A Cessna 210 Carry-Through Spar Removal
Posted by Clinton McJenkin on May 10th 2023
A Cessna 210 Carry-Through Spar
If you are unfamiliar, the carry-through spar is the main structural component of the wing. It carries the weight of the wings when the airplane is on the ground, making it a significant piece of the airplane structure’s integrity.
One of our great aviation mechanics, Bob, needed to remove a spar from a Cessna 210 for a customer on the east coast. So we decided to create a time-lapse video of Bob's work for our social media accounts. People loved the video! But it also opened up some conversation about what we do here in the BAS hangar, and what makes our business so very different than the other aircraft salvage companies.
What Is Aircraft Salvage?
Around the BAS offices, we take great pride in being recognized worldwide as a leader in the aircraft salvage business. We shipped airplane and helicopter parts to thousands of customers in over 60 countries in 2022 alone. But every day, we talk to people who have strong misconceptions of what we do within the walls of our hangar in Greeley, CO.
But what is aircraft salvage? In an overly simplified nutshell, we take old, wrecked, damaged, or otherwise unwanted aircraft and disassemble them for parts.
When we created this time-lapse video of Bob removing the carry-through spar from the Cessna 210, I thought it an excellent opportunity to create a blog post about what makes BAS so unique, and so successful, in the aircraft salvage business. This carry-through spar is the perfect exemplification of our business.
Disassembly vs. Junkyard
In our experience, when most people hear “aircraft salvage” they immediately think of a junkyard, or that eyesore of a place off the interstate where old automobiles go to rust. For the most part, they are not wrong. Most aircraft salvage yards are pretty similar to that - a boneyard of old airplanes waiting patiently in the elements for the day they are needed once more. The aircraft gets a once over to remove high-value items such as avionics and other electronics, engines, wings, and other control surfaces before it gets parked in the field, waiting for the day some aviator needs something from it.
This has been the status quo for a long time as this business model has served the aviation community for decades.
What makes BAS so different starts with this “junkyard” concept. We are not, in fact, a junkyard of old airplanes. We surgically disassemble every aircraft that comes through our shop, down to the smallest nuts and bolts. We then put every part through a complete cleaning, research, and listing process that makes it available for sale to the aviation community at large. We put completely stripped aluminum fuselages in the outdoor storage yard, free of everything except the paint. Everything we remove from the aircraft is organized and stored in our climate-controlled warehouse, where it is tagged, on a shelf, and ready for immediate shipment.
During the recent Sun N Fun show in Florida, I told this story many, many times to pilots, mechanics, flight instructors, and other enthusiasts who seemed shocked that we have created such a detailed process. They expected "junkyard", but that is just simply not what we do. And every time I explained our business they immediately saw the benefits of buying parts from BAS.
Carry-Through Spar
That brings us to Bob’s carry-through spar removal. As you will see, Bob spends several days meticulously removing the airframe components surrounding the spar. He carefully dismantles the roof of the fuselage to free the spar. This includes removing a ton of rivets, one rivet at a time, and removing a handful of well-assembled airframe parts that hold the spar securely to the airframe.
This is a surgical removal of the carry-through spar...Watch:
Why Remove the Carry-Through Spar So Carefully?
This carry-through spar is just one example of how BAS positively impacts the aviation community by crafting an aircraft salvage process for the modern age. By carefully and tactfully removing every part from the aircraft and making those parts available in a safe, secure, and current online store BAS has revolutionized the used airplane parts business. And let’s not forget that our store is loaded with in-depth details, imagery, data, and other relevant information for every listing, making the buying experience fast without sacrificing your sanity or safety.
By carefully removing the spar, we save most of the components around it for future use. Every aircraft we disassemble gets the same love.
Using BAS, the customer, the end-user of this Cessna 210 carry-through spar, will save significant time and money. The spar is an expensive item for sure, but buying it from BAS is still significantly less expensive than the alternatives.
It is also faster. This spar will reach the repair station quickly in a few days. And then the repair station can begin the replacement process, meaning this pilot will get his 210 back in the air much faster than had they waited months on end for something newly manufactured or from the factory.
This spar, or a similar component, could very well go into an airplane where a new part is unavailable from anywhere. So by using BAS for the replacement part, the pilot can keep his older, beloved Cessna 210 in the air much longer. No need to go through the hassle and expense of buying a new aircraft because you couldn’t get parts for the current model. It’s not old; it’s a classic!
Now, replace “carry-through spar” with any other component from aircraft going back as far as the 1940s. Of course, we don’t have everything, but we come close. By putting every aircraft through this detailed process, BAS is able to support aviation parts needs all over the world.
Airplane Recycling
As a closing note, BAS doesn’t waste much with our processes. As we continuously buy wrecked aircraft throughout the year, we come into possession of many damaged aircraft parts, especially surfaces, and aluminum or sheet metal components. We consistently deliver recyclable material to the appropriate vendors and move as little material as possible into a landfill. We also recycle nearly all the oil, fuels, and other fluids with minimal environmental impact.
So we are recycling airplanes in more ways than one. Quality parts and components get to live on in another aircraft. And recyclable materials that are beyond their usefulness to the aircraft are destined for future use as beer cans or something along those lines.
We hope you enjoyed Bob’s time-lapse. It’s a neat process to watch and a great business to work in every day.
Clinton McJenkin
Sales & Marketing Director
BAS Part Sales