Managed to get a long overdue Washford today… lots of fresh water and leathered down.

Even went as far as to slot the leather between the aileron leading edge and its frise fitting …

Also lying on your back is a good time to really check all hinges and joints very closely

Another by product of having a smoke system is you get to see, first hand, exactly where your exhaust goes ….

Turns out .. my 2 small slits around the undercarriage legs let wind, exhaust etc into the cockpit areas … ok it’s open topped and whizzes straight through BUT .. not great ….

When smoking … and pulling up in a stall .. like most flights …! The cockpit gets smoke coming through ..

Solution … two small leather patches glued around the gap to make a seal and also look traditional with pinked edges

After 3 years plus of flying in various forms of footwear … i try to use soft soled shoes so you can feel the rudders better … but have sometimes flown in boots ..ive managed to loosen the wooden block that supports the left rudder bar and lets it slide smoothly over the alloy footplate.

Its glued in and I wasn’t convinced it would last but it has stood up to some hefty footwork well …

May get a new fresh softwood block made up and glue and screw fix into position