Mars 2010
Time goes fast and this time we had to concentrate on getting as much as possible done so that we can get on with the installation of the much anticipated engines which seems to be ready for installation on our next trip in April.... We arrived on friday 19th and worked over the weekend until monday. On tuesday we had a scheduled meeting with DGAC (CAA in Spanish) and an uncheduled meeting with SAESA... More about that below.
After thurough cleaning we began installing the arrray of fuel hoses situated in the pylon. We have, as you probably read before had all hoses newly manufactured and now the fuel system is basically completed.
We have had a lot of valuable help from the guys at the airforcemuseum. Palle, one of the very competent craftsmen working there, made theese jack fittings for 64064 one afternoon.
After much exercising and lubricating one gear at a time, we completed a seies of complete gear swings and emergency extensions.
Only minor adjustments of an uplock swich was necessary. Eventhough the gears are heavy, the little hydraulic pump on the wall behind the copilot, struggled on and showed no signs of giving up. Swinging the gear without tires was however easier on the poor thing. The gear on a Cat is quite impressive and interesting to look at when moving.
Niclas and Antonio at the tire shop in Yepes about 10km from Ocana who has a powerful tiremounting machine. It was not sufficient and could not do without the brute force from Niclas the Gute (Gute is a strong man from the island of Gotland whose inhabitants are famous for their medieval ways :)
Saturday 20th of march was cold and windy, not nice at all, especially when the rain came..
That did not stop us from doing what we had to do....´
Nicklas enjoying himself.
L/H MLG worked fine aswell.
After three days of work the hydraulic system is happy again and fully acceptable for flying.
Our meeting on tuesday with DGAC was sucessful and we summarised quite well what we had acomplished and how we shall proceed. Next time we go we will install the engines, the meeting with SAESA ironed out a few "misunderstandings..." concluded that the engines will be ready for installation by then. Will be very interesrting to see if it will work this time.. On the same trip we will also x-ray all attachment fittings to reveal any cracks/corrosion. As it looks now we only miss the propellers which probably will be delivered one of the last days in april.
Spring is coming up!
Soon we will start moving after a(too) long absence from doing something in Ocana. On feb 9th me and my good friend Björn visited Madrid in order to give some TLC to 64064 and to have a serious chat with Raoul (previos owner) who does not want to honour the contract we have and most important meet with the DGAC ( Spanish CAA). On the day we arrived the meeting with CAA was cancelled, according tp Raoul it was them that did not have time but I have my doubts... We went down to Ocana and could just confirm that the aircraft was prettymuch in the same shape as we had left it 2 months earlier..
Around noon we had a 2hr meeting with Raoul that has turned from beeing a seemingly polite hospitable and honourable Don Raoul Arand Montero to a quite nasty person that, as the project progress has become increasingly interested in getting paid without doing anything as agreed... Accusing us of theft! etc. We were warned but... Difficult and a quite uncomfortabe situation that will have to be dealt with in due time.
On the 19th we hope that the engines will have been installed (by SAESA...) and that Aero Helice are ready to deliver the propellers. On the 23rd we will have a meeting with DGAC to set up the details on how to finish our work in Spain and bring 64064 to her new home.
Regardless of the support from SAESA, which so far has been non existant, we get we aim to be more or less ready to fly some time in April if nothing unanticipated shows upp. Then I hope that the paperwork will go smoothly and without too much delays.
Björn is a big fan of Cats!
Tail mooring is 80cm in the Spanish mud and hooked up to the tail with a steel wire.
Rolf Halvarson at the Air Force Museum has made these excellent covers. The material is supplied by Pierre Holm of Segel Shoppen at Skeppsholmen in Stockholm +46 8 6118292. Thanks guys!
