Will it ever fly again? Shall I dare rescuing the abandoned bird?

[Fly Boomer]

On 10/12/2023 at 9:16 AM, Irmin said:

Regarding my little Pocket Rocket there are also some (bad) news. Last annual they discovered some corrosion in the secondary spar so we need to take the wing off. According to my tin man there was no obvious reason why the corrosion started from the inside other than maybe bad aluminium quality in the first place. Now, I can not judge this but it sucks as this corrosion is definitely older than a few years. To my untrained eye it looks at least 3 years or older.

Was that corrosion visible through an inspection cover?  Was an endoscope or some other bit of equipment required to see it?

[Irmin]

Was that corrosion visible through an inspection cover?  Was an endoscope or some other bit of equipment required to see it?

It was visible through the opening of an inspection cover. We could see it without any artificial vision enhancers Sticking the phone in there was enough to make some eye opening photos. Pun intended.





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[Irmin]

Was that corrosion visible through an inspection cover?  Was an endoscope or some other bit of equipment required to see it?

It was visible through the opening of an inspection cover. We could see it without any artificial vision enhancers Sticking the phone in there was enough to make some eye opening photos. Pun intended.





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[chriscalandro]

I would strongly suspect with that amount of corrosion, it’s likely that’s why it ended up abandoned and in the shape you found it. 
 

that has been there for a while. 

[Irmin]

I would strongly suspect with that amount of corrosion, it’s likely that’s why it ended up abandoned and in the shape you found it. 
 
that has been there for a while. 

This is indeed a possibility. Also the prop strike it had in Elba could have contributed to the frustration of the previous owner. I’ve put in so much money already, though, that I will repair it. Yes, it sucks.











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[Irmin]

Oh my gosh. Worst case scenario. It started with a little corrosion repair and now they discovered that they need to reskin the whole wing because of corrosion from the inside. I am devastated. Maybe better get a whole wing? I am shocked


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[ArtVandelay]

Oh my gosh. Worst case scenario. It started with a little corrosion repair and now they discovered that they need to reskin the whole wing because of corrosion from the inside. I am devastated. Maybe better get a whole wing? I am shocked


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Maybe post some pictures, someone might be able to give you some advice. Is it the main spar, the skin, ribs, stringers…

[Irmin]

Maybe post some pictures, someone might be able to give you some advice. Is it the main spar, the skin, ribs, stringers…

All I have so far is photos made with the boroscope. SALT…










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[RoundTwo]

2 hours ago, Irmin said:

All I have so far is photos made with the boroscope. SALT…










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I feel your pain. That’s tough information to receive.

[Shadrach]

Terrible news Irmin, 

I can almost guarantee that the corrosion was visible when you started this endeavor. A very thorough inspection of fuselage and empannage are next steps. That wing is not viable. The question is whether or not the rest of the airframe is. At least then you can determine if it’s worth replacing the wing. I’m very sorry that it’s been such a tough year. Hope 2024 is much better.

[EricJ]

15 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

Terrible news Irmin, 

I can almost guarantee that the corrosion was visible when you started this endeavor. A very thorough inspection of fuselage and empannage are next steps. That wing is not viable. The question is whether or not the rest of the airframe is. At least then you can determine if it’s worth replacing the wing. I’m very sorry that it’s been such a tough year. Hope 2024 is much better.

+1, don't put a replacement wing or fix the wing if there's also corrosion elsewhere on the airplane.   It may be better to just find another airplane, perhaps with a runout engine and crappy avionics and move the good stuff over to it.

I think this was what some of us were worrying about when this airplane got "rescued", since it is the usual thing to worry about with airplanes that haven't flown for a long time.  It looked like it was gonna beat the odds, but sad to see that this has come up. 

[Irmin]

I am still clueless what to do…
I need good advise, please.












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[Irmin]

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[Irmin]

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[Fly Boomer]

8 hours ago, Irmin said:

I am still clueless what to do…
I need good advise, please.

For me, it would be "get help".  First, a professional opinion regarding whether to move ahead.  And, if the answer is "yes", a plan and a guess at costs.

And, if I were looking for that professional, it would have to be someone who has rescued other Mooneys in similar shape.

[RoundTwo]

Wow, I just hate seeing that. 

[Irmin]

Wow, I just hate seeing that. 

I am really devastated. I think it might be over. I mean maybe selling it for parts


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[LANCECASPER]

This was a post from a few years ago where one was brought back to life and the insurance company helped out, sadly though yours looks much worse 

 

 

[Smiles201]

Dumb question: can you just peel back enough skin in each section to get inside and clean up? Guess you have to inspect fuselage,  tail and interior too. Must be people who are familiar with this problem. Air Mods in New Jersey might be worth a call.

[DCarlton]

What would cause this?  An airplane sitting static for too long; water finds an entry point and flows into the same areas over and over and never dries out?  Were the cladding and the primers better in the 60’s than the 90's?  Other than AC 50, there’s really nothing done during active ownership to prevent this… but flying.  I thinking about buying a camera to better inspect my airframe.  

[LANCECASPER]

On 1/31/2024 at 10:54 PM, DCarlton said:

What would cause this? 

Probably rodents since there's a dead one in one of the pictures. Their urine is very corrosive and in the pictures you see the patches that were affected.

[Shadrach]

Humid, seaside, environment. That airframe looks bad but that does not mean all of the surface corrosion is an airworthiness issue. However, the wing has areas of inter-granular corrosion that make it a likely throw away. Pitted and chalky surfaces need to be cleaned an analyzed. There is guidance regarding allowable levels of corrosion.

[Kelpro999]

BAS Parts Sales has what you need except money, time and patience.

[NickG]

On 1/24/2024 at 2:38 AM, Irmin said:

I am really devastated. I think it might be over. I mean maybe selling it for parts


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Irmin, I just found this thread and have been riveted in following your journey. 1) I hope that your wife is doing well. 2) As for your lovely bird, I'm sure you've sunk a small fortune into her. There comes a point though when its time let go. You have a great engine, mid time, great shape and some avionics that no doubt cost a fortune as well. I concur with an earlier post suggesting you look for another Mooney with a run out engine that you can replace with yours and also upgrade with your avionics. That's probably what I'd do but in fairness, I don't have your patience! Anyhow, all the best to you and your family.

[Irmin]

Irmin, I just found this thread and have been riveted in following your journey. 1) I hope that your wife is doing well. 2) As for your lovely bird, I'm sure you've sunk a small fortune into her. There comes a point though when its time let go. You have a great engine, mid time, great shape and some avionics that no doubt cost a fortune as well. I concur with an earlier post suggesting you look for another Mooney with a run out engine that you can replace with yours and also upgrade with your avionics. That's probably what I'd do but in fairness, I don't have your patience! Anyhow, all the best to you and your family.

I indeed did sink in a small fortune. What comes to my mind is the joke about how to make a small fortune in aviation. My wife is alive and doing relatively well, but the last 10 month were pure horror. Yesterday I had the impression for the first time that she can feel herself again after such a long period of being stuffed with tons of super expensive drugs. What a promising sign of hope…
Well, the MSE will not heal again and that wing will never fly again. Now I am looking for a way to get airborne again. By the way: Before the Mooney was diagnosed with lethal aluminum caries I did film an air-2-air session with her. At that time I did not even think that the coming ARC would be impossible, so I am happy to have those film snippets. Maybe I’ll edit it and post it.










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