Wings of love to people in need

26 February 2013

Kodiak Ferry Update 6

The 100hr on the Kodiak is now completed and we are almost ready to set out on our journey.
The 100hr inspection brought out one problem which may have been with the aircraft from new or may have occurred during the extensive refit of the aircraft while at Mid Continent aviation. While the problem is a minor one, and will not legally prevent us from flying the aircraft, the problem does need to be addressed under warranty. The chip detector annunciation for the engine was not working and turns out to be faulty wiring behind the avionics stack. Quest has referred us to Mayday avionics in Grand Rapids and we have an appointment to have the aircraft looked at on Tuesday. Hopefully this will not take too long, as we are scheduled to take the plane to New Jersey for the final installation of the Ferry Tank. As you can see from the picture, the plane is loaded and ready to fly right now
We had hoped to fly the plane today but it snowed (again) all day and we were not able to get in the air, but hopefully we will get a window of opportunity tomorrow. Ron needs to have an Instrument Competency check ride which is scheduled for Monday. Tuseday sees us getting the Avionics warranty work carried out. Barbara leaves for South Africa on Wednesday while Ron and I plan to make our way to Trenton/Robbinsville in New Jersey for the Ferry Tank installation.

Items that still need to fall into place for us are:
1. Suitable weather windows for our flights as there is bad weather forecast for Tuseday and Wednesday here in Michigan.
2. Jeppesen Flight Charts. I have had difficulty with this and need to deal with the UK office to get this sorted out. They have not replied to my emails and I am somewhat frustrated by the huge lumbering inflexible company.
3. Survival equipment is being arranged at a facility in Bangor, Maine. We are renting some stuff and buying other stuff.

So far with the uncertainties, it is very difficult to pin down and exact departure date from Maine, but at best we will be able to depart Maine by Saturday this week, and at worst Monday or Tuesday the week after. Our departure from St John's will also be weather dependent due to North Atlantic Storms, but after we arrive in the Azores, delays due to weather are less likely.

Blessings,

John

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