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EricJ

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Everything posted by EricJ

  1. Using thermal expansion puts the least amount of stress on the wheel casting. Pressing it in/out is the next best option, and, as stated, a drift works but is the most likely to cause a deformation or crack in the casting. They all work, they're just different tradeoffs on effort/complexity/risk.
  2. Is this it? https://lasar.com/switches/stall-switch-v3-2451-d8 I don't know how Honeywell's part number system works, other than V3- is the basic pin-plunger microswitch, and the -D8 is for the 0.188" wide quick-connect (spade) terminals. Otherwise it'd be fairly easy to try to find an equivalent or crossover just using the specs, but the -2451 doesn't appear in any of the documents that I can find. If somebody could post a pic of the assembly with the switch part number showing that would be better to get it right. The good news is that nearly all of the V3- and V7-, etc., microswitches are the same dimensions, so finding one with sufficient specs will fit and do the job. It's not like it's carrying massive current or a big voltage or anything. I'd also add that sometimes when these get intermittent it's just the connections on the spade connectors. Working them around a little or seating them better might be sufficient to getting it working again.
  3. The NTSB just had a press conference and offered a few tidbits: The Blackhawk crew may have been wearing NVGs. The Blackhawk was equipped with ADS-B-out. They don't know why it wasn't transmitting. The Blackhawk recorded a radio altitude of 278 ft at the time of collision. They believe that data is good data. They don't know what altitude the crew saw on their displays. Some of the recorded information is known to be bad, so part of the ongoing work is to determine what altitude the crew saw on their displays. The CRJ went to full up elevator before the crash and was at a nine degree pitch up. The Blackhawk was essentially straight and level at the time of collision.
  4. McFarlane can make a cable by duplicating your existing cable. There is a process that is described on their website: https://www.mcfarlaneaviation.com/customs/custom-push-pull-controls/
  5. FWIW, your A&P will determine whether 337(s) need to be filed. I know of no regulatory requirement to file a 337 for this repair. There does not seem to be agreement among the relevant masses that a 337 is required to remove an STC, if this was installed with one, but you do hear that opinion a lot. Some argue that the original, pre-STC configuration is already approved, so if removing an STC restores it to an approved state, that's...already approved. I don't think many people file a 337 to remove a Brackett air filter (which requires a 337 on many airplanes). The other side of that is that the TC is altered by the 337 and altering it back requires another 337, for the record keeping if nothing else. I don't know of any clear regulatory guidance either way, just opinion. YMMV, your A&P/IA's opinion is the one that counts.
  6. I highly recommend it to any aircraft owner who wants to and is able to do so. It's definitely a time commitment, but I found it fun and educational. Not being dependent on somebody else's schedule is very nice, and it makes it a lot easier to deal with issues that may come up during travel.
  7. I think that's an indication that it needs to be properly repaired. There's actually a fair amount of stress on the window during cruise, which is why there's a limit on opening the storm window (it'll slam shut and take the window out if it's open and you close it at too high of a speed). Having the window fail in flight would not be a good thing.
  8. I'd put a square patch over the same spot with a logbook entry stating it covered the hole from the trim system deletion. Proper treatment and priming/painting of the patch should be included in that.
  9. The rest of the world still knows where the Gulf of Mexico is. Let's hope the pettiness stays limited to the US.
  10. I finished A&P school, as a Mooney owner, about five years ago. If you just pay attention you'll be fine. The recip engine stuff is obviously important, and at most schools a lot of the practice work is done on GA airplanes, anyway, so it's all relevant. If you have GA airplanes in the hangar/shop at your school, that's what you'll be spending time on. The most complex recip we had at our school was a Cessna 340, so I tried to spend as much time working on that as I could. Spending time on Lycoming engines will be most relevant for your airplane, but don't focus on that as other stuff is also important and good to know. With an A&P you'll likely wind up touching/working on/advising people with everything else, too, so it's good to get experience with all of it, including the turbine stuff.
  11. The certificates from the schools are just graduation certificates from the program and don't count toward anything with the FAA. The schools do, however give you the authorization to take the written tests, which then enable you to take the practical tests. Most proper A&P schools have a DME on staff to administer the practical tests, and if you're a student at the school the DME will likely already know you and have an idea of your skill set before you ever get to the practical tests. The other way to get authorizeds to take the written tests is to present evidence the FSDO that you have completed enough hands-on work to qualify per the regs. Sometimes this involves getting letters or evidence from previous employers or people who have supervised your work to attest that you meet the time requirements.
