Participants:
Series Code: OTG
Program Code: OTG000025A
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00:51 Safety in aviation is an absolute necessity.
00:54 One of the ways safety is enforced by having every 00:58 aircraft meet FAA regulations and maintenance requirements. 01:04 Every airplane must be routinely inspected and maintained 01:08 to be considered airworthy. Adventist World Aviation holds 01:11 it's entire fleet of aircraft up to these safety standards. 01:15 Every plane must meet the Federal Aviation Administration 01:19 flight regulations. Even those, who fly in the jungles, 01:23 where the FAA has no jurisdiction. 01:27 Safety of our pilots and passengers is paramount. 01:31 And Adventist World Aviation takes great effort to make sure 01:34 each aircraft meets safety standards. 01:37 Each aircraft can fly a certain number of hours before 01:41 it reaches TBO, meaning time before overhaul. 01:45 Once a plane has reached TBO, it is taken out of service and 01:51 brought back to our headquarters maintenance facility, located 01:54 in Wisconsin, to be refurbished and rebuilt. 01:58 TBO is the time before overhaul, so if you start with a freshly 02:03 overhauled engine, you're going to start at zero time. 02:06 And then most engines, they will give you up to 2,000 hours 02:11 of operation before TBO. 02:15 Currently 2 of Adventist World Aviation's aircrafts are 02:18 up against TBO. In order to follow safety protocol, every 02:24 plane must be taken back to the States and undergo 02:26 a complete rebuild. 02:28 The first plane that needs work is a Cessna 182 02:32 known as 8838 x-ray. That's the aircrafts name. 02:37 Once completed it will be placed in the mission field of Guyana 02:42 to fly medical evacuations from the jungles. 02:45 Safety of aircraft is extremely important to me. 02:48 But it's equally more important to our missionaries, who are 02:52 in the field that have no maintenance facilities 02:55 to speak of where they are located at especially in Guyana. 02:59 Vonzell Chancy is here training as well as working 03:02 on an aircraft that we're planning to deploy here 03:05 very shortly to Guyana. But in order to deploy it, it has to be 03:10 completed. We're sitting here with an aircraft. It's in many 03:13 pieces because of the additional maintenance that was required. 03:16 We've called up experts. Experts from Texas, Luis Acosta is here 03:20 with us. And Luis Acosta will be with us for the next week. 03:23 He is training, as well as making sure that this aircraft 03:27 is in absolute tip top shape. 03:29 In order to be extra thorough and be as safe as possible 03:33 the entire plane is stripped of all of it's parts, so it can be 03:37 meticulously examined for any cracks, corrosion, or damage. 03:43 Every inch of the plane must be inspected and reviewed. 03:47 Safety is paramount, so this step is time consuming, 03:52 but it is proven to be worth the time it takes to do it right. 03:55 Detailed inspection of the aircraft is always a plus. 04:00 When we conduct these detailed inspections we are going to be 04:06 able to find cracks or any damage that is hidden underneath 04:10 the paint. With us putting a new paint job on the airplane 04:15 we were able to strip the complete aircraft and inspect 04:20 the airframe for any damage. We were able to find damages, 04:24 such as cracks dents and so forth to perform 04:27 the proper repairs on them. 04:30 This aircraft is going to Guyana We have to take extra heroic 04:33 measures to make sure that there is extra corrosion proofing 04:36 going on. That any small detail is not overlooked. 04:40 Even the smallest crack in a piece of metal must not be 04:46 overlooked. What we are doing here is making sure that every 04:50 detail is covered. That safety abounds. 04:56 Vonzell Chancy is preparing to become an AWA mission pilot 05:00 in Guyana. He is both a pilot and a mechanic. Vonzell has 05:05 the wonderful opportunity to work on the aircraft, 05:08 that he will be flying. An advantage that most pilots 05:11 do not have. 05:12 Here in Wisconsin he is helping to rebuild a Cessna 182. 05:16 By the time he gets to Guyana, he will know every inch of this 05:21 aircraft. Vonzell also takes the opportunity to learn from his 05:26 highly skilled peers. Frank and Luis. Anything they can teach 05:31 him here, will greatly assist him once he is in Guyana. 05:35 With this experience and knowledge he is gaining, he can 05:40 do repairs and maintenance on the plane in Guyana. 