool-like seat for the copilot. The controls in front of the seat were connected with rods to the captain’s controls. Mind you, that this series V-Blenheim aircraft (BL-106), assembled after the war, has in fact nothing in common with the UK-built war horse (BL-106), which was destroyed in a crash landing on 8.6.1944.

After restoring the copilot’s stool we moved our sights on the pilot’s seat. Restoring is all about cleaning the seat frame, basically a steel tube construction, from dirt, grease and rust. For the part of the seat pan, it meant cleaning the surfaces and sanding before painting. Note that the seat had no back armour.

As the first task we detached the leather-covered padding of the seat armrest to be conserved. After that we started the cleaning of the pilot’s seat. Soon we realized that cleaning would be more efficient and easier, if we could separate the aluminium seat pan and the seat frame.

Separating the seat pan and the seat frame necessitated the removing of the steel cross tube, rather like a big split pin, joining them. The cross tube consists of two tubes, joined by a butt joint, and a sleeve around the seam. We finally managed to slide the rusted sleeve from the seam and thus separate the tubes. We stripped the seat frame of all the parts that we could and detached the numerous rusty clips and other fasteners from the frame to be cleaned.

Some of the parts of the pilot’s seat were merely dirty and grimy, so to clean them for instance Fairy Power Spray was used. It removed the grease and dirt reasonably well from the surface of the parts.

The badly rusted tubes of the seat frame were cleaned by using abrasive pads, sanding papers and a steel wire brush attached to a cordless drill. For small parts, like nuts, a steel wire brush attached to a Dremel was used. The small items we detached from the frame were cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner, which we had obtained.

When rust from the surface of the rusty tubes was removed, in places black paint was revealed. Based on that we concluded that the seat frame of steel tube structure had last been painted black. The cleaning of the tub-like aluminium part of the seat pan, made it apparent that the aluminium surface had been primed with grey primer and finished with greyish green surface coat of paint. The surface paint responds in shade to the greyish green Temalac ML 90 BS 283-shade we had already used in restoring the co-pilot’s seat. As primer we’re going to use Isotrol-lacquer and as surface paint Isoquard Panzer paint. The black paint will be the semigloss Isoquard Panzer paint.

We’ve more or less completed the cleaning the pilot’s seat from rust and grime, so the next phase will be the painting of the seat.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo

Translation to English: Matti Liuskallio

Tuesday Club's autumn season at full swing

Keskiviikko 3.9.2025 - Tuesday Club member

Suomeksi

The autumn season, which started halfway through August for the Tuesday Club, has got on a good start. There’s plenty of work to do. Naturally the Snoopy’s (OH-XEA “Ressu”) restoration will continue with the covering of the fuselage as the main object. The fabric is in place on the fuselage, and the tightening lacquer is being applied. The damaged Continental A 65 engine, which we received to be installed to the Snoopy, is being prepared to be cleaned by glass bead blasting.

With the restoration of the Bristol Blenheim bomber pilot’s seat, we’ll carry on from where we got before the summer break. The seat frame and seat pan surfaces are close to being ready for painting.

The Demo-Myrsky is under construction both at Puusepäntie and at the Finnish Aviation Museum. The Demo-Myrsky consists of the Myrsky MY-14 test wing, built during the restoration project of the MY-14, and the MY-5 fuselage frame. With the aid of the Demo -Myrsky, the inside structure of a mixed construction Finnish fighter will be demonstrated. That’s why, for instance, the fuselage frame won’t be fully covered. At the Puusepäntie workshop the repairs on the horizontal stabilizer, rudder and the damaged original elevator are under way. At the Museum the refurbishing and completion of the MY-5 fuselage frame are being worked on.

We’ve had our work cut out with the two sea containers, bought by Aviation Museum Society Finland, and brought at the yard of the Puusepäntie yard. One of the containers will become a working space for fire work and the other one will serve as a storage container. Both the containers have long since seen their heyday, so they will be refurbished on the outside. Holes in the containers will be patched, and the surfaces will be sanded. The outsides will be painted with the blue colour used by the Aviation Museum Society. One already is of a pretty blue colour.

Photo: Reijo Siirtola

We’ll start with the fuselage the restoration of the PIK 21 Super Chug (OH-XTM), which was donated to Aviation Museum Society. The fuselage was brought from a storage container at the yard of the Finnish Aviation Museum to Puusepäntie. The engine will be detached from the fuselage before we can commence the restoration of the lower part of the badly damaged and plywood-covered fuselage.

The job list for the autumn season also contains the refurbishment and repairs to the ailerons of the DC-3 “the Seagull” (OH-LCD) situated at the yard of the Finnish Aviation Museum. Both the ailerons’ coverings need renewing and the stem of the right-hand aileron is damaged. The Air Veteran lot will detach the ailerons for us to restore.

