Rebuilding a Schweizer 2-33 - Part 1

Number 3 is wheeled out to the line to provide faithful
service in training new pilots.

The board of directors voted to refurbish one of the three Schweizer 2-33's that the club owns recently.  Number 3 has needed some attention this summer as it developed a rip in the fuselage fabric and as you might imagine, after almost 40 years of flying it could use an overhaul.

The bulk of the work concentrates on the fuselage and today we spent a number of hours removing the rudder, horizontal stabilizer, interior, wheel, and skid from the aircraft.

Thanks to the National Soaring Museum for letting us use their restoration shop to do the work!

The fuselage is the main focus

The wings are stored in the restoration shop as well

The wings are in pretty good shape because we are fortunate enough to be able to store our aircraft in a hangar for the majority of the time.  So, when the time comes we'll give them some TLC to clean them up, wash them off, wax them and so forth, but there's really no need to paint them.

That's not to say they don't have a number of  'hangar rash' spots that come from years of club members moving them in and out of a crowded hangar.  But since many 2-33's are stored outdoors, their aluminum wings often require repaint from sun and rain exposure.  We are very lucky that isn't the case for us.

My son Kevin and I are assigned to the interior strip and removal.  Although I've spent my share of hours inside a 2-33, I didn't realize how much stuff there is inside the cockpit!

Many of the parts and innards of a 2-33

The picture at left is the parts rack of stuff we've taken off of the aircraft.  The control surfaces (rudder, elevator, horizontal stabilizer) are on top while the second shelf contains most of the stuff Kevin and I stripped out of the front and rear cockpit.

Sidewalls, floorboards, seatbelts, seat pans and seatbacks, control stick boots, and trim all came out to expose the innards of the 2-33.  It was really quite cool to finally get to see the inner workings of the glider and appreciate the simplicity that makes the 2-33 so reliable even 40 years on.

Before we began taking number 3 apart

I took a couple of pictures at the start so we could remember how and where everything goes when it is time to put it all back.  At left, looking from the rear cockpit to the front is the complete package.

By the time we finished in the afternoon, the interior was down to the bare bones.  The only thing left were the rudder pedals and control sticks.

Stamped on the back of an interior sidewall piece was
Run #21handwritten.  I turns out to be our own Corky
Gill's Schweizer inspection number.

Same view (looking forward) after stripping the interior

Did we find anything interesting inside after all this time?  We did, stamped on the sidewall of one of the trim pieces.  I was looking at it and noticed the handwritten "Run #21" among the various manufacturing stamps.  I read it out loud and  then heard, "Hey, that's me!"

Corky Gill, one of our senior club members worked at Schweizer until the early 90's and his inspection number was #21.  I showed him the handwriting and he confirmed that it was his!

Corky Gill's (in the red hat) inspector number rides inside #3.
Dave Welles, at right, was a test pilot at Schweizer.

What's next for number 3?  Well, after we strip the fabric, it will be off to K&L soaring for a fuselage inspection and reconditioning to ensure we don't have corrosion in the tubular framing.

At the nose, looking aft.

Following that, we'll have #3 re-covered and put it back together again.  We'll ensure any slop is taken out of the controls, replace any instruments that need help, and clean and paint the interior.  For all intents and purposes, the fuselage will be brand new.  And since the wings are in good shape, number 3 will be given new life to train our pilots at Harris Hill next summer.

Kevin and I really enjoyed stripping the interior and seeing how the 2-33 works.  It's nice to have a project to keep us busy over the winter season and I'm looking forward to flying in number 3 next year!

More pictures of the restoration are here.