Five Inches of Fresh Snow and a new Video Clip

Well, we did get the five inches of fresh snow yesterday and last night. It didn't take all that long to shovel this morning so either I'm getting stronger or 5 inches just isn't all that much snow any more...

I won't go into the 8-hour learning curve I endured troubleshooting the production of this video...but suffice to say it was something of a relief to finally get it figured out. Enjoy the video!

Apologies For Any Video Play Back Problems

I recently learned that my Vimeo supported videos have turned out to be problematic for several of our blog readers. The videos don't load, they partially load, or they never stop loading. Well, that's not a good thing. While I do like the larger frame and higher quality playback of Vimeo, those "advantages" don't really mean much if you can't watch the video at all. Consequently, I'll go back to uploading the videos on YouTube which has worked for everyone.

Speaking of video, I have several video projects to assemble at the shop...a progressive series on testing the front engine on the Cessna 337 and another of attaching the wings on the Brazilian 206. All it takes is time which, lately, I haven't had much extra to work with up at MMS. Video takes time...and right now everything is taking time at the shop. An ambitious program of change, rightly embarked upon, timely and supported by the entire group, is challenging each one of us on a daily basis as we work together to refine concepts and new processes "on the fly" so to speak.

It's all good, but today if feels more draining than usual. Maybe it's the additional 4-7 inches of snow we're supposed to get over the next 24 hours. You know, I could really go for an ocean breeze, salt air, and warm sand under my feet right now. A walk to the end of the Seal Beach Pier and a burger and a malt at Ruby's Diner would be nice...or maybe a fish taco grilled over mesquite charcoal at Walt's Wharf. Or maybe a burrito at Surf Taco in Sunset Beach...Maybe it's the fact that we've only seen the sun six days out of the last thirty and we had to travel to Denver to get three of those sunny days...even the Olympics are all about snow...

Tomorrow we're having our twice a month staff meeting at MMS. I'll lead a discussion about our new procedure for tracking man hours (initiated in January) and I'll go over our new apprentice performance review process (instituted two weeks ago). Dwight's presenting an overview of the mission's 2009 fiscal year. I need to write the next GroundCrew newsletter next week. The dogs are sleeping in their beds. Karen's harvesting crops in "Farmville" on Facebook. It's overcast, 25 degrees, and there's an inch of fresh snow on top of the eight inches left over from the previous sixteen inches.

Thanks for your prayers and your gifts which provide for the food we eat (tonight macaroni & cheese and green beans), the gas to heat this house, for the layers of clothes which keep us warm, and for the electricity which keeps us connected.

Latest Hangar Video of the Brazilian 206 Project

Here's the latest video from the hangar. I shot the clips this morning and assembled them this afternoon. Ian's been shooting the color coats while Mark and Josh are rigging the wings for attachment to the fuselage.

Ian Pulls Tape After Painting the Brazilian 206 from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Here' s something completely different. A friend, and fellow dedicated dog lover out in northern California, just sent us a video clip that they came across on the web. Now that Karen and I have stopped laughing enough to catch our breath and wipe the tears from our eyes...we'd thought we'd share the clip with you. Enjoy.

Home in Coshocton, Back to the Hangar

Our return trip from Denver was without incident, the flights were smooth and on time, and the roads were dry for the drive from Columbus to Coshocton. We did have to brush five inches of snow off the car in the airport parking lot.

We finally got in around 10:30 last night and discovered that Tanner the Book Eating Dog had decided to eat one of my golf books. He actually pulled this one off the shelf to "enjoy." That's the first time he's ever pulled a book off the shelf. That's not a good sign...

The shop was really busy today: Paul J. is conducting an annual inspection; Jim, Dale, and Scott were running an engine on the test stand; Ian and Mark were taping a 206 fuselage for paint while Josh was installing seat rails, Chuck and Robert continued work on our tool crib, and Mike and Andy continued taking care of the final details on the Honduran 206. The training staff had their monthly meeting, and I had separate meetings with Bob and Dwight.

Karen and I put in a full day catching up on HR stuff. We conducted Andy's 12-month interview, arranged for Paul's 18-month interview, handled emails, candidate supervision, recruiting, and I shot another video for the MMS blog. Here's the video:

Ian Tapes the Brazilian 206 For Paint from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.

Another Sunny Snow-free Day in Denver

Oh my. If I tried to tell you how beautiful it is out here in the Denver area right now you wouldn't believe me...(especially all our friends in Coshocton, Ohio and other snowbound locations east of here). I even had to roll up my sleeves so I wouldn't break a sweat. No hat, no gloves, no jacket...Oh my. What a treat. We did notice that Coshocton's back under another winter storm warning with an additional 2-4 inches of snow expected before morning. It looks like we'll be driving through snow showers on our way home from Columbus tomorrow night. No biggie.

