Engine Work on the King Air

Josh, Ian, Paul, and Ian continue to focus their efforts on finishing the inspection and routine service of the King Air's engines.

Josh

Paul

Ian

King Air Pase Inspection, Day 7

The guys continue to move closer to completion of Phase Inspection 3 & 4 on the King Air. Josh is reinstalling the interior, Andy is finishing the inspection of the tail structure, and Ian and Mike are inspecting the inside of the engines with a borescope. It's important to look inside a turbine engine and to inspect the rotors and vanes for the smallest defects due to the high-speeds and tremendous pressures generated within the engine.

Ian, on the ladder, positions the scope so the internal components of the right engine can be seen on the borescope's video screen. Mike, on the right, controls the scope imagery, and Dale assists in analyzing the visual details.

Ian removes the right side exhaust port of the left engine so it can be "scoped" as well.

Dale continues work on the annual inspection of a local Piper Comanche.

Inside and Outside the GCI King Air

Here are some contrasts in maintenance procedures. In the first shot, Mike has crawled under the control panel inside the cockpit. Josh assists Mike by moving the control yoke fore and aft as needed to accomplish the task behind the panel.

Mike and Josh inside the King Air.

In the second shot Andy uses an electric scissors lift to inspect the King Air's tail section and control surfaces.

Andy outside the King Air.

Whether working cramped inside the fuselage or high on a scissors lift outside the fuselage, it's still work. Work necessary to ensure the airworthiness of the airplane and the safety of the passengers it will soon carry.

It's a privilege to have the opportunity to maintain such an airplane and to have you as part of our team. Through your gifts and prayers, you're with Mike and Josh inside the airplane and with Andy up high on the lift outside the airplane. May God receive the glory.

Maintenance Continues On The King Air

The inspection process of Gospel Carrier International's King Air 200 continues to go deeper into the airframe and the engines. Simultaneously conducting phase inspections 3 & 4 is a great maintenance strategy minimizing aircraft down-time, while utilizing maximum manpower.

Ian & Paul inspect engine filters, Dennis & Tim address an airframe issue on the wing, and Mike checks engine components. Chuck, Andy, Josh, and Jim are also assigned to the project.

The Pratt Whitney PT-6 engine.

Ian closely scrutinizes one of the filters for the engine.

Paul matches new O-rings with various engine filters.

GCI's King Air 200

Gospel Carrier International's Super King Air 200 is in Hangar C to undergo phase inspections #3 & 4.

The King Air in Hangar C.

Ian maintains the left engine.

Chuck works on the nose gear steering system.

Josh, Andy, & Paul refer to the manuals as a regular part of the King Air inspection.

Josh & Andy install the right main gear strut after disassembly, inspection and repair.

The King Air will be with us through next week.

One Aileron? One $4,500 Savings!

While preparing missionary airplane mechanics for field service, and doing the work necessary to return missionary airplanes to the sky, our ministry at MMS saves the mission community money three ways: 1) by not charging labor for the work done at our facility, 2) by sourcing serviceable used parts when appropriate, and 3) by fabricating parts instead of buying them.

How To Save $4,500
The Honduran 206 needed a new aileron for the right wing. The aileron is the outboard control surface on each wing that enables the airplane to "roll" right and left. Corrosion had damaged the existing aileron to the point it needed to be replaced. Researching replacement, Ian discovered that a new aileron purchased from Cessna would cost nearly $5,000 based on 2008 pricing. He also learned that Cessna didn't have any ailerons in stock.

Consequently, Ian disassembled the existing aileron, inspected the structure, ordered the component parts and skins necessary, and began building an aileron for the airplane.

Ian disassembles and inspects the aileron structure.

Ian uses the airplane as a "jig" to align holes and sheet metal components.

Ian assembles the "new" aileron.

What will building this new aileron cost the Honduran mission? Ian estimates there will be less than $500 spent on materials when all is said and done. $500 for MMS to build it compared to $5,000 to buy it. How's that for a nifty $4,500 savings for mission aviation?

This is just one instance of the type of thing that goes on every day here at MMS. Thanks for helping us minister to the lost, to the missions themselves, and to prepare workers for The Harvest through your gifts and your prayers.

Serving God's Kingdom Isn't Always Exciting

Serving God's Kingdom isn't always exciting by this world's standards. Far from it. This world demands flash, style, and success. Constant external change is required to hold people's attention with each change making things more dynamic in impact and appearance. It's external, short-term, eye catching and leads one in the wrong direction. This is the wrong world, the wrong kingdom.

In God's Kingdom quiet faithfulness, perseverance, and endurance are what God uses to provide eternal fruit: hearts and lives changed from the inside out for His glory. There may not be much to look at, but there's a lot going on.

Let me provide three glimpses into God's Kingdom work at MMS featuring faithfulness, perseverance, and endurance. Keep in mind that before the "fruit of flight" is received, there's a lot of work in the dirt that needs to happen.

LAMP 337
Before we return an airplane to the field, as a regular part of preparing for the inspection process, everything in the airplane needs to be cleaned. The aircraft interior is removed and floor panels are pulled to reveal the belly skins of the airplane where everything dirty and grimy collects. Wire brushes, rags, and appropriate cleaning fluids are are put into use. There's nothing inherently exciting about going over the guts of an aircraft inch by inch with a toothbrush and a vacuum cleaner.

Chuck cleans the guts of the 337 with a wire brush and vacuum.

Honduran 206
After an interior has been removed, it needs to be reinstalled. You may not be surprised to learn that interiors come out much faster than they go in. While sitting in a airplane, the interior looks simple: a couple pieces of plastic, leather, some trim...but when having to reinstall an interior very little is simple and just because it was removed from the airplane, it doesn't guarantee it's going to going to fit when reinstalled. Of course, throw in fitting new pieces to the old interior and complexity becomes the name of the game. There's nothing inherently exciting about clearing, tucking, tightening, and securing the headliner of a missionary airplane back in place.

Tim F. and Logan work in cramped quarters tucking the headliner on the Honduran 206 back into place.

Brazilian 206
Everyone can appreciate a nice looking paint job on an airplane. But few people understand the painstaking preparation that goes into a high-quality paint job. There are thousands of rivets on the average missionary airplane. The area around each one of those rivet heads can collect and/or retain contaminants that will bubble paint and prevent the paint from adhering properly. While there are ways of removing large areas of paint from an airplane, the details are where it makes the difference when it comes to rivet heads. There is no fast way to guarantee rivet head edges are properly clean beyond inspecting and cleaning each individual rivet head. There's no inherent excitement in spending hours and hours cleaning rivet heads with a pick.

Paul cleans rivet head by rivet head prior to spraying fresh paint on the horizontal stabilizer for the Honduran 206.

Faithfulness, Perseverance, Endurance
But don't get me wrong. It is exciting here. Anywhere God's work is being accomplished there is a sense of excitement in His children and God's work is being accomplished at MMS. If you walk into our hangar and talk to Chuck, Tim, to Logan, or to Paul, you'll sense the excitement even in the grit, the grim, and the tediousness of their given tasks. Airplanes are being prepared to reach the lost and God's Kingdom is being expanded one rivet head, one interior, one inspection, one repair at a time.

Thank you for helping make this excitement possible through your gifts and your prayers.