Aircraft Galore : Part 1

Mark writes ...

Walking around at work the other day, it came to me that we have a vast array of aircraft in the hangars at the moment. Some that are in for work and others that we keep at the hangar for various reasons. So, 'Part 1' will cover all the aircraft that are being worked on (or are on the waiting list) and 'Part 2' will be about all the other aircraft we have.

Cessna 206

This Cessna was purchased by MAF from Alaska and was shipped to MMS to be overhauled. It had to have many skin panels replaced due to corrosion, a brand new paint job and new avionics package. It will also be getting amphibious floats and wing tip extensions added once the money has been raised. Once complete, it will be heading to Brazil to serve with Asas de Socorro. I have had the chance to gain a lot of experience working on different parts of this aircraft.

Cessna 402

The 402 needs to have its main wing spars inspected using Eddy-current Non-Destructive testing. This requires both engines removed (already done), then a number of panels removed including the firewall just to get to the spar to do the test. If it is all clear, we'll do a modification to strengthen the spar. If it's cracked, the whole aircraft may be scrapped due to the cost of replacing the spars in the wings. We'll just have to wait and see.

Cessna 337

The twin engined 337 arrived about three years ago from LAMP (Lutheran Association of Missionaries & Pilots) in Canada. It needed many modifications including servicing the hydraulics pack, replace the de-ice boots and repairs to the horizontal stabiliser.

Cessna 172

This Cessna belongs to one of the team here at MMS. Bob's aircraft has been without paint for a while (nicknamed Mater ... from 'Cars'). So, as it was due for it's annual inspection, Bob decided it was time for Mater to finally get a fresh coat of paint as well.

Van's RV8

The RV8 belongs to a local guy who required an annual inspection on his aircraft. Whilst Chuck was checking out some suspect rivets in the tail section, it was noted that some bolts were coming loose, which lead to a discovery that could have meant both the horizontal and vertical stabilisers may have broken off. This meant that some major work had to be done before it could be signed off as airworthy.

Piper Cherokee 180

The Cherokee has also come in for an annual inspection. An annual inspection involves inspecting everything from the engine to the fuselage. All moving parts, wheels, brakes, instruments, oil, filters etc need to be checked. This is a process that I'm starting to learn more about and how to do. When we start with MAF, this will be one of the jobs that I will probably be doing quite regularly.

Mooney M20J

I have been able to learn all about doing annual inspections on this Mooney. The Mooney was donated to MAF-US and is being used by the area representative to get about. I was able to work on the wheel bearings, engine baffles, do some wire repairs and fix the trim tab elevator. The annual was almost finished when we spotted a fuel seepage from one of the tanks. So now once the sealant arrives, we'll have to open up the fuel tank and repair the leak.

Cirrus SR20

The Cirrus was bought by one of our regular customers to be fixed up when we have the chance. It had been in a crash and needs some major repair work done.

In the second part of this blog, I'll show you some of the aircraft that we have around here that aren't being worked on at the moment.