05:43 This will help eliminate cost and down time of having to send 05:47 the plane back to the United States for maintenance 05:51 and repairs. 05:52 Today, we have taken a break from the actual maintenance part 05:56 of it, so that Luis, who is a master mechanic and so is Frank 06:00 and they are showing me some of the procedures what we would do 06:07 in order to continue our inspection. 06:10 There are some airworthiness directives, some things that 06:14 need to be checked to make sure we comply with Federal Aviation 06:19 requirements on these aircrafts so we've taken some time 06:21 right now and gone over those things. 06:24 This detailed inspection of the plane literally requires 06:28 the examination of every inch of the plane. 06:30 Once it's finished, there'll be no doubt, that this plane 06:34 will be one of the safest aircraft to fly. 06:50 Adventist World Aviation has many airplane mechanics, that 06:53 volunteer their services. These mechanics live all throughout 06:56 the country and some even in Canada. 07:00 These dedicated individuals travel from far and wide, 07:04 when there is a call to get an AWA mission plane deployed. 07:08 OK, we have lots of people in the hangars they got an airplane 07:10 that's been in the process of number of modifications over 07:14 the last few years actually and now it is just about finished, 07:17 so we got really the final push to get it completed 07:21 getting all the surfaces ready for paint, getting all the 07:23 materials off, all the paint scuffed and prep for paint. 07:29 And of course reassembly, piecing it back together 07:32 and get it back in the air. So we just have as many people 07:34 as we can right now. All tasked out, to get this thing done, 07:39 and out to the mission field as soon as we can. 07:41 Adventist World Aviation is blessed to have such great 07:44 and talented mechanics. 07:46 The individuals working on this plane are truly 07:49 top notch mechanics, who have volunteered their time 07:52 and services, because they want to see this plane fly once again 07:57 There have been many mechanics, who come and shared their 08:01 specific talents on this project 08:03 The riveting, the painting stripes, electronics, painting, 08:09 each individual has come to faithfully share their talents. 08:12 We got Elden Bower, he is a semi retired mechanic, I don't know 08:17 if he will ever actually retire. He's been working on airplanes, 08:19 flying airplanes and helicopters all around the world, missions 08:23 last 50 years I think at least. He's come to work for us 08:28 for couple of weeks. 08:30 The remake of this aircraft, removing all the corrosion 08:35 that was in it and stripping it down to the bare metal. 08:39 Preparing the metal for paint. 08:42 It will be repainted and reassembled 08:45 any worn part should be replaced. 08:48 Our hope is that we can paint this next week and than 08:50 start assembly. 08:52 Hopefully within a two week period we have this thing 08:54 ready for service. 08:55 Ray Young is here, he is also a mechanic from Canada, 09:00 has quite a bit of experience. 09:02 They are just giving their time out of their very busy schedule 09:05 they got people calling them right now asking to get their 09:08 work done back there. They're saying no, we are gone 09:11 for two week to work on these mission planes 09:13 to put them back in service. 09:15 Ray Young is one of the individuals, who especially 09:18 devoted himself to the completion of this project. 09:21 He and his wife Julie have put their lives back in Canada 09:26 on hold, as they come to Wisconsin to see this project 09:30 to completion. 09:32 Ray has worked consistently on this plane day in and day out 09:36 for several months now. 09:37 He truly has dedicated himself whole heartedly to this project. 09:41 Once the plane has been equipped with all the necessary and 09:45 lifesaving modifications, it's all perfectly puzzled pieced 09:49 back together and assembled. 09:52 The plane now begins to take it's true shape. 09:55 After assembly it's time to beautify the plane and paint it 10:00 the pathfinder colors. 10:02 Ray Young has been tasked with the new paint job 10:05 of this aircraft. 10:07 This is a standard, simple water trap. Air comes in, cools 10:12 certain amount. The water drop that can't make through the high 10:16 micron filter as easy as the air can. So it separates out of the 10:20 air and falls to the bottom and than the trap automatically 10:23 allows to drip out, as it starts to fill up. 10:25 And that takes out the majority of our condensation and water 10:30 in our hoses and paint. 