Bert Persson has over recent months applied many, many hours of his unique engineering expertise, experience and wizardry to the Schweizer SGS 1-35 (VH-WUC). 

The major challenges were the re-engineering required to replace the original Schweizer self-retracting tow release with a GFA approved Tost release (requiring the tow release cable to be re-directed to provide initial forward pull before being re-aligned back through instruments that had to be re-arranged to give the cable clearance to the control panel) and to repair some "hard landing" damage to the underside of the fuselage at the skid. 

The huge tail-wheel assembly that had been fitted to the 1-35 (with it's 8" diameter pneumatic-tyred wheel) has also been replaced with a much, much smaller original Schweizer 1-35 tail-wheel assembly (with a 2" solid rubber-tyred wheel) ... the improvement that this will make to the 1-35's attitude in ground roll for take-off should be dramatic.       

In recent weeks, Bernard "Speedy" Gonzalves has been applying his magic to the paintwork to the fuselage, tail-fin and turtle-deck. 

As the following photos show, "the pocket rocket" is getting close to being back in the air ... it was re-rigged today for the first time in some 22 years. 

 Mark Higgins checking out John "Scrubby" Ashford's electrical work and Bert Persson's plumbing and engineering work.

The manual said "starboard wing first" (Kevin Rodda and Eric Dickeson guiding the wing root under the expert supervision of Bert Persson - the other helpers in this photo are Mark Higgins, Mick Moloney, Bernard "Speedy" Gonzalves and Mike Grady). 

 Bert has it all sorted out. The wings have not needed the paint to be touched up ... they have been washed but not yet even polished!

 The wings went in very easily. Speedy's re-furbishing of the paint work on the fuselage looks great! 

Proud owner Kevin Rodda with the 1-35 rigged for the first time in 22 years.

Bert Persson perusing the flight/owners manual (with the rigged 1-35 back in the hangar). Perhaps he was contemplating the amount of work that he has enthusiastically put into this project? Or perhaps he was just checking the manual for the control surface movement figures?      

One thing is for sure, Bert is very excited about taking his next flight in WUC very soon ... an aircraft that he flew during his time with Bill Riley and Ingo Renner at Tocumwal.   

Bert fondly recalls his first flight in WUC where, after finding a few unexpected thermals early in the flight, he pushed on to complete a leisurely 500 kilometer triangle!

WUC last flew in 1988 after being imported from the USA in 1977 and located at Tocumwal by its original Sydney-based owner (the late Keith "Nearly" Woodward).

        Click here to view previous article on WUC. 

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