Off the Grid

Bad Alternator -Nicaragua

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Narrator: Chet Damron

Home

Series Code: OTG

Program Code: OTG000046A


00:01 Narrator: Adventist World Aviation has mission outposts
00:04 stationed all around the world with the mission of brining
00:08 humanitarian aid and the love of Jesus, too hard to reach areas.
00:14 Often the mission bases keep busy flying med-evac flights,
00:18 delivering critically ill patients from remote jungles
00:22 to a place where they can receive a higher level of care.
00:26 These flights are not only lifesaving, but they share
00:29 the love of Jesus and bring hope to the hopeless.
00:35 Situated in the north eastern corner of Nicaragua
00:38 is one of Adventist World Aviation's outposts.
00:41 Where Clint Hanley and his family dedicate their lives
00:45 to serving the local Miskito Indians.
01:33 Clint: I'm Clint Hanley and I live in Northeast Nicaragua,
01:38 in the upper corner along the boarder of the Rio Cocoa
01:41 with the boarder of Honduras and I live here with my family,
01:47 2 children and my wife, who is nurse and we fly this airplane,
01:52 a Cessna 172, for medical work, all around this region,
01:58 covering about 150 miles in all directions.
02:03 Since we started flying 7 years ago, I have flown 530 patients
02:07 from remote communities, or from hospital to hospital and
02:10 approximately 50-80% of those would have, the doctors say
02:16 would have died for sure, had they not had transport.
02:19 The rest of them needed transport because they were
02:23 in great pain, they had broken femurs, or something like that.
02:27 That if they would have transported by road, it would
02:29 have been a lot worse for them, but they probably
02:31 wouldn't have died.
02:33 So it's been a big help to the people and we're happy
02:36 to be a small part of it.
02:37 If our plane is down and we can't fly, or before we came,
02:40 the people got to the hospital by boats, by road, by truck.
02:45 To give you an example, to fly from here to San Carlos
02:47 is 35 minutes for me, to get them to the hospital
02:51 from the time I get the call, until they actually arrive
02:54 in the hospital is approximately one and a half hours.
02:56 If they were to take a boat, there's no roads so they would
03:00 have to take a boat, there's an average of one boat a day,
03:03 but sometimes there will be a day or two or three that
03:05 go by that there's no boats. They're random.
03:07 And the boats take 12 hours. And usually they leave
03:10 in the morning.
03:12 So if the accident happens later in the day, they're having
03:15 to wait through the night, until the next morning and then
03:17 hoping that they can find a boat with room in it, then they ride
03:19 that boat 12 hours to get to the hospital.
03:21 That's fairly average for a lot of the patients that need
03:24 to come to the hospital.
03:27 So you can see where if it's a snake bite, a lot of the people
03:30 we carry are pregnant mothers and babies and either the
03:34 the pregnancy has a problem or the mothers had the baby right
03:36 away or there's a complication between the mother and the baby.
03:39 About 70% of our transports are related to that.
03:43 There is none, none other available in all of Nicaragua
03:47 doing this.
03:48 And so it's a vital piece of help that the government
03:52 and no other aid agency was able to offer to the people
03:56 to save lives in transport.
03:59 Narrator: The Adventist World Aviation mission base
04:01 in Tronquera is extremely isolated.
04:05 The Hanley's depend heavily on aircraft to do their work
04:09 with the native Miskito people.
04:12 They fly med-evacs multiple times a week.
04:15 If their aircraft is down, they cannot supply
04:19 the lifesaving flights.
04:21 Aviation operations in this part of Nicaragua can often be tough.
04:26 In this area, there is no way to procure parts
04:29 should the aircraft need repair.
04:32 There is also no way to mail needed parts
04:34 to the remote AWA base.
04:38 For this reason, Clint must be very diligent to keep up
04:41 the regular maintenance on the aircraft.
04:44 However, sometimes unforeseen setbacks do occur.