10:33 Unfortunately if we shoot paint with water mixing in with it 10:37 splashing in it, than it's going to leave huge marks in the paint 10:40 And it will also interrupt the bonding process of the paint. 10:44 So naturally I want as much moisture out, as we can. 10:47 And this happens to be a very high humidity area. 10:50 It's a daunting task to say the least. 10:53 This airplane is being painted yellow to honor the Pathfinders, 10:58 who have worked alongside AWA for some time now. 11:02 You notice this airplane is primarily yellow. We started out 11:09 doing that because we were associated with pathfinders, 11:12 So we started out with the Pathfinder, it was yellow. 11:14 Then we've discovered that having yellow airplane 11:17 is quite unique in most places. It's an unusual color 11:21 for an airplane. People in communities were able to 11:24 instantly identify the yellow mission plane. 11:27 Also in some places, some of the flights that are done, 11:34 they're not legal. Most people who are flying illegally aren't 11:41 interested in having a high visibility airplane. 11:43 So, just having a bright yellow airplane makes what we do unique 11:49 It separates us from anyone else that's operating out there. 11:54 So people just recognize and know that this airplane 11:57 is about mission flying. 11:59 The AWA maintenance hangar is alive with activity, as skilled 12:03 volunteers pour hundreds of hours into this aircraft. 12:07 They all feel the urgency to get this plane into the mission 12:10 field as soon as possible. 12:12 As the plane is reassembled, the mechanics add specialty 12:17 modifications to it, to make it suitable for the mission field. 12:22 We're in the middle of getting an airplane ready to go 12:23 into the mission field. Now, there are lot's of Cessna 12:26 airplanes out there. We use Cessna 182-s and Cessna 206-s. 12:29 When we go to buy an airplane, or have one donated, provided 12:34 we have to do quite a few modifications 12:36 to make it suitable to go overseas. 12:38 For example this you know airplanes come with 12:42 seatbelts, they all come with seatbelts, but the older models 12:45 are the ones that are the most useful to us 12:47 to carry the most weight. They have the most versatility. 12:50 They come with shoulder harnesses or they come with 12:53 normal harnesses, the once that are fixed at a certain 12:55 point in the airplane 12:56 So this is called the inertia wheel like the one you have 12:58 in your car and you had it in your car for years. 13:00 Probably just take out everything out of one of these. 13:02 Once you're in an impact, it snaps shut like that and it 13:04 keeps you from going anywhere. 13:06 So we put these in the airplanes because these save lives. 13:09 If there is ever an accident, we are prepared for that. 13:12 But these cost money. These are just modified to put these 13:15 seatbelts in the front seat of one of our mission airplanes 13:18 cost about $1,500 $2,000 by the time they are installed. 13:21 These are the things that we have to do to these airplanes. 13:25 Number of things like this to make the airplanes more useful, 13:27 and safer for use in the mission field. 13:30 So we are talking about doing modifications to our mission 13:32 airplanes to send them over seas where they're more functional, 13:34 more safe. This is one of the ones that we do on almost all 13:39 the airplanes. Extend the wings. This is a piece that will go 13:43 on to the end of the wings. Makes the wingspan of the 13:45 airplane 2-3' wider and that actually allows the airplane 13:50 to fly at slower speeds and take off at shorter distances. 13:54 But even more significantly, allows the airplane to carry 13:56 more weight in this particular case. The airplane has a gross 13:59 weight of 300lb. 14:01 The kit weights less than 50 so you are carrying and extra 14:04 250lb at least in the airplane which is often 2000 14:08 in the mission field. 14:09 You are looking at you know out on a remote airstrip you got an 14:12 extra patient comes up to the airplane and you can say 14:14 yes we can take you to the hospital. 14:16 We have the wing extension that allows the airplane 14:18 to carry more weight. 14:20 Many hands work on this aircraft as Jud Wickwire, 14:24 AWA Director of operations, oversees the project. 