Samaritan's Purse in Alaska

Update on 5Y-CMA...

Sorry I haven't had a good post with CMA in a long time.  Things have been busy in the shop with other fleet maintenance and we haven't really had a good solid time to work on the project.  When we get the chance, we do a little work, then move back out into the shop to work with the rest of the fleet.  Hopefully, beginning the first of 2011, we will be able to devote a good amount of time to getting her done.  We're pretty close to paint on a lot of areas...just need to do a bit more, and she'll be coming together nicely.  Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and just a reminder to be safe during the upcoming New Years weekend.  Be smart and be safe!

 We installed the windshield about 2 weeks ago...

 It still has the protective covering on it...why take it off so early?

 New windshield, courtesy of LP Aero.  We did some good cleaning on the firewall as well.  This airplane is going to get the JPI EDM-930, so that's why there is not much wiring present yet. 

 Here's the new Continental IO-550-N, part of Atlantic Aero's STC kit.  I've gotten it out of the box and sitting right in front of my toolbox.  With my green stool there, I can just sit and build up the engine with ease.  

 The first thing to do is to get all the baffling attached.  It is all much easier to work with than on the original IO-520 engines.  Just look at that engine.  It has the tuned induction, with crossflow cylinders, so much more efficient than the old cylinders.  The alternator is hard mounted to the front of the case, so no belt to work with.  The oil cooler is in the back of the engine...not sure yet what to think about that.  Some people wonder about higher oil temps because of the location.  For the most part, though, a sweet running engine in a Cessna 206.  

Here's the bottom of the engine.  It comes with some dinky little engine mounts, so we change them to the ones that work on the 206.  You can see the front (bottom in this pic) mounts have 2 holes for the dual isolator mount kit that we install in all the 206s.  The oil filter (the white thing on the top/back of the engine) is mounted upside down...which can cause a mess if you don't remove it the right way.  They really have been fairly maintenance friendly engines.  Everyone likes that!

Twas the Night Before Christmas - Aviation Style

I saw this on my friend's blog and thought it was great...

Twas The Night Before Christmas -- Aviation Style

Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp,
Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.
The aircraft were fastened to tiedowns with care,
In hopes that come morning, they all would be there.
The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots,
With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots.
I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up,
And settled down comfortably, resting my butt.
When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter,
I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Called for clearance to land at the airport below.
He barked his transmission so lively and quick,
I'd have sworn that the call sign he used was "St. Nick".
I ran to the panel to turn up the lights,
The better to welcome this magical flight.
He called his position, no room for denial,
"St. Nicholas One, turnin' left onto final."
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Rutan-built sleigh, with eight Rotax Reindeer!
With vectors to final, down the glideslope he came,
As he passed all fixes, he called them by name:
"Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!
On Comet! On Cupid!" What pills was he takin'?
While controllers were sittin', and scratchin' their head,
They phoned to my office, and I heard it with dread,
The message they left was both urgent and dour:
"When Santa pulls in, have him please call the tower."
He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking,
Then I heard "Left at Charlie," and "Taxi to parking."
He slowed to a taxi, turned off of three-oh
And stopped on the ramp with a "Ho, ho-ho-ho..."
He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I ran out to meet him with my best set of chocks.
His red helmet and goggles were covered with frost
And his beard was all blackened from Reindeer exhaust.
His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale,
And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn't inhale.
His cheeks were all rosy and jiggled like jelly,
His boots were as black as a cropduster's belly.
He was chubby and plump, in his suit of bright red,
And he asked me to "fill it, with hundred low-lead."
He came dashing in from the snow-covered pump,
I knew he was anxious for drainin' the sump.
I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.
He came out of the restroom, and sighed in relief,
Then he picked up a phone for a Flight Service brief.
And I thought as he silently scribed in his log,
These reindeer could land in an eighth-mile fog.
He completed his pre-flight, from the front to the rear,
Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell, "Clear!"
And laying a finger on his push-to-talk,
He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.
"Take taxiway Charlie, the southbound direction,
Turn right three-two-zero at pilot's discretion"
He sped down the runway, the best of the best,
"Your traffic's a Grumman, inbound from the west."
Then I heard him proclaim, as he climbed through the night,
"Merry Christmas to all! I have traffic in sight."

