After a long period of stagnation on the Alternator modification front, which has also run into the permit expiring and a serious degree of uncertainty about the future of the group and JT in general, things have finally begun to progress.

A new quarter panel has been installed with a new switch / CB and warning light, while the owner has been doing some of the 50 hour check items. Our hard pressed engineer, Andy, still has to do the permit inspection work and modify some of the wiring and I’m not going to make any kind of prediction about when JT might be flying again but at least, now, there is progress to report.

It’s all been very frustrating, especially with the great weather we’ve been having, but the recent hiatus has given everyone a chance to step back and take stock to consider the future of both the Aberdeen Auster Group and the aeroplane itself. We all want to see JT continue flying into the long term future and to do that, we need new members into the group to replace the slow trickle of losses we’ve had over the last three years. In the long term, that’s going to involve making the old bus more of an attractive prospect, which means giving her better strip performance if she’s to stay at her current home and probably, ultimately, the current owner is of the opinion that this means a new, more powerful engine, a better prop, big tyres and hydraulic disc brakes. A radical upgrade, it has to be said. Whether it will be worth it, remains to be seen and along with the performance issue, is the ongoing issue of reliable and timely maintenance and the difficulty of checking out new members with little or no tailwheel time; all things which also badly need addressing. Right now, however, the main concern is to get her flying again and soon. Once that is done, a plan for the rest of it may take shape. Without one, JT’s future, at least based up here in the NE of Scotland, where she has been since 1978, is not looking secure.

I’ll keep you all posted!