The restorer had an interesting comment about our lives since Sis made her freedom flight; while we have been moving forward with projects there is no real change from day to day.
Between his three days a week at the restoration shop, which I am there one day a week as well, taking care of our house and errands on another day or two, we are spending one or two days a week at Sis’s hangar.
Warmer days and spring storms are now upon us, daylight into evening hours has brought more time to spend flying or maintaining.
One or two days a week didn’t feel like enough time, there is always something to be done.
Something has to change. This is how living becomes existing, and burnout can be on the horizon.
Sis’s hangar is roughly halfway between our house and the restoration shop. With more daylight, it makes sense to spend an evening or two out there to make progress on the restorers projects and for me to get into more of a writing rhythm at the airport.
Aviation – anything meaningful in life – requires creative thinking with resources, as time, energy, and money are all necessary but don’t necessarily happen simultaneously.
While preparing for Sis’s freedom flight, we serviced the brakes and confirmed they were usable.
Not long after we brought her up to New Carlisle, the restorer noticed some fluid on top of the right brake master cylinder after it felt slightly squishy when we returned from a flight.
Master cylinders are essential to the brake system as they allow the pilot to press the brakes in the cabin and, through fluid flow in the lines, compress the brake assembly on the wheels to slow the airplane down.
Removing the floorboards and looking underneath was something the restorer was not looking forward to though it was necessary.
While looking at the master cylinder assemblies on the rudder pedals, the restorer examined the hoses attached to the assemblies more closely.
Let’s get these hoses taken care of, too.
Being underneath the floorboards once rather than multiple times is the best use of resources.
The restorer had planned Sis’s brake project to be down as little as possible, taking into consideration time and parts to order ahead of time.
The restorer looked at his hose-making kit – everything but the right-size mandrel for Sis’s brake lines.
He ordered the correct size as well as more hose and new ends. There were two hose ends that for sure needed to be replaced. The remaining two looked serviceable.
The restorer’s evenings reverted to research to find procedures and parts to rebuild or replace the master cylinders.
Diving into the Beech parts manual, he found the Cleveland brake conversion done on Sis did not replace the existing master cylinders installed at the factory in 1947.
Sis had one of two types of cylinders, luckily the procedure was the same for rebuilding either one.
Which led the restorer once again to the parts catalogs supplemented with online searches through CSOBeech and the resources of the American Bonanza Society as well.
After double checking the procedure and parts ordered were correct the restorer took a deep breath and told me to plan on spending some time at the hangar with Sis.
My first thought was at least this is done in a more comfortable environment with plenty of light, a far cry from the restorers time as a mechanic performing overnight maintenance on aircraft for a cargo carrier.
Most work was done overnight and outside when the restorer worked for the airlines.
The restorer and I both learned along the way the process will take as long as it will take.
Life doesn’t require becoming a martyr to complete a project in the amount of time it would have taken while working.
This was just another reminder of that lesson
Taking time to breathe
Lunch is a big deal at the restoration shop. Everything stops and we get to catch up with one another.
Uncle Paul’s shop is next to the restoration shop so he and Peppermint Pam join everyone for lunch.
Between the baked goods and meals, Rosie and Peppermint Pam have both brought warmth and homeiness to the shop supporting the other restorer in forging a community from the volunteers that walk through the door.
On one of my work days at the restoration shop, Peppermint Pam suggested getting a microwave for our hangar while we were plugging away on projects.
Her suggestion made a lot of sense, she then offered her and Uncle Paul’s to our home away from home.
Thank you Pam!
New addition to Sis’s hangar
I wonder what Sis thought when we brought the microwave in.
Being able to have a bite to eat with Sis rather than running into town for something makes things a bit easier when the restorer and I are both working on projects.
The arrival of the parts ordered for the master cylinders and brake lines meant the restorer was diving under the panel for some time.
With the close space underneath, any time spent in a close space will result in high emotion and the likelihood of spilling blood is also ramped up.
The master cylinders were repaired without issue, then the restorer moved on to the brake hoses.
The flexible hoses connecting the master cylinders attached to the pilot side rudder pedals lead to hard lines that travel out of the cabin, through the wings to the left and right main landing gears where flexible lines take over from the strut to the brake assembly.
The hoses carry hydraulic fluid between the master cylinders attached to the rudder pedals on the pilot side of the cabin and the brake calipers on the left and right main landing gears.
Pulling each line off separately, the restorer used it as a pattern for the replacement.
The original line was used to measure the length of new line needed then the restorer measured the depth of the ends and accounted for that prior to inserting the internal portion.
The internal portion of the end is twisted on before the external portion is added to the end. The restorer used a gapping tool to measure the distance between the two portions of the ends ensuring that there was a gap between.
The ends of the first two lines were in need of changing, the other two lines appeared to be serviceable.
More than once, I’ve been called to help hold, move or remove something while the restorer was curled under the instrument panel.
How someone does this on their own without assistance is beyond me.
The restorer said some shops send hoses out to be repaired or replaced so mechanics can work on other tasks.
Completing the first two hoses and reattaching, the restorer pulled off the third line to make a new line from.
The restorer used the old fitting as it appeared to be serviceable.
Lines were measured as before but the old fitting would not go on no matter what the restorer tried.
After a deep breath, we agreed to call it a day and order two new hose ends to finish.
The next week brought the solar eclipse to our back yard as well as the hose ends to finish up Sis’s brake lines.
While it would have been nice to fly in to Waco field for the eclipse, the timing allowed for us to get a better handle on some other areas of our life.
We don’t always get what we wanted, what has happened along our journey has yet again been better than what we imagined.
Taking the time to think about what is needed for us as well as for Sis being realistic about resources of time, energy and yes money have brought peace.
Reminding ourselves this is a marathon and not a sprint will happen time and time again, small steps each day like finding a way to bring more hours to our day with the microwave in the hangar, allow for more a-ha moments to occur.
Life is lived in embracing the journey, wherever it leads.
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