14:27 This plane has been transformed from an old rusty 14:32 Cessna 182, to a newly updated fine piece of machinery. 14:37 Now many people say, why don't you just go and buy a brand new 14:39 airplane, wouldn't that be cheaper? 14:41 Well, a new aircraft would cost somewhere in the neighborhood 14:43 of about $250,000 to purchase an aircraft that's equipped 14:48 like this. And than add to the additional equipment that 14:51 we have on it, the equipment list it need to make it work 14:54 We would probably dump in another 100,000, so we're well 14:57 in excess of what we need. We can refurbish this aircraft 15:00 and make it even better than it would come from the factory 15:03 with $110,000 from tip to tail. 15:05 The plane was completely stripped to it's bare shell 15:09 and then reassembled with new and modified components. 15:13 The mechanics have updated every inch of this plane, 15:17 and it is nearing completion. 15:19 8838 x-ray, the new pathfinder plane 15:24 is desperately needed in Guyana. 15:26 The project there is in dire need of a new plane that is 15:30 especially equipped with modifications to be able 15:34 to fly in the difficult terrain of Guyana. 15:37 Unfortunately, there have been many set backs on getting 15:41 this plane deployed, but now, after over a year, the AWA 15:46 mechanic team has everything they need to properly assemble 15:50 this plane into a safe, effective tool to save lives. 15:56 Piece by piece 8838 x-ray takes shape over the next 16:01 couple of months. 16:02 The bright yellow gleams in the skies is a symbol 16:06 of help and hope for those it flies. 16:09 Once the painting is complete, there is just a few finishing 16:14 touches that need to be done. 16:16 Mechanics pour over manuals to insure that they have 16:20 assembled the plane properly. 16:22 Each component is checked, and each screw is securely tightened 16:28 The interior avionics are calibrated. 16:31 Everything on this plane is balanced to perfection. 16:35 There is zero room for error here, so the mechanics work 16:40 together to make sure this aircraft is built correctly. 16:45 Of course when you do a lot of these modifications on the 16:47 airplanes, you take a lot of things apart and then 16:49 they have to be reassembled. There're very strict 16:53 specifications for airplanes. Manufacturer's specifications. 16:56 We have to make sure they return to those exact specifications. 17:00 So it's all the rigging of the control surfaces they have to be 17:03 weigh in a certain way balanced and they have to have a certain 17:07 amount of deflection. I mean there are books, manuals 17:11 with all these numbers and references. We have to make sure 17:14 that we meet, to put the airplane back into service. 17:17 After the painting process, the control surfaces of the 17:20 plane must again be balanced and put into alignment. 17:24 Even a layer of paint is enough to impact 17:27 the way the plane flies. 17:29 Ray and Vonzell work together to balance the plane. 17:34 Every aspect of this project required great consideration. 17:38 Attention to detail and teamwork. 17:41 So, what we are doing here right now, is we are leveling out our 17:45 control surface, make sure it's balanced so it doesn't flutter 17:49 at high speeds. And on the front here we have 3 solid lead 17:53 weights, that bring us close to balance. With the stick and 17:58 level we're finding out how far out the balance we are. 18:03 Because after you paint the control surface, you can 18:07 put it out of balance. So bringing it back to within the 18:10 manufacturer's specifications. We're checking it, testing it 18:15 and it appears, we are bang on. 18:19 Pretty close there. 18:23 Tiny bit. There you go. You are balanced right there. OK 18:27 After many months of hard and intensive labor, All that 18:31 remains to be done is the finishing touches 18:34 and put on its new decals. 18:37 Finally the last piece is set in place. 18:40 As all the mechanics step back, they can't help but 18:43 marvel at the beauty of this plane. 18:45 8838 x-ray is finally completed! 18:50 The transformation this plane underwent is remarkable. 18:54 This plane went from piles of disassembled parts 18:58 to a masterpiece. And it all could not have 19:02 been done, without the dedication and hard work 19:05 from our AWA volunteers. 19:08 But the journey for this mission plane has just begun. 