Weeks 9 and 10: The Conclusion

Hello all,

Since this post is so late and I won't have any time between work and going to Oshkosh this year, I've combined last week and this week into the same post.

This first picture shows the new cargo pod for the 206!  It's used for, well, cargo.  In this picture, there's a jack under it holding it to the airplane so that we can line it up and drill holes to attach it.  The new cargo pods are a huge improvement over the old metal ones!  The old pods used to weigh a couple hundred pounds, while the new ones weigh 35 pounds!

We started on the pod last week, and we hope to have it finished by the end of this week.  It will be close to finished by then, at the very least.

"The Pod" also led to much jesting around our work area.  We created our own dramatic sci-fi movie, yelling classic, timeless lines:
Captain: "Stabilize The Pod!"
Crewman: "I can't hold it!"
Crewman 2: "They're breaking through!"
Captain: "Release The Pod!"

My first task on The Pod was to modify the panels under the nose so that they would be removable after being partially covered by The Pod.  I cut them 8.75 inches from the forward end:

And attached a doubler with nut plates to connect the two pieces back to each other non-permanently:

It was a fun project because it was something I felt qualified and confident in doing by myself, freeing Paul to work on other parts of the project.

However, the next task I tackled has taken a ridiculous amount of time...

I was supposed to attach the exhaust pipe extension:            (see it just behind the nosewheel?)

It's a simple piece of stainless steel that directs the exhaust further down and away from The Pod to avoid melting it.

Here we enter the mind of poor William as he works through this task.

RED FLAG #1: "That doesn't sound too hard."
GREEN FLAG #1: "But I bet it will take a long time anyway.  I should read the directions first."
GREEN FLAG #2: "The directions say drill holes through the extension and the exhaust pipe, then just put screws in them and you're done!  Awesome."
RED FLAG #2: "Wait, hold on, there's a 'NOTE' here."
RED FLAG #3: "'Must have a snug fit.'  Hmm.  I wonder how snug..."
RED FLAG #4:  "'Modification of the exhaust pipe may be necessary.'  That doesn't sound fun."

::3 days later::

GREEN FLAG #3: "Yea verily!  The third clamp I have fashioned with mine own two hands obtaineth success!"
RED FLAG #5,336: "Oh, I heard that stainless is difficult to drill through.  Let's give it a try."

::4 hours later::

GREEN FLAG #4: "Whew.  Now there are four holes for four screws!"
RED FLAG #5,350: "That doesn't sound too hard."

Sadly, William discovered that stainless is harder than the screws he was given.  Driving them into the holes merely marred the screw threads.

There really is something fun about that process in maintenance though.  Being forced to work through problems really teaches us patience and endurance.

As this is my final post, I will include some conclusions from this summer here.

I've really been challenged by living by myself in the house I'm renting from MMS.  I'm apparently a HUGE people person, and need to be around people.  I eventually got it figured out, but it was a painful experience.  It was a good experience too.  I learned a lot about myself, and God taught me how to rely on Him more.
Working at MMS was fun and challenging!  I was stretched to the limits of what I could do with my skill level, which is always stressful.  Paul did a great job of teaching me about flying, maintenance, and how to relate to people.

While we were working one day, Paul asked,
"Will?  Did you know you would be working on a missionary plane that will be carrying sick people to hospitals in Guatemala?"
He continued on to tell me more about his organization.  He will be their only pilot, their only mechanic, and he's working right now to prepare their only airplane for service.  In case that sounds like a small task, there are no usable airstrips in the area he is going to serve.  There are a number of disused airstrips that he must find and renovate them enough to land on.
He is putting forth great effort to serve.
The other day he heard about a village.  The village heard that Paul was going to come to the area.  In response, they pooled all their money and started building a new airstrip, just so he could come to them.  The plane we're working on.  The man I'm working with.  They are so excited that he personally is coming, that they're throwing everything they have at the opportunity!  They want what he has!  What a great opportunity for Christ to work through us, through aircraft!

That story really brought purpose to my summer and energized me.

Thanks again for all your support!  You make it happen for those villagers!

God is good.
William





PS:  I found a bee thing.