Photos: Lassi Karivalo, unless otherwise mentioned

Translation to English: Matti Liuskallio

Fashion photography at the Caravelle

Lauantai 16.8.2025 - Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

On Tuesday, 29 July 2025, there was unusual activity on the Caravelle site at Turku airport when the fashion collection of Konsta Eskola, an Aalto University fashion design student, was being photographed.

This collection is a part of Konsta’s final project in his bachelor’s studies, where he has evaluated airline uniforms and the possibilities for their reuse. Before his studies Konsta worked for several years at Norra as a member of the cabin crew, so he is familiar with the work environment, airline dress codes and wearing a uniform.

All materials of Konsta’s collection – except aluminium and recycled leather – are from parts of Finnair’s and Norra’s used uniforms. He has taken apart the uniform parts he received from the airlines, and from this material he created new clothes. The uniform parts had come to the end of their life cycle in their original use and would have ended up in textile recycling. Utilizing different second-hand materials has been trendy in the fashion business already for some time, but this is presumably the first time when airline uniforms are reused in this way.

Furthermore, Konsta says he likes to play with the impressions the outfits create and to challenge the traditional views of male and female roles as uniform users. Konsta’s final project collection includes six looks.

The photographing day started on the Caravelle site by defining photographing locations and outlines as the photographer evaluated camera angles and illumination. Locations were selected outside the aircraft, on the wing and in the cabin. The Caravelle team volunteers, who were on site to assist in the shoot, moved away tools, exhibition items and all kinds of clutter from the background of the photographing sectors.

Three models, a makeup artist and a hairstylist arrived soon after noon. The first pictures were taken towards the end of the afternoon. There were some heavy rain showers during the afternoon, causing some delay in the activity, but fortunately continuous rain was avoided. The photographing session ended before twilight.

Konsta praised the Caravelle team for the photographing day, everything went smoothly, and he was very pleased with the results. “Doing a fashion shoot like this has been my long-term dream and thanks to you it was possible to make this dream come true today.”

For the Caravelle volunteers the day offered an intriguing glimpse into a different world. None of us present had ever participated in anything like this before.

The photographs taken of the fashion shoot which are published with this blog are taken by the Caravelle team members. We will get some of the actual results of the day, i.e. photos taken by the photographer, and publish them here later.

Photos: Jouko Tarponen

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

Airveteran DC-3 OH-LCH visits Caravelle on 12 July, 2025

Tiistai 5.8.2025 - Ismo Matinlauri & Erja Reinikainen

Suomeksi

This year the iconic DC-3 OH-LCH, owned by Airveteran and maintained and operated by the Finnish DC-3 Society, visited Turku on Saturday 12 July. Fortunately the visit was scheduled for a weekend and our Caravelle was open to visitors. We had invited the Turku Soldiers’ Home Association on site with their van to sell coffee, doughnuts and other refreshments – and there is no summer event in Finland without barbecue sausages! The visitors enjoyed the aviation history event and refreshments in the beautiful and warm but slightly sticky summer weather.

During the day the DC-3 flew three local flights for the public, about 45 minutes each, over the Turku archipelago. Several members of the Caravelle team had booked a flight and enjoyed the piston-engine flight. Unfortunately our Caravelle will never fly again, but a flight on the OH-LCH is always a great experience and the scenery in the Turku archipelago is very beautiful.

In terms of numbers of visitors, the day and the whole weekend were a success. We had almost two hundred visitors on board our Caravelle during the two days. The visitors were interested in the history of the 1960s airliner type and this specific aircraft. The volunteer guides from the Caravelle team were asked many questions during the weekend. Many visitors commented on the great appearance of the aircraft and were amazed to hear the amount of voluntary work done so far (about 7500 hours by May 2025).

In addition to the July weekend, the Caravelle was open to visitors also on Monday, 14 July, to honour Bastille Day. We have created a tradition to open the aircraft for visitors and raise the tricolour on the National Day of France, the country where our beautiful aircraft was manufactured.

DC-3 OH-LCH arriving in Turku. Photo Jouko Tarponen

Photo Jouko Tarponen

DC-3DC-3 pilots visiting Caravelle. Captain Petteri Tarma on the left. Photo Jouko Tarponen

Visitors outside the Caravelle and the Turku Soldiers’ Home Association van. Photo Jouko Tarponen

Flying on the DC-3 over Turku city centre. Photo Erja Reinikainen

The tricolour on Caravelle on Bastille Day. Photo Ismo Matinlauri

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen

The MY-14 wing has been painted

Torstai 3.7.2025 - Antti Lappalainen & Reino Myllymäki

Suomeksi

The MY-14 wing was transported from Vantaa and the Tuesday Club’s Myrsky group hands to Tikkakoski and Finnish Air Force Museum's restoration group for necessary modifications, painting and joining to the fuselage in September 2024.

The modifications on the wing took the winter period 2024-2025 and the spring 2025. When I visited the Air Force Museum on 12.6.2025 the transportation and painting trestle was being assembled to the wing and after a couple of days on 17.6.2034 the wing was transported to the premises of Haklog Ky for painting.

