The 207's Airframe Repairs Are completed!

It may look like there's a lot left to do on the airplane and, in a sense, there is but a major milestone was reached today with the Cessna 207 restoration project for Air Calvary.

We hope you enjoy this video clip celebrating the work accomplished over the past six months and setting the stage for what lies ahead.

Airplanes, MMS, and Music

At MMS, we partner with many different ministries. In fact, over the past 36 years, we've partnered with 96 different ministries through providing critically needed maintenance services and support. Each ministry partnership is unique yet has the common tie of aviation.

One of the ministries with which we're in active partnership is the Pfeifer Evangelical Association. Here's a video clip featuring "The Pfeifers", the music they play, the airplane they fly, and some of the services we provide.

Landing Gear, Batteries, and Oil Changes, Oh My!

Checking landing gear rigging is part of the annual inspection process for GCI's Cessna 310. Under Tim and Scott's supervision, apprentice mechanics Ben, Andy, and Paul G. gained some great maintenance experience checking tensions, pressures, limits of travel, and various linkages, and developed a high level of appreciation for how a tiny adjustment in one part of a complex system can have a major impact in another part of the system.

Andy measures the release tension on the right main gear "down-lock" to make sure it's within limits.

Finished with the landing gear, Ben moved on perform engine maintenance.

In between their other tasks, several apprentices are also learning proper methods of battery servicing and "rejuvenation". If you have the time (and it does take time), it is possible to rejuvenate a tired battery, bring it back to health over the course of several days, and save the resources that would otherwise go to purchasing a replacement battery.

Mark checks the fluid in a battery undergoing rejuvenation.

Bob Schwartz, MMS Training Director, has initiated a program where our apprentice mechanics gain several hours of ground school and flight orientation to better help them understand how their maintenance integrates with aircraft operation. Ben Fisher, one of our apprentice mechanics, is also a Certified Flight Instructor. He recently led a class on radio navigation to help the apprentices understand how pilots use VOR's to determine their location in flight.

Ben leads a class in the theory of radio navigation.

The Pfeifer Evangelical Association flew their Aztec in for an oil change and some troubleshooting. The oil change was routine but the troubleshooting indicated the alternator on the Aztec's left engine needed repair. After the repair was made, the airplane was returned to service.

The Pfeifer's Aztec returns to service.

The variety of maintenance tasks that happen in our hangar every day is wide and varied providing a unique environment in which our apprentices can grow into professional, competent and confident mechanics.Thanks for being part of this process through your ongoing gifts and your prayers.

Catching Up With The News

Here's the latest video of the Cessna 207 we're restoring for Air Calvary's use in Gabon, Africa. Removing the damaged tail cone was the beginning of the final major structural task in the restoration. Yes, there's still a couple more months worth of work to complete, but once the new tail cone is in place the fuselage can be repainted and the wings and control surfaces and all the other major components can come together in the most literal fashion.

Thanks for your ongoing prayers for this project, our mechanics, and our ministry.

July 2011 Coshocton Flyer

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Thank you for making our ministry possible, for partnering with us, and being such an encouragement to us as we serve.

Pushing Ahead With The 207 And 310

Air Calvary Cessna 207
Dale and his maintenance crew crew continue to push Air Calvary's 207 restoration toward completion. Since our last blog post the damaged tail cone was removed from the fuselage and assembly of the new tail cone has begun. Also, with the new rear, wing-spar carry-through installed, the guys spent a good portion of today test fitting the wings.

Chuck, Josh, Dale, and Andy S. finish removing the 207's damaged tail cone.

Dale and Andy discuss the next step in assembling the new tail cone.

Jim, Josh, Phil, Andy, Dale, and Chuck install the 207's right wing.

Phil and Chuck secure the left wing strut in place.

After the test fit, the wings will come off again and be set aside until the final few weeks of the project. After the remaining structural repairs are completed and the fuselage has been re-painted, the wings will go back on and be rigged for its October return to service flights.

GCI Cessna 310
Gospel Carrier International's Cessna 310 is back in the hangar for its annual inspection. Scott is overseeing the crew and providing instruction on the inspection process.

Paul and Andy P. inspect and test the 310's landing gear retraction system.

Scott inspects the 310's nose gear assembly.

Thanks for your continued interest, gifts, and prayers that make it possible for each of us to use our God given gifts to prepare airplanes and our apprentice mechanics for service on the mission field.

