a day in the hangar

I have been working in the hangar for 9 months now, and have not introduced you to the characters I work with. I have given them all nicknames based on events that have taken place since I have been here, and that is a good way to introduce them. These nicknames aren't what I call them on a regular basis, but I will use them here to keep things sorta straight.

Dom- He's the Director of Maintenance. He got his mechanic's license through an internship here, and has been wrenching for 10+ years. Now he mostly works on paperwork. I usually spend lunch break (when the weather is bad) in the same room as him, since we both live far enough away that its not entirely worth it to go home over lunch. He plays his video games, and I entertain myself on the computer.

Sprocket- He ordered a sprocket for a bike or 4 wheeler, and it turned out to be the wrong one. It was really shiny and pretty, so I suggested he make a clock out of it. I don't know if he ever did, but the sprocket sat on his tool box for a majority of the spring.

Radio- Claim's he isn't very good at anything electronic, so he hops on any project of that variety to improve his skills. I try not to borrow tools from him, as he really doesn't like people using his tools.

Redneck- had a 6 wheeler that he decided to tear one axle off of, dubbing it the "fix wheeler." Most likely to jury rig anything that's not an airplane together, but pretty smart when it comes to making something work and be airworthy as well. Now lives in Soldotna working on projects there.

Parts Girl- She comes in twice a week to order parts, organize parts, and otherwise make our lives as mechanics easier. I don't know what we would do without her!

the tall one-actually that's the name his wife calls him. He's 6'4" or something like that. Grew up out here as well.

"everything that doesn't fly" guy- (OK, so I need to come up with a better name for this one) He is probably smarter than anyone else in the hangar, but he doesn't have any desire to work on airplanes. So he is usually beyond his eyeballs in grease working on vehicles, toyo stoves, machinery, and wiring. He is building a new house for his family, and they are hoping to move in by the end of July last I heard.


There are a couple others that haven't been around long enough for me to come up with good names. I will tell you about them when I get a good name for them. There are also a few that I am not in quite as direct contact with (ground crew, dispatch, and guy in charge of flight ops and personnel and just about anything else) so its not likely that I will be telling stories about them.

navajo flap part 2

8. Drill pilot holes. I kept the removed pieces for this step. I started with the new leading edge in place, and put the old trailing edge over it to show me where the holes in the spar go. I drilled about 2 holes per bay, then took everything apart. Next, you SHOULD do the same with the new trailing edge and old leading edge. I didn't which gave me a bit of a challenge. Once the old piece is cut, you lose all reference for straight and not twisted when you go to drill more holes. Keeping everything straight was the biggest challenge for me.

9. Drill the rest of the holes. Once you have pilot holes drilled, cut the old piece into two down the middle, and attach it to the new skin by the pilot holes. You use the old skin as a guide to drill all the new holes.

10. When all else fails, ask the resident welder to build you a jig. He saw me struggling to keep things lined up, and recommended it. He took about 15 minutes to make the jig, and it was well worth it. It kept the spar straight, and just required something under the trailing edge to keep the ribs aligned.

11. Check alignment and trim pieces. After all the new pieces are drilled, put it all together with clecos to check alignment. I discovered that I had to remake a piece at this step, because the holes wouldn't line up. As you remove pieces, mark them for trimming down to the final size. Another way to mark pieces for trimming is to go back to the old skins, and use them as a reference for where the edges need to be. Since the pieces are already folded, you can't just shove them in the shears and stomp. I used a combination of the pneumatic shears and a die grinder to make as straight of lines as possible, then cleaned all the edges up with a scotch brite wheel.

12. Rivet everything together! As I observed during removal, half of the leading edge was riveted on, while everything else was cherried. So depending on who the availablity of someone to buck rivets for you, you can either start with the trailing edge, or the riveted side of the leading edge. I have heard rumors of guys who do the whole thing with only a couple cherries, but I am not that good. We annealed (heat with a heat gun, then quench) the rivets before shooting to make shooting easier. On the cherry rivets, shop practice is to dip them in JB weld to help hold everything together. Also, a pneumatic puller makes life awesome in this project.

