Saturday, November 26, 2011

VIDEO- The Most Beautiful

Enjoy this video from our good friend, Pastor Jacob Mouele, singing "Tu Es La Plus Belle" (You are the most beautiful).


Saturday, November 19, 2011

Fuel Drum Madness!!!

I've just been given the updated tally's from our "Fueling Progress" effort and.... (drumroll) ... in the past two weeks, we jumped from 28 to 47 drums out of our need for 78 drums!!!  WOW!  

Only 31 drums remain "sponsor-less".  Please join this effort before it's all said and done!  CLICK HERE to find out the whole deal. 


Here is the new updates "Stack 'o Barrels", for all those keeping track:

Only 31 fuel drums remaining!!!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Taking Flight!

Here is the video of the first time that N207FD took flight in over a year and a half!  Enjoy!



Thursday, November 3, 2011

Fueling Progress Update

As of today, 28 fuel drum barrels have been sponsored in our Fueling Progress effort to fill a 20 foot shipping container with 78 drums!  Please consider getting in on this effort to kick-start our self-sustaining fuel program!  What's this all about?  CLICK HERE for all the details.


Want to keep tabs on how we are doing?  Below is a hi-tech graphic that we'll update in a timely manner so that we can see our progress.  You can see this graphic by hitting the "Fueling Progress Update" tab above.


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Summary of Aircraft Repairs/Corrections/Upgrades

MMS Aviation started the work on our aircraft at the start of this past February.  In the past 9 months, a lot has been accomplished.  As I said before, I believe this is the best shape that our aircraft has been in since leaving the production line in 1982.  As we come to a close of the work here, I thought it would be good to review all that has been done.  Here is the work in summary:


> 76 repairs/corrections to the Fuselage & Empennage (tail)
> 20 repairs/corrections to the Wings
> 16 repairs/corrections to the Landing Gear
> 11 repairs/corrections to the Engine & Propeller 

Here is an exhaustive list of all that has been done:

