From Gabon, Africa to Our Hangar

At the end of August three MMS mechanics went to Gabon, a country in Africa, to put a damaged Cessna model 207 in a shipping container.  MMS staff, Dale Coates, and apprentice mechanics, Paul Jones and Andy Porter, quickly disassembled the plane and secured it in the container for shipment to the MMS Aviation facility.

Paul, Andy, and Dale on the job in Gabon.

Following a rather lengthy MMS Board of Directors meeting last evening, I went to work a little late this morning.  When I got there the shipping container the fellows sealed in Gabon in early September was being unloaded in Hangar C.  It had traveled by ship across the Atlantic to New York; then by rail to Columbus, Ohio; and to Coshocton by truck, as you can see.

Fortunately, we haven't disposed of the old fork lift yet.  It joined its newer replacement to lift the fuselage which was balanced by the fellows at the tail bulkhead so the truck could pull forward to free the plane from the container.

There was no further damage to the plane during shipping, which proves the guys did a superb job loading it.  Our Gabon crew were all smiles as the truck with the empty shipping container pulled away.

Andy, Paul, and Dale - not in Africa any more and dressed for December.

The airplane's normal use is in support of a mission hospital in Gabon and the vast majority of its flights are as an airborne ambulance.