Flying Magazine "I Learned About Flying From That"

[LANCECASPER]

Here's a fellow Mooney owner telling about a close call in N4875D in the recent Flying Magazine:

https://www.flyingmag.com/story/pilot-proficiency/ilafft-test-pilot/?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=email&tp=i-1NGB-Et-PAR-128hBP-1c-ZBQ7-1c-128kJR-l4oDqEzrUx-1tXF5e

[Shadrach]

This is why I use torque seal on almost everything that I work on.  Anyone can miss something. The practices put into place to minimize the  possibility of missing something are as important as the quality of the work. 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Shadrach

[carusoam]

@craigsteffen is around here somewhere...

Great writing...

Best regards,

-a-

[Guest]

Mistakes and errors are always a possibility in anything we do.  As Ross says above, torque seal or inspector’s paint or even a dab of bright red nail polish applied to things we work on are good procedures to follow.
 

Interruptions happen all the time, breaking the train of thought and work process.  I don’t let my guys have their cell phones on the shop floor, coffee break and lunch break are for socializing.

Clarence

[wcb]

Mine was the old oil pressure sending unit that had not been touched during the annual about 5 hours before my oil on the windscreen at 150 agl story. The moral is that a leak does not have to come from something that was worked on.   This happen to me just about 2 months ago and visibility became extremely low on a beautiful day like landing in hard IMC all the way to the ground.  Another thing I will add to that is my oil was also recently changed which at least gave me the ability to make out strips of grass vs strips of concrete.  If it would have been dark over used oil I am sure visibility would have been even less.  Change your oil OFTEN here is another reason.  I have always changed mine at roughly every 25 hours (with the turbo and just being conservative as to proper maintenance schedule)

[Hank]

While it wouldn't have affected the posted ILAFFT story, it's a reminder to always make a check flight after maintenance. Someone has to sign the logbook for it, too. At least once around the field with landing to full stop. When I'm going somewhere after the shop, the extra lap takes little time and gives me a chance to stop back in if something isn't right. Joey Cole watched my lap from in front of his hangar, and I waved as I taxied by to confirm that everything went well (he had done some airframe repair and rigged gear and control surfaces).

The one time my prop had to come off, because I'm a coward I didn't try safety wiring it myself, and I did two high-speed taxies down the runway (all 3000' of it, once in each direction) before taking my lap around the field in the air. I've left boldness behind in my quest to become an old pilot . . . . Much of that was used up in various cars well before I started flying . . . . .

[Shadrach]

10 hours ago, M20Doc said:

I don’t let my guys have their cell phones on the shop floor, coffee break and lunch break are for socializing.

Clarence

I hope you’re able to maintain the no cell policy. I have a buddy that is an inspector for a DOD contractor. He says most any of the hires under 30 have their heads in their screens every second they can. He’s really disheartened by what he sees coming out of A&P school. He is also a natural curmudgeon so he could be exaggerating a bit.

Edited July 4, 2020 by Shadrach

[Hank]

3 hours ago, Shadrach said:

most any hire under 30 have their heads in their screens every second they can. 

This is true where I work, in medical manufacturing. And in non-medical manufacturing, too . . . . .

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Shadrach said:

I hope you’re able to maintain the no cell policy. I have a buddy that is an inspector for a DOD contractor. He says most any of the hires under 30 have their heads in their screens every second they can. He’s really disheartened by what he sees coming out of A&P school. He is also a natural curmudgeon so he could be exaggerating a bit.

It might seem “old school” to some, but that’s the way it is.  I’d like to think that no surgeon would be on his/her phone in the operating room either.  If they are they’re likely to harm only one patient, where your maintainer can kill several with ease.

Clarence