13. Paint. After both flaps are rebuilt, it time to have some fun! At this point, its the usual paint prep: etch and alodine! we have a grate in the middle of the hangar, so if its a piece too big to do in the sink, we pull up a table, sawhorses, or something over the grate to make cleanup easier. Then the pieces get hung in the paint room to dry. When ready to spray, its simply mix paint, put it in the gun, and go for it.

14. Rhino-line the bottom. After the paint is dry, some mask off everything you don't want rhino-liner on. I'm a bit unclear as to how the spraying procedure of this stuff is going to go, so I will let you know when I get it done.

overall, its been a great learning experience for me. I only have one flap done, so I will apply everything I learned from doing the first one into working on the second one when things are slow enough in the shop for me to work on a project!

navajo flap

Well, when things slow down in the maintenance hangar, we start pulling down more involved sheet metal projects from upstairs. One recurring project is rebuilding flaps. After countless landings on gravel strips, there seems to be more dented metal than straight, so we pull flaps off and put on rebuilt ones, leaving the beat up mess to be rebuilt on a slow day.

Several weeks ago, I was looking for something to do, and the hangar was looking pretty clean, so Dom invited me to pull down a flap to start on that project. I've done a bit of sheet metal in my limited A&P experience, but nothing this involved or structural. Or if it was something this involved/structural, I was usually just asked to pull the trigger on the rivet gun, while someone else was doing the majority of the work.

Here's a description of the process, what I am learning, and how I have messed up so far. Someday, I will get a camera and have accompanying pictures to make it more interesting.

1. remove old skins. Flaps are generally put together with a bunch of cherry rivets, so you can either power through the removal process, or take time to practice removing cherries without damaging the surrounding skin. I tried a couple different methods, and found that I definitely favor the die grinder with a cut off wheel, rather than a carbide bit (I saw someone use this method, and thought I would give it a try). I found the carbide was much harder to control, as well as slower. The cut off wheel worked quickly, and is easy to avoid the skin if you are careful. After grinding down the head, I punched the core out with a small punch before drilling off the aluminum.

I also left the stringers on at this point, so I could figure out later which one went where.

2. clean. After as much abuse as these flaps get, they are usually full of grime and grease, amongst other things. I donned gloves, safety glasses, and a rubber boots as I pulled out the etch and scotchbrite to break down the build up. Some of the small places are tough to get into, but its worth it to get it good and clean. You could miss some corrosion if you don't spend time to clean it up properly.

3. inspect. Depending on how bad the corrosion is, sometimes patches are necessary, sometimes entire ribs need replaced. Usually a little bit of a bent down rib can be straightened rather than replaced. Determining the safest, most cost effective method is the challenge here. For me, I just had to straighten a few bent ribs. The corrosion wasn't bad at all.

4. Remove corrosion. Thus far, I have mostly used a scotchbrite wheel on a die grinder to remove pitting. Some areas were very difficult to get to, so I had to sand at those for a while. The worst spot of corrosion wasn't completely through a rib, but all that remained was a thin film of aluminum, so I broke it off and built a patch.

5. Order parts. Determine the number of cherries you will need to rebuild the piece, taking into consideration length as well as whether they will need to be oversized. When you come up with a magic number of how many you think you need for one flap, multiply it by two (cause the other flap is next) then use the 150% rule. I had to order about 450 rivets, because we had a bunch in stock already. Also make sure you have enough sheet metal (check thickness according to the maintenance manual) for the project, as skin pieces are usually pretty long. I didn't need to replace any ribs, but if I had to, I would want to order them as soon as possible.

