airplanes

A couple weeks ago, I got a call, inviting me to come out and help work on a few planes. Happily, I accepted. Not to be paid, but to get the experience of turning wrenches. (I may forget how)

I worked on a Trubine Otter. My jobs included pulling panels, putting them back on, and wheel bearings. on the tailwheel. I was working with a guy who used to maintain the plane, so he had a lot of knowledge as far as things likely to go wrong with this plane.

Turbine otter, from the back, with a supercub in the foreground

The otter, from DeHavilland, is really versatile. Some models were military, and the civilian side has been through many modifications, including sticking a Garrett TPE-331 under the cowling.

TPE-331 in the nose of the otter, standing above a second cub

As I was working on the tailwheel, the mechanic working with me explained the poor ability of the bearings to seal in the tailwheel. Considering the sandy beaches that he often lands on, the tailwheel is subject to a lot of foreign matter entering. As we pulled the wheel off, I realzied that it was a familiar sized tire. Most cessnas have 6x600s on the main gear, and the otter puts that wheel on the tail. The wheel popped off with no problems, and as I began looking at the bearings, i noticed some rollers missing on one side. this is a problem... I thought, pulling the bearing out. The only rollers that didnt fall out were the ones that had melted to the cage. The other mechanic said he had never seen them THAT bad.

bearings from each side of the wheel. the one of the left is just full of sand, while the one on the right is all that remains. The pile of black stuff in the upper left corner is where most of the rollers fell out.

So not only did I get to turn wrenches again, I learned a little something about otter maintenance. And what to expect if the plane lands on beaches frequently.

maps

I was given a destination. So what do I do? Usually, I turn to Google maps, where I can get a detailed view of the roads leading to my destination, the satellite view, and a topographical representation of the terrain. I can even get traffic reports, webcams, and street views along the majority of the route. It’s safe to say I have a pretty good idea of what is coming.

Paul, the first missionary, went on extensive trips detailed in Acts. He didn’t have the advantage of Google maps to tell him when each wave would crash against his vessel’s hull. The travel was a big part of Paul’s life, but it just gets glossed over in Acts. In three verses, weeks of travel are covered.

As I try to scrutinize the map, pick the best course, and prepare myself for the trip, I wonder if I am I focusing too much on the details? Is it just going to be a part of my life that will be covered by less than three sentences? It sure doesn’t seem like it as I set out. But this adventure may be reduced to a brief mention in the tale of my life.

new schedule

Last week, I started working a schedule from noon to 8. As nice as it is not to have to be there till noon, its really wreaking havoc on my schedule. I have been eating dinner around 9, staying up past 1, sleeping in, and just kind of lazing around in the morning. I've been fighting a migraine the past few days, and i largely blame it on the schedule change. In addition to just being aggrivating, I know its not healthy.

So... here's what I need from you: ideas on how to make this schedule work. I really hope this is temporary. But if its not, I need to figure out a way to make the most of it. Ideas, please!

homework assignment and moms

In light of something rather disappointing that happened at work, one of my co-workers* gave me some homework. Here's the assignment:
1. What you want to do in 1yr, 3 yrs, 5 yrs, 10 yrs. and what you need to do to achieve those goals... build hours, etc.
2. Make a list of at least 10 aviation networking resources related to your goals.....ANC 99's, Alaska Alaska Airmen's Association, etc.....
3. List of 15 aviation businesses for potential jobs, maybe not your dream job, but a step in the right direction and resume building experience.

My mother** went to Montana this weekend to visit some friends that used to live in Salem. I hope she is enjoying the Montana mountains and snow.

I went up the Glenn highway to stay with some friends up there. Friday night, with snow falling heavier in some spots than others, I drove. En route, The snow leopard decided it was tired of running. So it slowed down. And slowed down. No matter how much gas I gave it or how fast I could rev the engine. Around Sutton, we were down to about 10 mph, still slowing down. I decided it was time to call my friends to be rescued. They show up with a big truck and a tow rope. "Have you ever been towed before?" M asked. "Yes... once," I responded truthfully. I didn't have time to explain that the once was less than a mile from walmart to campus in Longview, a very flat city. So off we went. Did I mention it was snowing? And that part of the glenn highway, the wind blows pretty strong, resulting in not being able to see anything. Which is really exciting when you are a tow rope's length away from the car in front of you going 50 down the hills and around the corners. Oh, and this 15 mile joy ride is all in the dark too. I think that serves as another notch in my BMW belt! Needless to say, it was good to finally get to the house and get a hug from J***

The next day (I would say morning, but I dont think I had drank an entire cup of coffee before it changed from morning to afternoon) P and I went to dig out the saturn from the snow. It took me a couple minutes to actually find the saturn. I probably would still be looking if P didn't know exactly where to find it. I was standing on the snow, and was level with the roof of the car when we started. It would have been real work if it had been anything heavier than super dry snow.

Oops, I guess I should get to that homework...

*Also stars as Anchorage mother
**this role of original birth mother is played by "mumsie"
***a synonym for Chickaloon mom

update for... January?