Fuselage/Empennage (76 repairs/corrections)
1.       Forward cargo door dent repaired
2.       Dented Right leading edge of horizontal stabilizer replaced with Tanalian screw-in leading edge
3.       Left, right, and (2) center main landing gear castings inspected using Eddy current
4.       Forward and aft wing attach fittings, nose gear attach fittings, and strut attach fittings inspected by Eddy current
5.       Aft main landing gear bulkhead, left, right, and center main landing gear castings inspected by fluorescent penetrant
6.       Replaced battery box base
7.       Replaced gascolator grommets, o-rings, and gasket
8.       Right front engine mount assembly inspected with zyglo fluorescent dye penetrant
9.       Right front engine mount forward bracket replaced
10.   Serviced battery
11.   Right firewall stiffener replaced
12.   Fabricated and installed new right tunnel wall
13.   Replaced damaged right forward keel bulkhead
14.   Repaired right lower firewall
15.   Bent whiffletree support bracket replaced
16.   Bent upper whiffletree support replaced
17.   Cracked right front engine mount assembly doubler replaced
18.   Chaffed right rear engine mount assembly doubler replaced
19.   Chaffed right rear engine mount assembly bracket replaced
20.   Cracked rear engine mount assembly forward channel reinforced with doubler
21.   Cracked left forward engine mount doubler replaced
22.   Bent right forward leg of the lower doubler assembly repaired with splice patch
23.   Replaced cracked center inboard seat rail
24.   Replaced corroded right hand door sill and support assembly
25.   Removed and flushed right fuel header tank
26.   Replaced rusted and worn left fuel header tank drain
27.   Replaced right aft lower fuel line due to damage
28.   Replaced corroded main landing gear aft bulkhead upper cap
29.   Replaced cracked main landing gear forward bulkhead assembly
30.   Repaired right hand outboard bulkhead
31.   Replaced damaged right hand frame attach gusset
32.   Replaced sheared rivet on the inboard of the copilot’s forward door post
33.   Replaced cracked rear spar carry thru
34.   Installed a doubler to the cracked lower flange of the left upper bulkhead
35.   New co-pilot seat back lever replaced
36.   Worn co-pilot seat rollers replaced
37.   Replace fire extinguisher
38.   Replaced damaged bottom skin under the forward side of the cargo door
39.   Replaced damaged left splice and left clip at station 120
40.   Replaced damaged fuel line assembly behind pilots aft door post
41.   Replaced damaged fuel line assembly behind copilots aft door post
42.   Replaced damaged left and right fuel line assemblies that pass through landing gear bulkheads
43.   Replaced damaged right hand brake line assembly in forward belly area
44.   Replaced damaged left and right fuel line assemblies (new brackets installed for aft fuel line support)
45.   Replaced left and right hand fuel hose
46.   Replaced frayed elevator down cable assembly
47.   Replaced right side aft cabin channel
48.   Repaired left side aft cabin channel with doubler channel
49.   Tail cone repairs from station 168 to station 239 (skins, bulkheads, stringers, and frames replaced)
50.   ELT mount replaced
51.   Aircraft painted
52.   Replaced damaged ELT buzzer
53.   Replaced chaffed hinge pin on right side cowl flap.
54.   Weight and balance performed
55.   Replaced the cracked Brackett air filter assembly with new part and new filter
56.   Replaced frayed transponder antenna cable
57.   Multiple unused wires behind instrument panel and circuit breaker panel were identified and either removed or capped
58.   Circuit breaker replaced and reorganized to be better marked and placarded
59.   Replaced missing rudder bonding strap
60.   Replaced a missing left side eyebrow light housing assembly and 6 burnt out bulbs
61.   Repaired the post/instrument lighting circuit
62.   Replaced old nav antenna cable in the top of the vertical fin
63.   Restored landing and taxi light switches to correct part and orientation
64.   Repaired broken part to instrument panel below the engine instrument gages
65.   Removed 2 unused King KA-39 voltage converters in nose avionics bay
66.   Inoperative tachometer replace by overhauled unit
67.   Inoperative avionics cooling fan replaced
68.   Inoperative forward cargo door switch wiring repaired and fuse replaced
69.   ELT tested and reprogrammed
70.   Replace missing elevator bonding  straps
71.   Replace leaking encoder
72.   Installed new tail nav light
73.   Installed new static wick on right elevator
74.   Replaced worn mixture rod end
75.   Replaced leaking fuel line aft of the auxiliary fuel pump
76.   Repaired broken door stop on aft cargo door

Wings (20 repairs/corrections)
1.       Right and Left wing installation with multiple new bolts, nuts, and washers
2.       Right wing, aileron, and flap rebuilt by Williams Airmotive (IN)
3.       Replaced right wing Horton wing tip
4.       Installation of right wing aileron and flap with multiple new bolts, nuts, washers, and static wicks
5.       New right strut and fairings installed
6.       New right nav light assembly installed
7.       Left wing cable pulleys lubed and reinstalled
8.       Replaced corroded left wing fuel tank drain valve
9.       Repaired cracked left wing outboard aileron hinge bracket outboard attach angle
10.   Left aileron reinstalled with new hardware, bearings, bushings, and bolts
11.   Replaced worn left aileron hinge bearings
12.   Repaired stripped pitot tube mounting screw threads
13.   Replaced left wing tank due to age and brittleness
14.   Replaced left wing tip nav light
15.   Installed missing left aileron bonding strap
16.   Replaced left wing flap primary bellcrank bearings, pivot bushing and bolt
17.   Replaced incorrect rollers on left flap with new, correct rollers
18.   Replaced left flap inboard flap arms
19.   Repaired the left flap upper inboard skin, inboard bay, in area of trailing edge damage and cracks.
20.   Replaced damaged flap motor micro switch and flap follower system microswitch