6. strip paint. Odds are, you don't have to replace ALL the skins. I had half the flap still good, so I left that skin on, removed the paint, and was ready for the next step. Also beware of what stripper you are using, and its effect on steel. The attachment pieces are steel, and corrode quickly with common strippers. Be sure to tape over them with aluminum tape, and check them quickly after you are done stripping to make sure they don't turn orange in an hour. I had to clean them up with more sandpaper, and spray them right away with zinc phosphate to keep them from getting any worse.

7. fabricate skins. WHAT A PAIN!! This was the worst part for me. First off, the leading edges are not an easy piece to make, especially if you have to do a piece that is too wide for your roller. I clamped a steel pipe to a table, and bent the metal around that to get about the same shape as my leading edge. Secondly, the trailing edge has a very sharp radius with a tight bend. The piece of metal is too big for our bending brake, so we have this jury-rigged plywood and screws bender that doesn't impress me. I asked someone for help who had recently build his own set of flaps (that replaced the set I am working on) and he jumped around on it for a bit, and handed me a cracked piece of metal. I finally got one to sort of work, but am planning on visiting another hangar with a wider brake when it comes time to fabricate the skin for the next flap. The most important part of fabricating skins for this project is to leave plenty of room. Don't trim your pieces to size until you are ready to rivet everything together.


to be continued...

Mary Kay

A couple months ago, I decided to sign up as an independent beauty consultant with Mary Kay. I have thought on and off for several years about doing something like this, and have decided that now is the time to do it! Have no fear, this will not turn me into a scary, pushy saleswoman.

I'd like to address one question I am sure some of you have, as well as state a commitment I have made to myself.

The question- why?
timing: I feel like I have finally stabilized myself financially. Not that the money is rolling in with plenty to spare, but that I am not anticipating the next paycheck just so I can afford food. I am doing ok, and can handle the initial investment.

Location, location, location! I also realize I am in a unique location for this. I doubt there are many Mary Kay consultants that live in really remote locations. I am hoping that I can use Mary Kay to get into the villages in the Bristol Bay Region. I know I am where God wants me. I have slowly started visiting different villages, and am really hoping that hosting Mary Kay parties can be a way to get in, and from their I can encourage believers, and witness to the locals.

Income: My heart is to be in full time missions. Whether that is back in Africa, here in Alaska, or anywhere else in the world, I want to serve the Lord. The main thing that is keeping me from full time missions is school bills. So, here is my commitment, and some details on what exactly that means:

100% of my Mary Kay profits will go toward getting me to full time missions in three ways:

1. Paying off school bills. I will maintain at least the current amount that I am paying out of my monthly paycheck. Any Mary Kay profits that go toward school bills will be in addition to the payments I currently make. You know how loans work: pay off principle faster, less interest to pay, reduce total amount of payback.
2. Buying tools. As an aircraft mechanic, I am required to provide my own tools to work on the planes I fly. These stay with me as long as I take care of them, and will be used on the mission field as I maintain my own planes.
3. Flight time. I plan on getting my commercial single engine add-on, as it is required by most missions boards. It is also necessary for flying with my current employer. I would also like to get my single engine sea rating, so I can fly the float planes for my company. Additionally, staying current and keeping skills up isn’t just getting flight time when it comes. I feel that a little investment in flying will be required to keep my skills up when I don’t get to fly regularly for the company.

What you can do:
-Order from me! Either email me, or order from my website: http://www.marykay.com/liz.vw
-tell your friends! If you have friends that you know use Mary Kay, it would be a huge blessing to have them order from me as well.
-keep me accountable! I would like to share how I am doing, what I am doing, and goals with you. Please ask me how I am doing, what goals I am setting, and for a report on how I am spending money.

In the future, I will set up some goals, fun events, and challenges. I will probably mention them here, so keep an eye out!

my poor, neglected blog...

I guess my last post has been over a month ago now. Wow, a lot has happened in that month... A lot of not even thinking about blogging, honestly. I'm sorry I am doing a lousy job keeping you up to date on my life.