  12. Contrary to some popular belief, it isn't required by Part 43 Appendix D. I wouldn't -never- do it, but the concerns about wear are legit in the current parts/support/maintenance climate. It can be stopped mid-travel with the master switch during electrical operation, or, if you're really patient, by hand turning the rubber coupling in the actuator.
  13. I think they'll slow down cruise speed a bit. I miss Blue On Top being around to help with the aerodynamics stuff, but I recall that the square tips are actually very good for cruise speed.
  14. Yes, there are some approved repair methods in AC 43.13, Chapter 3 Section 3. There are several alternative methods to doing repairs for cracks like that. Changing the side windows falls under Preventive Maintenance in the US, so it's something that an owner can do here. I don't know what the rules are in Canada. You should be able to do it without bothering the paint if you're careful. I think there's a procedure in the SMM for changing out the side windows, but generally they're not too complicated.
  15. A common racing mod is using E85, since the engine can be tuned to make more power with it, but it does require changes, like bigger injectors. The base octane rating of E85 is 105, so way better than premium pump gas. Another significant downside of E85 is that it spoils. Just sitting by itself it goes bad, and needs to be used while fresh. That's problematic for most applications.
  16. I thought likewise. The only thing dumber than the original change is changing it back. Change it to something descriptively neutral, like Aviation Notices, or Air Safety Notices, or Aviation Information (AI!), or something useful like that. They're under pressure to be efficient, so they have to hit the higher priorities first.
  17. Well, now all the drone guys don't have to read them any more. I feel safer already!
  18. Yours appears to be in the least sensitive (lowest airspeed) position, so moving it higher may make it start to trip. It may take a few iterations to get it in a useful spot if it has been moved. I marked mine before taking it out to rehab the switch, but it turns out that mine has very little adjustment room, anyway. I wound up pushing it up as far as I could and it is still only just working reasonable well.
  19. Continuing my interest in how the Germans managed this in WWII, the Daimler DB 605 V12 engines that powered things like the Me109 made around 1800 hp with a design spec fuel of 87 Octane. On that fuel they could run 43.4 inhg MAP, and with the later 90/100 fuel they could make nearly 60 inhg MAP. If the 90/100 fuel wasn't available and they had to run the old spec fuel (which happened a lot), they were restricted to 43.4 in MAP. I don't know how they did that, but clearly it's possible.
  20. I think most of the wing damage to the M20 on the ramp has just been from sitting in the sun. Paint jobs and window materials don't hold up well, and if upholstery is exposed to the sun it doesn't last very long. Tires get trashed pretty quickly, too.
  21. It's similar around here. Deer Valley (DVT) has a large number of derelicts of many shapes and sizes of airplanes, including a dash model Mooney M20. The wing had been restored not long before it got abandoned, but now it's been out in the sun for so many years I think it's beyond saving. Strangely, a couple of the derelicts have disappeared over the years. There was an unpainted M20E that was in pretty bad shape, with no motor, and it just disappeared a few years ago. Similarly a very early Bonanza that literally had control surfaces hanging from a remaining hinge disappeared a year or so ago. No idea what happened to those, but a there've been several new additions since then so the derelict population seems to be growing.
  22. I just took mine up to Bruce Taylor at Airpower Accessories, mostly because he's essentially local and a bunch of people from around here have been taking mags to him for a long time. When I get it back and installed if there are any issues I will report back. As often happens in aviation, I wound up shooting the breeze with Bruce for a while when I dropped my mag off. He's been working on mags for many decades and seems to know them as well as anybody. Apparently there are a lot of flying school C172s that use the dual mags, so he does a lot of them for that application. He did say that getting parts is starting to be a bigger problem, including the plastic distributor gears. http://www.airpoweraccessories.com/
  23. Might have been us, but maybe not. We were using a 406 MHz beacon but it may have also had a 121.5 MHz component. Usually if we're doing stuff for VHF the test/practice beacons are actually on a different frequency so that they don't interfere with 121.5, (but they do interfere with DVT Ground, as we found out last time...oops). We have to get permission to use the 406 thingie, so I'd never used it before. I'm not completely sure what it does in VHF, if anything. Usually in the Phoenix area if there's a 121.5 MHz signal it's almost always the salvage yard by Sky Harbor threw something in a dumpster or dropped it off a shelf or something.
  24. Depending on how the sensor works that could be a ground issue or a connector issue. I think I saw you taxi to the runup pad. I was on the south side chasing radio signals around.
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