A double this time!
Caravan w/ Rainbow
Sunset over frozen lakes and tundra between Hooper Bay and Bethel, from 11,500'
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?
1 week ago
11/03/2009
Photo of the Week
Caravan w/ RainbowSunset over frozen lakes and tundra between Hooper Bay and Bethel, from 11,500'I am the "Pavement Muncher"!
...With a shark-toothed grin, Don't know if my gear will come down again!
It is time to tell this story, the Saga of N417PM over the last couple months.
It all started with "Papa Mike" (Now also known as "Pavement Muncher")
Sitting in the maintenance hangar for a while, I forget why. One of our pilots, Taka, got the idea to paint a shark mouth on the plane. Since we were short on planes, Taka and I were not flying and pretty bored so with an OK from the boss, we drew up a plan and got to work:
Myself, masking the design.
Now, this would have been the end of the story. Nose art done, time to fly right?
Sure, except I had made a comment to Taka while painting to the effect of "You watch, I bet this thing gets balled up in the next two months and we'll have to repaint it all over again..."
Well...
A month Later:
A hydraulic line in the nose wheel well had broken, which caused all attempts to lower the nose wheel to fail, dumping all her hydraulic fluid overboard in the process.
After flying around for a couple hours to burn off fuel, the plane landed in a textbook perfect emergency landing. Both props were feathered just before touchdown and the plane slid to a stop with only minor skin damage to the nose, a broken stringer and two pancaked pitot tubes.
There were no injuries to the pilot or passengers, who exited through the overwing exit on the right side.
This month, after scavenging a new nose from a carcass Navajo and a little spray paint, "Papa Mike" returned to the skies in all its eclectic glory. She was my ride for most of the shift this month and other that being a bit nose heavy (all that paint?) she performs great, maybe I found a new favorite Navajo?
Taken a few days ago at Mekoryuk, on Nunivak Island.
It is time to tell this story, the Saga of N417PM over the last couple months.
It all started with "Papa Mike" (Now also known as "Pavement Muncher")
Sitting in the maintenance hangar for a while, I forget why. One of our pilots, Taka, got the idea to paint a shark mouth on the plane. Since we were short on planes, Taka and I were not flying and pretty bored so with an OK from the boss, we drew up a plan and got to work:
Myself, masking the design.
Now, this would have been the end of the story. Nose art done, time to fly right?Sure, except I had made a comment to Taka while painting to the effect of "You watch, I bet this thing gets balled up in the next two months and we'll have to repaint it all over again..."
Well...
A month Later:
A hydraulic line in the nose wheel well had broken, which caused all attempts to lower the nose wheel to fail, dumping all her hydraulic fluid overboard in the process.
After flying around for a couple hours to burn off fuel, the plane landed in a textbook perfect emergency landing. Both props were feathered just before touchdown and the plane slid to a stop with only minor skin damage to the nose, a broken stringer and two pancaked pitot tubes.
There were no injuries to the pilot or passengers, who exited through the overwing exit on the right side.
This month, after scavenging a new nose from a carcass Navajo and a little spray paint, "Papa Mike" returned to the skies in all its eclectic glory. She was my ride for most of the shift this month and other that being a bit nose heavy (all that paint?) she performs great, maybe I found a new favorite Navajo?
Taken a few days ago at Mekoryuk, on Nunivak Island.
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