Week Eight - The Finished Projects

This week Paul was back, so we moved on with the Cessna 206 project.

We managed to complete the nosewheel servicing and reattaching to check that project off the list!  We also got the abrasion boots fully secured at the end of the day on Friday.

Abrasion boots are made to protect the leading edge of the tail from rocks and gravel, etc. that can be kicked up into it.  They help prevent major dents and dings that would require repair.
The whole process was very stressful, since neither one of us had done it before, so we had to figure out the best way to do it WHILE we were doing it.  Kinda difficult, because once you stick the boot on, it won't come off at all.  That glue is really meaningful stuff.

We also got the plane ready to rivet the rear windows back in and to paint that section afterwards:

Colorful tape!

The highlight of the week was when my parents flew in to visit on Friday!  I was really excited to show them around the place and to get to spend some time with them.  They left last night, and I sat on the taxiway staring after them as they went.  I love my family so much.

I have two more weeks here, then I'll be done with my internship and head back to Indianapolis for a little bit, then right back to school.  It's gone by really fast.  I feel that I'm just now getting everything figured out, just in time to leave and head back.  Frustrating, but I'm also looking forward to how God will use me wherever I'm sent.

Will

~ Bonus picture:

Week Seven - The Landlubbers

This one is late because I was on vacation for the Fourth of July, okay?  You guys just won't leave me alone about getting these done on time, will you?  ;)
It was a great weekend.  I'm relatively unapologetic about putting off this blog post.

Last week was an abnormal week for me, but fun!  Paul went to help out with a camp for Brigade Air (www.brigadeair.org).  They're an organization that offers camps for teenagers who are interested in missionary aviation.  Paul brought back great news about a camper who was not a Christian, but acknowledges that he feels a hole in his life.  He's working through his doubts and headed toward commitment to Christ!
All that to say that Paul was gone.  Since the other two projects are well-staffed, I was assigned to building maintenance.  I got to work with Terry quite a bit throughout the week.  He's a good teacher, letting me make quite a few mistakes and making me fix them!  We were very productive nonetheless, and now both vans are up and running again!  One of them had been down for months, and the other for a few weeks, both for brake problems.  This one:

would not stop.  The emergency brake was your best bet for not ramming the back ends of the people driving in front of you when they stop.  Upon some extremely cursory investigation, we found that it was violently spraying brake fluid out of a hole in the steel brake line.  Ironically, a hole had been worn into the line by one of the clips that held it to the underbody.  Those clips are intended to prevent chafing that could cause a hole in the line...hmmm....
After some phone calls, we decided to buy some steel tubing and fabricate a new brake line by bending it to the right shape.  I messed up the bending.  Four times.  But I also learned that you can unbend and re-bend steel tubing at least once without compromising its integrity.
To make a long story short, that van's brakes now work fine!
Now as for this van:

its left front brake was failing to release, causing the van to veer sharply into oncoming traffic whenever you let go of the steering wheel.  Obviously no big deal.

This is a picture of the brake on the front left side after we removed the wheel to get access.  When we took it apart, the problems were fairly readily apparent.  The anti-vibration clips (You can just barely see them in the picture.  If I was thinking I would've gotten a better picture of them.) were installed backwards, causing the clip to rub on the brake disc.  It eventually bent the bottom clip enough to make it interfere with the brake pad, trapping it against the disc.  The caliper ended up being bad too, so we replaced that with an overhauled one.  It works now, too!

Once we finished that, I mowed the lawn and weedeated with an old weedeater that only barely runs.  It was fun and challenging!  The next day, we got a new (read: used) mower which Dave Shelly named "Guido."  I'll let you figure out why.  Here's a pic of it:

and a pic of "Guido" from Cars (friend of "Mater," see previous post):

We changed out all the fluids in it: oil, hydrostatic transmission fluid, coolant.  Changed the fuel, oil, and hydrostatic transmission filters, bled the fuel lines, switched the mower blades for sharpened ones, and greased all the proper grease fittings, all in one day!  That mower was very well designed for maintenance.  I was greatly impressed.

So not much aircraft maintenance last week, but I was able to help out with things that Dave wouldn't have had time to do without me.  I thank you all for giving me the opportunity to help the people out here.  I have enjoyed doing whatever I can to help make their lives easier.

