From the Phone...

Finding the time to intentionally pack around the ol' camera bag has been a little sparse of late. But hey, I always have my phone on me, so why not use it! Better than nothing. So hear goes the first exciting installment of...."From - the - Phone!!!"

Door seals and FCU's...

 

One job we recently did in the hangar was the installation of inflatable door seals on our first Kodiak.This allows the Kodiak's doors to double as life rafts if the plane happens to find itself suddenly in a large body of water...Just don't role down the window in that situation. 

No, not really. Actually they are used to seal up the doors a bit better than the older type seals, keeping rain, noise, & exhaust smell on the outside of the airplane. Above and below is my fellow co-worker and neighbour Tim Maynard applying bubble gum to the bottom of the new door sill (the manual calls for 87 pre-chewed pieces of DubbleBubble original). Who ever thought being an aircraft mechanic was easy!? My jaw is still sore.

Above is the two Kodiak's having a little chat as they get some TLC in the hangar. This was when we had to ground both planes for a couple days as we pulled the fuel control units (both fcu's shown below) off of each of them. Long story short, we were trying to pin point a symptom in one of them, and one way to do that is to see if the symptom goes away if a different unit is used on the same aircraft. These units are each individually worth about the price of a brand new minivan, and they are also the 'brians' behind what makes the aircraft's engine go 'put put'.

Our work yeilded some good information, but the next task is to find the needed replacement part, and then get it 1/3 way around the world! Fortunately, lots of MAF folks know the routine pretty good, and are on it. Pray that we can get both of these planes up and flying sooner than later! Right now, to say that there is plenty of work out there for them to do is an understatement.

Ah yes, a toolbox that is dirty on top is a toolbox that is being used...or just maybe owned by a guy who likes lotsa junk in his way. I like mine clean, but some guys role with a different style and have their boxes looking like part of the archeological record. You could peal back piles of tools, old aircraft parts, & dirty rags like they were strata - layers of time, revealing long forgotten secrets and stories of intrigue. But I could ask a guy like that to borrow a pair of pliers and he'd certainly know right where they were...or at least what pile they were in. I'll have to take some pic's of dirty or not-so-dirty tool boxes for future posts along with their proud owners. That's right, you're on the edge of your seat now!

Ahhh, clean on top, at least for now.

I most certainly must follow up pictures of a tool box with a cute kid (you are only as good as your last picture). Charlotte is pointing out the Indonesian Spitting Cobra we almost stepped on as we were taking a little stroll. No, not really. I haven't seen a snake yet since coming to Tarakan. I think she was pointing at a chicken or something.