QL-17 47-1344 (NAA NAV-4-1050)

The following information was provided by Bill Clark. Bill is an L-17 historian and is restoring his own NAvion. Bill is also working on a great non-profit project to get kids involved in aviation - more information soon.

Quick Overview… QL-17 Research

Subject Aircraft: BuNo 47-1344

Temco QL-17 S/N 2

This first picture shows the additional hydraulic reservoir suspected of servicing the servos. This is located on the L/H Firewall Outboard of the ‘standard’ Hydraulic Reservoir and is fed by it’s own electric driven pump. Another item to note (from the paperwork) is that these aircraft were converted to 28VDC electrical systems, most likely to accommodate existing autopilot technology.

At the bottom of the reservoir was this pressure guage.

On the R/H side of the firewall is the pump (I believe).

The first thing I noticed was this big hole in the baggage compartment. Based on its location adjacent to all the control cables and right behind what I later determined to be the relay interface to the servos, I suspect that the servo control box mounted here, most likely partially above and partially below the hole. I now am not so certain, as with the picture at full size and with the benefit of the flash, it seems this was marked as the location for one of multiple television cameras. When you consider that this project was all about flying into air known to be unstable, the belly panels may very well have not been installed at all and a look-down camera could have been located here.

It takes a moment to notice that what is wrong with this Spartan panel is the lack of engine, prop, and hydraulic controls, and then you notice that the VHF Radio is also missing. I found it personally interesting that although the glove box was still intact, the ‘crew chief checklist’ that I have been told was riveted to the door is not installed. The paperwork I reviewed indicated that the aircraft could still be flown conventionally by a pilot, and I assume that the toggle switch on the yoke is most likely to disengage the autopilot. How the engine and prop were controlled is still unknown.

Here are the pictures I was able to take of the relay interface. It was rather difficult to predict what the camera was taking pictures of in a dark hangar, but the flash tells us the function of many of the relays.

Here is the microswitch installed to verify flap position (up, I presume)

Here you see some of the additional gusseting under the baggage compartment, most likely to support the weight of this relay and tube driven radio controlled auto-pilot.

Here is the best picture I could get of the Temco dataplate which identifies this airframe as Temco QL-17 (no alpha designator) Serial Number 2.

For what it’s worth, this picture documents the installation of a fire extinguisher on the turtledeck using the same mount used in today’s aircraft.

While on the subject, the canopy of 48-1046 shows the four studs on the L/H side of the turtledeck where the first aid kit was secured, and the standard quilted soundproofing blanket lines the ceiling. Visible around the rear and quarter window is what I believe to be military specific channel used to ‘pinch’ the soundproofing in place. As this is absent in favor of the remnants of a ‘stock’ headliner in 47-1344, I am forced to assume until it is shown otherwise that this either came with the U-18 designation (or at least timeframe) or it was some clever CAP squadron’s way of cheaply redoing the interior.

Here’s a ‘Hall of Shame’ picture telling why a good seal around the canopy is important.