Kodiak, Ceremony, and Cessna

Kodiak
Work continued through the day to complete the phase inspection on Spokane Turbine Center's Kodiak. I took the snapshot below just prior to Ian and Mike taking the Kodiak outside to perform a compressor wash on the engine. When I left the shop this afternoon the airplane was all cowled up and the engine run-ups had been completed. All that's left is to wrap-up the paperwork tomorrow and the Kodiak will be returned to service.

Ian observes as Mike safety-wires an engine component in
place prior to the compressor wash.

Senior Apprentice Ceremony
This afternoon we had our traditional cake, ice cream and wrench ceremony where the latest apprentice to complete service with MMS passes the wrench to the apprentice next in line to complete their service. The wrench signifies the "Senior Apprentice" in our hangar. Today Shawn Bupp passed the Senior Apprentice wrench to David Mozombite.

Here's Shawn (L) passing the wrench to David (R).

Shawn, his wife, and their three girls "The Buppettes" have been accepted for service with Harvest Aviation in Florida. After the "passing of the wrench" we capped the ceremony with cake and ice cream for the entire crew. Wahoo! The next ceremony should be early next year when David finishes. That's a long time without cake and ice cream...

Cessnas
Just because the Kodiak is here doesn't mean all the other work stops. Far from it. Work continues on the MAG 206, the Moody 182, and the MAF 206.

Here's a shot of Dale, David (the new Senior Apprentice) and Gertjan checking the fit of a wingtip fuel tank before making the final installation.

There's always something going on somewhere at MMS and usually there are several things going on everywhere! Thanks for your prayers and gifts which help make it all happen. We couldn't be part of this mission without you being part of this mission. May God receive the glory as we serve him together.

The Kodiak Inspection Continues

Part of the phase inspection the guys are conducting requires testing the Kodiak engine's fourteen fuel nozzles for even flow. Here are a couple shots of the guys using the test process as a training opportunity.

Mike, one of our team leaders and the resident MMS turbine engine expert, explains the theory and operation of the fuel nozzles in relation to the Kodiak's PT-6 engine.

Mike demonstrates how to install one of the nozzles inside the fuel flow test cabinet.

Once inside the cabinet, a test fluid is introduced through the nozzle under predetermined pressure to establish an observable spray pattern inside the test cabinet. Observing the spray pattern allows the mechanic to determine, based on manufacturer's criteria, whether or not the specific nozzle is still serviceable. Mike determined that this nozzle was serviceable.

Chuck practices the fuel nozzle testing technique as Scott L. operates the pressure regulator to adjust the spray pattern. Observing is Dale (L), Mike (C), and Scott G. (R).

The Kodiak Returns To MMS

The Kodiak has returned to MMS! Last at Coshocton in July as part of their national promotional tour, Spokane Turbine Center (STC) brought Kodiak 0001 back to MMS to take advantage of our hangar facility and so that we could assist in performing the aircraft's required Phase Inspection. Three of our staff, Dennis, Ian, and Mike are working with the Kodiak's flight crew, Jeff and Ed, to complete the inspection by the end of the week. To see our earlier post of the Kodiak's visit in July, click here.

The Kodiak is the first airplane specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of repeated missionary flights into unimproved and remote landing strips. It combines a turbine engine, a large cargo capacity, and short take-off and land capabilities and is proving itself to be everything hoped for in a powerful and rugged workhorse of an airplane. It has been referred to as "the new missionary mule."

It's a blessing to be able to partner with STC in this way.

Mike connects the "Get Jet" tug to the Kodiak nose wheel so Ian
can position the aircraft in Hangar C.

The phase inspection underway

Dennis inspects the left wing.

The Kodiak Visits MMS Aviation

While Karen and I were in England, the Kodiak flew into Coshocton as MMS Aviation was a scheduled display stop along its national promotional tour for the Spokane Turbine Center. The Kodiak is a brand new airplane and the first airplane designed specifically for mission aviation. Ten years in development, it's being built by a completely new aircraft company created to produce the Kodiak, Quest Aircraft Company, in Sandpoint, Idaho. The Kodiak that flew in was Serial Number 0001.

Mission aviation is very excited about the Kodiak because it blends the best aspects of two mission-critical aircraft: the Cessna 206 and the Cessna 208 Caravan. While the Kodiak is built around an extremely rugged airframe consistent with both the 206 and the 208, the Kodiak then blends the short take-off and land characteristics of the 206 (so critical in many remote locations) with the high-performance turbine powerplant, higher speed, and greater load capability of the Caravan. With the current costs and scarcity of aviation gasoline around the world, having a turbine engine is a distinct advantage costwise as well as in raw horsepower available to lift cargo, personnel, and supplies.

Coshocton was pretty excited about the Kodiak too, as the local cable station, newspaper, and radio station showed up to record and report on the event. Rides were given, interviews provided, photos were taken, people flew in, drove in, and walked over just to get a peek.

You'll be seeing and hearing more about the Kodiak as they become available on the commercial market as well. This airplane has the capacity to carry mission aviation into the next generation and beyond and MMS is dedicated to keeping up with the power curve. It appears that the Kodiak may return to MMS next month for a scheduled inspection to be performed. Stay tuned.

Special thanks to Josh Adelsberger, who took these photos of the Kodiak. Josh and his family have been with MMS gaining additional experience prior to serving as a maintenance specialist with a ministry down in Brazil. Please pray that their visa application will finally go through with this last request for additional paperwork. They've been working through the visa process for nearly a year.

Here's the Kodiak:

The Kodiak approaches the ramp at MMS, July 24.

The business end of the Kodiak.

Taxiing out for a flight.

To see Josh's full photo album on the Kodiak, click here.