Restoration

CF-DQE with Victoria Flying Club sister-ships CF-DQA and CF-DQR at Patricia Bay airport in the 1960s. DQA is  airworthy while DQE and DQR are under restoration.

CF-DQA over Victoria Harbour. She is fitted with the original scalloped cowling.

CF-DQE as I first flew her in 1981. The lower cowling was enlarged to accommodate a Cessna 150-style exhaust system.

Great nephew Taylor with DQE at Chilliwack, August 2002.

The deal is done. Long-time Canuck aficionado Bob Gilmour passes on 'Fleet' CF-DQE, September 2015.

Generous helping-hands prepare to load the fuselage.

In transit from Pitt Meadows to Cowichan Bay courtesy of BC Ferries.

First move to take over the carport.

It takes a few hours to remove the old fabric... and many, many times more to replace it.

What remained of the forward plywood floor after removing the carpeting.

Disassembly underway as the carport workshop begins to enclose the airframe.

Dean Cramb, one of a number of supporters, helps remove the time-expired Continental C-85 engine.

A friend helps remove the hundreds of fabric reinforcing tape screws.

Tired-looking port wing-tip position light - overhauled starboard light shown a few scrolls below.

Fuselage after sand-blasting.

Back in the workshop after sand-blasting and application of two-part primer.

Two-part 'Gunmetal' finish and woodwork in place.

Lower fuselage woodwork. 

Aileron cable pulleys installed.

Control surface push-pulls, bellcranks and cables installed.

Restored upper cockpit with overhead elevator trim lever.

Baltic ply flooring in place.

As-found instrument panel.

New instrument panel with drop-down sub-panels.

Panel test install.

Panel pre-wiring and labelling.

The doors were in rough shape after 76 years and proved to be a sizeable sub-project.

After disassembly, the remaining frame -- top, forward and aft edges -- was married to new components.

Preparing to attach the skin to the original frame.

Test-fitting the port door with a side panel.

Horizontal stabilizer/elevator combination covered.

Fin and rudder after hand-applying Poly-Brush and taping.

Forming and test-fitting a belly panel.

Cardboard template for interior decking.

Interior decking in position.

Starboard wing ready for covering.

Laying up the upper surface fabric.

Upper surface tip fabric cemented and ready for trimming.

Some of the one hundred and ninety-nine fabric-retaining rivets on the upper surface of the starboard wing.

Fabric tightened, taped and ready for spraying with two more coats Poly-Brush.

Overhauled starboard position light.

Three cross-coats of Poly-Spray UV protection coats applied.

Poly-Tone 'J3 OEM Yellow' finish coats complete. The yellow required a white base coat to bring out its intensity.

First sizeable application of flattened AeroThane 'Bahama Blue', to the side panels ahead of the cockpit doors.

Selection of re-painted port wing fittings including pitot-static head (left), jury struts and aileron bellcrank bracket.

Pitot-static line penetrations in the lower surface of the port wing.

Taping port wing upper surface.

Prepping fabric doily for a jury strut fitting and pitot-static ports.

All-surfaces masking for painting registration CF-DQE on the underside of the port wing.

Canadian regulations allow aircraft manufactured prior to January 1, 1957, to carry the period nationality mark 'CF'. CF-DQE first flew on August 1, 1946.

Finishing the starboard elevator, including addition of seaplane drainage grommets along the underside of the trailing edge. Cutout is for the elevator trim tab.

Initial mapping of the registration on the fin and rudder after applying three cross-coats of Poly-Spray UV protection.

Tail feathers with Poly-Spray and 'J3 OEM Yellow' over white complete, L-R: elevators, rudder, fin and horizontal stabilizers.

Outlining tail registration and fleet identification letter.

Original upholstery and liners re-installed for measurement checking.

More of the same.

Cardboard template for starboard wing root cabin liner.

Test-fitting of tailwheel spring retaining hardware.

Test-fitting cabin liner sheet-metal backing sheets.

Finished starboard lower cabin liners with seat bracket cutout at image centre.

Laying up the fuselage belly fabric.

Fuselage fabric after tightening.

Initial brushed coat of Poly-Brush.

Taping underway. 

Interior view with taping almost complete.

Then, two sprayed coats of Poly-Brush... followed by...

... three cross-coats of Poly-Spray U/V blocker... then...

...one white base coat plus two coats of J3 OEM Yellow...

... masked for the final 'Bahama Blue' colour...

... and the masking tape removed to reveal...

... the finished scheme. Bob Gilmour adapted the original Fleet scheme to accentuate the graceful fuselage lines.

More helpful hands assist with transfer to the Nanaimo Airport.

Wings transported in specially-made stands.

And finally... safely in its new home.

