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Showing results for tags 'roll cage'.
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I decided to take my 1964 m20c to a mooney repair center this year for the annual. The mx for the past 5 years has been completed by the local airport mechanic, but they do not have much mooney experience. The plane has been at the service center since March of this year( and I have no estimate of when I will get it back). A few of the bigger problems found during the annual inspection were: 1. Crankshaft gear bolt lock tab in engine oil screen (and no, I did not have a prop strike that I am aware of from looking through the logs) 2. Lower tube on roll cage assy on pilot side has pen sized hole - and turns out the entire tube is corroded thru 3. Left mag shaft is loose The shop has replaced the lock tab, but is stalled on the tube repair and the mag. I call the shop every 2 weeks to check on my plane, and when the corrosion problem was found, they had to figure out if they needed to replace the entire tube or find a part plane and weld a new section of tube on. The shop has decided they can do the latter method by pulling off skin panels to access for welding. The shop also got "busy" and stuck my airplane outside for a month to figure out this solution. The shop is a 4hour drive away and I have driven there to check on my plane and show that I am an involved owner that wants to understand the aircraft mx. So my question for the forum is how long does this kind of repair usually take? Have you had these repairs done on your plane? How do repair shops prioritize the work? I feel like whenever I call now, even though the shop has a way forward for the repair, there has been no progress made on the repair. I am getting extremely frustrated that the shop cannot even give me an estimated date for completion. I have also asked for an estimated price for the repair(s) and they have not provided it. I am struggling with making demands of the shop and being understanding about the workload of the shop. But why isn't my plane higher priority!!!! How do you all handle extensive repairs with mechanics and ensuring timely completion? Do I need to give them a deadline and be more demanding? I missed many beautiful flying days and I want my plane back!!!! Thanks for reading and providing me any recommendations and experiences you may have had.