Here is a brief update on the progress at the Van Nuys Nike site. On February 11th, volunteers from the Los Angeles Air Defense Museum Association and members of the California Air National Guard's 261st Combat Communications Squadron, the owner's of the site, will use the winches on two 2 1/2 ton trucks to retract the two locking bars that are holding up the elevator platform in the Alpha magazine.
With the two locking bars retracted, power from an Air National Guard generator will be applied to the valves in the elevator's hydraulic system in such a way as to allow the elevator platform to slowly lower into the elevator well in the magazine.
LAADMA members, Frank Evans and Scott L' Ecuyer previously lowered the elevator platform in the Bravo magazine using this method. The elevator platform in the Bravo magazine was stopped about 3/2's of the way up, so the locking bars weren't an issue.
With that accomplished, the Safety Kleen company will pump the hydraulic fluid out of the the elevator systems in all three magazines.
Accomplishing these tasks will open the way up to schedule another working party to get the pumping units disconnected and removed from the magazines as well as removing the heavy items that were previously taken off the walls.
We will need a crane to lift the pumping units and heavy items up and out of the magazines. Once that is done, we can begin to move this material to White Point and begin the long term project of restoring LA-43 to mechanically operational status.
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