Restored bench seat. The shoulder harnesses will be anchored to the forward wing spar carry-through tube.

Main undercarriage legs after painting.

Temporary belly panel installation prior to running the brake lines.

Undercarriage legs covered and sprayed with Poly-Brush.

Three cross-coats of Poly-Spray completed.

Rear face of finished main gear with leather brake line exit fairings and brake unit installed.

Port main undercarriage bungees installed.

Port main undercarriage in place.

May 7, 2023: Back on her wheels. 

Firewall test-fitting, back...

... and front.

Fuel tank installed.

Instrument panel and inner decking test-fit...

... with outer decking and some firewall fittings.

Port-side Perspex windshield during initial fitting...

...and both panels after final trimming.

Instrument panel assembly after spraying matte black...

... and with addition of labeling transfers. Engine controls sub panel at centre.

Firewall penetrations nearing completion with engine mount and various fittings in place.

Lower sheet metal panels in place for final adjustment prior to finish painting.

Underside of rear deck with interior of attached instrument panel (top left). Brackets on stiffeners support wiring.

Instrument and engine control panels installed. Removable panels provide easier access to components and wiring.

Ken Vike's jewel of a Continental C85-12J restoration ready for installation.

Engine in place with rear baffle.

Test-fitting of nose bowl and engine cowling blanks.

Side cowling in position with nose bowl centering jig.

All cowlings in position with latches nearing completion.

Cold-forming skylight leading edges with the help of a warm therapeutic bag.

Perfect winter project: Forming a side window cap strip.

Finished product, ready for etching, alodining and painting.

Nose bowl openings completed.

Engine underside view - carburetor, heat box and exhausts to be added.

Roughing in rear and side engine baffles.

Finishing up starboard side...

...and port side underway.

Reinforcing frame for carburetor air intake opening.

Port-side window test fit.

Nose bowl after applying high-build primer and sanding.

Bottom cowling interior after riveting and sealing.

Cowlings and nose bowl ready for final paint.

Installing nose bowl anchor plates.

Bottom and side cowling interiors.

'Bahama Blue' Aero-Thane topcoat on nose bowl, top cowling and forward decking.

Finished nose bowl with securing nut plates and top cowling interiors.

Engine baffles (left & right), cowling supports and top cowling.

Adding seals to engine baffles.

Top cowling and support channels test fit.

Baffles and seals installed with spark plug leads roughed in.

Side cowling with articulated stay.

Nose bowl test install for checking baffle seal fit and carburetor heat and cabin heat ducting clearances.

Nose-on view.

Starboard-side view.

Carburetor heat and cabin heat ducting in place.

Carburetor heat box inlet ducting.

Workbench for working on the instrument panel.

Roughing in panel wiring and instrument pitot-static fittings.

Pitot-static instrument tubing and encoder static tee.

Centre (avionics) panel, headset jacks and compass installed.

Roughing in right panel wiring.

Avionics and right panels installed.

Comm and ELT antennas and anti-collision beacon in position.

First of the tail feathers installed.

Latest side view.

Horizontal stabilizers installed,

Elevators, trim tab and flying wires in place.

Trim tab teleflex actuator.

Rudder and elevator control cables in place.

Newly-covered bench seat in position.

Forward floor area with elevator bellcrank cover, pilot's control column, stainless footplate and brake-equipped rudder pedals.

June 30, 2025...

... in position for the first engine run.

It proved to be an issue-free test of the C-85 and related systems.

Rear fuselage with ELT installed in baggage compartment.

Original starboard-side wing root fairing installed for test fit.

Laying up and drilling starboard-side upper tail fairing prior to trimming.

Trimmed port-side fairing...

...now painted with Aero-Thane.

Friend's Fleet Canuck flown for recurrency.

Threading a reinforcing strip through an aileron gap seal.

Attaching a gap seal to an aileron.

Gap seal and aileron installed - for the eagle-eyed, the nut cotter pin is still to be added.

Port wing ready for installation.

Helping hands install the starboard wing.

Another major milestone: wings, jury struts and position lights in place.

Upper wing root fairings framing the tinted skylight. 

Front view of the root fairings.

Glazing capstrips test fitting.

Glazings, fairings and capstrips removed for painting.

Last of the spray painting: 'Bahama Blue' applied to wing root fairings and glazing capstrips.

Starboard side panel in place.

Forward decking, upper cowling, windshield and rear capstrips added.

All cowlings in place, awaiting latches

Shoulder harnesses and lap straps roughed in.

Seat cushions added.

Propeller and 'skull cap' spinner installed.

Bronze-tinted skylight, wing root fairings and capstrips coming together.

Latest front three-quarter view with cowling latches in place.