2011 SALSA SEASON CANCELED!

We're sad to announce that Karen's Side Street Salsa won't have a 2011 vintage.

Normally we'd be getting ready for our first tomato harvest and salsa session right about now. This year, however, we probably won't even have a harvest. What few tomatoes there are just turn orange and fall off the leafless vines...or rot in place. Not Good.

Here's our current crop.

This is quite a blow to our salsa stash. It's going to be a long wait until next summer to see how the 2012 crop comes in. We're already working up a strategy to make sure we're back in the salsa business next summer. Can I really survive football season without jar after jar of Karen's Side Street Salsa? This will be a true test of character and demands development of strict salsa management program encompassing the remaining jars of salsa from 2010.

Just as a contrast, here's what that section of our garden typically looks like:

Bummer, dude...

Home

We made it home last night (driving home through some rather heavy rain) after spending Friday at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house in Virginia, and Saturday afternoon at a family reunion in PA.

We pretty much slept, rested, and read today away. I did get out to mow and trim the yard this evening. Thanks, Tim, for getting my weed whacker up and running during our week away!

If you haven't been to Monticello, and find yourself in Virginia, we highly recommend taking the tour. Plan to spend the day as there's lots to see and learn.

Here are some snapshots from Monticello:

Starting our tour.

Karen on the back steps of Monticello.

Jefferson was a trend-setting gardener.

An "artsy" detail shot from the garden.

Karen reads the plaques beside Thomas Jefferson's grave.

Hi-Ho Silver!

While Karen and Renee aren't all that much into fishing, they did take a morning to go on a trail ride.

Renee and Karen wait for the Trail Boss.

Karen and her horse "Pepsi."

Karen, ready to ride.

Renee heads out on "Willow."

Pepsi follows Willow to the trail head.

Joelle Hauls In A Trio From Painter's Pond

Well, my reputation as a wilderness fishing guide is growing in Cameron and Joelle's minds. Yesterday afternoon Joelle accompanied me to Painter's Pond for her turn at dangling worms.

Her first worm wasn't in the water more than thirty seconds when...

Here's Joelle with another of her three fish.

Joelle, beyond being quite talented with a fishing rod, is also quite the little photographer.

Here's a photo Joelle envisioned, directed, composed, and took of the Wilderness Guide baiting her hook.

Photo by Joelle

Here's a photo she insisted on taking of her Wilderness Guide after she grew tired of catching fish and insisted that her guide take a turn fishing.

Photo by Joelle

And no, her guide didn't catch anything during his turn.

A Quick Round of Golf

Jay, Rene, Cameron, Joelle, and Karen and I squeezed a quick round of golf in between morning and afternoon rain showers today. The course was busy but we were only backed up for the first three holes. After that, the groups ahead of us stayed ahead of us. I had the only ace in our fivesome and it came on Hole #1.

On the links in Massanutten.

With the showers and clouds it was very pleasant to be outside. Much more pleasant than the past four days when it was too hot and humid to be outside from about 11 in the morning to 6 or 7 in the evening.

We played the 18 holes at a brisk pace to stay ahead of the threatening weather. The showers returned and settled into a gentle rain as we walked off the 18th green. Jay did lose his ball in the rushing river at #8 but was able to retrieve it once it rolled/floated down into the lake. Joelle finished with an 81, Cameron with 61, Jay 54, Rene 53, and Karen and I tied at 50.

Cameron Lands The Big One

Well, Cameron succeeded where I had failed. Here's a clip of Cameron landing "The Big One" at Painter's Pond. Cameron's the son of our friends Jay & Rene. I hope to take Joelle, his younger sister, fishing later this week.

Fishing and More In Massanutten

Well, I'm still fishing. I'm not catching, but I am still fishing. Traded fishing from a long boat on a small lake for shore fishing in a small pond in a different part of Virginia. There were bass in the lake...there are just worm thieves in the pond. Tiny little worm thieves.

The Head Fish Feeder

While I was feeding fish, Karen rode the ski lift to the top of Massanutten Peak (elevation 2920 feet).

Heading up the hill (down here they call this a mountain).

Looking down the hill.

Flora and fauna on top of the peak.

Karen with Cameron and Joelle, two of our vacation hosts.

Stay tuned for further updates.