Airplane Inspection - I'm a Mechanic Again

Missionary Air Group (MAG) operates a Cessna 206 in Rus Rus, Honduras.  Rus Rus is in the easternmost department of Honduras not far from the border with Nicaragua.  The plane is under US registration, so an FAA certificated mechanic with an Inspection Authorization (IA) is needed to perform the annual inspection.  The pilot/mechanic, Westley Wiles, who flies and maintains the plane doesn't have an IA, so MMS Aviation was asked for help.  I am able to sign off annual inspections and it was an opportunity to get away from the office and be an airplane mechanic without wearing my administrator's "hat".

Flying over Eastern Honduras Friday afternoon.

Rus Rus is a very small village with a few houses and a clinic/hospital.  MAG acquired the hospital from another mission group that left the area.  The facility is quite nice and continues to be improved to offer a more complete range of medical services.  It is the only medical facility in the area

Pre-inspection run-up this morning.

MAG president, Sean Donnelly, came to Rus Rus also to help with the plane's inspection.  Sean flew first thing this morning to record how the plane performed and warm up the engine for the compression check and oil change.  Along with Westley, Sean and I completed the engine inspection and routine servicing today.  Tomorrow we'll go to church and then begin on the airframe inspection Monday.

I safety wire the fuel control inlet fuel screen.

A Rare Treat at the Hangar

Scott, an MMS Aviation staff mechanic and Supervisor, took apprentice mechanic, Paul, across the Coshocton airport yesterday to bring a Boeing Stearman biplane to the MMS hangar for its annual inspection.  At MMS we do a limited amount of commercial work and the Stearman is owned by a local businessman.  It was pretty foggy and dreary as they towed the plane from the owner's hangar to ours.

Scott and Paul check the wheels and brakes.

It's pleasant and well lighted in Hangar B and a bright yellow biplane makes it even more cheery.  After all the access panels are opened, inspection and servicing of the airplane begins.  This plane was built in the 1940s but was completely restored in 2002.  At first glance it looks completely original, but improvements were made during its restoration to make it safer and more reliable.  (There's a GPS antenna mounted on the top wing.)

I inspect the forward "N" strut and flying wire attachments.

This Stearman was restored by one of the top shops in the US that does these planes, and it has been very well maintained since then.  Yet, it still must be thoroughly inspected each year to determine its airworthiness.  This year I get to take a break from administrative duties to do the inspecting.

Paul (left) and Scott check the magneto ignition timing.

The vast majority of the aircraft maintenance done at MMS Aviation is on planes operated in support of Christian ministry around the world.  In fact, a crew of our mechanics started another mission project today which will be sent to Brazil when repairs are completed.  However, it is fun once in a while to bring in a 70 year old fabric covered biplane with a radial engine and give it a good inspection.

Scott's Birthday and a Baby Visit

Our son, Scott celebrated his 32nd Birthday on Sunday. We along with his grandparents and sister went to help him and Stephanie celebrate.

Later we went to the hospital to visit our baby granddaughter. You may remember that she was born prematurely on October 31.  She remains in the hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Stephanie, Kiara and Scott (December)

 
It has been a rough road for her with two emergency surgeries to repair perforations in her intestine. Some days have been rough, but many days have been good. She has grown (in the past three months) from 2 lbs 6 oz to 6 lbs 5 oz.  We look forward to the day when she can come home.  At least one more surgery is in her future before she can be released.  Please enjoy the video below of her past three months. Your prayers for her in the days ahead would very much be appreciated.

Please disregard the videos that follow. We have no control over what You Tube offers in the line up of videos.

Snow - The Beauty and the Work

Friday morning we woke up to frigid temperatures.

For those of our readers who measure in Celsius, the temperature was -16°.

The Friday night snowfall presented a winter wonderland this morning.

.........And lots of work for Dwight as he cleared the snow around our cars.  Thankfully a neighbor cleared off (with his tractor) the 4 inches of snow that had accumulated on our driveway. Thankful for great neighbors like Chuck!

Dwight at "Snow's Gym"

Back in Service

Missionary pilot, Steve Straw, tells about the first flight to the Bongolo Hospital after repair of the Cessna 207 at MMS Aviation and its return to Gabon. We are thrilled that it is now back in service.

Check out Steve's blog about that first flight. Click here.

Catch Up

MMS Aviation is closed during the week between Christmas and the New Year. This give the opportunity for families to travel back home for the holidays.

Inventory is on the agenda when everyone returns. That's right, every nut,bolt and screw needs to be counted. Some parts are too plentiful and small and those are weighed. Not fun but necessary.

(In both pictures above) Jim counts CherryMAX rivets. They are like high class pop rivets and are quite expensive.

Mike compares the number in the box to the quantity on the inventory sheet. They are supposed to agree.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the office people are lined up to see the CFO, Mary for their financial questions

Having fun with the line-up outside the CFO's office.

By mid-week, inventory, review of the MMS Standard Operating Manual, and recurrent training on the repair station manuals were completed.  That let mechanics get back to work on airplanes and everything at MMS Aviation get back to normal.