The Moody 182 Comes Together

The restoration of the Cessna 182 for Moody Aviation continues to move ahead.

Monday the freshly painted fuselage was moved to Hangar B.

Tuesday, the wings were attached.

And this afternoon, Wednesday, the engine is being installed.

It's exciting for everyone when airplanes start to come back together!

Moody Aviation 182 Moves to Hangar B

The Moody Aviation 182 project reached another milestone today as the fuselage was moved from the paint booth in Hangar C back into Hangar B. If all goes well, the wings and tail surfaces will soon be mounted on the fuselage.

The fuselage is rolled out of the paint booth,

rolled along Hangar C,

stationed outside Hangar B while other aircraft are re-positioned,

and then rolled into its new spot inside Hangar B.

I know it looks nice and sunny, but don't be fooled. The air temps, with wind-chill factored in, was ten degrees when these photos were taken early this afternoon.

To see the fuselage on it's way into the paint booth, click here for Part 1, and here for Part 2.

And The Tape Comes Off the Moody 182!

The final silver trim lines were shot on the Moody 182 yesterday. Today it was time to pull the tape and reveal the finished product. The fuselage looks great and there are rumors of hanging the wings and installing the tail surfaces in the very near future. It's very exciting to see this project coming together in the most literal sense possible.

After shooting the silver stripe

David and Ian begin to pull tape.

Gertjan joins in

Now, THAT looks nice...

Much Has Been Accomplished

Thanks for your patience in waiting for a fresh post from our hangar. Much has been accomplished over the past week and two days!

Completed:

• annual inspection and repairs on the Aztec used by "The Pfiefers."
• annual inspection of a regional Cherokee 140.
• annual inspection of a regional Cessna 150.
• troubleshooting and repairs on Gospel Carrier International's Cessna 172
• annual inspection on a Cessna 172 used by MMS Aviation

Work currently underway:

• Focus Aviation, Cessna 206: annual inspection
• Moody Aviation 182: restoration and repair
• Honduran 206: restoration and repair
• Regional RV8: condition inspection
• Christian Missions in Many Lands, Cessna 206: engine overhaul

Three other major missionary aircraft projects are either on their way or are already here waiting for a space in the production schedule. It's an exciting time to be involved in mission aviation.

Thanks for your interest, your prayers, and your gifts which make it possible for MMS to serve the worldwide mission community.

Here are a couple snapshots taken today...

Ian and Gertjan make final preparation before
shooting the blue color coat on the Moody 182.

Andy develops his welding skills as part of Basic Training.

Scott assists with the annual inspection of the Focus Aviation 206.

High Winds and No Power

Wednesday night a cold front blew across Ohio knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people throughout Kentucky and central Ohio. Coshocton County wasn't spared though the damage wasn't as severe locally as it was in other areas. However, power was lost in a good portion of the county to include the Coshocton County Airport and MMS Aviation. Consequently, we didn't report to the mission Thursday morning but did come in during the afternoon when partial power was restored.

Today the power was back to normal as were hangar operations.

Scott checks the flap angle on the Cherokee as part of its annual inspection.

But not all work done was on airplanes. Dave, our facilities manager and safety officer, among other duties and tasks, has been making repairs and modifications to the large, steel sliding doors on the front of Hangar A. Taking care of our facility, grounds, and equipment is a full-time job and more, for Dave. We're blessed that the Lord called him to MMS nearly three years ago to take on this new role for the mission. Every hour he puts in is an hour our mechanics can keep working without interruption.

Dave repairs the sliding doors on Hangar A.

Yes it takes mechanics to keep airplanes flying but it also takes a maintenance man like Dave to keep the hangars safe for both the mechanics and the airplanes.

Just as a note: I'll be on vacation next week so there may not be another posting until February 23rd. Stay tuned!

Warm Temperatures and Carburetor Repair

We're very much enjoying 67 degrees today, though it is forecast to become very windy this evening as a cold front moves through. But regardless of the spring-like weather outside, our work on airplanes and the process of preparing people to serve around the world continues on the inside.

Gertjan makes a carburetor repair under Ian's instruction.

Gertjan is preparing to serve with MAF-US. Gertjan and his family have been with us for a year now and anticipate transitioning to field service with MAF in late 2009 or early 2010.

Tuesday in the Hangar

While three of our guys are on Rapid Response down in Florida performing an inspection for Missionary Flights International, the work at our own hangar facility continues.

Hangar A: Paul prepares the engine and the systems "firewall forward" for inspection on the Cherokee 140.

Hangar B: Bob and Andy attach a special tool which will allow them to grind the face of an exhaust port back to "square" on a local Cessna 172.

Hangar C: Painting continues on the 182, the ice boots have been installed on the Aztec's left propeller, Josh is putting GCI's 172 back together and the annual inspection on the Cessna 150 is nearly completed.