First Annual - ELT/Airworthy Question

[JLowe]

Greetings Aviators,

So my plane is in for her first annual and most things aren't too bad and exactly what was expected. They supplied a list of over 100 service bulletins with a total price of like 91k. LOL. Some of them like replacing the engine thats over 10 years added quite a bit to the price.

So, I've whittled it down to what they noted as airworthy and what seems important. I had some question about the biggest item and on some of them that I'm not really sure qualify for airworthy items. Your insight is very much appreciated!

Brakes - They note that one side is spongy (68) and that there is a leak on the caliper (171) on the other side. One of the brake disks is worn to limits (170)

These are all noted as airworthy items. I realize that having good brakes is important, but the brakes did work fine, and I've admittedly used them more than I should so the wear isn't surprising. So, I'm probably on board with the fixes (spongy seems funky) but I question if it is really 'required'.

Blue stains at the RH wing root aft fuel tank. I've noticed a little blue streaking up here, but it's pretty minor. I suppose the screws and things could be loose, but my fuel burn is normal and the staining is minimal. (255) If the price was a little lower I would be all over it, but that seems a tad high and I dont see how this is an airworthy item.

Broken cowling mount (62) probably will fix this, but i dont believe there are any that are broken. With some work I bet it will close. Is this airworthy? It's not one of the top/prominent ones because I already fixed those.

Landing/Taxi Switch (85) (Airworthy) No idea what this is.
VG ICA (42) is this $42 to look that my vortex generators are there? That's like 3 minutes of work.

one of the pilots door pin is broken (62) which seems like it can be hammered right back down.

Leaky oil pressure switch (104 which i know is way high i paid like 50) which i replaced 3 months ago. That runs the hobbs, so is that really required?

These sound like ADs and so I'll re-check the log books on my own to make sure they didnt miss them. Details are sketchy so just pointing them out.

Bendex switches (42)
alerion hinge pin (51)
prevent gasket particles from entering carburetor (42)
detect chafing and correct (85)
prevent erroneous indications on airspeed.... (25)
correction - prevent erroneous indications on airspeed... (42)
seat slippage prevention (213)
secondary seat stops (warranty)

and the big item which bothers me the most. apparently my elt was leaking acid into the housing. was noted that it was damaged and not fixable. I will be looking intently at this in the morning as well as researching other nearby places and their costs. They quoted 999 on the device a 406 elt, and 16 hours to install it -- total 2358. I know aircraft spruce has one in the 599 range, so no way I'm paying those prices..

Anyways I'm going by in the morning to look at things and to talk to them about each and every item. Was curious what you guys thought about things.. lol!

Thanks for your help!

Jon

 

[Brad Z]

What type of plane is this? Is it surrounded by jets and turboprops in the shop it's in?

New engine on the squawk list? YGBSM.

16 hours to install an ELT? No thanks.

IMO, any type of fuel leak must be fixed ASAP.

 

[JLowe]

Thanks for the snappy response. It's a (i hate to say this because of the backlash) but an authorized cessna repair facility that has a lot of cessna 172s on the line. There is two jets in the hangar also, lol.

their annual pricing was competitive.

its a 1983 cessna 172p with a 180hp. ttaf is around 2200 and engine is at about 930 and 13ish years old.

 

[Dan Thomas]

Spongy brakes mean there's air in the line.

Worn brake discs heat up sooner and you could get brake fade if you rode them long enough and got them hot enough.

Leaky calipers aren't good; you lose fluid and could have no brake at all someday.

Blue stains mean a leaky tank. I'm not sure what the 172P has for tanks (aluminum removable, or integral) but it should get fixed. Leaky tanks often mean fuel fumes inside the wing, which has electrical wiring running through it. More than once a wing has blown off.

The cowling mounts tend to delaminate and if one or two let go the cowling moves around more and stresses the others, and the engine's bumper plate at the fronts starts hammering at the cowl and can damage stuff even more.

Door pins break inside the hinge and can fall out. If it falls out in flight, the door might depart and take a chunk of the tail with it. Such a silly little thing that can kill you...

Bendix switches have an AD against them. Some can let the mags go live in the off position. That can kill, too.

