Caravelle's holiday season

Suomeksi

The Caravelle Turku team volunteers finished their spring season at the end of June. The team members started their well-earned holiday at their cottages, travelling or being active in other hobbies. In the beginning of August they will return to Caravelle restoration work.

During the spring season the Turku team and the assisting technical team totalled almost 850 hours of voluntary work. Some news about the most recent work in June are shown below. Furthermore, the polishing of the lower part of the aircraft’s fuselage was continued whenever weather permitted.

The office

Ramirent Oy (the equipment rental company) donated us two modular containers which were joined and assembled beside the Caravelle. Now we have a combined office and shop on site.

A power supply was installed, and the office was furnished. Everything is ready inside and outside and we can use our new space during the summer season. A housewarming event will be arranged in August.  

Also our unofficial “Café Caravelle” (i.e. the Turku voluteers’ coffee break facility) was moved from the aircraft cabin into the new office. Now there is more space for the future interior work, and it is also easier to move in the cabin as there is less material and furniture.

The passenger door and cabin partitions

The left-hand side passenger door’s complicated opening and counterbalancing mechanism was repaired during the spring. This was quite an effort and a series of four blogs was written about it earlier. The repaired door mechanism works fine, and the passenger door is open during the visiting hours.

The partitions in the front part of the cabin are fitted into place in the two photos. The passenger door is open to confirm the correct location of the partitions so that the door opening mechanism is not disturbed. The partitions will be resurfaced in August, using material which resembles the original one, and then assembled into place.

Electrical installations

The electrical installation work is almost completed. Power outlets are already in place and connected. The wiring for lighting is almost ready, too. In August when the work continues, LED lighting will be installed on the flight deck and in the toilets and galley area in the rear section.

A LED-strip will be installed in line with the upper edge of the cabin overhead hat rack. The photo shows its wiring, waiting for the ceiling surface material installation. After that the LED-strip mounting can be assembled.

The last photo shows the white main distribution board which will be installed into the former equipment rack behind the flight deck, on the left-hand side. Wiring from the distribution board is located under the cabin floor. The wiring was being installed when the photo was taken.

Before going on holiday we collected all tools and tidied up inside the aircraft for the visitors’ events. The Caravelle will be open to the public on several occasions in July. Our volunteers will be on site to introduce the aircraft and its history.

Photos by Ismo Matinlauri.

Translation by Erja Reinikainen.