KENMORE AIR ’ S BEA-
VER REBUILD SHOP has attracted the attention of plane enthusiasts the world over . Arguably the most famous person to walk through the doors and have his de Havilland Beaver rebuilt is Hollywood actor Harrison Ford . To date over 150 Beavers have entered the shop in some state of disrepair and left as a “ Kenmore Beaver ”, the unofficial term widely used in the aviation community when it leaves the shop ready for flight .
Two years ago , Seattle Seahawk tight end Jimmy Graham added his name to the list . Graham , who was acquired by the Seahawks from the New Orleans Saints in 2015 , purchased a 1957 DHC2 L20 Alpha de Havilland Beaver and had the Seattle-based float plane company restore it .
“ This is a gentleman who can buy whatever he wants , and he chose for us to do this for him ,” says Jason Marquez , one of the lead mechanics on Graham ’ s restoration project . “ It ’ s very exciting . He comes into the shop and he ’ s very passionate about it which makes it that much more enjoyable . He ’ s keeping almost everything original , all the way down to standard steam gauges .”
Graham ’ s Beaver was recently completed and true to his original vision he kept the military paint scheme . The only thing he changed ? He painted number 88 on the side . The fact that Graham placed so much trust in Kenmore Air ’ s crew shouldn ’ t come as a surprise .
When a rebuilt plane leaves Kenmore ’ s Rebuild Shop it is in as good or better condition than when it initially left the factory . Upon arrival , the plane is disassembled and paint stripped to its bare metal . All the components are inspected and parts that are serviceable are retained . The rest are overhauled or replaced . In some cases , parts that are no longer available must be fabricated .
“ Kenmore has built its reputation on quality . Around here , the standard is high ,” said Eric Ellison , Kenmore Air ’ s Chief Inspector .
While Beaver rebuilds are officially attributed to the Beaver Shop , it ’ s the entire Maintenance Department that deserves praise . Rob Richey , Kenmore
Air ’ s Director of Maintenance , explained :
“ Our team does it all . We manufacture the skins right here . We apply the wrinkle paint to the instrument panels . We rebuild the engines , we repair and gas-weld the fuel tanks , and we do all of the upholstery work in-house . There are guys who handle the avionics and ones who specifically handle the final assembly . It ’ s really an incredible team .”
Because the aircraft were originally built by hand , no Beavers are exactly alike . Each skin panel must be custom
ty edwards photo cut . Arranged like a patchwork quilt , skins are neatly fit around the fuselage ’ s frame and held temporarily in place using Cleco ’ s . ( Equipped with retractable pins , Cleco ’ s are inserted through rivet holes to hold the skins in place until riveted . A fully Cleco ’ s plane resembles a metal porcupine .) Using a two-man riveting process , the Cleco ’ s are removed and rivets are installed with a pneumatic rivet gun and bucking bar .
Wrinkle paint is applied to all the metal surfaces in the cockpit within the pilot ’ s line of sight . While the process is difficult and time consuming , it provides a robust and glare free finish - an essential element for flight safety .
34 explore : NW | The Official Magazine for kenmore air | Spring 2017