406 ELTs take a long time to install because the regulations governing them require two things the old 121.5s didn't need: A remote switch, which means snaking a bunch of cable through the airplane's belly (through many small holes and getting cut up and scratched and trying to do up tyraps with one hand) and tying it so it can't foul control cables and so forth, installing the switch in the panel, which means cutting exactly the right hole in a place that doesn't weaken the structure, and making all the tiny connections to that cable. Then the ELT itself must be mounted to the airplane's primary structure, not the skin like your old one, because it cannot move in any direction more than 0.1" when a 100-pound force is applied to it in any direction. It takes time to design and make a mounting plate and put it all together. I've done six or seven of these and it does take lots of time.


Owning an airplane isn't cheap. Buying a cheap airplane can be very expensive.

Dan

 

[JLowe]

Nice thanks Dan. I've got the funds I just don't want to be stupid about it. I like to have as much information as possible when I talk to folks. Your description of the work needed for the 406 kind of makes sense.. I'm still not sold so we'll see what they say.

Yep the fuel I get, I did already replace the fuel caps as I thought that was the cause. It was on the agenda as were brakes... I'm just not sure that either really would really prevent safe operation of the airplane in it's current condition.

Jon

 

[JLowe]

also to note that the total isnt really too bad. I got 4k off the price specifically for the annual and all the fixes i want to do, including everything in this list (except the elt) fits easily into that amount. I wasn't really aware of the new gps model elt... I kind of get that it requires more work. I still want to check the inside, verify the cost of all parts, and call around for cost comparisons.

I want to be smart about spending the money.. the plane is in pretty nice shape overall imo. Nothing here is what I would consider serious.

 

[Skylane81E]

What kind of ELT? Odds are good MERL can fix it at a fraction of the replacement cost
http://www.merlinc.net/

You got rapped on the AD costs BTW the seat slippage AD takes all of 15 minutes once the seats are out and the charge for the aileron hinge inspection is criminal.

Did you check out John Efinger in Ft Worth?

 

[Silvaire]

I don't know, aside from some fairly absurd stuff it just hits me as kind of strange that they have everything nailed down to figures like $51, $42, $171 and $213.

I mean one hundred seventy and they can see it in them to round down a buck?

That's just plain, flat out WEIRD

Edit: and BTW, you've got VG's on a 172?

 

[Skylane81E]

Oh and as you have rigid removable tanks (fairly sure anyway) I hope you don't have a cracked one! However if the staining is showing at the root it could easily be dry rotted hoses connecting the tanks to the rigid lines coming down the door posts. Hateful job to replace those, but one that has to be done from time to time.

 

[bnt83]

You can fly 90 days without an ELT, why not find a salvage one?

 

[Dan Thomas]

You can fly 90 days without an ELT, why not find a salvage one?

If one is going to spend money on an ELT, why spend money on an old 121.5? It will still need changes to the mounting anyway to fit a different model. And the satellites aren't listening for them anymore.

I wouldn't imagine that salvage yards will have many--if any at all-- of the 406s either, since they're not mandated and not many folks will have them yet.

If I was going to buy an ELT for my airplane I'd probably look at the Pointer with the integral GPS. The GPS starts up when the ELT activates, unlike the much more expensive models that are linked to onboard navigation GPS and get updated coordinates constantly, and they also cost a whack more to install.

Dan

 

[Dan Thomas]

Oh and as you have rigid removable tanks (fairly sure anyway) I hope you don't have a cracked one! However if the staining is showing at the root it could easily be dry rotted hoses connecting the tanks to the rigid lines coming down the door posts. Hateful job to replace those, but one that has to be done from time to time.

If those hoses are gone he should smell it in the cabin. If the tank is leaking it might be either a cracked filler neck weld (from the fueller letting the nozzle rest in the filler and the weight of the hose will bend it and crack that weld) or the tank bumber rubbers strips are shot and the tank is chafed through. Neither are cheap to fix.

Dan

 

[bnt83]

If one is going to spend money on an ELT, why spend money on an old 121.5?
Dan

Get by spending $200 vs 10 times that... find a salvage one of the same part # you have...

They quoted 999 on the device a 406 elt, and 16 hours to install it -- total 2358.

Jon

 

[denverpilot]

Oh and as you have rigid removable tanks (fairly sure anyway) I hope you don't have a cracked one! However if the staining is showing at the root it could easily be dry rotted hoses connecting the tanks to the rigid lines coming down the door posts. Hateful job to replace those, but one that has to be done from time to time.

When we had our bladders replaced those had come time to be done too. I'd guess any aircraft from the 70s that hasn't had them done, is due by now.

