The start of all the sheet metal work on this plane began with the tail section. The tail had some damage to the skins and to some of the internal structure, as seen in these two pictures.

We quickly got to work drilling out rivets, pulling cables and electrical wiring out, taking the sheet metal skins off and ordering new parts.

Terry and Jamin worked together to knock this out. While Terry trimmed and match-drilled the new sheet metal to the old so that all the rivet holes would line up, Jamin worked on all the linkages and bellcranks in the tail section.

With the new skins mostly match-drilled and new stringers and bulkheads in place, the new skins had to be mounted and pinned in place (which makes the plane look like a porcupine), to make sure everything is perfect before treating the metal (because you want to treat the metal after you've drilled out every hole).

Making a make-shift dunk-tank for parts, the skins were treated to prevent corrosion (turning them a nice golden color), and then the riveting began.

The final product is a beautiful new skin, with an interior that is both treated and primed to prevent corrosion for many years to come. This extra effort right now will mean reduced maintenance costs and less down-time when this plane flies as a missionary pilot trainer.

On August 23rd, a truck pulled up in front of the Compass hangar at exactly 8:00 in the morning. Occasionally these trucks come to pick up or drop off engines or large parts, but this was different. Within this truck was Compass' very own airplane.

We quickly began to unload the fuselage using a Kubota, an engine hoist, and some man-power, setting it down on wheel dollies and re-positioning it into the hangar, where it would be dismantled, repaired, inspected, and reassembled.

After that came the rest of the smaller pieces, including the wings and the engine.

Terry wasted no time in getting to work removing the doors and avionics, sorting out what is reusable and what will need to be replaced.

Although it may look like we're going backwards: removing things instead of installing them, this is how you guarantee that everything is in perfect shape: you inspect every component and reinstall them in better shape than when you removed them.

We intend for this plane to provide Compass with years of issue-free service, providing future missionary pilots with a reliable platform from which to conduct their training.

Stay tuned for more updates!

At a private airstrip in North Carolina, while conducting flight training, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk that we utilized crashed.

The flight instructor, who had more than 30 years of accident-free flight instruction, and the pilot he was training are both fine.  It is nothing short of a miracle that they weren't killed or seriously injured!

Thankfully, the accident wasn't caused by mechanical failure.  While performing a "go-around," the airplane encountered a strong gust of wind that prevented the plane from gaining altitude.  It then impacted trees at the end of the runway.

The airplane is totaled, and although the plane came to rest on a driveway, only a few feet from a fence, no damage was done to private property.

However, from a logistical standpoint, this was a major blow for Compass.  In addition to losing the use of this plane, the other training aircraft (a Cessna 206), which Compass has been using, was been sold by its owner.  This means we need replacement aircraft to keep providing advanced training to missionary candidates.

God graciously led one individual to loan us his Cessna 172 Skyhawk during the interim period as we replace our fleet.

With that need temporarily met, and with multiple missionary candidates requesting advanced training in a Cessna 206, Compass decided that the higher priority was to replace the Cessna 206 advanced trainer.

As of this date, Compass has received more than $23,000 toward the replacement of these two aircraft, and was able to purchase a damaged Cessna 206, which we are in the process of restoring.

Thankfully, Compass is still able to provide advanced flight training in a leased Cessna 206, although it is not adequately equipped to handle a full advanced tactical flight training curriculum.

Until the restoration project 206 is complete, the future missionary pilots using Compass will be restricted in their advanced flight training.

Check back on this blog for updates on how the project is going and what else is happening at Compass Aviation.