Team Is Currently Testing Electrical Circuits Preparing For Return To Flight

A rare XP-82 Twin Mustang being restored by a team led by Tom Reilly in Douglas, GA is moving closer to a return to flight.

Warbird News posted an update from the team on its website last week. According to Reilly, the team is finishing work on testing each electrical circuit. The process is a complicated one because each cockpit of the airplane has full controls, and the pilots had the ability to switch all electrical controls back and forth between cockpits. Every system, from boost pumps and lighting to electronic mixture controls, bombs, rockets and guns could be operated from either cockpit. The redundancy was necessary in part because the airplane could fly unrefueled for more than 12 hours, and the pilots could take breaks during extremely long flights.

Warbird News reports that Reilly has finally located the last two electrical components needed to restore the radio installations to their original condition.

Meanwhile, work is also continuing on the exterior of the airplane, including English-wheeling the fuselage-to-center section and the wing trailing edge and wing fairings, as well as tack riveting the cowling prior to spot welding.

The team says that testing on the hydraulic system for landing gear and flaps should be wrapped up at the end of this month. And the final rigging of the primary flight controls for the elevator and rudder is completed, along with trim tab systems. Rigging for the wings will take place once the wings are fully attached to the fuselage.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Report