New Canvas Map Case

 

On the right side of the pilot cockpit was this nice canvas map case.  The Nicholas-Beazley catalog called them Maps not Charts.

On top of the upper fuselage longeron there is a piece of wood routed to set snugly on the longeron.  It's wrapped with pinked reinforcing tape to hold it in place.  Things like the throttle and the hook for the seat belt are screwed to this piece of wood.  The top of the map case is also screwed to it with brass #6 round head screws and flat washers.  

There are grommets in all 4 corners for screwing it on but it must have been a customer add on because the lower grommets are about 1" below the stringer it is screwed to.  

In the end I think it would be better to just poke a small hole for the screw and nor weaken the case with grommets.  The grommets ripped out and the to lower screws through the seamed edge were still secure.

Something must have been stored in the case which made the canvas rot faster around the edges of whatever it was.  The front has the same pattern but is so rotted it's harder to see.

The case is made of one piece of canvas folded at the bottom.

The sides are folded over about 1/2" and the front and back sewn together with a double seam.

The top of the front, and the top flap have, a 1/2" edge folded under then a 1" folded edge to form the hem.

The flap is closed with a snap, with a sewn patch on the front for the snap.

I found some #8 untreated Duck Canvas for the main case.  I used some lighter canvas and some vinyl sail window material to add a pouch for the registration and airworthiness certificates.  They didn't have these back then.  The feds issued a metal plate that you attached to the airframe which served the same purpose.

I also embroidered it with the WACO logo as it was painted on the rudder in 1926.

The pencil case didn't look like it was ever used.  I'm not sure pencils would actually fit so I made the 3 pockets looser.

Now I just need to finish the fuselage and we're ready for a cross country trip.