I have no idea how the mechanics get their fingers up in there. Good lord that job looks like it sucks. That's one of those "where do I sign the check, it's all yours" jobs for sure.

Our hoses were so hard they were rigid and couldn't be squished with pliers. Only one had started leaking but they all were in bad shape. Those things are often not changed on any kind of schedule like every other accessible hose and tube under the cowl, and I think it's simply because the job sucks so bad.

Mechanics look at them, see no leaks, and button up the wing root before they lose lots of knuckle skin to your airframe.

 

[bnt83]

When we had our bladders replaced those had come time to be done too. I'd guess any aircraft from the 70s that hasn't had them done, is due by now.

I have no idea how the mechanics get their fingers up in there. Good lord that job looks like it sucks. That's one of those "where do I sign the check, it's all yours" jobs for sure.

Our hoses were so hard they were rigid and couldn't be squished with pliers. Only one had started leaking but they all were in bad shape. Those things are often not changed on any kind of schedule like every other accessible hose and tube under the cowl, and I think it's simply because the job sucks so bad.

Mechanics look at them, see no leaks, and button up the wing root before they lose lots of knuckle skin to your airframe.

It's a 172P = no bladders...

 

[denverpilot]

P.S. All of your listed items look relatively important to me. I may be more conservative on maintenance than you, so take with whatever grain of salt you like, but you should hear that data point. Especially if they all look minor to you.

 

[denverpilot]

It's a 172P = no bladders...

There's hoses in both. Has no bearing on the comment. Wasn't saying there were bladders in his aircraft. Read it again.

 

[bnt83]

There's hoses in both. Has no bearing on the comment. Wasn't saying there were bladders in his aircraft. Read it again.

My apologies. Must be passed my bedtime

 

[wabower]

Work being done at KADS?

 

[denverpilot]

My apologies. Must be passed my bedtime

No worries.

 

[Palmpilot]

They supplied a list of over 100 service bulletins with a total price of like 91k.

Are they saying that your plane needs $91,000 worth of work?

 

[flyingmoose]

Ok I am going to take a stab at this one.......

Brakes - They note that one side is spongy (68) and that there is a leak on the caliper (171) on the other side. One of the brake disks is worn to limits (170)

Do they feel spongy to you? You were flying it????

These are all noted as airworthy items. I realize that having good brakes is important, but the brakes did work fine, and I've admittedly used them more than I should so the wear isn't surprising. So, I'm probably on board with the fixes (spongy seems funky) but I question if it is really 'required'.

You are correct in your assessment..I don't think they are airworthy items. Should they be fixed? Yea I think so because they will get worse and now you will have to replace the rotor because the worn pad has worn into it. The leaky caliper is common and will get worse and you will have to address it now or later

Blue stains at the RH wing root aft fuel tank. I've noticed a little blue streaking up here, but it's pretty minor. I suppose the screws and things could be loose, but my fuel burn is normal and the staining is minimal. (255) If the price was a little lower I would be all over it, but that seems a tad high and I dont see how this is an airworthy item.

This at least requires some investigation, which I am sure they already did, because they gave you a price. WHat is the problem they found? A blue stain is not good enough.

Broken cowling mount (62) probably will fix this, but i dont believe there are any that are broken. With some work I bet it will close. Is this airworthy? It's not one of the top/prominent ones because I already fixed those.

Without seeing it, probably not airworthy item, but could be. Price isnt hateful so get it fixed.

Landing/Taxi Switch (85) (Airworthy) No idea what this is.

Not shur what that is.

one of the pilots door pin is broken (62) which seems like it can be hammered right back down.

No, get it fixed.

Leaky oil pressure switch (104 which i know is way high i paid like 50) which i replaced 3 months ago. That runs the hobbs, so is that really required?

Part mark up is part of it. Now what it comes down to is how bad is the leak? A little oil around the threads does not make it un-airworthy.

Bendex switches (42)
alerion hinge pin (51)
prevent gasket particles from entering carburetor (42)
detect chafing and correct (85)
prevent erroneous indications on airspeed.... (25)
correction - prevent erroneous indications on airspeed... (42)
seat slippage prevention (213) Oh jeez, if that is the AD they are talking about IDK what to say. I hope not
secondary seat stops (warranty)

and the big item which bothers me the most. apparently my elt was leaking acid into the housing. was noted that it was damaged and not fixable. I will be looking intently at this in the morning as well as researching other nearby places and their costs. They quoted 999 on the device a 406 elt, and 16 hours to install it -- total 2358. I know aircraft spruce has one in the 599 range, so no way I'm paying those prices..

