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This article's image of the wiring lacing reminded me of a tour I took of the B-29 Flying Fortress "FiFi." As I spoke with the pilot - in the cockpit - I notice
by johnohara 8y ago
This article's image of the wiring lacing reminded me of a
tour I took of the B-29 Flying Fortress "FiFi." As I spoke with the pilot - in the cockpit - I noticed the wiring lacing on the metal frame and thought it might be original.
It certainly looked it.
Without touching anything, I commented on it, and the pilot
confirmed it was original, not restoration.
She was built in 1945, almost 75 yrs ago, 20+(?) years before Panduit tie-wraps were invented. All that flight bouncing and impact and little need for replacement.
The workmanship was beautiful. Or should I say the
"work-woman-ship," as was the case back then.
- HeyLaughingBoy 8y agoI missed out on a tour of Fifi back in the mid 90's when I was working on my private pilot license. Didn't know she was at the airport until I was getting ready for my flight and in hindsight, I should have postponed it just to get a chance to be on that beautiful piece of machinery. Somewhere I have a link to hundreds, if not thousands, of Kodachrome images of the work: machining, fabrication, and wiring done by those women back in WWII. I'm kind of a machinery geek and it's mindblowing to see the machines I've only known with decades of dirt, surface rust and patina, shown brand-new and gleaming. Check out /r/cableporn if you're into OCD-grade wire harness building :-)
- johnohara 8y agoNever thought of it as OCD. Just the right way to do it is all. Thanks for the link.