Will

~ Cars 2 is out now, but I haven't seen it yet.  I assume Guido is in it.

Week Six - The 206

I have a good excuse for the late blog this time, I promise!  I couldn't find my camera for a few days.  I actually considered writing this blog last Thursday, but didn't find my camera until last night.  It was hiding under a pillow on the couch.  Such sneaky things those cameras can be sometimes...

This week I worked with Paul again, which was fun.  (If you don't remember Paul, look at the picture on last week's blog.)  (Come to think of it, you should look at it again anyway.  It's a good one.)  I spent a day putting on the v-brace:

Recognize that picture?
The v-brace is the black metal that attaches to the front spar on the top left and right of the windshield and ties them to the instrument dash.  (It looks like a "V", eh?)  It is not standard equipment for Cessna 206s because for normal, paved airports, they are unnecessary.  It is good for floatplanes and airplanes flying in the bush because the brace prevents the fuselage from twisting when the gear hit uneven surfaces.  Twisting causes unintended stress on the metal, which could eventually cause it to fail.  This project saved Paul 2.5 days, putting him back on schedule!  I've been able to help him significantly, saving him almost 2 weeks so far.

I also got to give him an instrument proficiency check to get him instrument current.  As payment we went out to dinner!  The next day we got together and watched an old movie; we've become good friends, and I'll keep him in my prayers when he goes to Guatemala at the end of the summer.

The other projects I worked on this week were: preparing the tail of the airplane for the later installation of abrasion boots, which will prevent them from gravel and rocks that will be encountered on the airstrips this will be flying into:

removing the wheel pant attaching mounts and getting them ready to be sold on eBay:

and prepping the plane for paint:

(Paul is gone during week seven and hasn't seen the plane totally wrapped up, so the Scottish Andy suggested we get a huge red bow to put on top of it.  Maybe get some princess wrapping paper too.)

As for the weekend, I got to take Mater (the Cessna 172) to Cincinnati to visit Mike, one of my roommates from Purdue.  We had a good time and felt adventuresome :)

Now for "Facts That Don't Fit into Full Paragraphs and are Unrelated to Each Other":

I'm just now starting to get adjusted to living by myself in the house I'm renting from MMS here, which I'm happy about.  I guess I'm more of a people person than I thought!

It's getting to be time to figure out what I'm doing (or at least what I'm applying for) after graduation next May.  Please pray for wisdom for me and all the seniors this year as we battle through figuring out where God wants us in the next season of our lives.  Thanks again for all your support, y'all!

William

~ Freezer popsicles are really cheap and really good.

Week Five - Cargo Tiedowns

Sorry it's week six and I'm only just now getting week five out there!  [I'll make it up to y'all at the end...]

This week I got to work with Paul Jones on his Cessna 206.  Paul Jones is the fun, energetic, Thomas Fraley type person who is a blast to work with!  He works for Missionary Air Group (MAG), a small mission organization down in Guatemala.  He is working on the 206 that he will be flying down there:

We worked on a cargo tiedown kit that requires some extensive fabrication.  Paul made the aluminum reinforcements and primed them.  I installed nutplates, then we riveted them in place!  It sounds fairly simple, but it truly is amazing how long it takes to do anything on airplanes.  For example, the rearmost cargo tiedown points required removing all the rear windows, which are riveted and sealed in place!  Anyway, this is what the reinforcements look like on the left side of the airplane cabin:

It was a lot of fun, as I got to be somewhat independent while working, but still had people around to ask questions of and to joke around with.

Here's Paul's "early morning coffee time while making fun of William" face that he made just for you blog readers!

To make it up to you for getting the blog out late, I'll give you a sneak preview of what we're doing this week already, followed by an awful joke!

That's the only hint you get!

Awful Joke of the Week:

How do you catch a unique rabbit?

             

Answer:  You 'neak up on it.  (Say it out loud.  It's awful, I promise.  You'll get it.)

Thanks for another great week!

Will

~ I found out about a group that plays ultimate frisbee on Friday and Sunday afternoons!  I got to play with them Sunday, and had a BLAST!!!

