First Bath

After more than 20-hours of running the Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine on the Spirit of St. Louis by JNE there was plenty of evidence it had been run! There was quite a build up of soot on the leading edge of the wing over the engine cowl and plenty of oil and grease "splats" on the wing struts, cowling pieces and fuselage. Even just from "sitting" in the hangar, there was a collection of "dust" on the bird. So John decided it was time to give the aircraft a "BATH". Labor Day seemed to be a good day to do it since it was promised to be warm and dry. Good weather for the humans involved in applying soapy water with sponges and mops ... and for wielding the hose with which to rinse all the soap suds off! We will never be able to express enough how much we appreciate our hangar "landlord", Sean Edwards for his enthusiasm and dedication to anything we propose to do with the Spirit of St. Louis by JNE. No matter what we say we are going to do ... Sean is ALWAYS there to help ... with a smile on his face ... a twinkle in his eye ... and a giggle to make even the dourest of individuals crack a smile! We love you, Sean!