MRP Survey Summary
Removal of parts from spare Beech 18
Interview with Quartermaster Glen Gibson
MRP Survey Summary
The second MRP, or Mobile Repair Party, for Time Travel Air was organized, planned, and executed during the last week of August 2009. Even though this was the second MRP, the steep learning curve had not gotten any better. In addition to the many duties and taskings that we needed to get done, we had one more person added to the maintenance crew. We definitely needed this new person, but the addition of that one person did add a lot more to the planning process.
The new person that we added to the crew was Glen Gibson, and his position on the crew was Quartermaster – or simply a Supply Technician. Why I felt that we needed a new person on the crew was the workload – which I was able to manage by myself before – was increasing to the point where I needed help. In addition to all the research and paperwork that I do throughout the year before the MRP, there is the paperwork that needs to be done with the parts on the MRP. (My concern was the fact that there wasn’t any “paper trail” with these parts.) And, taking the time to create that paper trail was one of Glen’s responsibilities.
Once we arrived in Winnipeg, we quickly picked up the car rental and started off on our many errands that needed to be done before we left the city. In addition to picking up packing supplies (boxes, tape and bubble wrap, among other items), we also dropped in at my Chief Pilot’s house to pick up a ladder. After a too short visit, we had to be on our way to Redditt to check on the airplane. Following that, we then went to our hotel in Kenora.
Over the next four days, all of us accomplished our taskings.
Pat was tasked with removing parts from a spare Beech 18 – and he succeeded at that tasking! He removed an amazing amount of very important and valuable parts – all the while swatting an awful lot of mosquitoes.
Glen made a point of going through all the parts that had been removed from the two airplanes already. Once each part had been inspected, he then filled out a parts identification tag and attached it to each part. Right after that, he wrote brief description of the part down in our computer. As mentioned earlier, his big responsibility was to keep track of the parts – where the came from, what condition they were in, and who removed them.
What I was doing wasn’t as glamorous as what Pat or Glen was doing. The concern that I had with my airplane was for over 30 years, it had been used for parts. And, since there had been no paperwork as to what had been removed, I felt that it was necessary to go through the parts manual – line by line – with each Major Group and Sub Assembly, and take inventory (and make detailed notes) as to what was still there and what had been removed.
When we finished these tasks, Pat and I went back to Winnipeg. Once we were there, we dropped the ladder off with my Chief Pilot, and then we stopped in at the Western Canadian Aviation Museum to pick up the copies of the blueprints that I had requested. Right after that, we picked up the UHaul truck and travelled up to Gimli. (The plan of the previous year had been to have parts shipped to us slowly over the year. That plan fell through and, as a result, not one part got shipped to us.) So, I felt that it would be a better idea to pick up all the parts that I had in Gimli and take them with us on this trip.
After a brief search, we found the parts and loaded them into the truck. (As a side note, the outer wing portions are exceptionally heavy. Somehow, the two of us managed to move them!) Right after that, Pat and I drove back to Redditt. When we got there, we loaded up all the parts that Pat was able to remove – plus all the parts that were included in the initial sale of the airplane. Once that was completed, we made sure we didn’t leave anything behind - and then we broke camp.
We picked Glen up in Kenora, and then we started on our drive to Muskoka. (As another side note, that was a 24 hour drive that we did – we just rotated drivers.) While the scenery of the drive was exceptional, we did enjoy quite the laugh because I had specified that the truck would be capable of carrying three people. (It was actually capable of carrying two people comfortably and the third person exceptionally uncomfortably.)
Upon arrival in Muskoka, we stopped at the family barn and carefully unloaded all the parts there. We then took a couple of days of much needed vacation, because we sure needed the time to relax after that rather long and uncomfortable trip – not forgetting all the work that had to be done at the beginning of MRP.
All told, it was a very good MRP. We got our taskings done, we got the parts moved with no damage, and we worked quite well together as a team.
Removal of parts from spare Beech 18
The kind of parts that Pat removed from Scrappy were mainly flap related parts, cockpit related parts and components, main cabin door components, and fuel tanks. In addition to that, the small parts that are found on the firewall – and in the Main Gear Wells – were also removed.
Pres MWJ Balodis and Pat Alber removing parts from spare Beech 18.
Interview with Quartermaster Glen Gibson
"Would you explain your job as Quartermaster for Time Travel Air?"
"What was your impression of Expeditor 339?"
"Did you learn more about the airplane?"
"Did you feel that you made a difference out there?"
"How does this job compare at all to any jobs that you've done before?"
