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.