Week Four - The corrosion

This week went very well!  I finished up the glue removal in a couple hours on Monday, then moved on to removing the floor panels in the Cessna 402.  Not surprisingly for this airplane, there was corrosion underneath.  One of the panels had started to delaminate and might need to be replaced, while the others were still useable.  After inspection of the inside of the plane's belly, I found a couple more places that were corroded, but my supervisor hasn't had a chance to take a look at them yet, so I'm unsure of the extra work that will cause.  The 402 project is headed in the right direction, but more problems are still being found every day.  It's running out of areas that could contain problems though, so maybe it will be completed this summer!

While I was working on that project, a Super King Air came in!

Beechcraft makes great airplanes!  However, the landing gear actuators are required to be overhauled every 6 years, and they were at the end of their lifespan.  This King Air is used to transport people to minister to Chinese immigrants in the United States, along with a few other planes owned by the same mission.  This one is the flagship of the fleet, so we want to get it back up and running as soon as possible!  However, we found a couple universal joints in the system that needed to be replaced, so its departure has been delayed.  It dwarfs the hangar in its disapproval.  It would rather be out flying.  I know this because of the difficulty Ben had safety wiring the nose gear switch!  Clearly the only explanation for the four hours spent on that endeavor. 

I'm settling into the rhythm here now, and it's a lot of fun.  I got to give a Flight Review to one of the pilots here in an airplane named Mater!  I'm told its previous paint job was horrendous and deserving of the name.  It was one of the most fun flights I've had in an airplane, as we visited five really neat grass strips around the area and had a landings competition after the flight review was completed!  I look forward to flying with him again soon.

William

~ This weekend is the hot air balloon festival here in Coshocton.  I went last night to see them launch, but they had to cancel because of weather.  Bummer.

Week Three - The Glue

Another week has been completed at MMS!  This week was really kinda funny.

I spent almost the entire week on one single task!  We had Monday off, so on Tuesday we finished up the final touches on the wing we had been working on.  (I got to drive a couple rivets on the actual wing!)

But then we were tasked with removing the de-ice boots on the Cessna 402.

"Boots" are basically a bunch of rubber tubes that run along the leading edge of the wing.  When ice starts to build up on them, the pilot activates the system.  The tubes then inflate and expand, breaking the ice off. Unfortunately, the boots on this airplane were leaking terribly and needed to be replaced.

Miraculously, it only took us about an hour or a little more to get them off, leaving us with a wing that looked like this:

The black still on the wing is rubber left over from the boot, and the brownish stuff is the glue that held it on.  To install the new boots, the wing needs to be totally perfectly clean.  So I went to work:

To get the glue off, I had to apply some very strong paint stripper, let it sit for fifteen minutes or so, then scrape it off with a homemade plexiglass scraper.  It sounds easy enough, but the glue ends up being really sticky again and difficult to work with.  It also looks like...well...here's a picture.

Box-o'-boogers!  Anyway, I spent the rest of Tuesday through Friday getting most of this nasty stuff off. The wings went from this:

to this:

While working on this "grunt work," it was clear to me that I was being helpful.  If God hadn't put me there, one of the mechanics would have had to spend the week doing it, and they were all busy enough working out the landing gear issues created by the previous maintenance shop!

As for the weekend, I broke out the dirtbike and took it somewhere to ride!  After struggling a bit to get it to run, I met a few new friends and rode around in the deepest mud puddles I've ever seen and up and down the steepest hills I've ever seen!  Ohio is more extreme about their dirtbike courses I guess...

[I forgot to take pictures but if I had remembered, this is where I would have put them.]

The real highlight of the weekend though, was that God gave me the opportunity to have spiritual conversations with two of the guys and witness to them!  I'm truly blessed to have such an easy way to turn the conversation toward God because of my internship.

We exchanged phone numbers and plan to go riding again many times before I go back to Indiana.  Please pray for me as I witness to them.  Pray for them, as they need Jesus.

Thank you all for pushing me!

William

PS:  I ordered a bunch of tools that should come in tomorrow!  They should be included in next week's post.

~ Respirators are astoundingly comfortable to wear for 8 hours straight.