Started at MMS!

The last couple of weeks of weeks have seen my pace of life change a little bit! I have gone from very flexible working hours based at home, to a 7:30 start at the hanger, with a regimented routine to each day. The getting-out-of-bed-on-time bit has taken a little while to re-adjust to, but I am loving being back in a more traditional work routine for the first time since last summer!


As you will know if you have been following our story so far, last summer saw me leave my job in Scotland to start work with www.maf-uk.org . Although I came from a technical background, I had never worked on aircraft before, so I needed to retrain and qualify as an aircraft engineer before MAF could have me serving in one of their field programmes.


Enter www.mmsaviation.org who partner with MAF-UK to provide training for prospective aircraft engineers. We moved to Coshocton last November, spent the last few months of 2010 settling into our new home and lifestyle on the other side of the Atlantic, and then on 3rd January I started work at the hanger! (You may have seen the “new school uniform” picture a couple of posts back!) It was very exciting to be finally starting in the role that we have focused so much of our thoughts on for the last few years! I was even able to maintain that excitement right through a day of counting nuts and bolts, as the first day back after the Christmas break is traditionally the stock check and inventory day. It was actually a really good opportunity to find my way around the store system, work out where everything was kept and try to get my head around some of the part numbers…

Counting nuts...

Since then my time has been spent with Chuck working through a “Basic training” phase where I am reviewing basic shop skills, hand tool techniques etc. Understandably no-one is too keen on giving me a rivet gun, showing me to someone else’s shiny aeroplane and leaving me to it, so the start of my training at MMS involves a bit of time making sure the basics are right. I have really enjoyed this last couple of weeks, learning lots of new skills as I have never really been involved in any sheet metal work before. I also realise that some things are like riding a bike, and are just the same as they were when I was at college in Glasgow! (Spanners are still spanners, even if they call them wrenches over here!) The last 4 years of my career have been based in an office, so it has been good to spend the beginning of 2011 “getting my eye in” again.

Measure twice, cut once...

There are very few things on an aircraft that you would want to have drop off after you leave the ground. Over the years the industry and Aviation Authorities have developed all sorts of standards, regulations and best practice to ensure that this doesn’t happen, so another significant spell of time during basic training is spent looking at these standards, where they are found, and some practical exercises on securing fasteners, safety wiring, and how to do it all correctly.

Safety wire

I also have some nice thick text books to be working my way through in the evenings. I am scheduled for an end of chapter test every 10 days or so, which should see me finishing all the theory training about midway through my apprenticeship (1 test down, 45 to go!) This is obviously an important part of the training, and balances the very practical training I will be doing during the day.

The Books!

Within “mission aviation” we have to work within all the regulations laid out by various authorities, but we are also conscious of our responsibilities as stewards of all that God has given us. This gives an added incentive to do everything we do “with all our heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”. This is visibly obvious when you look at the Cessna 206 which MMS have been working on for some time now. It will soon be completed and sent off to work on the Amazon with www.asasdesocorro.org.br , and it is looking great! This is the view from my basic training bench this week, right under this plane’s tail, and it is a real incentive for me to do a good job when I see what I am working towards.

Asas de Socorro Cessna 206

Thursday night saw our shipment from the UK arrive, so we had a great day on Friday rebuilding flat packs (and improvising our way around some missing bolts!) and unpacking all our stuff from Scotland. The kids had Christmas number 2 as they opened boxes of their toys, and Heather and I can relax safe in the knowledge that we once again have enough teaspoons! Our new home is really feeling like home again now… I am sure Heather will be updating you all on that soon!

Thank you all for your interest in what we are doing, and for the many ways you are supporting us while we are over here.

A