We're thankful for the weather window the Lord provided for us on this trip. We made it out of Columbus as a winter storm blew into town and it looks like we'll make it back just after a second storm blows out of town.

Hey, we had a wonderful time with Jeremiah and Briana today. It was great to see them, to bring them up to speed on things at MMS while they brought us up to speed on everything in their lives as they continue to raise support to start service with MMS. It was a blessing to spend time together. We look forward to having them as part of the team in Coshocton. They're a delightful young family.

Asher, their soon to be 2 year-old son, was quite a little character. He was kind enough to spend the day with his little buddies over at a Christian pre-school while we met with his mom and dad. Annabelle, J&B's infant daughter, hung out with us and was a super trooper considering she had strangers in her house all day and wasn't on her routine. Dunkin, J&B's cat was quite the cuddler and purr machine.

Lord willing, we'll depart Denver tomorrow, make our connection in Milwaukee, and arrive in Columbus without incident. Shortly after that we should be back in Coshocton ready to return to the hangar on Thursday.

Thanks for following our blog!

Coshocton To Colorado

It was 6 degrees when we left the house this morning. No new snow, though a winter storm warning was in effect. We made it to the airport and through security with about 20 minutes to kill before we were scheduled to board. 5 minutes before scheduled departure our plane finally arrived with the winter storm literally on its tail. 30 minutes later we were on the plane watching the snow and ice build up on the wings. We taxied over into the de-icing area and spent another half hour there. We pulled up to the gate in Milwaukee just as our connecting flight should have been departing. Of course our arrival gate was as far from our departure gate as was physically possible.

We got a move-on and rounded the corner to our departure gate to find they'd already closed the jetway door...but they opened it and let the six of us connecting to Denver on-board. Wahoo! We made it, but our bag didn't. Lord willing it'll show up here at the hotel later this evening.

Both flights were good and the weather in Denver is GREAT! We haven't seen so much blue sky and sun in two months...and all the snow is up in the Rockies--where it should be, up in the mountains. There's fifteen inches of snow in Coshocton, but the ground here, for the most part, is clear of snow.

We'll meet with Jeremiah and Briana tomorrow. They're a young couple raising support to begin service with MMS. We're looking forward to re-connecting with them as it's been nearly a year since they were at MMS for candidate evaluation.

Everyone we've had contact with in the Denver/Longmont area so far has been absolutely helpful, totally polite, and genuinely committed to making sure we have everything we need.

Well, that's it for now. Lord willing we'll post again tomorrow.

Thanks Tim and Michele for watching the two missionary mutts!

Saturday Update and Tanner's Latest Literary Snack

If anyone's wondering, it's still winter out here in Ohio...

We ran some errands today, took the dogs up to the airport so they could crash through the snow drifts and wear themselves out, grabbed a couple movies at the rental place, and are starting to get organized for our trip to Colorado. We're flying out there to visit with one of our candidate families. It's been nearly a year since their evaluation and it's a good time to reconnect as they continue raising the support they need to begin service.

Karen has laundry going, I'm working at the computer, we've had snow flurries all day though it looks like the gray sky is currently snow-flake free.

Not much else to report, really.

Other than Tanner ate another book. Tanner enjoys books. Hardbound books. And for some reason, only MY hardbound books (he doesn't touch Karen's books). He really likes hardbound books from the library. I think those are his favorites. The whole concept of going to the library is so one doesn't have to buy the book. In reality, with Tanner in the house, it's cheaper for me to buy the book from Amazon at discount than it is for me to borrow it free from the library, have Tanner eat it, and then have to buy the eaten book from the library at full list price. Tanner has five books in his literary library so far. Isn't that jolly?

Tanner's latest literary snack.

No Snow Pictures, More Hangar Video

Well, great snow pictures really haven't materialized over the past couple days. It's just snow...you know? Just imagine it 15 inches deep instead of 10 inches. Here's another video from the hangar:

Checking the Weight & Balance of the Honduran 206
After major repairs have been made to an aircraft, it's important to reestablish the weight and balance of the airplane. Knowing the aircraft's empty weight, as well as resestablishing its center of gravity (CG), is critical to its safe operation whether hauling people, cargo, or both. When loading an airplane there are specific guidelines to follow regarding personnel and cargo placement based on the starting CG. Too much weight forward of the CG and the airplane will be nose heavy. Too much weight aft and the aircraft will be tail heavy. Being able to perform a "weight and balance" is an important part of every missionary airplane mechanic's skill set.

Checking Weight & Balance from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.

More Snow

After receiving ten inches of snow Friday/Saturday a new storm rolled in today and, so far, has dropped another five inches or so of fresh snow with more to fall overnight and into tomorrow. I'll try to get some more snapshots once it stops snowing long enough to get a picture.

A guy down the street is actually building an igloo beside his house.

No kidding.

Evidently another storm is in line to follow this one. We'll see...

