Time for an engine!

So this past week was a short one due to Good Friday holiday; this week is short also, owing to Easter Monday. Last week I got the engine out of the crate and built it up according to the Atlantic Aero STC. This STC allows us to put this TCM IO-550-N on our Cessna U206Gs. It really is a fantastic modification, because it allows like 25 more horsepower coming from a much better designed engine. There are reports that on N827DG, we are already burning like 1-2 gallons per hour less than the older IO-520 engines on the rest of the fleet. That fact alone is wonderful news to AIM AIR.
Anyway, I got the engine baffles installed as well as the dry air pump, the prop governor, some drain lines, the CHT and Oil Temp probes, and some other brackets. I got everything ready and later in the afternoon, we started to get the engine ready to install on the airplane. We didn't get very far, as it was getting later and later and we kept having to fight it more and more. You know, six bolts are harder to align than four...
We kept working until we all had run out of energy and had no success. Upon some advice from someone, we decided to let the engine rest for the weekend and perhaps it would settle down into place (we were sitting too high on the isolator mounts). We'll see tomorrow morning.
Here's some pictures of the engine getting ready to go into the airplane. I'm sorry that I don't have many pictures and these aren't the best. My camera screen is broken, so I'm sorta just shooting blind and see how they turn out.


Here's the TCM IO-550-N ready with new baffles, new prop gov'r, etc. Check out that Leading Edge Exhaust System. Cool, huh?!

AIM AIR's Chief Inspector Jim Levander with the new engine ready to go in.

Our new guy, Jerry Hurd, giving it all he has to get some bolts lined up.

Now here's a couple personnel pictures of the people here at AIM AIR. I figured this would help put some faces to some names and stories about our crew here.

Faith - She works in stores and helps us out where she can on the maintenance crew.

David M. - Our Radio Base technician. He's a hard worker and great fun to talk with. This picture is of him tying his shoes...creative.