Landing gear (16 repairs/corrections)
1.       Right main landing gear axle and main wheel attachment fitter inspected by magnaflux inspection
2.       Right main landing attachment and axle were reinstalled using new hardware
3.       Right main wheel and brake inspected and many parts replaced- bearing cone & cup, discs, linings, hardware
4.       Worn right side brake master cylinder lower attach bracket assembly replaced
5.       Installed new right main landing gear spring and fairings
6.       Installed new brake line for right gear
7.       Left main landing gear axle and left main wheel attachment fitting inspected by magnaflux
8.       Left main wheel attachment and axle were reinstalled using new hardware
9.       Left main wheel and brake inspected and reinstalled with many new parts- bearing cone & cup, disc, linings, and hardware
10.   Left main landing gear spring inspected using NDT testing
11.   Bent nose strut brace and bent wheel rim were replaced and reinstalled with new hardware
12.   Shimmy dampner and nose gear reinstalled using many new hardware
13.   Left and right whiffletree control rods straightened, inspected and reinstalled with new bolts
14.   Replaced main gear bushings in left and right main gear castings
15.   New left and right brake hoses, from main gear to brake caliper were fabricated
16.   Correctly sized main wheels installed

Engine & Propeller (11 repairs/corrections)
1.       Tightened loose field terminal on the alternator
2.       Replaced broken clamp holding the oil dipstick
3.       Added protection to the standby vacuum pressure sensor line where it passes through the firewall
4.       Installed 4 new engine mount bolts with new washers
5.       Overhauled fuel pump
6.       Throttle and fuel control unit inspected and tested.
7.       Manifold valve inspected and tested
8.       Cleaned and inspected all fuel injectors and fuel lines from the flow divider to the fuel injectors
9.       Removed jagged edges to exhaust pipe ends
10.   Adjusted high/low boost pump micro switch on throttle
11.   Replaced deteriorated left exhaust hangar shock mounts




Finishing Touches- MMS Aviation week #4

No flights yet, but progress continues as we see N207FD in the best condition ever, since leaving the production line at Cessna Aircraft Company in 1982!  Enjoy the photos:

For breakfast "pea soup" was on the menu!  Thick Fog blanketed Coshocton, Ohio

The sun came up and started to burn through.

The fog has not kept the crew at MMS Aviation from their work!  Our aircraft is in the back and the Cessna 172 in the foreground belongs to "Gospel Carriers" (Maryland) who minister among Chinese believers who live in the USA.

You can see that we've mounted the new propeller governor- the small component above the brown pipe.  We'll test its' settings when we run up the engine later today or tomorrow morning.

Also near the front of the airplane is work that has been done in the avionics bay, located just in front of the pilot's feet.
Here's a closer look into the bay.  Phil, one of the pros here at MMS, has created a "shelf" to secure part of the HF radio to.  Everytime you do work like this, there is a good amount of paperwork to send to the FAA as well as testing to make sure everything is in compliance and safe.

Here, in the cockpit, you can see Tim working on the other side of the avionics bay to attach lines through to the back of the HF radio control face.  The radio face is located in the center panel- the radio with the big dial.

Here is a closer look at the HF Radio control face.  It sits out from the panel a bit, but it is not in the way of any dials or cockpit functions.  This radio will allow our aircraft to speak to ground units all around the world.  It is especially needed in Africa where air traffic control centers are few and far between.  It will be linked into the audio system and can be used with the pilots' headset, just like all the other radios.
From the cockpit looking to the rear of the airplane, we see the other work associated with the HF Radio- the antenna installation.  Phil and Mike have mounted the radio tuner and are now making the holes in the skin where the antenna will go through.  The mattress is to help Phil as he lays upside down to work.
A closer look and you can see a tiny hole where the antenna will go through.  To the right, is the WX500 stormscope unit (black case).  The HF radio tuner will be attached to the "roof" of the tail- the bracket is being fabricated as I write this.
Here is Mike, working on that tiny hole for the antenna.
Yesterday I had visitors!  Larry and Debbie S. from Ashtabula, Ohio were in the area and stopped to say hello.  They attend the Edgewood Alliance (C&MA) Church (Pastor Gary Russel) and had heard that the aircraft for the Bongolo Hospital was nearby.  We had a great visit!  
MMS Aviation has been around since 1975 and has put in over 11,000 maintenance hours saving mission aviation organizations, like ours (Air Calvary), approximately $450,000 in labor expenses!  One of their projects was the restoration of the aircraft used in the movie "End of the Spear".  The project leader on our aircraft repair, Dale Coates, was also the project leader on that job.  In this photo, Dale (left) is standing with Steve Saint (center- son of martyr, Nate Saint), along side Dwight Jarboe (MMS president).