AD Search

[Raptor05121]

I'm creating a new topic separate of my continuous thread, and haven't found anything in the search bar.

Is there any sort of online program, or software that keeps track of ADs, or search by them? This year is my first time getting the legwork done myself before my new A&P checks behind me, so I'd like to stay on top of them. I do have print outs from the FAA website, I'm just curious if there is more of a streamlined process than going through one-by one and saying "N/A by serial, etc etc" on paper? Or maybe find the ones that apply to me and put them on an Excel with time due, etc?

Looking for any and all insight.

[N201MKTurbo]

I'm not aware of anything that is free. There are a few services for shops and mechanics that will automate most of it, but they cost a lot of money. Most of them are yearly subscription services. Maybe some of the professional mechanics on here could comment.

[Andy95W]

Like Rich said, it'll cost money to make it easy, average seems to be around $500/year and up.  Not really suitable for an individual owner. I'm paying $399/year because I've been a subscriber for a long time, and that's about the cheapest I've seen.  For me, it's a requirement to keep my IA current (so at least it's tax deductible- for now.)

The good news is that the actual data is free from the FAA, and old ADs rarely change.  Therfore, an old AD compliance report really only needs a search for any new ADs released in the past 1 year period.  The difficulty is that the FAAs website doesn't make it easy to do this for your engine, prop, airframe, and all of your accessories.

If you find an easy way to do so, please post it.

[Raptor05121]

So I guess this all boils down to spending hours tediously going through printouts then and doing by hand.

I think I might find a way to digitize them, and that way next year I can just do as you say and search for anything new.

[N6758N]

I do several annuals a year and I just use FAA.gov, it is a little tedious but I can't justify the money on a AD tracking service. Once you go through the list once, it will be a breeze after that. Just mark what is reoccurring, and check periodically for new/updated ADs. 

[RLCarter]

I used the FAA's site and created a "Master" AD list (spreadsheet), it's broken down in 4 sections (Air Frame, Power Plant, Prop and Appliance). The master list shows ALL of the AD's found, columns are AD#, Date, Description and Note. AD's that do not apply are in gray text and the reason given in the Notes, One time AD's reference the date of the Log Book entry in the Note, reoccurring AD's are in Bold and easy to spot. I printed each AD that applied and any Service Bulletin or any reference material noted in the AD. I keep the Referance material in a seperate binder than the AD's so the A&P/IA can view them at the same time without flipping too many pages. New AD's are added to the Master List and AD/Reference  printed as needed. A new Master listed is printed anytime an AD is complied with and at Annual, there is a place at the bottom of each page of the Master for the A&P/IA's signature, license # and date. It took several weeks working on it when I had time but once it's done it's easy to keep up with, I think I've added 2 new AD's in 3 years. 

[Raptor05121]

Well I'm digging through the logbooks and I found the compliance report from last year's mechanic. I assume it would be as simple as checking the reoccurring ones, and then just checking for new? I'll convert these digital format.

[Skates97]

I got a price quote from http://www.adlog.com/ last month of $170 + $20 shipping and handling for their complete package. After that it is $38 a year for the subscription service. I haven't decided yet if I want to spend the time doing it myself or just pay for it. I realize that may put my membership in the CB club at risk but then some future projects on the panel are probably going to require that I turn in my membership card anyway...

Annual is coming up next month so I need to make a decision one way or another.

[1964-M20E]

3 minutes ago, Skates97 said:

I got a price quote from http://www.adlog.com/ last month of $170 + $20 shipping and handling for their complete package. After that it is $38 a year for the subscription service. I haven't decided yet if I want to spend the time doing it myself or just pay for it. I realize that may put my membership in the CB club at risk but then some future projects on the panel are probably going to require that I turn in my membership card anyway...

Annual is coming up next month so I need to make a decision one way or another.

My former mechanic was very fond of this system and I used it on my E model and my current plane had it when I bought it.

I like it.

 

 

[Raptor05121]

I just checked them out, and they have quoted me the same. I would've have sprung for it if I have looked earlier. We are starting annual here in a few days and it looks like I have to do this by hand.

So I found the compliance report from last year's annual. I converted them to an Excel spreadsheet and simply looked for any new ADs (there aren't any). What do you guys think?

[N6758N]

1 minute ago, Raptor05121 said:

I just checked them out, and they have quoted me the same. I would've have sprung for it if I have looked earlier. We are starting annual here in a few days and it looks like I have to do this by hand.

So I found the compliance report from last year's annual. I converted them to an Excel spreadsheet and simply looked for any new ADs (there aren't any). What do you guys think?

I like it Alex! Any chance you'd help a brother out and send me that list? 

