EXT 777 - Karl

[Karl]

I was scavenging through my old cache of aircraft and found one that I can't remember what it was.

Here it is. Can you help figure out what it is?

[Graeme]

Hi Karl!

Hope ya well and virus free. Are ya hunkered in ya bunker?

The good news here is we're stocked up on toilet paper. :-)

Not sure what is it but my immediate impression and being "gaily" painted was Russian - Gribovskii G-22??

The good news is the earth is still spinning and the Stig will be awake soon.  :-)

[Karl]

Hi Graeme,

Virus free AFIK! Sheltering at home. I VPN in to work, IT set me up with an old company laptop, I'm not used to working from home but I have been for the past 3 weeks. We have big orders for ventilator parts so our manufacturing had Kaizen events for the exponential increases over the next 3 months.

My aircraft does look like the G-22 but darned if I can find where I got that picture!

-Karl

[SincoTC]

G'afternoon Graeme, and a quiet Good Morning to Karl 'coz he should be Zzzz right now!!

Glad to hear that you're all coping well in these odd circumstances!  Great to hear about big orders for ventilator parts Karl, good to hear something positive coming out of all this and good luck with the remote working, we've got a few guys going in, strickly in separate departments and areas, maintaining isolation and using their own facilities, mainly to supply parts to keep the balance of staff working at home supplied with bits for assembly!  Plus of course, those working at home on R&D drawings and office work are being done like you via a VPN and everyone tied together with remote group meetings and WhatsApp. 

Same here really, 'tiz a beautiful Spring Morning here, but we're all confined to barracks!!  At least we are allowed to go out for a walk, so long as we maintain a distance of 2 Metres (six and a half feet for us old Imperial buggers) 😊 I'm off soon to say hello to a small herd of Alpacas, I'm very lucky really as it is literally just up my road which, in 200 yards carries on into the Exmoor National Park and they are about half a mile further on! 

You'll note that they are maintaining the required Social Distancing too!! 😎 

 

Yeah, it does look like a G-22 but somethings not quite right, mainly those blisters around the top of the U/C legs are missing completely in all the photos I can find, although there were some variations!!  The venturi is not exactly in the right position and the air intake doesn't really match! 

I had another look and found it's from Latvia, the Sleiters IS-1  http://www.airwar.ru/enc/law1/is1.html

Also, Martin made a silhouette of the same image on PPRuNe's SC in August 2010, happy days!

Keep safe!! TC aka the Stig 😷 

[Karl]

The Stig comes through again Thanks Trevor!!

-Karl

[SincoTC]

Thanks Karl,

You may have missed an edit to my post, I suddenly noticed that a paragraph had gone missing and I see that when I was editing to put it back, it was about the same time as you posted your response.

Trevor aka Stig 😎

[Karl]

Hi Trevor, I just looked back at your newly added paragraph. We've been using microsoft teams mostly for inter-company remote communications. With customers it's been a mixed bag of skype and webex. Regarding ventilator parts we identified our bottle neck operations. One particular part requires assembly at 25 pcs per hour so we are building 6 additional work cells to meet the the increased demand. There is also talk of having employees assembling these parts at home. (gluing rubber trim onto a metal part)

I'm watching "Dogfights" this morning jet -vs- jet. Next up is Thunderbolts. What great show I recently discovered with my additional "at home time".

Cheers

-Karl

[Karl]

I'd like to see an episode like this about spitfire dogfights

[SincoTC]

Hi Karl,

That's interesting, are your additional cells designed to incorporate suitable distancing from each other and separation of the operators and have they been tested?   What do you do about ensuring that the parts and assemblies are sterile (suitable U/V irradiation?) before shipping, or is that carried out by the customer before packing?

I've seen and enjoyed quite a few of the Dogfight series (shown here on the British Forces on Freeview) and also on Quest.  If it's the same series as you mention, I reckon the simulation and graphics are quite remarkable considering that they all date from 2005-2008, or is there a later series in the USA?

TC

[Karl]

Hi Trevor,

Our HR has broadcast out that there have been no cases of Covid 19 within our 4 plants. I don't know how they can be sure since I have not heard of any mandatory testing. We are practicing social distancing at work, in fact it is mandatory, and logistically planned out, including the new cells. There are currently no measures for sterilization. We are really at the child piece part / sub ass'y level manufacturing with our customer (Vyaire) who carries out the final parent assemblies. I feel lucky that I am still employed and our business has been "deemed essential" during this shelter at home order by Minnesota. So many people are being laid off and are applying for unemployment benefits. Hopefully this is over sooner than later but I suspect it will be later.

Luckily we are allowed to go out for doggie walks, exercise outdoors, joy ride, grocery, hardware & liquor stores are all classified essential and open for business. Nothing is really being enforced but it appears most people in my neighborhood are being diligent and maintaining respectful social distancing practices.

Regarding dogfights, yes it is the old series I am watching shown on Quest.

-Karl

[Ridge Runner]

Its food to see The Stig reference persisting, Trevor ;)

[Graeme]

Nicely found Trevor!

Karl - didn't know you are involved with ventilator products.

I remember when I started in ICU we still used Birds Machines.

Oddly all this talk of intubation/ventilation where I am, the public believe (or should I say the media) it's available for "everyone". In my day the maximum number of tubed patients in ICU was five - for a population of around 60,000.

If another tubed patient needed to be admitted - there were 2 options. The intensivist looked long and hard at who was being ventilated and decide if withdrawing treatment on someone was possible (very rare, but it sometimes happened especially if the prognosis was poor) or transferring one of them to Sydney - which is usually what happened.

If lungs fail on mass as a result of COVID - we'll be in serious ventilation trouble.

I'm presently watching and reading the Ward and Burns series/book on the Vietnam War.

Painting.

Repairing.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Hi Graeme and Karl!

I'm glad to hear you are both doing okay! :) Keep safe.

M

[Karl]

You too Martin!