05:04 On this afternoon, Clint is returning home from a med-evac
05:09 flight, that he made earlier in the day.
05:12 During the return flight home, he notices something is wrong
05:17 with the aircraft.
05:20 The airplane was not generating the power it needed to charge
05:25 components required for communication and navigation.
05:29 The avionics are critical during flight,
05:33 especially when flying in these remote jungle regions.
05:39 Clint: It's very interesting to fly in this type of environment.
05:41 I get in an airplane and I have, you know all the navigation.
05:44 I have radios that I can talk all the way to America with.
05:47 I have navigation, that tells me exactly where I am and what's
05:52 going on and then I land on a runway and I shutdown the
05:56 airplane and I step out of it and I'm back in what we would
05:59 consider before World War I in the states, early 1900's.
06:03 There's no cell service. There's no computers.
06:06 There's no electricity.
06:07 There's no nothing on a lot of these runways I fly to.
06:10 And even at our house, there's no power out here.
06:13 We have power, that we have installed in our house
06:16 with solar power, but we are not on any kind of grid.
06:18 There's nothing anywhere remotely nearby that.
06:21 Our communication comes from radios.
06:23 Just recently we have cell service, but it's very sketchy.
06:26 So there's a lot of logistics be to able to run
06:31 an operation like this.
06:32 That you don't realize, when you have an infrastructure that's
06:35 already been developed that you're fitting into.
06:37 Where, when you're in America and you already have
06:39 everything built up.
06:41 You have roads, you have communications, you have power.
06:43 You have all of those things already set and you don't even
06:45 consider trying to go to a place that doesn't have any of those.
06:50 So it's actually a very ... It's actually very hard.
06:54 It takes a lot of planning and a lot of extra materials to be
06:58 able to overcome the obstacles that you have.
07:01 Narrator: Thankfully, he is just a few short minutes away from
07:04 the mission base. Then he can investigate the issue
07:08 more after he has landed.
07:11 He makes his final descent, safely lands the airplane
07:14 on the airbase runway.
07:16 His family eagerly awaits his return after each med-evac
07:20 and he is greeted with a loving welcome.
07:23 This mission is a family operation.
07:27 Every member of the family helps keep the aviation base operating
07:31 Bethany and Brendell, the Hanley children help their father
07:35 secure the airplane in the hangar.
07:37 They've been around aircraft most of their lives and offer
07:41 a helping hand to their father whenever needed.
07:45 Today, Jud Wickwire, vice president of operations
07:48 for Adventist World Aviation, is visiting the base.
07:52 Clint, Jud and his assistant Erwin, immediately begin
07:56 to disassemble the cowling, so they can diagnose the problem.
08:01 Clint: So in the last fifteen minutes before I landed my
08:04 alternator quit charging.
08:06 So we pulled the top off and we've looked it over and we're
08:09 trying to find out why the alternator is not charging.
08:12 Narrator: Clint grabs a voltage meter and begins
08:14 taking measurements.
08:15 They aren't getting enough normal range reading.
08:18 Clint: ACU is ok. Our field is ok.
08:20 So if it is red, that means that my field is bad.
08:26 Narrator: Next Clint decides to test the same components again,
08:29 while the aircraft is running and compares the readings.
08:34 For some reason, the aircraft isn't charging the battery,
08:38 holding power like it should.
08:41 They test several engine components to see if they can
08:45 narrow down to the faulty culprit.
08:49 Working on a running aircraft has many risks.
08:53 If one were to make contact with the spinning propeller,
08:57 it would mean instant death.
08:59 It's always important to keep a safe distance
09:03 when an aircraft engine is running.
09:07 Today, Clint has no choice.
09:09 He must get the readings while the plane engine is running and
09:14 compare them to the readings of when the engine was not running.
09:19 During this process, pilot Jud stays in the aircraft to give
09:26 the engine more power, holding the breaks so the airplane
09:30 doesn't move forward with Clint so close to a moving propeller.
