Raising the Roof

Dear Houston, we have a problem.

Our new plane is too big to fit in the hangar. It's getting close to the rainy season when we often get bad thunderstorms and hail which could damage our new baby.

What should we do?

Concerned aviation organisation.

White River

Of course we didn't really ask that and in reality we already knew the answer, but it was just a matter on logistics to join all the dots in order to make it happen.

There were actually two options, build a new hangar or make the existing one bigger and, as with a lot of things, money and time dictated which course we would choose.

The Kodiak had been with us for a week or two when it seems the summer rainfall pattern arrived a little too early and one day we got about 30 seconds of short, sharp hail. It did no damage but sent us into a frenzy of embalming every horizontal surface with a huge roll of bubble wrap.

Not many days after a big crane arrived and began to do what big cranes do best...

... lift things

 

We cut all the beams as well as pipes and wires etc and listened to the creaks and groans as strain was taken and the whole roof was raised a few metres.

 After the roof was lifted supporting beams were lifted into place...

 ...and men with beards rushed in and welded everything together.

 

Some of the bearded men looked a little worried for a while...

...but seemed a lot happier when it was all over.

Now our new aircraft can relax in its modified home safe from the worries of the environmental antics formulating outside.

Mercy Air Team