Uncovering the Secrets of a Rare WWI Fabric Biplane

It's been five years since Adam Savage first saw this Lincoln-Standard Tourabout (Modified Standard J-1) at @airandspace's Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, and it's time to check in on the aircraft's progress courtesy of museum specialists Jay Flanagan and Heather Moosher! From uncovering improvised barnstormer repairs (like fruit-crate wood hidden inside the wings) and matching period-accurate lumber to the art of envelope-sewing, rib stitching, and applying butyrate dope to cotton fabric, see how the Smithsonian team honors early aviation craftspeople while preserving this iconic biplane for future generations. An Expert Craftsman Rebuilds a Vintage Airplane: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/lincoln-standard-tourabout-modified-standard-j-1/nasm_A19640620000 Lincoln-Standard Tourabout: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/lincoln-standard-tourabout-modified-standard-j-1/nasm_A19640620000 Adam Savage Examines the Lincoln-Standard J-1 (2022): https://youtu.be/93D-JZ_QtUI National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/ Visit the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar Hazy Center: https://www.si.edu/museums/air-and-space-museum-udvar-hazy-center Visit the National Air and Space Museum's downtown museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/ Smithsonian Institution: https://www.si.edu/ Adam Savage Visits National Air and Space Museum's Restoration Hangar: https://youtu.be/WFSnf0MSAFc More videos from Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c0BsBCx4Sw&list=PLJtitKU0CAeiJ7tjkIqcrRPfIYZHPW643 Learn more about the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/ Subscribe for more videos (and click the bell for notifications): http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=testedcom Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA/join Tested and Adam Savage Ts, stickers, (de) merit badges and more: https://adamsavage.com/ About Tested: https://www.tested.com/about Meet Adam in Person: https://www.tested.com/events Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/testedcom/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/testedcom TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@testedcom Amazon Storefront: http://www.amazon.com/shop/adamsavagestested Audio Described and Accessible Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJtitKU0CAeiQLgj4PZ9onSW6YXIz5ADR Chapters: 00:00 - Lincoln Standard Restoration 00:38 - History of the J-1 Trainer 02:13 - Scale Reference Model 03:40 - Uncovering Improvised Repairss 06:48 - Selecting the Right Woods 09:30 - Structural Wing Repairs 12:22 - 40-Pound Wing Panel 15:15 - Rigging, Tension, & Biplane Assembly 16:32 - Vintage Cockpit Details 20:14 - Aircraft Grade-A Cotton 21:16 - Sewing Wing Envelopes 22:43 - Applying Nitrate Cellulose 26:30 - Rib Stitching & Seine Knots 29:21 - Plunging the Fabric 31:07 - Communing with the Past Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman Thanks for watching!