09:37 Clint is checking the voltage that the aircraft is generating.
09:42 The readings are not in normal range.
09:45 The battery does not keep the charge it needs to power
09:49 the necessary components in the aircraft.
09:52 Narrator: It charges the battery and it's not required
09:53 to run the engine.
09:55 The engine runs fine without a battery. It doesn't need that.
09:58 But it does run your radio, which is nice for communication.
10:01 And it runs your landing lights and your flashing lights.
10:04 It's not crucial to, you're not going to crash because it quits,
10:09 but it is good to have for communication.
10:11 Narrator: After extensive testing, Clint feels
10:14 the malfunctioning alternator is the problem in this aircraft.
10:19 Clint: Well it's green. So what does that mean?
10:24 Jud: Well I guess it means you don't have a short in your field
10:27 which is I mean those regulators are nice because, you know.
10:33 You don't have to chase down that part.
10:43 Narrator: Clint and Jud speculate on why the battery
10:46 isn't getting charged.
10:48 Now that they have collected the voltage readings, they have
10:51 decided to contact an aviation mechanic
10:55 here in the United States.
10:59 Clint: It could be a lot of different things.
11:00 So I've checked it with a volt meter and we've got some
11:03 information and now we're going to write the mechanic
11:06 in the States and see what he thinks. Why it's not charging
11:10 Narrator: While Clint seeks the advice of an aircraft mechanic,
11:14 Erwin is asked to charge the aircraft's battery.
11:18 He brings the generator from the house and connects the battery.
11:23 It's important to keep the aircraft operational,
11:26 should there be another call for a med-evac flight.
11:30 Erwin has worked with Clint on the base for some time now.
11:34 He is a native Miskito, who helps the mission family operate
11:38 the mission base.
11:40 Over the years, Clint has taught Erwin many new skills,
11:44 that he can use in the future.
11:47 Most Miskito people never receive this type of training.
11:51 The time Erwin spends at the mission offers him
11:54 different skills that will open many new opportunities
11:57 for him in the future.
12:15 Erwin has been so blessed by this mission base.
12:18 He has become a close member of the family.
12:20 He plays with the children and enjoys the company
12:23 of all the family members.
12:25 He truly feels loved and accepted here.
12:47 Narrator: Now Clint has a network of mechanics, who offer
12:50 their advice when he has mechanical questions.
12:54 Clint: So this is, I'm writing the mechanics in the States and
12:57 asking them what their thoughts are on this alternator
13:00 and what the problem is with it.
13:02 Because I'm not a mechanic. But all the experts
13:05 in the States, they can figure this stuff out.
13:07 So I just tell them exactly what the problem is,
13:09 they tell me what to check. And then
13:12 usually there's bouncing back and forth emails for a few
13:16 hours till we get it figured out.
13:17 And then we'll have to figure out if it's fixable here, if
13:20 I have the parts or we need to get something from the States.
13:25 Narrator: While they wait for a response, Clint and Jud discuss
13:29 their options.
13:31 Out in this part of the world, there are no accessible
13:34 aviation parts.
13:36 After a few minutes of sending the email, Clint gets
13:40 a phone call from one of his trusted mechanic friends,
13:44 who offers insight on what might be keeping the battery
13:48 from charging.
13:52 Clint: Right, but then you could at least tell that you've
13:55 energized it, then that'll work. Okay.
13:57 Okay, let me try a couple of those things, then and
14:01 I'll see what I can figure out.
14:03 Then I'll do the checking on this and write you another
14:05 letter within the next, within the next half hour.
14:10 Appreciate the information, thanks so much Steve.
14:13 Okay, bye.
14:15 They gave me more things to check.
14:17 So I'm going to go check it out. See what I can find.
14:20 Narrator: Clint and Jud head back up to the hangar
14:23 with a checklist of items the mechanic asked them to inspect.
14:28 They suspect a diode in the alternator is the culprit.