19:12 After the assembly is finished, it's time to test fly the plane 19:16 and make sure every single component is working 19:19 perfectly. Safety is paramount! 19:23 It's first long distance flight is straight over to the Andrew's 19:27 University aviation facility. The mechanics there are 19:32 a fresh set of eyes, as they examine this airplane. 19:37 They too are amazed at the transformation 19:40 this plane has made. 19:42 They can hardly believe that this beautiful aircraft is the 19:45 same airplane previously seen in piles of junk in the hangar. 19:51 After a meticulous inspection, all agree that this aircraft 19:55 is air worthy. 19:57 AWA leaders waste no time. As soon as the plane is cleared, 20:02 they begin the deployment process. This plane is slotted 20:06 for Guyana, and it cannot arrive there soon enough. 20:10 After careful consideration, the AWA leadership asks Ray 20:15 and his wife Julie if they would do the honor 20:18 of ferrying this plane all the way to Guyana. 20:24 They eagerly accepts the opportunity to make this trip 20:28 a trip of a lifetime. 20:43 Ah, the day has finally come for 8838 x-ray to begin it's long 20:47 journey to its new home in Guyana. 20:51 All are anxious to see this plane put to work saving 20:53 lives in the Guyanese jungles. 20:57 Well, we have been working on this plane now since early May. 21:00 With a short brake in-between, roughly 3 months. 21:04 We got it painted, reassembled and we are delivering it here 21:07 in the next few days to Guyana, South America. 21:11 The journey will begin in Wisconsin and will travel 21:13 across country, making stops along the way. 21:16 Once it reaches Florida, it will have to fly over the open 21:20 waters of the Caribbean. 21:22 Ray Young is a very talented pilot and mechanic. 21:27 He has worked on this plane for several months now. 21:30 It is only fitting that he delivers the plane. 21:34 This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, 21:38 it's what little boys dream of. 21:42 I really didn't know if this day will ever going to show up 21:46 some days. Yeh, a little sad to see it go, Yeh, a lot of work. 21:54 It's exciting to get it back to the mission field, 21:58 where it belongs. 21:59 Every aspect of aviation takes a large amount of planning 22:03 and calculated decisions. 22:05 The same is true when loading the cargo in the plane. 22:09 In order to fly properly, the weight in the plane 22:12 must be distributed. 22:15 Nothing can be done hastily. Each item that is going to be 22:19 in the plane is placed there, it must be weighed, assigned a spot 22:24 in the plane according to its weight. 22:26 We are loading the plane this morning here for the take off 22:30 here shortly. And one of the crucial steps to it of course 22:34 is weight and balance. You can be a little bit over weight, 22:37 if you are careful, that it is balanced correctly 22:41 So we don't want to, we really don't want to do either. 22:43 We're carefully adding up each item. We're weighing each item 22:47 right down to the oz, to make sure that there is good safety 22:51 on the plane. Weighing balances is extremely important 22:54 in an aircraft, the way it flies there is something that's called 22:57 center of gravity. Center of gravity is of course at the 22:59 center, where the axis of the plane would tilt this way, 23:04 or that way, to make it simple. If the center of gravity... 23:08 It always remain the same, but if your weight is heavier, 23:13 in the front of the center of gravity, than the nose is going 23:15 to want to naturally pitch over. That's not quite as dangerous 23:19 as having the center of gravity or the weight past, behind or 23:23 after the center of gravity will cause the plane to pitch up 23:27 What will end up happening if we have too much weight in the rear 23:29 of the aircraft. The aircraft will pitch up and you will never 23:32 be able to get it out of that attitude and it creates a 23:35 catastrophic, almost eminent catastrophic failure condition. 23:38 Were your aircraft would actually stall and fail. 23:41 You might get it up off the ground, as it climbs, but what's 23:44 going to happen, it's going to go up like this and come right 23:46 straight down, so balancing is probably more important 23:50 than anything else. We're making sure that as we load our 23:52 aircraft, that the aircraft is properly balanced. 23:55 Once the plane is packed, the pilot begins to mentally 23:59 prepare for the journey. 24:01 First and foremost he keeps a close eye on the weather. 