MMS Aviation Black & White Cessna 182 Part Two: The Back Story

Sometimes the back story on how a project ends up in our hangar is as interesting as the project itself. From Tim Obarow, MMS Director of Maintenance:

"This Cessna 182 has an interesting history. It was serving with a ministry in Papua New Guinea when it had a landing accident and was extensively damaged. The ministry purchased the components to repair it, but then realized the job was too big for them. They donated it to another ministry for use in Bolivia, but before it could go there, it needed to be repaired."

Jenny fine tunes a structural repair on a wing rib.

"MMS was contacted for the repair and the plane transported to our facility. Before we could get started on it, Bolivia changed their laws regarding the importation of aircraft. Under the new laws, the airplane was now too old to import. The owners reassigned the plane to serve in the Philippines, so back to the Pacific theater it will go!"

Making this repair saves nearly $1,000 for a replacement rib.

"In addition to the accident damage, the jungle environment has taken a toll on the aircraft as well. Before we're finished, all the (aluminum) skins will have been removed from the fuselage and either been cleaned of corrosion, or replaced...and receive a new lease on life."

Here's the wing that (left to right) Jack, Matt, and Jenny are restoring/reconstructing.

Matt adjusts a cutting tool to create a round cover plate from aluminum sheet.

Dale Coates, MMS Chief Inspector and Project Manager of the Cessna 182.

You can look forward to other updates as this project moves forward. Lord willing, your prayers and gifts will see this Cessna 182 flying again before the end of the year!

MMS Aviation Black & White Cessna 182 Part One

One of the major restoration projects in our hangar is a 1961 Cessna 182 to be used for ministry in the Philippines. This aircraft sustained substantial structural damage and would be scrapped except for the ministry of MMS Aviation. To replace the airplane would cost about $200,000 BEFORE it was inspected, repaired and upgraded. The avionics upgrade alone could run $100,000. So there's a $300,000 spent even before the engine is inspected. It could be $350,000 before a flying aircraft could be prepared to replace this damaged one.

1961 Cessna 182 fuselage under restoration.

Yet, because you support MMS Aviation, a scrap heap will be upgraded and returned to Kingdom service for approximately $90,000.00 in parts and materials! Not only that, but our apprentice mechanics gain the invaluable experience that only this project could provide. And this experience, in turn, is transferred to other missionary aircraft as our apprentices graduate and move into field service. It's a win-win-win for speeding the Gospel, maximizing Kingdom investment, and ensuring the next generation of competent, confident, and qualified missionary airplane mechanics reach the field.

An interesting detail is that this era of aircraft did not receive any anti-corrosion protection on any internal surface. It will receive that protection here. When it leaves our hangar, it will be better prepared INSIDE and OUTSIDE for the next 62 years!

Chuck "drives" rivets from outside the fuselage.

While Ben "bucks" the rivets from inside the fuselage.

Jay removes wing skin to repair a damaged wing spar.

Some rivets are tougher to remove than others. (And yes, I realize this isn't a black and white photo but the sparks look a lot cooler in color.)

And sometimes we find damage we didn't realize existed...like these "figure 8" holes (that should be three ROUND holes) requiring additional components to be replaced.

Thanks for being part of this project through your gifts and prayers!
Watch for Part 2 of this blog!

K&K's Spring 2023 Newsletter (and bonus bird photo)

Bonus Bird Photo

House Finch

Missionary Slides

When you connect the words "missionary" and "slides" what comes to mind? 

A dark room, 40"x 40" roll-up movie screen, card table, folding chairs, the hum of a cooling fan and the clickity--clack of the machinery inside a Kodak Carousel projecting exotic images of far away places? Some images backward, some images upside down?

Missionary Slides?

Or, contemporary music, smoke machines, flash pots, and a multilayered media presentation including video, special effects, and QR Codes perfectly seamed together and flawlessly orchestrated from a visitor using their phone to fill the Jumbo-Tron in an auditorium of 3,000 seats?

Missionary Slides?

Or maybe your image is a bit more literal...

Missionary + Slide

But seriously folks, regardless of the era and/or our own generation...slides are still being generated by missionaries to inform, inspire, and involve others in God's work in ways their viewers wouldn't otherwise be engaged. Productions and presentations may change, but slides are slides.

You might not realize it, but even as an administrator with MMS Aviation, I make slides that cross media platforms to specifically target a rather unique audience: missionaries themselves! 

After that long-winded intro, here are several "missionary slides" I've created over the years. The photos are usually pulled from on-line photo resources and quotes, other than my own, are attributed to their source. I usually just match and format the two elements to convey an idea to encourage the missionaries we're mobilizing and/or coaching.

I hope you enjoyed this missionary slide show. Be watching for Karen's and my spring Global Flyer newsletter coming soon to a mailbox or inbox near you.

Oh...BONUS BIRD SHOT!

Chipping Sparrow

So there you have it. Installment #1 from the Keith & Karen's Mobilization & Partnership Services Coaching and Encouragement Slide File Folder.

Thanks for hanging out with us, praying for us, and making this ministry sustainable for the long-term!