14:33 The men preform the same tests, that yield results
14:37 that they were hoping to ovoid.
14:42 Clint: So since it's very likely a diode. A diode went out.
14:47 somebody has the capability to take the diode out
14:51 and replace it. That could work. Or find new brushes.
14:57 Narrator: Again they call the mechanic in the States
15:00 and tell him their findings.
15:02 Clint: I do have power there on that field.
15:05 It looks like about 10.1 to 10.3 volts.
15:14 No.
15:15 On the frame of the alternator? No. Not that I know of.
15:22 Narrator: It appears that the alternator has gone bad.
15:25 Without the alternator, this plane cannot fly.
15:29 Even worse, there's no way for Clint to get an alternator
15:34 locally.
15:35 There is the option of temporarily repairing this one,
15:39 but no one's knows how long the repair will hold.
15:42 Neither men feel comfortable with that solution.
15:45 They must find a way to get a new alternator for this plane,
15:49 and do it fast!
15:52 Jud: Then we talked to the mechanic and he gave us one
15:53 more wire to check the voltage on between the regulator.
15:58 Between the alternator and the voltage regulator.
16:02 And that conclusively shows that because there was power there
16:08 that the alternator is not charging.
16:12 So that narrows down the problem to exactly that it is the
16:15 alternator that is failing.
16:16 Narrator: This diagnosis will not be an easy fix.
16:19 They must now find a way to get a new alternator
16:22 delivered to them.
16:24 Procuring this piece is not possible in this part
16:27 of Nicaragua.
16:28 Also, there's no mail delivery into this area.
16:33 The only viable option is obtaining the part in the United
16:37 States and having someone personally travel down
16:42 to Nicaragua with the new alternator in hand.
16:47 Jud knows just the man for the job.
16:51 Jud: We're ahh... as we, what we call the mules, we're going to
16:56 call one of our supporters, who is retired from American
16:59 Airlines and can fly on standby anytime that he wants.
17:03 And so we're going to see if we can get the alternator sent
17:04 to him and have him jump on an airplane and fly down to Managua
17:08 and deliver it, personally.
17:10 And he's actually an A&P, so he can sign out the installation
17:13 of the alternator on the airplane.
17:15 Narrator: So Jud makes a call to Tom, praying he's available and
17:20 willing to accept this mission.
17:24 Jud: Hi Tom, this is Jud Wickwire. I'm pretty good.
17:29 I'm calling you from down in Nicaragua.
17:36 Tom, I have a question for you.
17:39 We just, in the 172 here, just discovered
17:42 that the alternator has failed.
17:45 And we have an online order on getting a new one.
17:49 But we might need delivery. Would you be interested in that?
17:57 Narrator: Friend it doesn't take much to convince Tom
18:00 to make the trip to Nicaragua.
18:03 He is ever so ready to help in any way he can.
18:07 Tom is the perfect man for the job since he is also
18:11 an airplane mechanic.
18:13 Not only can he deliver the part, but he can also help
18:17 with the installation.
18:19 Jud: Well we sure appreciate it. And yah, it would be a great
18:22 opportunity for you to see the project here too.
18:24 So, cool. Awesome. Fantastic. Okay!
18:28 Clint: That's wonderful!
18:29 Jud: He's just, He's all over it! Yup!
18:31 Clint: Yah? He's ready to come now?
18:32 Jud: Yup.
18:33 Clint: Really? Wow!
18:35 Jud: I've got his address and loop that together
18:37 and that's awesome.
18:38 Clint: Excellent.
18:41 Narrator: Clint is over joyed to hear the news.
18:44 Not only did they diagnose the problem, but they also found
18:48 a solution all on the same day.
18:53 Which means the plane will not be down for very long.
18:58 Within a few short days Tom will arrive with the new alternator
19:02 needed to make this plane airworthy once again.
19:06 Praise the Lord for such a quick and speedy resolution.
