It is officially the wet season so, cloud cover and thunder storms are a daily occurrence. But once in a while you get a gap in the weather pattern, sometimes days long, other times just for a few hours. Meanwhile, inside the tall doors of the Mercy Wings International (MWI) hangar in Quetzaltenango, several days of meticulous, painstaking, work is just beginning.
Like a finely choreographed Ballet, all is in place and ready. The curtain is about to go up on a process that will take about 5 days “mas o menos” (more or less), barring distractions or interruptions. At this point, I have already spend a day and a half researching the history of this aircraft, reading volumes of government published aircraft directives (ADs) and service bulletins to determine what action must be taken; or what critical points must get a special going over or service.
The objective is to verify all is well with all systems and structure. With flashlight and mirror I can see behind, under, inside, and all around a particular item. By the time I’m done, I will have seen all of the inner-sanctum’s that see the light-of-day only once a year.
Services like oil change, replacing filters, adjustments, replenishing can be done at anytime. Traditionally these are accomplished at the same time as inspection, as the aircraft is already open. Here at MWI in the western highlands of Guatemala, every aircraft is maintained to the highest standard so that all operations can be carried out in safety and excellence.
Remember: Mercy Wings Moves (the Good News) in Central America!
Keep on the lookout for Martinez Mail June 2017- part 2