Tucked away in the tail of the 747, the auxiliary power unit is the unsung hero! Without the glitz and glamour of its bigger cousins on the wing, this miniature turbine engine powers electrical and ancillary systems on the ground, keeping the aeroplane lit, powered, cool or warm when on the ground.
We've acquired and stripped the mortal remains of a couple of Pratt & Whitney PW901C APUs from Boeing 747s and have produced our first piece, this rather lovely lamp from the part-polished plenum chamber. The LED bulb and cabling are 'off the shelf' for safety reasons, but everything else is reclaimed. The mahogany base has been turned and polished, the 'stand' is a section of ducting from the APU and we used an offcut piece of steel from our stores to water jet cut the fan blade pattern in the backplate.
We love what we do. Sometimes, we step back from a job and just smile. If we think it looks good, there's a good chance you will too! It's unique.
Summer hasn't exactly been 'summer', so far this year. Our one planned show was rained (and blown!) off in spectacular fashion but we've still been working on 'stock' items. Amongst them is a pair of easyJet Airbus fuselage section clocks.
We still think of Airbuses as 'new', although this one racked up almost 44 000 hours in its 15 year life, equivalent to being airborne for 8 hours every single day, which is phenomenal utilisation! It's livery is obviously unmistakable. More tags, ribs and other pieces will follow in due course.
The next 'project' for one of the team involves a fully serviceable aeroplane for a change. Daren & his wife are off to California for a few weeks, so if any of you are Virgin crew (VS7 to LAX), check his pockets and make sure your walk around is thorough after he gets off!
More news soon about our largest project to date....
Comments