24:05 Not only does he need to consider the current weather 24:09 of where he is, but also he needs to monitor the weather 24:14 ahead of him and throughout his whole flight plan. 24:18 As they look over the weather forecast, they see 24:21 some alarming activities. A weather system has 24:25 developed and is quickly moving towards Wisconsin; 24:27 right in their flight path. This could mean that if they 24:32 don't leave now, they may be stuck another week in Wisconsin. 24:37 The weather system is moving in faster than we anticipated. 24:40 Whether we want to try and get an hour or two of flying in 24:44 today and be stuck on the ground until we can get going again 24:48 or stay put and hope that maybe tomorrow it opens up a little 24:54 down there and we squeak out of marginal weather here to get 24:59 down to better weather down there. 25:00 Or we could be stuck for 2 or 3 days right here. 25:05 It's the conundrum of every pilot, you know. 25:08 This storm system is very bad news, and Ray and Julie need 25:13 to make a decision to either change their flight path, 25:16 or postpone the trip for up to a week. 25:19 So lower cloud would be flying lower. 25:22 Little bit more bumpy ride, just realizing that at the end we 25:29 might have to stay there for a couple of days till it opens up. 25:33 It won't be perfectly blue, sunny skies. 25:36 The weather is unpredictable. You can get there and it can be 25:40 way better than what they say, or you can get there and it can 25:44 be a lot worse than what they say, because it changing so fast 25:48 In 2-3 hours down the road. It can be a whole different picture 25:51 right? 25:54 So weighing it in the balance and trying to figure out, 25:57 what's the best decision. 26:01 After talking it over with other pilots, Ray makes the 26:04 call to begin the journey today. 26:07 Although the weather here is ideal for flying, and he will 26:11 have to closely monitor the weather ahead of them, 26:13 as they fly. 26:15 It's hard to believe that 8838 x-ray is finally ready 26:19 to begin its journey. 26:21 This plane is in perfect condition and ready 26:25 to be put into service. 26:26 Today is the big day. We worked long and hard on our second 26:30 pathfinder plane that, we have sending in the field. 26:32 November 8838 x-ray is getting ready to take off here 26:36 in just a few moments. 26:37 It's loaded. We've carefully done the weights and balance on 26:40 it to make sure that everything is just pristine in it. 26:43 We have been working on this for well over 2 years. Hundreds and 26:47 hundreds of hours, many mechanics, experts from all over 26:50 the world have come to look, investigate and make sure that 26:57 this aircraft is in its absolute pristine condition, that it can 27:03 possibly be, as we deploy this thing to the field. 27:07 The moment has finally come and it is ready to leave 27:11 the AWA maintenance facility. 27:13 But before it leaves, Ric Swaningson offers up 27:18 a prayer for God's safety and blessing on this journey. 27:24 The moment that so many worked for has finally arrived. 27:27 The long journey for 8838 x-ray begins now. 27:32 The hard work for so many has paid off. 27:35 The plane is ready. Ray and Julie say their goodbyes 27:39 and with eager anticipation, climb into the plane. 27:45 Off to Huntingburg Indiana Alma Georgia and 27:51 on to Fort Lauderdale. For me first stop. 27:55 It's exciting Getting very excited 27:59 They adjust their navigational maps and systems. 28:02 This long journey will be broken up into a few days of flying. 28:07 Today they hope to get as far as Florida. 28:10 With the stormy weather in their path, they will have to 28:13 keep a vigilant eye on their conditions. 28:16 With happy hearts, they start their engine and roll out 28:20 unto the runway. 28:22 The preparation for today has been in the works for a long 28:25 time, so today is the climatic celebration as 8838 x-ray taxis 28:32 on to the runway. 28:42 Within seconds the wind soars under the wings of the 28:46 plane and they are airborne! 28:54 The team gives them a hearty sendoff. All rejoice as this 28:58 plane lifts off into the skies, headed south to Guyana! 29:03 This moment was the moment that so many worked so hard 29:08 for the past year. The thousands of hours of hard work have paid 29:13 off as 8838 x-ray majestically soars through the air, 29:19 headed to fulfill its purpose as a lifesaving-mission airplane 29:25 in Guyana. |
Revised 2015-11-05