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    OFOF Dan Cook Briefing Hut Project

    		This is the story, with pictures, of the origination and evolution of the Dan Cook Briefing Hut that is the present (2001-2005) home of the Oroville Foundation of Flight. It now provides space for meetings, classes, library, work benches, tools and 2 Project Spaces. It started as a donation of a vinyl covered "temporary" structure by Air Filtration Corp of Oroville. The members disassembled it, moved it, poured a pad, re-assembled it, electrified it, provided water and drain, et al, as recorded in the following album.
    The hut as it sat on the Air Filtration Co. site in Aug. prior to disassembly and moving to the OFOF site at the Oroville Muni Airport.
    A possible floor plan for the Briefing Hut when installed on the OFOF hanger site.
    Another view of the Hut at AFC prior to disassembly.
    Gary Briley about to throw weighted line across the cover to allow pulling the working lines back over so the top cover can be rolled off. 8/30/00
    Hut top cover being rolled this way with three pull ropes and a roller tube. 8/31/00
    Hut top cover partially rolled up and rolling left to right on roller tube seen at top. 8/31/00
    Here's the top cover rollup rope pulling crew doing their thing. 8/31/00
    The crew have conquered the pesky top cover and stand triumphant. From L-R - Paul Satur, Gary Willoughby, Mike Lione, Don Harrel, Howard Fairbanks, Bob Ruggles, Ken Moore, Dave Harmacek, Terry Hodges, Dan Cook, Ron Turner, and Glen Lane. Photo by Ray Bell. (Actually, the operation went well and more or less as planned by Dan Cook. :-) ) 8/31/00
    Folding up the top cover after a washdown with the pressure washer on the ramp. An endpiece awaits on the right. In the background is the framework with all the fabric removed.
    Hut end cover removal. Top has already been removed and we're working on the removal of the ends. 8/31/00
    Some of the Hut cover disassy crew. L-R, Joe Cook, Terry Hodges, Ron Turner (fork lift driver) and (on the forks) Dave Harmacek.
    Crew Boss Dan Cook and lift driver Ron Turner get clicked for the record while doing cover removal chores.
    Some of the base welds on the framework get removed with a cutting torch prior to frame removal. Joe Cook, unwelder.
    The trailer is loaded with the folded cover and end pieces and ready to transport to the OFOF site. The framework to be disassembled next, on another day. Gary Willoughby inspects a framework joint.
    Here is the complete hut framework prior to disassembly on the AFC site.
    The framework is disassembled one complete frame at a time. Bill Pinkston, fork lift operator, Terry Hodges on the scaffold, Joe Cook manning the belay line.
    The scaffold crew, Terry Hodges and Ron Turner, removing bolts and supports to release the next frame.
    Once a frame is on the ground, it is attacked by the unbolting crew to disassemble each individual piece. There are a total of seven structural pieces that make up each frame. Here the crew includes, L-R (kneeling), MD Short, Ray Bell, Howard Fairbanks, Ron Turner, (leaning) Bill Pinkston, (standing) Joe Cook, (walking) Terry Hodges.
    Hut Pad Construction - Joe and Dan Cook hold one of the anchor cables with "duckbill" that were driven into the ground beneath the pad foundation all around the perimeter. The cables anchor the re-bar that gets embedded in the concrete. Ray Bell prepares another anchor location.
    For the second day of driving anchor cables, Dan Cook rented a generator and an electric jackhammer. This made quick work of driving both the anchor cables and later, two ground rods. Shown here, Ron Turner, Joe Cook and MD Short driving an anchor cable in a corner of the foundation trench.
    Form Builders - Howard Fairbanks, MD Short and Ray Bell cut a foundation form board to size.
    The troops set "kickers" to support and straighten the form boards. From the left, Terry Hodges (in the trench), Joe Cook, Howard Fairbanks, Bob Foster, Ray Bell (bending over), and MD Short. Terry's dog "Rip" takes time out from chasing gophers to supervise the whole operation. In the foreground is a drain pipe being fabricated to place thru the trench prior to concrete placement.
    Glen Lane dampens the pad after all the forms have been set and the sand has been spread out. The blue pads on the forms hold "L" bolts that will be embedded in the concrete to provide holddown fasteners to secure plates that will tie down the hut framework.
    Concrete going into the Hut pad! The crew is shown pouring the perimeter footings. The crew included about 15 members (some not shown): MD Short, Howard Fairbanks, Dave Harmacek, Terry Hodges, Gary Briley, Marv Hollender, Ray Bell, Dan Cook, Ron Turner, Joe Cook, Bob Ruggles, and others to be identified. Ron Turner photo. 10/4/00.
