Roughest maintenance conditions

[DGP]

Ok...I had to go to Coppermine....middle of January to change a freewheel unit on a 206...the ship was parked behind a hotel in town...it was snowing and blowing so hard I had to tie a rope to the ship and the back door of the hotel so I wouldn't get lost...temps were around -20C...lovely!

[DGP]

Continuing along with that story...I was working away... had 2 car heaters running under the engine cover...wasn't to bad...you could hack it for about 30 min and then go inside to warm the hands up a bit. I was wrenching away when one of the customers sneaks up behind me and scared the be crap out of me...you couldn't see 2 feet in front of you!

[DGP]

Going back to that logging job in Blue River...the 205 develops an oil leak at the front end of the engine...the front seal on the compressor was leaking a fair amount of oil...not too bad to worry ...I clean up the mess and tell the driver I would keep an eye on it...a few days later he starts to worry that it is the driveshaft leaking...which it was not...can't make him happy...order up another driveshaft...real fun changing a 205 driveshaft out in the boonies for nothing...I was pissed.

[robottxt]

I thought the industry norm was just to snag everything 10min before getting on the crew change plane.  What's this maintenance you speak of?

[DGP]

That reminds me of another story...I get sent up to Buffalo Narrows to do a 100 hr on a 206. I get there...wait for the ship to come flying in off a fire...pilot hands me the log books and says ....I be at the bar...see you in an hour... have the inspection signed out...he got killed somewhere along the line...not with the guys I was with...I told him it would take 3 nights to do the work...A...Hole!

[DGP]

I am sure that was the time that I got flown into Buff Narrows from Ft Mac by one of our drivers in a 206...Mike was his first name...big guy...played in the NHL...enforcer....we end up at the bar....late...town is going nuts...we go in the bar and every one of the locals wants to fight Mike...what a night!

[gwk]

Mike Korey, with Midwest.

Spent two summers with him in Buffalo Narrows with Western, and then some time with him in Doha, Qatar.

 Not only a NHL enforcer for a short time, pretty wicked with the martial arts.

[DGP]

That was the guy...thought his last name was Korney...oh well...very nice guy...last time I saw him I was doing an inspection on SHB in Ft Mac...mike had just gotten checked out on the 204.

[DGP]

Any idea where he is now...I will ask my buddy who just got out of the middle east if he ever worked with him...thanks.

[DGP]

I think I have told the story about changing a swashplate on MHE in the field...had help from my apprentice...George S.