Author unknown

Bumper sticker truth...

I recently received a new sticker in the mail from Dawn Williams, the wife of Ryan Williams, my buddy who died last year from injuries sustained in the Cessna 206 accident here in Nairobi.  He had this sticker on the side of his toolbox, and if you've seen the AIM Air video or brochure, you might recognize the sticker from pictures/screenshots in both.  I had asked her about the sticker (because I love stickers) and they finally showed up in the mail.  I'm stoked! 

The sticker is not only a reminder of my friend Ryan, but it is a true reminder of the Gospel.  Love really does win.  Look throughout life, your life, life as a whole.  Hatred gets you nowhere.  It's the same with a spiteful attitude, or a "mightier-than-thou" attitude, or a controlling attitude.  You lose all your friends, your possessions, everything.  Nobody wants to be around you.  Nobody wants to help you or provide things for you.  Heck, if you're mean/hateful towards your dog, he's not going to want to be around you, either.  But love...people like to be around other people that love them.  You sacrifice for those that you love.  You give of your time and your ability to provide for those whom you love.  You go out of your way to do special things for them, and if you are a loving person, others will do the same for you.  That's the story of the Gospel.  God loved us.  Humankind.  Individuals.  No matter what we think we can give to God, it never amounts to a hill of beans, because the Bible says that all of our works are like filthy rags, no matter how wonderful we might think they are.  But even though humans might hate God or not care about others, God cares for us.  He loves us.  He loved us enough to call us to Himself, to be in communion with Him.  But the only way that could happen was through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's Son.  It is only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can we receive the full extent of God's love.

It does not matter how we live our life, if we don't have love.  The Bible says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." (1 Cor 13:1-3)

Love wins. 

New windows in Cessna 206

A couple of the guys installed the windows into 5Y-CMA this past week, and I got a couple photos of them doing it.  We install the windows before painting because you have to paint over the rivets that you install the window frame with.   It's a bit of a pain because you have to really protect the windows well during painting, but in the long run, it's the better way.  

 Joseph and Marko, discussing the size of the rivets. 

 Joseph giving Marko some instruction on how to grimace correctly when shooting rivets. :D

 Working as a team...

Marko on the outside and Joseph on the inside.  They did a pretty good job.  

Samaritan's Purse Aviation

Below is a link to a YouTube video about Samaritan's Purse Aviation.  I'm having a hard time getting the video to actually show up on my blog, so please view it at the link below.  Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbBUjLekJqE

Out of the Jig!

Out of the jig and into the light!  Caleb disassembled the jig holding CMA in place and we got her out and about.  She has temporary gear legs to help be mobile and until after painting.  We've been working on the fuselage to get it ready for painting.  The guys have reinstalled the seat tracks and are working on getting the windows installed as well.  We're also working on lots of little things here and there inside the fuselage before we begin the large task of paint prep.  Please enjoy the pictures below.

Caleb taking the jig apart, using an air impact wrench.  Don't get to use those on airplanes! 

Getting the nose gear assembly installed, at least temporarily, so the aircraft can be mobile.  

Preston, our new SP pilot, painting the glare shield...  

...he did a great job, too.  Now ready for the windshield!

Erich, our newest attachee (intern), working on getting the seat tracks installed.  It's a tedious task, with lots of screws and nuts to install.  Notice the windows being fitted in the rear of the airplane, too.  

Aaron, AA short termer, with the old/new flap track that we replaced on CMA's wing.  It's a bit of a task.  We found that undoing the trailing edge skin really helped to remove the flap track fairly easily from the wing. 

Your truly, double checking something during the installation.  

You know you live in Africa when...(part two)

...when you find one of these little guys running across your hangar floor.  Pretty cool little lizard. 

 John, our Chief Engineer, found him trying to run across the hangar floor last Friday. 

Fiesty little guy.  He kept trying to bite us.  We think it was a small monitor lizard, but not sure on that one.  

Aviation Maintenance video

See the link below...it's a community college video, with a funny song about being an aircraft mechanic.  I thought it was funny, so I'm passing it on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uyStvU5eKM

nate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uyStvU5eKM

Update...

