Kristen Nuss • January 15, 2025
Progress Report - December 2024
Wiring, parts and assembly removals from the fuselage, wings and tip tanks continued all month. We are rapidly adding to the hours volunteers have given to the restoration of 23-003. By the end of this year we should have surpassed the 500 volunteer hours mark!! This count does not include the numerous hours that were donated in Florida to de-mate the wing, remove and crate the engines, load everything on the trucks and the hours required to drive back to Wichita.
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We continue to work toward preparing 23-003 for the Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) phase of her restoration. The cabin windows were removed on October 8, 2025. As of October 9, 2025, we are moving forward with the preparation efforts for the removal of the windshields. Lee Aerospace will do the actual removals in order to accurately manufacture duplicate windshields to fit into the existing structural framework and fastener hole pattern. Lee Aerospace will also manufacture new cabin windows for 23-003 N200Y! We are going through the wiring from each connector in the wiring bundle, that was previously removed from 23-003, comparing each wire to the production wiring diagrams to identify the purpose of each wire. This information will be used when we build the new wiring harness to ensure that it accurately covers all of the needs of 23-003. The tip tanks were taken to the K&L Body Shop by owner Larry Ortiz to have the last remnants of paint and aerodynamic filler (Bondo) removed on October 21, 2025. Thank You Larry Ortiz and the K&L Body Shop for coming forward to help with the restoration!
A major step in the restoration of 23-003 N200Y was achieved on September 9, 2025 when it returned from having the paint stripped from the fuselage, tip tanks and horizontal stabilizer. As you can see in the photos, we will have to manually remove the remaining bits of paint (download the full newsletter to view photos). The next step is to complete some additional dry ice blasting and remove the windshield and windows then start the Non-Destructive Inspections (NDI) of the fuselage structure. This will identify any structural components, skin, frames, etc. that will require repair or replacement. The crew that stripped the paint paused in front of the fuselage of 23-003 just before it was loaded onto a Patton Trucking trailer for the trip back to building 14. They are (not in order in the photo): Dave Lewis, Kevin Dome, Harold Haviland, Will Brown, Joseph Irwin, Adam Biggs and Jay Prideaux (not pictured). A big THANK YOU to the anonymous vendor that donated his company’s time and resources to strip the paint! Also, THANK YOU to Patton Trucking for donating their equipment and personnel to take 23-003 to the paint stripping facility and bring her home again.
The final sealing of the fuselage, tip tanks and horizontal stabilizer has been completed and they were prepared to be shipped off to have their external paint removed. All openings, seams, windshield and windows had aluminum tape or sealer applied to keep the chemical stripper out of the inside. The tip tanks and horizontal stabilizer were loaded onto a trailer on August 5, 2025 and taken to a paint facility for paint stripping using Al Goodwin’s truck and a trailer borrowed by Dave Dendurant. The tip tank cradles were the same ones that were used for their trip from Florida. The fuselage was lifted off of its jacks and placed in its cradle on a trailer for its trip to have the paint stripped on August 12, 2025. The truck and trailer, as well as the trip to the paint facility, were donated by Patton Trucking of Clearwater, Kansas. These parts should be back in building 14 in early September and ready to have the remaining bits of paint removed. Then we will remove the windshields, windows, panels, finish the internal foam removal and start the Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI). Any issues found on the skins, stringers, etc., such as corrosion, will be repaired or replaced. While these parts are out to be stripped, we are currently setting up to do a pressure check of the right hand wing looking for any leaks. These results, along with the corrosion found on the left wing, will help us make a decision about the wing. Whether it is repairable or we must replace it. Cross your fingers! We just passed 1,400 volunteer hours since 23-003 arrived in Wichita! Thank you to all of you who have contributed your time to help restore 23-003!