19:10 This could have potentially grounded this aviation mission
19:14 base for months, but with God working, the airplane will only
19:21 be down for a few short days. Hallelujah!
19:27 Since the airplane is already in for repair, Jud and Clint decide
19:32 to make good use of the rest of the day and preform some routine
19:36 maintenance on the aircraft.
19:39 Flying in these humid and dusty conditions takes a toll
19:42 on any airplane.
19:45 Clint does faithful regular maintenance to make sure
19:50 this airplane stays in optimal flying condition.
19:55 Clint: It's a lot harder than it is in America,
19:57 because the environment is a lot harder on the airplane.
20:02 Because of the humidity and because of the dusty conditions,
20:08 landing on gravel runways where the plane shakes a lot because
20:12 you're on dirt and gravel. So there's a lot of vibration.
20:15 You have a lot more maintenance then you would in the States
20:18 and so it means a lot more parts being brought down.
20:22 People hand carrying them since there's no shipping.
20:24 No way to ship something down to our location.
20:26 Somebody actually has to carry it down in a suitcase by hand
20:29 to deliver it to us.
20:32 So the parts that you bring down can be complicated
20:36 and hard to get.
20:37 Narrator: Clint does an oil change.
20:39 Even this simple maintenance task requires much more effort
20:43 in the mission field then it would in North America.
20:46 Clint: This oil comes from one place in Managua
20:51 that we can get it.
20:52 One place in the whole country of Nicaragua
20:54 we can get airplane oil.
20:56 And since oil is flammable you can't ship it.
20:58 So we're fortunate to be able to buy it at that one place.
21:01 And it's expensive, but we're fortunate to be able to get it.
21:06 Because if you can't get oil, you'd be in trouble.
21:08 We change it about every 40 hours.
21:10 Normally in the States you would change it, now quite that often.
21:13 But we fly in conditions of a lot of dust and dirt
21:17 and also the high humidity being in the tropics.
21:20 We change it more often.
21:23 And so we change the filter and the oil every forty hours.
21:27 Narrator: While the men continue to work on the aircraft, in the
21:30 back of their minds they know that the new alternator
21:33 is in route.
21:34 Tom received the alternator and is flying to Nicaragua
21:39 to deliver it personally.
21:41 He flies commercially and then Clint makes the journey
21:45 to collect him.
21:46 They are over joyed that God opened so many doors to make
21:50 this all come together so very quickly.
21:55 Tom: A few days ago Jud called me and asked me if I could bring
21:58 a part down to Nicaragua.
21:59 And I said yes. And that's where things began.
22:03 The part was shipped to my house
22:04 They called me like on a Wednesday, two days after that
22:07 the part arrived at my home.
22:10 Sunday I made the reservations and Monday I flew out.
22:15 Narrator: Now that Tom has arrived at the mission base,
22:17 the men waste no time.
22:23 They begin by taking off the old alternator.
22:26 Erwin is eager to help and learn all he can
22:28 as he watches Clint work.
22:30 Once the alternator is removed, they can begin to install
22:33 the new one.
22:36 Clint: This is the old one, and this is the new one that he just
22:38 carried down from America.
22:40 So right now, this one has a gear on the top, so we're going
22:43 to change this gear out to that.
22:45 And we're going to clean it all up and we're ready
22:48 to install the new one.
22:50 It's just three bolts holding it on.
22:52 It's a fairly simple little piece.
22:53 You wouldn't think that this could stop the whole airplane
22:55 from flying, but it can. And it did.
23:03 Narrator: Inside the workshop, the men work delicately
23:07 to remove the head gear on the old alternator.
23:12 They will need this part from the old alternator
23:15 and attach it to the new.
23:17 They cannot afford to damage this piece during the removal.
23:21 The new alternator will not work without this vital key component
23:26 Just like most airplane parts, they don't have access
23:30 to any other gearheads in Nicaragua, so they must
23:34 make sure this one is transferred without damage.