The painting was mainly done using a high-pressure spray gun. It yields thicker layers of paint, although the quality of the surface is - depending on the type of paint - worse than with a side air brush, which was used to paint the swastika, mid-wing and black areas. The incentive to use the high-pressure spray gun was the fairly large area of the wing where the alkyd paint in use was known to give a smooth surface.

Because of the modifications the wing, which had been primed at Vantaa, had to be puttied and sanded, so the wing was given a once over with the Future-3-primer to the shade of RAL 7005.

After the primer the wing undersides were painted light blue with Teknosynt Combi 50 paint, with a shade that was called DN-blue during the war, and is now called RAL Design 220 60 10.

After the underside, next in line was the upper side green part, painted twice. Between the layers of paint, the surface was sanded. The paint was still the Teknosynt Combi in the shade of Teknos TM-11263/20.

Following the upper wing green area, the black camouflage of the plywood surfaces was painted. According to the instructions of the State Aircraft Factory, only one layer was painted. The borders were painted with low pressure spray gun, in order to make the borders sharp. After that the central parts were painted over.

Next in turn was the painting of the Eastern Front decals to the wingtips for a length of about I/6 or 183 cm. The painting was done with fully glossy Futura 90 using the Teknos TM 11297/20 shade.

For the painting of the national emblem, a circle 1 metre in diameter, was cut from a thick cardboard and a template for the swastika. The emblems were positioned with the help of the templates and using a laser and marked with a pencil. The circles were taped, and the rest of the wing was covered with plastic. There wasn’t enough of anti-glare paint for the emblems, so more had to be mixed using the corresponding paint for the fuselage as reference. The circles were painted with high pressure air gun.

The swastika in the circles was painted with the same method using fully glossy Teknosynt 90-paint. The shade was Teknos TM 11264/20.

The last parts to be painted were the parts in the mid-wing, that are covered by the cockpit and the wing root fairings, with Temalac FD 80-paint in the shade of RAL 7005.

Notice and guide markings and the markings for the service hatches are yet to be painted. Modifications for the aileron push rods are still unfinished and there are still holes in their coverings. But because the national emblems are hard to get identical, if their parts are painted separately, the part of the national emblems was painted now on the ailerons. For their part the yellow and black areas will be painted together with the wing root fairings, elevators and the rest of the missing pieces of covering.

After the painting, the wing was transported by the Defence Forces from the premises of Haklog Ky to the Finnish Air Force Museum on Wednesday 2.7.2025. The wing, with its transportation and painting trestle, was placed in the main display, next to the fuselage of MY-14. There the aircraft will be admired by the visitors and wait for the end of the summer holiday and the beginning of the autumn operations.

Photos: Finnish Air Force Museum

Translation to English: Matti Liuskallio

The first Caravelle exhibition

Tiistai 24.6.2025 - Erja Reinikainen and Ismo Matinlauri

Suomeksi:

The ambitious goal in the Caravelle project for this summer was to finish the cabin interior work in the rear area so that the first exhibition could be assembled in the open area. The four seat rows in the front area were completed already in May.

The most critical work phase for the exhibition area was the carpet installation. The carpet was cut to measure and installed in late May. Now the rear cabin is almost ready, only the ceiling panelling is missing, and we are looking for suitable aluminium mesh, resembling the original material, to cover the air-conditioning terminal units and loudspeakers on the wall. Although the work was in progress in this area, the preparations for the exhibition could be started in early June.

The preparations of the Caravelle exhibition poster material began already in the winter. Fortunately Juha Klemettinen, one of the authors of the “Caravelle in Finland” book, helped us with the photographs and the Caravelle project’s technical team assisted with the texts. Kai Asplund prepared the material lay-out for printing. We needed help from the Aviation Museum Society’s Tuesday Club, too. Poster roll-up frames are normally about 220 cm tall, but we had to cut the frame height to fit the Caravelle’s cabin to about 180 cm. This was done by the Tuesday Club. We had a dressmaker’s dummy for displaying the stewardess’s uniform, but it didn’t have a head. Fortunately a member of the Caravelle Turku team offered to make a papier-mâché head for our stewardess - and it looks great. A warm thank you to all who helped us with the exhibition material!

When all the material was ready and had arrived in Turku, the exhibition was assembled on 12 June 2025. The exhibition was open to the public for the first time already on the following day.

The exhibition describes the early phase of Finnair’s jet age and Caravelle’s role in it. There is also material about the Aviation Museum Society’s Caravelle project and a slideshow presenting how this aircraft was brought to Finland and restored to its present condition. Also the structure and technical systems of a passenger jet are displayed. One of the unique features of the Caravelle III is the brake parachute.

The exhibition is meant for independent visits; there is no guided presentation. However, there is usually a Caravelle team member present to answer questions during the opening hours. The display items have posters with information in Finnish, presenting the item and its history. We will improve the exhibition by adding small items and posters in English. We welcome you to Turku airport to visit the Caravelle and the exhibition!

Photos: Jouko Tarponen

Translation to English: Erja Reinikainen