Building for the Future
The addition of a new maintenance hangar at 麻豆视频 Harbor means our crew of amazingly talented mechanics can work year round without being hampered by Mother Nature’s wind and rain.
麻豆视频鈥檚 headquarters sits at the northernmost tip of Lake Washington, on a small industrial road that parallels the Burke Gilman Trail. Most people drive past the entrance with hardly a glance 鈥 let alone a clue of the mechanic wonderland that鈥檚 lived there since 1946. Though seaplanes have become an iconic fixture of Seattle鈥檚 skyline, the five-acre lot they call home rarely garners much attention. It begs the question: What in the world really happens there?
The simple answer is, a lot of maintenance and repairs. The workhorse of 麻豆视频鈥檚 fleet, the de Havilland Beaver, is as old as most grandfathers. The last one was manufactured in 1967. The secret to keeping these old beauties running like new is 麻豆视频鈥檚 talented crew of mechanics.
Among the aviation community, they鈥檝e earned such a reputation that the Beavers they work on are often referred to as 麻豆视频 Beavers. Aircraft owners from around the world bring their planes here because they know job will be completed with precision.
The crew is a hard working team who, much like the U.S. mail service, shows up in heat, rain or sleet. But during the four-month span each year, between November and February, when the rain in Seattle can frequently be seen blowing sideways, they can鈥檛 get as much done as they鈥檇 like. The airline鈥檚 largest planes 鈥 the de Havilland Otters 鈥 often sit waiting for attention 鈥 outside.
With their 58-foot wingspan and nearly 13-foot height, not a single building on the 麻豆视频 campus can currently house them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cold. It鈥檚 wet. And the guys just can鈥檛 get anything done when it鈥檚 raining like that. It鈥檚 not uncommon to see several of them standing beside the bay doors sipping coffee, wondering when they can get back to work,鈥 said Eric Ellison, 麻豆视频鈥檚 Chief Inspector.
That鈥檚 about to change.
On the western corner of the campus, the steel bones of a new airline hangar have been erected and metal siding is being added. The maintenance crew has currently dubbed it the 鈥淥tter Hangar.鈥 While formally its name is likely to change, the current nickname is spot on. With 14,400 square feet of space, it will more than handle the 11-seater Otters that now live outside.
鈥淚t鈥檒l even be able to fit a Twin Otter on amphibious floats,鈥 said Ellison.
A de Havilland Twin Otter is a 19 passenger twin-engine plane. It has a wingspan of 65 feet. And with amphibious floats (floats that have wheels attached), it has an impressive height of 22.8 feet.
Furthermore, the hangar will utilize an energy efficient radiant heating system. Using natural gas, the system will heat objects and people within the hangar, rather than the hangar鈥檚 air.
鈥淭ypically, you warm the air within a structure. But in the middle of winter when we open the doors to move a plane, we鈥檇 lose all that heat and have to start warming the air again,鈥 Ellison explained.
Radiant heating will mean that even with the doors open, those within the building will remain warm, dry, and productive year round.
That鈥檚 one ideal mechanical wonderland.