I haven't posted in a while. I know. Maybe it's cause I have been in hiding. or just not sure enough of what to post. Or maybe there is too much to say, and I don't know if you really want to hear about it. So for the big news...

I got a car. An awesome car. A car that, while not being built specifically for Alaska, is meant for a place like this.
Meet Rafiki the Snow Leopard. Raf is a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder with 92,000 miles when i got him. He has a manual transmission and 4 wheel drive. The kind of 4 wheel drive with locking hubcaps. Which I know nothing about. Anyone want to give me lessons on when to lock it, and when to drive 4x4 versus 2x4? Its all new to me!

Yes, I realize that rafiki was not a snow leopard, but a baboon in the Lion King. Lucky for me, the name doesn't come from the popular Disney movie. The word Rafiki means friend in swahili. I found him through a friend, after months of scouring through craigslist postings, I realized that this friend runs an auto broker business, and was able to get me wheels. For the snow leopard, a friend pointed out that snow leopards are really rare, kind of like finding a good not worn out car here in Anchorage. That, and he starts well in the snow and cold.



More big news is regarding work. I did not get the flying job I was really hoping for, but it all worked out. My current job offered me a promotion of sorts, increasing my pay a bit, and moving me into a full time M-F schedule. My boss asked me to work in that position through december. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a good plan. As much as I like adventure, its time for me to settle down, have some stability, and enjoy a set schedule. Watch out Anchorage, Liz is here to stay for a while!

An Alaskan Christmas

Jody and Miranda came into town on the 23rd to pick me up. I had Christmas eve and Christmas day off, so I packed my things and headed out of town for a few days. Though I was tired and rather used to going to bed at 11 or earlier, Miranda's family does things a little differently, and thus we were up until around 1:30 in the morning. No big deal, I slept in past 10 the next morning. Mike needed help clearing some bush, so Miranda and I were enlisted to join in that operation. After donning winter gear, we set out in the truck, chain saw in the back, plow hooked onto the front, ready to go. The operation was pretty simple: Mike would cut down branches, and Miranda and I would throw them deeper into the woods so they weren't in the driveway. Only we did all this BEFORE driving the plow down the road, so we were wading through almost knee deep snow. Well, it probably was knee deep on Miranda, but that's because she is short.

Feeling rather Alaskan for trudging through that much snow, I piled back into the truck with Miranda and Mike. On the way home, Mike planned to clear some of the lower hanging branches over the road. But to get to them, he needed to stand on the truck bed. (Miranda got her short genes from somewhere) The first few times, Mike would stop the truck, get out, get standing up in the bed of the truck, fire up the chain saw, and cut down a few branches before driving on to the next one. To shorten this process, he decided it would be better if Miranda drove, saving a few steps of the process. To further save steps, he kept the chainsaw running. Then he didn't really have her stop the truck, just kind of slow down when necessary. Thus we came up with the sport of "drive-by chain saw-ing." Trust me, I wish I had pictures as much as you wish you could see them.

We took the snow machines out to Fish Lake that afternoon. We drove them around for a while, had a blast, and I only fell off once. When I was going in a straight line. Go figure. Miranda and I cuddled up with a good movie until dinner, an excellent selection of prime rib and lamb. While Mike and Jody were visiting with the other grown ups (two other couples) that were there, Miranda and I got impatient for Christmas, and sorted out presents according to who was going to open them. We ended up waiting until after midnight Oregon time, so I could open presents from my family on Christmas. I kept opening tools from my parents, (thanks mom and dad, looking forward to using them!) and Mike kept peeking over at my pile, checking out the goods.

We hit the hot tub that night before going to bed, again in the region of 1:30. Their hot tub is really cool, cause it is heated with a wood stove. Nothing like the smell of wood smoke while relaxing. Oh, and we jumped out to play in the snow a couple times. Again, feeling very Alaskan.

Christmas morning, we slept in, cause we had already opened presents. Thats a pretty good tradition, if you ask me. We went sledding after breakfast, down their sledding hill, the driveway, and any other somewhat straight stretch we could find. Yeah, we bailed out to avoid hitting stuff frequently... We had a notion to build a snow fort, but it was a lot more work than we were willing to put forth.

We headed into town to try to catch a movie that evening. Did you know that everyone and their mother tries to go see movies on Christmas? It was kind of ridiculous. We went to look at Christmas lights for a while instead, and ended up stopping at Burger King. On Christmas. I guess there is a first time for everything! Oh, and I was wearing a short sleeve shirt. It was 25, plenty warm enough for that. Yep, feeling Alaskan.

Jody and Miranda crashed in my living room so they could do a little after Christmas shopping before heading back home.

All in all, it was a great Christmas. It was kinda hard being away from family, but it was definitely memorable in a lot of good ways. Next up: 2010!

2010 is here!

The holidays are over! It shocked me how fast they came and went. Of course I was working a lot, so that helped. So for January, the plan is:
-complete CSEL FINALLY. That's commercial single engine land, for those of you who dont speak aviation :)
-get a car.
-get a flying job.

well, its going to be busy here soon! Can't wait till I have a little time to share my awesome Christmas in Chickaloon with you.