Should just be able to get a new head unit. Unless you want to go the 406 route. It will be pricy to install.

No with all of that said... It is expensive to own an airplane there is no debating that. But sometimes these shops with blanket cover everything they find as an airworthy item, because they can make you fix them like that. I think its a bad practice to treat an inspection like a treasure hunt. There is nothing wrong with making two lists, one for airworthy items and one for not. Probobly a good idea to get most of that fixed because it could get worse of make it more expensive to fix in the future, but not all of its airworthy items.

 

[Dr. O]

Run, fly, flee to save yourself from the clutches of a dealer. (in the truck business, we call them stealers)
When they recommend installing a new engine because yours is more than 10 years old you know they have gone to the dark side.
And yeah, their quoted "estimate" for doing an annual inspection is always competitive. They have to get you through the door somehow.
Take the plane to a small airport with an old mechanic and a dog sleeping in the shade.
Show him the list. When he is done from laughing so hard he farts, then you two can have an adult discussion of what needs to be done now, what should be scheduled for future maintenance, and which lines on that sheet of paper should be scissored out and burned with incense to keep Satan away.

If you were at my airport half the guys on the field would be at your hangar on weekends helping you sort that mess out.

 

[bnt83]

Landing/Taxi Switch (85) (Airworthy) No idea what this is.

I'm pretty sure this is written up wrong. Cessna goofed up and installed switches unable to carry the load of the stock incandecent landing & taxi lights bulbs so they have had several reports of the switches overheating and releasing smoke in the cockpit in some airplanes. The best fix is not to replace the switch every 36 months or whatever the "requirement" is (which is an SB and not an AD) but to replace incandescent bulbs that draw 20+ amps with LED bulbs that draw much less.

 

[JLowe]

thanks guys lots of good notes. It is at KADS, I would've flown it somewhere cheaper, but then the costs for a rental car, etc would've eaten into the difference.

I think my main concern was that everything they noticed that needed to be fixed was an airworthy item. I think I would've been better with things had they listed:

Things we noticed broken that should fix:
xxx
xxx
xxx

Airworthy items:
xxx
xxx
xxx

Service Bulletins Suggested
xxx
xxx
xxx

Service Bulletins not suggested
xxx
xxx
xxx

And yes, the total bill including all parts and labor was 91k. 37 of that was the engine replacement and then a lot of individual line items for service bulletins in the 2-5k range.

We'll see what they say after my visit, and I'll try to find an alternate ELT or mechanic after the agreed upon stuff is fixed.

And yes I've got VGs! didn't fly it before they were added so can't speak to the improvements.

 

[JLowe]

If those hoses are gone he should smell it in the cabin. If the tank is leaking it might be either a cracked filler neck weld (from the fueller letting the nozzle rest in the filler and the weight of the hose will bend it and crack that weld) or the tank bumber rubbers strips are shot and the tank is chafed through. Neither are cheap to fix.

Dan

the fuel staining is on top of the wing near the fuel cap. So I think the consensus was there is a problem with the 'filler port'

 

[bnt83]

the fuel staining is on top of the wing near the fuel cap. So I think the consensus was there is a problem with the 'filler port'

Heck, that could be as simple as a fuel cap gasket...

 

[flyingmoose]

Service Bulletins not suggested
xxx
xxx
xxx

That will "Never happen" Too much liability in that right there. Its going to get to a point where shops are going to give you every SB and make you sign that you have the information and choose not to comply. Sounds like they are starting this already. Its all about keeping the lawyers at bay.

We'll see what they say after my visit, and I'll try to find an alternate ELT or mechanic after the agreed upon stuff is fixed.

Don't be afraid have the squawks fixed at another location if you feel like you need to.

 

[Marauder]

If a maintenance shop put a $91k potential invoice in front of me, I would walk out the doors with my keys. You are required to perform airworthy and AD items. I usually will do service bulletins if there is a compelling reason to do so.

If your plane is still within annual (i.e. June annual) you can stop the annual and request them to present you a squawk list and take it elsewhere -- as long as they don't attempt to ground you. The rental car doesn't sound so expensive now does it?