...on what to do with an airplane.  Apparently, they weren't finished painting the airplane.  Here is the finished product.  It seems the airplane, an Embraer 135, is going to live in Sierra Leone, with the company Fly 6ix. 

For those of you who don't know what to do with an airplane...

For my friend in Mexico...

...we spotted this guy on the ramp the other day and thought of you.  Apparently ALS couldn't use/didn't want/something this Embraer 135 and another one they had and decided to sell them.  And this one is coming your way.  Quite a strange sight on a Kenyan ramp to see a Mexican registered aircraft, with UN markings as well.  Anyway...enjoy, friend. 


N181CS, DHC-6 Twin Otter

The other day I got a message from a buddy of mine that I used to work with at Fayard Enterprises.  One of the airplanes I used to work on was going to be in Nairobi for a few weeks, and he was going to be there along with it.  I was in the hangar Friday afternoon working with one of the guys and turned around and there was my buddy!  It was good to see him; we chatted for about an hour or so, getting caught up on things.  After a while, the airplane came and he was busy with it, so we parted ways for the time.  They are staying in a hangar 3 hangars down from AIM Air!  Enjoy the pictures below that I took when it taxied by the AIM Air hangar.  The airplane and crew are with Rampart Aviation, and they are doing geophysical survey all over the world for a company called Arkex.  Notice the survey equipment on the nose and wingtips of the airplane.  It was good to see the airplane again.  Funny enough, Fayard had acquired the airplane years ago from Air Kenya, where it was registered 5Y-BEK.  We flew it for skydiving for months with Air Kenya written down the side.  Now it's back in Nairobi just down the ramp from Air Kenya.  Funny how things work.  

The guys in the shop...

 ...are what make it all possible here at AIM Air.  Here's some pictures that I've taken recently. 

 Caleb, working on N342EA.  I thought this was a neat picture.   

 Afternoon chai time finds the whole crew outside for a break.  Notice the new paint on the hangar doors (its about halfway done in this picture). 

Just relaxing with a cup of chai...James, Timothy, and Joseph.   

 Yours truly working on N213EA. 

 Group of the guys getting some on the job training from Jose, who is hiding from the camera.

 Best pals...David and Timothy. 

 What would we do without line maintenance personnel?  Musyoki is a wonderful example of the servant leader. 

And of course, what to do without security?  Edward (standing) is our hangar guard, watching the hangar and the aircraft during the day while we're busy with our work. 

This is Aaron, our new AA short termer. 

Hey, you gotta eat, right?!  This is Nyambs, the guy who brings us our lunch.  :) 

And of course...the hangar. 

You know you live in Africa when...

...there's a monkey in your hangar.  Ha.  Yep.  You know, a lot of hangars in the US have problems with birds coming in and making nests and pooping on the airplanes and whatnot.  We really haven't had that problem, at least as long as I've been here.  Well, today is a first for me, having a monkey in the hangar.  He was actually first spotted by the offices and actually went THROUGH my office.  Good thing I wasn't actually in there at the moment.  I probably would've screamed like a girl.  Anyways, enjoy the pics below.  Hope he finds his way out. 



Strange Visitor, PK-MPV, MAF Cessna TU206G

This past Friday, we had a strange visitor here at AIM Air.  This MAF Cessna 206, registration PK-MPV was doing a ferry flight from Indonesia to Lesotho and stopped to have some avionics work done.  I remember that a couple of my friends are with MAF in Indonesia, and sure enough!  Pieter van Dijk has flown this airplane a little bit.  It was amazing to see how the Lord brings us reminders to keep our friends in our prayers.  This airplane is serial U20605864, it's a turbo 206. 

 Some interesting things about the MAF 206s.  They modify the cargo pod door to open toward the front, not down, like normal.  It also has an interesting tail skid, very beefed up. 

 This 206 also has the second crew door, which is a mod done by Wipaire.  It's a really neat safety feature.  Notice also the turbo's exhaust stack coming out of the nose cowling up in front of the cowl flap.

 Hanging out with the DC-3. 

Here's the airplane in Sentani, Indonesia, where it was previously based with MAF.

Here's my friend Pieter with the airplane, weighing in his rooster (dinner) for the flight home.