[Vance Harral]

2 hours ago, RLCarter said:

I used the FAA's site and created a "Master" AD list (spreadsheet), it's broken down in 4 sections (Air Frame, Power Plant, Prop and Appliance).

The first three are straightforward, but I struggle with the last, especially on a 40+ year old airplane.  It's tough to identify what's an "appliance" and must be searched for separately.  If there's an AD against your fuel pump, will you find it under M20 airframe ADs, or only under Duke/Weldon/etc. as an appliance?  What about a landing light?  Landing gear motor?  Prop governor?  Battery?  Fuel computer?  Radio?  It's bad enough these things aren't typically categorized under the M20 airframe, but even worse when the one in your aircraft isn't a factory part, having been installed via a later OEM drawing, an STC, or other method of certification.

One of the reasons I don't subscribe to ADlog or a similar service is they seem of limited value.  It would be one thing if the vendor came out, did an extensive inspection on your aircraft, and used their skill and knowledge to build a one-off list of "appliances" to track for your aircraft.  But my understanding is they put the entire burden on you/your mechanic, to identify and list all appliances specific to your aircraft.  If you put in all the effort required to identify every appliance and list them by make/model/serial-no, you can search the FAA site yourself.

[Andy95W]

1 hour ago, Skates97 said:

I got a price quote from http://www.adlog.com/ last month of $170 + $20 shipping and handling for their complete package. After that it is $38 a year for the subscription service. I haven't decided yet if I want to spend the time doing it myself or just pay for it. I realize that may put my membership in the CB club at risk but then some future projects on the panel are probably going to require that I turn in my membership card anyway...

Annual is coming up next month so I need to make a decision one way or another.

I need to rethink my current provider!  Thanks for the info.

[Andy95W]

28 minutes ago, Raptor05121 said:

I just checked them out, and they have quoted me the same. I would've have sprung for it if I have looked earlier. We are starting annual here in a few days and it looks like I have to do this by hand.

So I found the compliance report from last year's annual. I converted them to an Excel spreadsheet and simply looked for any new ADs (there aren't any). What do you guys think?

 

That looks really good.  I may change how I do mine- no reason to be stuck too far in the past!

[RLCarter]

1 hour ago, Vance Harral said:

The first three are straightforward, but I struggle with the last, especially on a 40+ year old airplane.  

The Appliances take the longest to figure out, an old compliance record is a good start but might not be complete......I got with my IA and had him help with Appliances 

[Raptor05121]

2 hours ago, N6758N said:

I like it Alex! Any chance you'd help a brother out and send me that list? 

 

1 hour ago, Andy95W said:

That looks really good.  I may change how I do mine- no reason to be stuck too far in the past!

If you guys want to download a copy-
 

 

[Yetti]

We found that the IA service print out and the FAA had a couple of difference to them.   The first Annual.   He printed his out and gave me the homework which took about 4 hours.    We then spent another 2 hours resolving questionable ones.    There is one oil gear AD that had 3 different gears and changes in quick session kind of hard to resolve.   The next year just have to check if any new ones.

[Yetti]

The newer the airframe, the easier it gets to write "solved at factory, not applicable"

[Guest]

You guys are obviously in a different snack bracket and not true CB members if you’re spending $38.00/ year.

Make your list from the free data on the FAA site.

http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/MainFrame?OpenFrameSet

An interesting difference in the list from the FAA site for an E model:

http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/MainFrame?OpenFrameSet

and the Transport Canada site for an E model:

http://wwwapps3.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/cawis-swimn/awd-lv-cs1401.asp?rand=

 

Clarence

Edited November 16, 2017 by M20Doc

[Andy95W]

I might be changing how I do things thanks to Alex and the FAA site.  It's a lot better than it used to be.  

The only real PITA is the accessories section. 

[kortopates]

The first three are straightforward, but I struggle with the last, especially on a 40+ year old airplane.  It's tough to identify what's an "appliance" and must be searched for separately.  If there's an AD against your fuel pump, will you find it under M20 airframe ADs, or only under Duke/Weldon/etc. as an appliance?  What about a landing light?  Landing gear motor?  Prop governor?  Battery?  Fuel computer?  Radio?  It's bad enough these things aren't typically categorized under the M20 airframe, but even worse when the one in your aircraft isn't a factory part, having been installed via a later OEM drawing, an STC, or other method of certification.

One of the reasons I don't subscribe to ADlog or a similar service is they seem of limited value.  It would be one thing if the vendor came out, did an extensive inspection on your aircraft, and used their skill and knowledge to build a one-off list of "appliances" to track for your aircraft.  But my understanding is they put the entire burden on you/your mechanic, to identify and list all appliances specific to your aircraft.  If you put in all the effort required to identify every appliance and list them by make/model/serial-no, you can search the FAA site yourself.

