A little Boeing humor at the Miami Sim building.
The biggest problem with women in aviation is that there aren't enough of them. 100+ years of flight and they're still a very small minority
Long story that has nothing to do with SeaRey building, but last year an opportunity presented itself and G & I decided to move again, making my Bellingham hangar almost an hour away. Some old friends tipped me off about a hangar for sale at an airport near our new house, and, as much as I loved my Bellingham nest, I decided it was time for the SeaRey to migrate, too.
The new hangar was cheaper than I was selling Strato 21 for, which was good because it needed some work. Biggest problem was that the slab for the row of hangars was not properly sealed, resulting in lime leaching upwards because of moisture. Had to pressure wash that off first, then seal the concrete. I'm told by other owners that even with the sealing it's going to be a battle against the salt.
However, there are a couple great things about the hangar. While I loved the rustic interior of Strato 21, I was always worried about the wood building catching fire and wiping out my plane. The new hangars are metal, fully insulated, have an electric overhead door, and have natural gas available. I had a heater installed right away.
To battle the moisture/lime problem a 6mil plastic vapor barrier was put down, then the hangar got the plywood floor treatment again.
For various reasons I went with 23/32 underlayment this time, I can sure tell the difference. Strato 21's 1 1/8" floor was like walking on butter. This is still nice, but not as cushiony.
Another difference. At Strato 21 I used Spar Varnish, this time I used standard floor polyurethane, but the process was the same. Dump, mop, repeat.
There were a couple areas where the varnish pooled and, despite my best efforts, made small puddles. Oh well...
In the meantime, packing Strato 21 was underway. Funny, but the feeling was not sad, there was a contentment that this was time, and natural. The sales process was frustrating, I had encounters with.... let's say a wide variety of personalities who came to look and make offers.
It was much easier to leave the big workbench and built-in shelves at Bellingham and build new ones.
Moving weekend. How long can you hold your breath?
Farewell, Bellingham.
One big thing I'm going to miss is the overhead winch.
During the move I wrapped the fin with a sheet to protect it from UVs. I didn't tape it down enough and the tape ripped in the last miles, setting up a flutter at the top of the fin. There was no obvious damage and after talking it over with Jim we've decided that it's ok.
Strato 21 was sold to a good guy who will appreciate it. A bit weird to see it empty, but there was no regret as I turned in our gate passes.
It's June, perfect weather, and that meant it was time for a hangar warming. Mike flew his SeaRey up, we got the BBQ out, kicked back, and met the neighbors. The new airport is much more fun, and almost within walking distance.
