Aircraft Metal Work
Aircraft Wheelpants, how to construct a nice pair
The GeeBee shown here was built from drawings and old photos, but the pants were worked up from photos alone. See photos...
Fairings for a Grumman Duck
These fairings for a Grumman Duck were worked up rapidly and accurately with the Large Reverse Die Set. See photos...
Gear Leg Fairings for a Waco Standard Cabin
These are gear leg fairings for a Waco Standard Cabin. They are made from .050, 3003 aluminum. The original dented one is on the right, and the new copy made from it is on the left. See photos...
Making a Hatz Nosebowl
This is the story of making an airplane nosebowl for a Hatz biplane. Dennis Hall, retired professor of microbiology, is building an airplane from scratch and needed help finishing up the nosebowl. It is 3003 half-hard .040. See photos...
Hughes H1 Racer Construction
This airplane was built to claim the records still available to the original H1, as the original H1 was flown only 42 hours and was not fully tuned and prepared for record attempts, even though winning the closed course and coast to coast records.See photos...
Hughes Racer Repair
Hughes H1 gear failure on landing led to crunched wingtip and tail. Kent explaines how he repaired the aircraft. See photos...
Making an Airplane Wing Tip, TM Shop – Nevada City, CA
Our 3000 model, the “Curved Frame” Air Power Hammer, was used to make these wingtips (in 4 four sections). The first step was to stretch the surface so that the blank would fit the mock-up See photos...
Making Nacelle Lip Skins for the Hawker-Beech XP400, Uvalde, TX
Kent was hired by Sierra Industries in 2011 to make a set of 6 prototype Nacelle lip skins for the Hawker Beech XP 400, a new business jet. See photos...
Repairing a Damaged Wing Root Fairing, Salinas, CA
This original wing root fairing was damaged, so the lower half was cut away and a new piece made and fit to it. The whole fairing was then fit to the airplane, sanded and then polished. See photos...
Repairing holes in a P51 fairing
I begin by cleaning the top and bottom surfaces, affixing a chill block, and welding up the .032" 5052 aluminum. The holes are over 1/2" in diameter. See photos...
Spirit of St Louis
This topcowl needed doing because the old one did not have the right shape. This was done on the Air Hammer, and used some gas welding, as it was made in three pieces. See photos...
Stearman Airplane Spinner Repair, TM Shop – Nevada City, CA
This Stearman airplane spinner was sent in for repairs after being badly dented. Alloy is 6061 T-6 aluminum, .063” thickness. See photos...
U-2 Forward Fuselage Skins, Palmdale, CA
In 2013 Kent undertook a contract with Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale to make a set of forward fuselage skins for a U-2, which is being upgraded. The tooling is machined foam. See photos...
Wing Root Fairings done on Roscoe Turner’s Thunderbird
These .040 1100 aluminum. wing root fairings were thoroughly peppered with hail dents. Our Air Hammer planished the damage out easily in just a few hours without significant stretching. See photos...
727 Skin Repair
A large fusellage skin repair done to a 727 cargo plane, at Shannon MRO, in Shannon, Ireland. See photos...
Cowling for a Ryan S-CW
Ron Englund, crew chief on the Hughes H1 replica, makes a polished cowling for a Ryan S-CW, using the Air Power Hammer. See photos...