The time to provide the info to ADlog is greatly exaggerated, and the time to research them on the FAA site on your own is greatly underestimated. Took me an hour or two to provide my info and as a mechanic I know it is way to easy to overlook appliance AD’s. Just Can’t imagine an owner finding the AD for Bendix ignition switches on their own. After the first year, $38 renewal for AD searches at annual is a bargain for me!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Vance Harral]

11 minutes ago, kortopates said:

The time to provide the info to ADlog is greatly exaggerated

How exactly does the initial reporting for "appliances" work with ADlog?  Do they give you a big list of possible appliances that might be installed on an M20x, and you check off what you have?  Or does the form just say something generic like "list all your appliances, e.g. prop governor, radios, etc."?

I freely admit I'm not an ADlog customer, so perhaps my skepticism is out of place.  I just find it hard to believe there's much they can do in the way of knowing what appliances are installed on a particular 40+ year old aircraft, at least without sending out a genuinely knowledgeable representative to specifically inspect that aircraft.  That inspection is a service I'd willingly pay for.  But I already do - to my IA, who gets paid every year at the annual for his professional opinion on AD compliance, regardless of whether I use ADlog or not.  He has his own software to assist him in that effort.  But in the end, it requires a lot of collaboration between the two of us to get it (mostly) right.  I get that ADlog has value outside this issue of appliances we're discussing.  But I'd bet a lot of owners of older aircraft using ADlog have a false sense of security about ADlog informing them of "all" ADs that apply to their airplane.

As an example, our airplane has Stan Protigal's STC for installation of an H3 halogen landing light.  This is not a particularly well-known mod.  My guess is it's not on any sort of checklist ADlog might send to a new M20F customer.  If someone buys my airplane in the future and signs up with ADlog, how does ADlog know to watch for ADs on that landing light? 

[Shadrach]

I have used AvData in the past. $59 for a complete list by S/N in .pdf format.

[kortopates]

1 hour ago, Vance Harral said:

How exactly does the initial reporting for "appliances" work with ADlog?  Do they give you a big list of possible appliances that might be installed on an M20x, and you check off what you have?  Or does the form just say something generic like "list all your appliances, e.g. prop governor, radios, etc."?

I freely admit I'm not an ADlog customer, so perhaps my skepticism is out of place.  I just find it hard to believe there's much they can do in the way of knowing what appliances are installed on a particular 40+ year old aircraft, at least without sending out a genuinely knowledgeable representative to specifically inspect that aircraft.  That inspection is a service I'd willingly pay for.  But I already do - to my IA, who gets paid every year at the annual for his professional opinion on AD compliance, regardless of whether I use ADlog or not.  He has his own software to assist him in that effort.  But in the end, it requires a lot of collaboration between the two of us to get it (mostly) right.  I get that ADlog has value outside this issue of appliances we're discussing.  But I'd bet a lot of owners of older aircraft using ADlog have a false sense of security about ADlog informing them of "all" ADs that apply to their airplane.

As an example, our airplane has Stan Protigal's STC for installation of an H3 halogen landing light.  This is not a particularly well-known mod.  My guess is it's not on any sort of checklist ADlog might send to a new M20F customer.  If someone buys my airplane in the future and signs up with ADlog, how does ADlog know to watch for ADs on that landing light? 

They don't ask you for a complete list of appliances. For example, they know Mooney installed a Bendix ignition switch. They have specific questions they'll ask for your Mooney. In mine the factory gave a choice in vendors for some instruments like the altimeter, ELT etc so they wanted to know which models of these were installed and I recall similar on seat belts. But it was far from me having to list every appliance that Mooney installed - they have that mostly figured out. My effort was less than a couple hours. You have to tell them about your mod's but you will still get ADs for items that don't apply, perhaps like an airfilter (or any common appliance that could be installed on your bird), that you can resolve as not applicable etc. But you still want those to show they're not applicable rather than ignored. They may not be perfect, but there is way too much room for missing things relying on doing a FAA web site search. If it was as easy or even as reliable as this thread suggest, IA's would not be paying for a service to do it for them but since they are signing off on their research as being complete they want to ensure its 99% complete (and truthfully, they can share if not delegate the liability with the service provider i.e. its good insurance). 

[Guest]

I think the complexity of producing an appliance list is being overstated, you only have to make the list once, and you’ll have a much better understanding of your plane when you’ve completed it.

Your engine will have magnetos, starter, alternator/generator, vacuum pump, (standby vacuum system, possibly), a fuel pump, a carburetor or injectors, a prop governor and an air filter.  Most of these only have a few brands to choose from.

The airframe has more possibles, with avionics, instruments, switches, circuit breakers, lights, battery, strobes etc. but it’s not impossible to compile the list.

Even with Adlog you need to provide them the equipment list so they can do the research.

Clarence