Sometimes I get to build aircraft, or at least bits of them, in 1/1 scale. So I get to Riga on Sunday night and off to the airline I go on Monday to fix a broken Q400 nose landing gear (NLG) only to be told I have not one but two broken NLG's (on two different aircraft of course) to fix! The problem I have is that there is only one aircraft lifting jack which means I can only work one aircraft at a time.
Then the airline says to me that they don't know how to remove the NLG from the aircraft, they haven't done it before; can you do it, Rick? Erm......okay. I've never removed one either!
Two hours later the gear is removed, by 1700 the gear is dismantled to replace the broken bit and I go back to the hotel. The next day, the spares that I have, reliably, been informed will be delivered are stil in Canada. They still aren't in Latvia and I don't know when they will get here or when I will go home.
I have to make this pile of greasy bits......
View attachment 84719
.....look like this assembled landing gear.
View attachment 84720
And when I have done this one I have the second to do.
View attachment 197742
View attachment 197743
Then the airline says to me that they don't know how to remove the NLG from the aircraft, they haven't done it before; can you do it, Rick? Erm......okay. I've never removed one either!
Two hours later the gear is removed, by 1700 the gear is dismantled to replace the broken bit and I go back to the hotel. The next day, the spares that I have, reliably, been informed will be delivered are stil in Canada. They still aren't in Latvia and I don't know when they will get here or when I will go home.
I have to make this pile of greasy bits......
View attachment 84719
.....look like this assembled landing gear.
View attachment 84720
And when I have done this one I have the second to do.
View attachment 197742
View attachment 197743