The Mechanics Corner 2
Happy Friday! Earlier this week we were able to get some items moved into the hangar, got organized and cleaned and started prepping for work ops. We are gearing up for our first workday since moving into the hangar and everyone is very excited to get going. It sure makes me happy seeing Annie sitting proudly on her wheels again. On to the weekly update.
Our plans for this weekend will be to prepare Annie for a thorough inspection. This will require us to remove all of the panels, inspection covers, engine cowling and all other items typically done to prepare for an annual inspection. Most of this work is very easy as the air-frame was designed to be easily opened up for inspection and repair. The engine cowling can be somewhat tricky to remove as you have to loosen turnbuckles through a tiny crack in between the two halves, couple that with the damage to the cowling right around that area and this could be a bit of an adventure.
We purchased and delivered a set of very robust aircraft jack stands and after a little bit of work they are ready to go. We will use these to lift Annie into a level flight attitude a few feet off of the floor. This will give us easier access to the engine and will allow us to, once again, remove the main landing gear struts so that we can send them out for media blasting and powder coating. We will be replacing all of the seals in the struts, the wheel bearings and races as well as the brake lines. As part of this process we will also remove the bulkheads that the struts attach to and have them X-Ray'd.
I feel very fortunate that we have as many experienced people involved as we do, this gives me a lot of confidence in our ability to assess the full extent of the damage that was incurred in the incident. Some of the damage is readily visible, some could very well be hidden. Once we have completed this inspection we should have a much clearer picture of all of squawks that we will need to address. More to follow from me on this topic in future articles.
Here are some pictures of the hangar as it sits today.