So, what has happened in the past month that I have been too busy to blog? Well, the beginning of May, I went into Anchorage for the first time in almost 2 months. Boy was that a great trip! I got to spend some good quality time with a family friend that happens to be a retired missionary pilot. I asked him lots of questions, getting into the nitty gritty details of MAF, including questions about housing, salary, and work schedules.

I moved to the other end of the runway! While its only a half mile away, it has made my daily commute 5 times longer. An acceptable sacrifice!! I have really enjoyed having a 10 minute walk to work in the morning to pray, and a 10 minute walk home in the evening to cool down and leave everything at work. I also am really learning a lot from the lady who owns the house I am living in. More on her and the family later...

I went on a mini mission trip! Last weekend, I went down to Nondolton to help lead a team of CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) kids. They just finished their CYIA (Christian youth in Action) training, and were putting it to use running kids club Friday through Sunday. It was cool to see the teens lead the clubs, and the whole trip was a snapshot of village ministry.

Lots of other stuff, but I have other things to do this evening as well :)

a hope of spring, and how nature tells the weather

When I first visited Alaska, I heard the tale that winter's arrival can be predicted based on when the topmost flower on a fireweed stock blooms. I never paid attention to how true that was, but its a fun tale to tell visitors as they admire the unique purple wildflower.

Another tale I just heard this week is the relationship of pussywillow's growth to the end of overnight freezing. When it grows to about an inch long, it shouldn't freeze anymore. Or so goes the tale.

It amazed me how fast everything has melted and dried up. We went from having a lake in the middle of the runway, and mud a foot deep, to having a solid runway that should be ready to use by next week. The band of water around the lake is several feet wide, growing every day. And there is a big spot of open water in the channel between the lake and the bay.

Can't wait for summer!

Spring conference

Last weekend, my sleepy winter village exploded. In addition to perfect spring weather, brothers and sisters from neighboring villages loaded up for a weekend of encouragement and refreshment. Sessions started Friday night, and ended Sunday morning with communion at Church.

Each session started with a few songs before the kids left for their program. The music continued, with testimonies interspersed, for a few hours. Then the last half hour, a preacher from Anchorage spoke. The music was somewhat foreign to me-- old hymns with a country-western twang to them, being led by a Native gentleman. At least everyone else was loving it. It was cool to hear testimonies from a huge variety of people. From young missionary couples sharing their struggles, to old natives telling their fishing stories, I was encouraged by the community of believers surrounding me.

Saturday morning, I helped in the nursery. A friend from Soldotna asked if I would help, to give the mothers an entire weekend off. My friend, in all of her wisdom and experience raising 4 boys, decided we should take the morning session on Saturday. BOY was she right! The kids weren't cranky cause it was past their bedtime, and there were less of them total. Of course we had our cry-ers, our trouble makers, and our escape artitsts. I had one little boy fall asleep in my arms for an hour or two. All in all, it was enjoyable to hang out with the little kids.

The session before dinner was shorter, less attended, and broke off into prayer groups toward the end. I was in a group with ladies from several different villages. We shared needs in our lives. After listening to some of the other ladies stories, I realize how small my problems are. One lady shared about the hopeless situation in her village with few jobs, and unemployment driving villagers to drinking. Another shared her struggles to forgive men that abused her in her past, and how she is opening her home to young girls who have faced the same abuse. Of the entire weekend, this prayer time had the biggest impact on me. I realized my need to not only pray for the villages in this region, but I need to find a way to visit and encourage my sisters in Christ that don't necessarily have good Christian friends to hang out with.

The entire weekend, I spent time with a really awesome friend from the area. I met her three years ago when I came out here for the first time. We instantly clicked, and have kept in touch over the years online. Its really awesome to get to hang out with her every once in a while when she comes through, and this weekend was no exception.

The weekend was so much fun, I didn't want to go to work Monday!