23:40 Tom and Clint work together as they secure the new piece.
23:44 Just a few more steps and they will be ready to install this
23:48 new alternator, which should ultimately fix the plane.
23:53 Erwin stands ready to help any way he can.
23:56 He peers into the garage from the doorway.
23:59 He doesn't want to miss a thing.
24:01 He greatly enjoys learning all he can about airplanes.
24:05 All work together until the gearhead is secured in place
24:10 on the new alternator.
24:12 The installation of the new alternator is all that is left
24:16 to be done.
24:18 It's now time to install the alternator.
24:21 This new part will help keep this Adventist World Aviation
24:25 mission base operational for many more years.
24:30 Clint slides the new part into the aircraft engine compartment.
24:34 It fits perfectly, like a missing puzzle piece.
24:39 It takes many hands to secure the alternator in place.
24:43 Erwin is not left out and he assists Tom and Clint
24:48 in the installation.
24:50 Brendell is also part of this process, he stands
24:54 by his dad's side and hands him the pieces Clint needs
24:59 to continue the repair.
25:01 The men work harmoniously together in the afternoon
25:06 Nicaraguan sun.
25:08 To keep this mission base operational, it takes many
25:11 dedicated people.
25:12 The Hanley's could not do their mission work here in Nicaragua
25:15 without the backing they receive from donors and volunteers
25:18 in North America.
25:22 This aviation mission base is truly a team effort.
25:26 Many hands making light work.
25:30 Soon the alternator is secured in place.
25:35 Clint: Okay so this is the new alternator that we got just put
25:37 on and we're just finishing tightening the last bolts.
25:40 Everything fits, it's the exact part that we needed and we're
25:44 going to start the engine now and make sure
25:45 that everything is working good.
25:47 And then we'll take it for a test flight.
25:49 Okay, so this is the trial run.
25:51 We're going to start the engine and we're going to check if the
25:53 battery is charging with our new part that we put in.
25:55 Are we ready?
25:59 Narrator: Now it comes time to test the men's work.
26:01 They start the engine and the propeller whirls into motion.
26:06 Praise God, the new alternator has fixed the problem.
26:10 The mission plane is repaired! It's ready to continue
26:14 to serve the Miskito people!
26:18 Clint: You did a good job, it works beautiful.
26:20 Did it leak any oil? No. Beautiful. No oil leaks,
26:24 everything looks good.
26:26 Tom: If you fly it a couple times, we'll check it.
26:28 Clint: Good job! Thank you! You took a lot of work to come down
26:34 here all the way from the States to help.
26:36 That isn't something everybody will just do.
26:38 Oh yah I'll just carry something to Nicaragua!
26:41 Tom: Hey, I love doing it.
26:44 Narrator: Clint is so appreciative to Tom
26:46 for his dedication to the mission work.
26:50 Without his help, this mission plane could have been grounded
26:54 for months, instead of a few short days.
26:59 Now it's time to test fly the aircraft.
27:02 Erwin helps to assemble the cowling on the aircraft.
27:07 Over the years he has done this many times with Clint, so he is
27:12 familiar with the procedure.
27:14 Once assembled, the two pilots take the aircraft
27:18 up for a test flight.
27:20 The airplane takes off into the setting Nicaragua sun.
27:26 This day has been a busy one for these men but they are overjoyed
27:31 by the outcome of their work.
27:34 Working in the AWA Nicaraguan airbase might not be easy work,
27:39 but the joy this work brings is irreplaceable.
27:44 Tom was able to experience that joy, as he volunteered
27:49 his time and money to help Adventist World Aviation.
27:57 Tom: It was a very good feeling that the Lord allowed me,
28:00 and put me in this position, where I could take a part down
28:04 to Nicaragua and install a part and to get the airplane
28:08 to fly again in good condition.
28:10 The Lord has blessed me and I thoroughly enjoy doing things
28:14 like this so I hope I get to do it again.


Home

Revised 2017-05-16