Week Five: Closing Up
As a classic 80s rock radio blared on the speaker, each member from B-Crew huddled together as we worked on closing up Citation Latitude. We were cooped up in the corner of the warehouse, bickering, cracking jokes, and working together to get the job done right. Landon and I cleaned and lubricated the fuel panels while delivering them to Joe and Conrad who were securing them underneath the wing. Jaime was on the other wing giving the aircraft its final paint finish, while Dave was working on the belly panels. When a good song would come on, our corner would turn into a karaoke session and we’d bellow the lyrics to Crazy Train or Jessie’s Girl in imperfect harmony. For every panel that I placed onto the aircraft to prepare it for takeoff, I felt as though I was inching closer and closer to ending my time here as a mechanic. My bags are finally packed I’ve said my final goodbyes as I continue my journey into the second half of my project. Although partially saddened by my departure, I know every trinket and treasure of knowledge I’ve gathered on the floor will be put to good use. Here are some fun highlights from this week:
The Other Side:
As an aviation mechanic, there are two parts to the job: being a mechanic, and paperwork. Throughout the five weeks, I’ve stayed on the mechanic side, getting my hands dirty in the aircraft systems. However, this week I had the opportunity to keep my nails clean and get knee-deep in the paperwork. With everything that the mechanics do, they must sign off on it so the inspectors, managers, and customers are up-to-date on what is going on with the aircraft. I was able to sign off on a few things and keep the maintenance book in check with some activities I had completed. Further, mechanics need to order specific parts for the aircraft they are servicing. Although this sounds simple, it requires a bit of work. I have to get into the aircraft’s database, search for the specific part, and record its serial and part number. With more than 6 million individual parts on an aircraft, it could take forever to find exactly what I need. Once I record the part and serial number, I have to log on to Lawson, the company’s part database, and see if it’s available to order. The job can be tedious, but I am appreciative to have gotten experience working the other side of the job.
Shocking:
A CJ4 came in for the replacement of a few parts on its exterior. The nose baggage latch, the cabin door latch, and its horizontal stabilizers had all been struck by lightning in flight. Surprisingly nothing was too damaged, but for an aircraft to come in this state is extremely rare. The lightning had missed the static wicks (small antennas on the wings and the tail used to detect lighting and transmit a signal inside the cockpit) and struck the side of the aircraft, melting the locks and burning the stabilizers. I had the opportunity to order the parts that needed replacement and am currently waiting for those to come in so I can proceed with repair. Here are some images of the damage:
Ultimately, even in the short time I’ve been with B-Crew, I feel as though I am leaving a family. They introduced me to the mechanic’s field and instilled in me an intense passion for the industry that I wouldn’t have otherwise experienced. Because of my time with B-Crew, I can confidently walk into my career without a doubt of my love and commitment to the field of aviation.