It sounds like you didn't do much homework on maintenance shops. Between my wife and mechanic, I don't know who I trust more. If you can't trust these guys (and from the prices of stuff you are telling us), I would try to move it to another mechanic. When you find a good mechanic, they will help you determine what should be corrected now, in the future or never. During my last annual, my mechanic changed out my rotors and pads. I saw them on the bill and asked. He said "last time you were in they were getting close, but now it's time". That is a trusting relationship. He didn't need to call and tell me he wanted to change them.

 

[Skylane81E]

Yeah, being presented with the applicable SBs doesn't bother me so long as they aren't making you do them.

I also am wondering what the AD number for the ignition switch they did at that cost, if it was the lubrication one then fine (if it was actually due) but if it was the grounding check

 

[bnt83]

Yeah, being presented with the applicable SBs doesn't bother me so long as they aren't making you do them.

I also am wondering what the AD number for the ignition switch they did at that cost, if it was the lubrication one then fine (if it was actually due) but if it was the grounding check

If the mag grounding one... that cost was just to document compliance...

 

[Skylane81E]

If the mag grounding one... that cost was just to document compliance...

You mean
"Complied with AD 76-07-12 by grounding check of magnetos, next due at XXXX.X hours"

Like I said, criminal

 

[jonnyjetprop]

Yes, it's all about liability. That's why the shop will point out each and every item and let you decide what you want done.

 

[poadeleted20]

Brakes - They note that one side is spongy (68) and that there is a leak on the caliper (171) on the other side. One of the brake disks is worn to limits (170)

These are all noted as airworthy items. I realize that having good brakes is important, but the brakes did work fine, and I've admittedly used them more than I should so the wear isn't surprising. So, I'm probably on board with the fixes (spongy seems funky) but I question if it is really 'required'.

If the IA says it's not airworthy, it has to be fixed unless you can find another IA to say it's airworthy as is -- and you have a real problem moving the plane from where it is to the other IA's shop after you've been told it's unairworthy.

Blue stains at the RH wing root aft fuel tank. I've noticed a little blue streaking up here, but it's pretty minor. I suppose the screws and things could be loose, but my fuel burn is normal and the staining is minimal. (255) If the price was a little lower I would be all over it, but that seems a tad high and I dont see how this is an airworthy item.

Fuel leaks are serious business, with the potential for fire among other things, and if the IA says it's not airworthy as is, it's the same situation as the brakes.

Broken cowling mount (62) probably will fix this, but i dont believe there are any that are broken. With some work I bet it will close. Is this airworthy? It's not one of the top/prominent ones because I already fixed those.

There is no way for anyone here to tell if it's airworthy as is without actually examining it.

Landing/Taxi Switch (85) (Airworthy) No idea what this is.

It sounds like the switch which operates your landing and taxi lights. Did you ask the shop about it?

VG ICA (42) is this $42 to look that my vortex generators are there? That's like 3 minutes of work.

Instructions for Continuing Airworthiness. You should check the 337/STC for the VG's to find out what this inspection entails -- which is probably rather more than just looking to see they are there.

one of the pilots door pin is broken (62) which seems like it can be hammered right back down.

Leaky oil pressure switch (104 which i know is way high i paid like 50) which i replaced 3 months ago. That runs the hobbs, so is that really required?

What's required is that it not leak -- again, fire and engine failure potential. And the difference in price compared t what you paid 3 months ago may tell you why the one you put in then is leaking now.

These sound like ADs and so I'll re-check the log books on my own to make sure they didnt miss them. Details are sketchy so just pointing them out.

Bendex switches (42)
alerion hinge pin (51)
prevent gasket particles from entering carburetor (42)
detect chafing and correct (85)
prevent erroneous indications on airspeed.... (25)
correction - prevent erroneous indications on airspeed... (42)
seat slippage prevention (213)
secondary seat stops (warranty)

Yes, those do sound like recurring AD's, and compliance with them is mandatory.

and the big item which bothers me the most. apparently my elt was leaking acid into the housing. was noted that it was damaged and not fixable. I will be looking intently at this in the morning as well as researching other nearby places and their costs. They quoted 999 on the device a 406 elt, and 16 hours to install it -- total 2358. I know aircraft spruce has one in the 599 range, so no way I'm paying those prices..

Spruce may be able to ship it to you, but then you still have to get someone to install it, and there is no doubt some clean-up necessary due to the acid leakage. BTW, shops don't sell you things for the same price they paid -- there is overhead associated, although 67% is high -- is that the same ELT you were going to get from Spruce? Would they use the one from Spruce instead?

