Hangar City (Annual Time!)

We have multiple places where we are called to fuel. North ramp, South ramp, and 2 locations of hangar "clusters".  

One of the clusters is called PLS, the other is Hangar City.

Today I wasn't fueling at Hangar City at all, but I was in the Maintence Hangar for the first time, and that place is like it's own City! 

It started when my friend from 99s (Ellen) the person I'm going on the Christmas Cruise with texted me that her RV 6 was due for an annual. This is done every 100 hours for planes being rented out by students or otherwise for hire, and done every year for planes that aren't for hire. So, planes that are rented are checked more often than a plane of a private owner. Ellen was kind enough to let me know the annual for her RV was gonna be done at the airport where I work!

So today I joined Ellen in the hangar, a short walk from the main building where I work (where Line Service is based for the FBO). I met Brian the Mechanic/CFI/Owner of 3 Planes (3!) and Bert, the younger mechanic who recently graduated the A&P program at the community college I'm currently attending. 

Ellen was also there too of course! 

She's in the blue below on the left, Brian is on the right!

And the pup! (who doesn't like me/doesn't trust me/is shy of me):

Both Ellen and Brian quickly put me to work unscrewing the 6 bolts attaching the air filter! Here it is   

BEFORE:

AFTER:

It made me happy that within 5 minutes of being in the hangar, I had dirty hands and had learned 3+ new things, one of which being I felt like a monkey that didn't really know what to do but really wanted to please their owner. And I liked every bit of it. Lookit the love:

It was all pretty cool, taking in all this new information (tools! plane parts! goos and oils and paste and paint!)  

So much to see and do, I actually ended up staying there 2 HOURS.. I originally planned to just stay about 30-40 minutes! 

The thing is how it works is that you do one task (pull off the air filter for example) and then feelfood about  completing it or pulling off that back panel, and then there's more to be done! Maybe you have to clean it, or remove another panel, or move to the nose of the plane to help stuff grommets to fill some open spaces where air leakage is occurring. But a plane has lots of parts, definitely more than 10. Maybe try 10,000, and then there's the cleaning and inspection and putting it all back!  

Here's me cleaning the filter:

Here's a crack I spotted in the bottom (I pointed it out to Brian and they're going to patch it!):

The crack came from the air filter that rests' inside vibrating against it.

Here's another Before and After, this is the interior cockpit side panels:

Don't you just find this all so riveting? (hehe couldn't resist)(I didn't actually get to do any rivets, next time!) 

Here's the inside of the tail, looking back towards the rudder!:

And of course more pictures, these are from the adjoining hangar!: 

And here's a picture I took once I got back to work in the FBO building:

Don't worry, if you want more pictures of metal and oily things I gotchu. Here's the check sheet, and the inside view of the cockpit with more paneling removed. Oily AND metal: