All pumped up

After we received the replacement pump, Jon installed it and placed an order for massive quantities of hydraulic fluid so we could proceed with ground checks for the various aircraft in waiting.

This pump has two impeller sections and each section is connected to a separate filter and pressure control. This gives the mule two separate systems that can be simultaneously connected to an aircraft. Our larger aircraft (MiG-21, MiG-23 and Mi-24s) typically have two isolated hydraulic systems, primary and secondary.

In its first two days of operation, the mule was used for tests on the Mi-24s, Bord 118 and Bord 120.

The mule is shown here outside the maintenance hanger where it was just connected to Bord 120 to test hydraulic integrity after the transmission was re-installed. The service loop for the mule reaches all of the service bays inside the 14,000+ ft² hanger as well as the adjacent taxiway.