Winter Diversion in the Man Cave

When it's one degree outside and there's a foot of snow on the ground...what does a guy do to rest his mind and relax a bit in the middle of another Midwest Winter? I mean a guy can only read so many books, write so many Sunday School lessons, and watch so many Mythbuster reruns before cabin fever begins to creep in.

How about going down into the basement, entering the man cave, pulling up to his work bench and building models? What? Yep, at age 53 I'm returning to my childhood roots and am building plastic models again. It's kind fun, it takes my mind off of all the other things my mind is usually filled with, and it gives Karen a break from me following her around the house all day asking her what she's doing. She's been telling me to "Go get a hobby!" for several years now. I'm slow, but I do eventually catch on.

I've always been fascinated by airplanes so I do have a DC-3 project under way. I've also had in interest in trains and recently discovered "weathering" rolling-stock as an art form. It's amazing what train artists can do to make a nice shiny scale model train car look like a real train car with all the discoloration and aging. It truly is an art form of its own. If you want to see some samples of "extreme weathering" by some of the best in the business, click here. They even have "Car Of The Year" nominees and winners!

Anyway, I'm quite intrigued by the process. We ran out the Hobby Lobby in Zanesville and I used some Christmas money to buy some chalk, some model paint, some bargain brushes and a can of dull-cote to get started. What a hoot. How convenient that Santa dropped off six HO scale model train cars to build! I don't have any interest in building a layout or anything, I'm just fascinated by building and weathering the individual cars.

A man and his workbench.

Applying chalk to a box car while Tanner observes my technique.

Tucker gets into the act, too.

My first attempt at weathering.

It's not an award winner but I know more about washes and chalk application and brush usage than I did when I started. I'm still working out the truck and wheel set options.

It's nice to give my mind a break. And we're due for another 5 to 9 inches of snow over the next two days...maybe I'll be spending a few more hours down in the basement soon!

The BIG STORM of February 2010

This was one of those storms that they closed schools and businesses early even before the first snow flake fell. Which actually was a good thing as when it did hit, it hit pretty hard. We even closed the hangar up early just so we could all make it safely down the hill upon which the airport and MMS sit. When we left, 4WD was required to get up the hill. It's always easier to slide down...

The snow started around 2:00 and by 3:00 we already had a couple inches on the ground in near blizzard conditions. It was a wet and heavy snow. This morning we work up to about six inches on our deck and about 12 inches in the street. I just finished shoveling our walks and a path down to the garage. Here are some pictures:

Looking toward the railroad tracks from our back deck.

Tucker romps in the back yard.

Looking down Vine Street.

Our clothes line in the back yard

Looking down Vine Street from our front porch.

Tanner overlooks his White Kingdom.

Snow Shovel Man.

One of Tim & Michel's pine trees across the street.

Our house.

Hey, Mike, What Are You Doing Today?

Mike came to MMS with a significant background in avionics. His talents in this area have been greatly utilized over the past several years as it's become more common for mission agencies to send us their airplanes asking us to fabricate new control panels, install new navigation and communication equipment, and upgrade their aircraft from "steam gauge" instrumentation to electronic "glass cockpit" technology. Mike's our go-to guy in these situations.

Here's a small sample of Mike doing his thing creating another avionics component out of metal, little boxes, and lots of wire saving our Brazilian mission partner over a thousand dollars for the installation alone.

Mike Installs the MVP50 from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.

Video: Saving Money with Nuts & Bolts

Part of our ministry focus is to provide the best maintenance value for the mission dollar. Jim explains one of the ways we work to do so.

Saving Money with Nuts & Bolts from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.

Good Job, Dale: The Aztec Returns to Service

Dale did a great job as Project Administrator of managing people, parts, and resources to complete the Aztec annual inspection on time for delivery and return to service. This maintenance event very much represented a real "dispatch ready" maintenance situation in a field environment and, as such, provided great experience for our apprentice mechanics both in the in "primary" and "production" phases of training. If you haven't seen any of the video clips, check out the previous three posts.

No video today, just stills.

Paul G. works on the right main landing gear, Scott makes a repair to the engine baffling, and Jim makes a repair to the cabin door.

Dale checks propeller control response.

Mark & Andy prepare to install the left engine cowling.

Dale & the missionary pilot taxi the aircraft in preparation for return to service.

Thank you for your gifts and prayers which make it possible for us to provide these critically needed maintenance services to mission aviation organizations around the world. Whether they have one airplane or fifty, MMS is committed to keeping their aircraft airworthy and ready to safely transport passengers and cargo into remote and difficult-to-reach locations.

The Aztec Inspection is Nearly Completed

Well, the guys are in the home stretch of completing the Aztec's annual inspection. Lord willing the aircraft will fly out of here later this afternoon. The clip today is an overview of typical activity when an active missionary aircraft in needed back in service.

Aztec Annual Inspection Walk-around from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.