Author Topic: DH-9 ‘From Ruin to Restoration’ by Guy Black  (Read 1246 times)

Offline Dave in Dubai

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DH-9 ‘From Ruin to Restoration’ by Guy Black
« on: October 06, 2020, 03:35:45 PM »
There cannot be many enthusiasts of WW1 aviation who have not been aware of the two magnificent DH-9 restorations by Guy Black of Retrotec over the last few years.

The aircraft were discovered in an Elephant House at a palace in India and were bought and shipped back to England for restoration.
The story is long awaited since I first met Guy at the rollout of his first static DH-9 restoration for the Imperial War Museum, Duxford back in April 2007. He hinted then that he was working on a book and the completion of the second airframe, the only flying and airworthy example anywhere in the world is a testament to the vision and dedication of Guy and his team at Retrotec.

The book is even better than anticipated giving a very detailed account of the problems with trying to source, restore and rebuild the components required. Absolutely no detail was overlooked, but to cite just two examples without giving all the secrets of the book away, the original horsehair inside the leather padding around the cockpit was removed, carefully washed and replaced within the padding.

The damaged original instrument panel was replaced with wood from an antique victorian table as the original wood is almost impossible to find these days.

There are many contemporary photographs showing the original construction methods as well as plenty of before and after images of the major and some minor components to illustrate the care and passion that has gone into these aircraft.

I can thoroughly recommend this book  and if you want to see the DH-9 just head on up to the IWM at Duxford.


https://grubstreet.co.uk/product/dh9-from-ruin-to-restoration/

Dave in Dubai

Dave W or other mods, feel free to move if you think it should be in another category.😊

Offline bobs_buckles

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Re: DH-9 ‘From Ruin to Restoration’ by Guy Black
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2020, 02:09:09 AM »
Hi Dave,
 Thanks for the heads up.
I will be adding this title to my Christmas list  ;)

Cheers!
von B



https://www.bobsbuckles.co.uk/

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