    The pad pour nearing completion. There was enough concrete left over to provide for a base footing for a block retaining wall at the Donor's Wall. Digital photo by Ron Turner standing on his backhoe (see shadow :-) ). 10/4/00.
    "Up Tight"! MD Short and friend work on the assembly of one of the hut arches. 10/13/00
    Workers tighten a cross brace cable turnbuckle on the steel framework.
    The steel framework is complete and topped with the traditional flag! Enjoying the "jungle gym" are from the l-r, bottom to top, Newlander, Short, Bell, Foster, Fairbanks, Epps, Turner, Briley, Harmacek. 10/13/00
    The top cover laid out for some hole repair by the work crew. From L-R, Harmacek, Truex, Nichols, Briley, Foster (holding a patch), Newlander, Epps, Lane, Fairbanks, Short, Hollander, Bell, and kneeling with repair adhesive, Willoghby and Collins.
    The hut end wall cover gets hoisted up into place. Various members of the crew man lines and supervise. 10/17/00
    It's starting to look like a complete structure! Top and end covers in place. The front wall is in the process of being evaluated for "repair or replace". Here we see the Collins/Harmacek newly restored C140 and Glen Lane's C182 along with the crew. From L-R, Collins, Epps, Fairbanks, Bell (rear), Harmacek, Briley, Willoughby (rear), Truex, and Lane. 10/18/00
    The Plan for repair/rework of the DCB Hut north wall (a/c entry end) as proposed by Dan Cook. 11/8/00.
    The left half of Bob Foster's proposed North Wall support structure using 2x8 DF lumber donated by Builder's Supply of Oroville. To go to a support page that has both halves of both the North and South walls click on the following link. 11/16/00 Foster's Proposed Wall Support Design - Detail
    A view of the completed North wall of the hut. It was hung in place with the assistance of Millard Sturgeon's crane truck (as used to set the flagpoles) on 12/7/00. Thank you, again, Millard. This completed the installation of the outer cover of the hut. The support for the North wall is essentially per the D. Cook plan above. Photo 1/5/01
    View of the completed west side and south wall of the Dan Cook Briefing Hut with west entry door installed. "Porch" light has been added. The ramp up to the entry door has been paved with gravel and packed to provide all weather access up the slope. Photo 1/5/01.
    The inside lighting scheme uses 2 rows of 5 each fluorescent fixtures, 4 tubes each, wired to light either 2 or 4 tubes at a time. The fixtures were donated by member, Ray Bell. The overhead lights are controlled through the main breaker box. A single inside light is placed at each entry door to provide enough immediate light in a dark entry to find the breaker box. The overhead light installation was completed 12/16/00. For more on the electrical installation, see Hut Electrics Photo 1/5/01
    Dave Harmacek and his Starduster Starlet project in the Hut for a Photo Op.
    The Wingstand in the Hut kindly donated by member Paul Satur. Structural parts of the DGMD Starlet's tail feathers and a wing strut are on the stand. Photo 2/7/01
    Here is a prize donation being unloaded by Ron Turner and the forklift. It is a Wright R-1300 engine that was found in a local Oroville scrap metal yard, and was donated by them. It will be cleaned up and disassembled and re-assembled with maybe a cutaway as an educational project and display piece. This model engine was used on the North American T-28A trainer aircraft as well as the Grumman Ag-Cat and the Sikorsky S-55 helicopter. Photo circa 2/5/01
    Our Wright R-1300 engine prior to any restoration. It was apparently built by Lycoming under contract.
    The site listed below says it's rated at 700 hp (later upped to 800) at 2600 rpm and the prop is geared down by 2/3 so runs at 1742 rpm at max hp. Bore is 6.125 in. and stroke is 6.3125 in. Compression ratio is 6.2/1 and displacement is 1300 cu. in., with 7 cylinders

    The same cylinder bore and stroke is used on the R-2600 and R-3350 (2200 hp), just more rows and cylinders (14 and 18 respectively) and more compression (6.9 and 6.85).

    Reference website

    For the record here is what the nameplate on our engine says as copied
    by Ron Turner:

    Air Force or BUAER Model R-1300-3c
    Mfrs# BL481925
    Contract No, AF 33-600-27431
    Accepted
    Bridgeport E-14
    Lycoming
    Avco Mfg. Co
    Photo 2/7/01


    Here's an archive photo of the Wright R-1300 being installed on a North American T-28A at the NA factory in Inglewood, CA, circa 1950.
    The R1300 supported on the forklift, later to be installed on a display stand built by Bob Foster Photo 04/24/01
    Here is Joe Cook's "JL" MithchellWing A-10 on its trailer on the pad at the Hut prior to moving in.Photo 04/27/01
    At this point JL has been moved into Project Space #1 in the Hut with the right main gear jacked up to provide some head clearance on the right wing. Photo 04/27/01

    Last revision 10/26/05