Cessna 402 Spar Cap Project

One of the projects we have underway right now is preparing a Cessna 402 to have its main wing spar inspected. This airplane is used for ministry in the northeastern US and Canada by Wings With the Word.

In March, a team of aviation students from LeTourneau University came out to pull the propellers and remove the engines from the airframe. Now our own guys are digging in a bit deeper pulling the landing gear, removing firewalls, and opening up the wing attach points.

The next phase is to have an outside contractor come in to perform the FAA mandated inspection to confirm airworthiness of the main spar. Should the spar be determined to be airworthy, we'll go ahead and install a "spar cap" as per an FAA Airworthiness
Directive.

It's a rather complex, labor-intensive project.

Checking Tolerances on the Starter for the 337's Rear Engine

Before building an engine, it's important to measure all the engine components to make sure they are within approved operational limits. Even new parts can sometimes sneak through factory quality control to actually end up in the marketplace out of specification. At MMS, "check, double check, and document what you've checked" is a standard operating procedure.

In this video, Paul explains the critical importance of measuring tolerances on the starter for the rear engine of the Cessna 337. Once completed this airplane will return north for continued missionary service in Canada.

MMS Open House

MMS had an open house over the weekend. It was well attended and provided the local community with the opportunity to walk through our facility, view our current aircraft projects, interact with our staff, and gain a better understanding of how we prepare people and planes for worldwide mission service.

More than 300 people came out to visit with us over the course of the day Saturday and then Sunday afternoon. This is MMS' thirty-fifth year of ministry and it was fun to share the excitement with so many folks from Coshocton County and beyond.

Here's a short video with some scenes from the open house.

Video: As Promised

Here's the video of Tim duplicating an existing part for an airplane that we maintain. His work on the milling machine saved the mission agency about $400. I hope you enjoy this clip.

Quick Snapshots Around The Hangar

Jim continues avionics work necessary to install the new instrument panel in the Brazilian 206.

Scott begins the build-up of the Canadian 337's rear engine.

Tim works the milling machine. Lord willing, I'll post a short video of this project in the next day or so.

Cessna 402

The Cessna 402 project is starting to work its way back into the production schedule. With manpower still a bit scattered between projects in three hangars, and with 4 guys down in Florida helping MFI, Mike and Mark have moved over to start organizing and planning the spar cap installation on the Cessna 402 for Wings With The Word, a ministry based in the northeast US.

With both engines already removed, both wings will also need to be removed and special testing conducted to verify the serviceability of the main wing spar. Once determined to be serviceable, our guys will install a "spar cap" as per an FAA Service Bulletin.

A project of this complexity and scope takes some preparation. Mike and Mark are reviewing the drawings and parts lists, verifying parts, and laying out the logical flow of events that will need to be followed to facilitate a timely completion.

Mike and Mark review the drawings and parts lists.

Mike and Mark identify and confirm the proper parts.

Mike & Mark with the 402.

Rapid Response to Florida

Dale, Ian, Paul, and Andy are currently down with Missionary Flights International in Ft. Pierce, Florida on Rapid Response to install two PT-6 engines on MFI's N200MF. This airplane is a key component of MFI's continued relief airlift in support of Haiti.

Please keep our team in your prayers!

Preparing to install the engines on N200MF.