Anyways I'm going by in the morning to look at things and to talk to them about each and every item. Was curious what you guys thought about things.. lol!

I think you are new to aircraft ownership and have little experience in what's involved in maintaining an airplane. I also think you may not have fully appreciated all the potential problems stemming from some of the conditions noted by the IA of which you were already aware. Welcome to the wonderful world of aircraft ownership.

That said, SB's are not mandatory for private owners, and there is no requirement that your engine be replaced merely because it's over 10 years old. You need to go through those 100 SB's and decide which of them you wish to do and which are not worth doing. Likewise, you need to evaluate your engine's condition on an ongoing basis, evaluating oil analyses, fuel and oil consumption, engine temps, compressions, borescope examination, etc, to decide when it's time for overhaul.

 

[murphey]

I think you are new to aircraft ownership and have little experience in what's involved in maintaining an airplane. I also think you may not have fully appreciated all the potential problems stemming from some of the conditions noted by the IA of which you were already aware. Welcome to the wonderful world of aircraft ownership.

I wonder about the pre-buy. Seems to be far too many issues that were ignored or glossed over that should have been caught at a good pre-buy inspection.

 

[poadeleted20]

I wonder about the pre-buy. Seems to be far too many issues that were ignored or glossed over that should have been caught at a good pre-buy inspection.

Me, too. 100 unresolved back SB's? Someone didn't do much of a records check during that prepurchase inspection.

 

[Skylane81E]

Me, too. 100 unresolved back SB's? Someone didn't do much of a records check during that prepurchase inspection.

SBs, really, considering for that plane they range from often unneeded door post repairs to replacement of perfectly good landing gear attachment bolts at >$100 each?

I don't find that to be a problem.

Sounds more like a plane that has had a life of "on condition" maintenance and the usual little crap that goes wrong.

 

[jonnyjetprop]

I wonder about the pre-buy. Seems to be far too many issues that were ignored or glossed over that should have been caught at a good pre-buy inspection.

I don't think this is the case.

The shop is looking for legal cover. We told you that the engine is over TBO based on calendar time. You told us not to overhaul it. The SB's are most likely the older airframe inspections. It's not mandatory and we told you about them. You decided not to do them. I assume that everyone follows the maintenance schedule for their car to the letter too.

What they found were "wear items" for the most part. It's the stuff I'd expect to see on an annual inspection.

The only two items that should have been caught, assuming they are not new, are the fuel leak and maybe the ELT leakage. I'm on the fence on that one.

 

[bnt83]

SBs, really, considering for that plane they range from often unneeded door post repairs to replacement of perfectly good landing gear attachment bolts at >$100 each?

I don't find that to be a problem.

Sounds more like a plane that has had a life of "on condition" maintenance and the usual little crap that goes wrong.

It's at a Cessna Service center now...

 

[bnt83]

I don't think this is the case.

The shop is looking for legal cover. We told you that the engine is over TBO based on calendar time. You told us not to overhaul it. The SB's are most likely the older airframe inspections. It's not mandatory and we told you about them. You decided not to do them. I assume that everyone follows the maintenance schedule for their car to the letter too.

What they found were "wear items" for the most part. It's the stuff I'd expect to see on an annual inspection.

The only two items that should have been caught, assuming they are not new, are the fuel leak and maybe the ELT leakage. I'm on the fence on that one.

Fix the fuel leak and have them leave the ELT out but take it home with you.

91.207
(d) Each emergency locator transmitter required by paragraph (a) of this section must be inspected within 12 calendar months after the last inspection for—
(1) Proper installation;
(2) Battery corrosion;
(3) Operation of the controls and crash sensor; and
(4) The presence of a sufficient signal radiated from its antenna.
(e) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, a person may—

(10) An aircraft during any period for which the transmitter has been temporarily removed for inspection, repair, modification, or replacement, subject to the following:
(i) No person may operate the aircraft unless the aircraft records contain an entry which includes the date of initial removal, the make, model, serial number, and reason for removing the transmitter, and a placard located in view of the pilot to show “ELT not installed.”
(ii) No person may operate the aircraft more than 90 days after the ELT is initially removed from the aircraft; and
(11) On and after January 1, 2004, aircraft with a maximum payload capacity of more than 18,000 pounds when used in air transportation.