Maintenance troubles.

Aztec Driver

Aztec Driver

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
982
Location
Elizabethtown, PA
Display Name
Display name:
Bryon
Why is it that every time I want to take a trip, all planned for by the significant other, based on the fact that we own a plane and can fly it wherever and whenever we want, the miserable construct of pieced together metal always decides it wants to rest for a significant length of time just at that particular week?

Had a leaking strut the other week and had to pump it up several times over the course of the week. Took it in to be repaired. Came out of repair looking good. Took it out for some test flights and put it in the hangar. The next week I had to move it to another hangar and noticed some fluid on the wheel and floor. Took it back and they found the typical Comanche crack in the Oleo Strut Housing. Took a look at the other one and found the same crack. Then they looked at the nose strut and found a much larger crack. They tell me that these cracks were probably there for some time and the last couple of annuals they were missed. Time for my mechanic to get some glasses, or me to get another mechanic. The nose gear crack is huge, and not very long from a complete collapse. I should have seen it, but they say it was covered in enough grease to disguise it, but man is it plain to see without any dirt.

Wonderful. Now it sits waiting for the useable nose strut to arrive and waiting for the others to be sent back for repair.

So guess who has to drive 10 hours to get to the vacation spot?
 

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You forgot to bribe Mr. Murphy didn't ya?
 
Whatever can go wrong will go wrong when you want to go flying.when the plane is fine then the weather goes to ell
 
Aztec Driver said:
So guess who has to drive 10 hours to get to the vacation spot?
Click to expand...

Don't worry, she'll be fine. Just program the GPS before she leaves and fill the thermos with hot coffee. With any luck you'll have it fixed by the time she returns.
 
Sounds like a great excuse to borrow the Aerostar. :yes:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Sounds like a great excuse to borrow the Aerostar. :yes:
Click to expand...
I could, except that the spare one is having an engine overhauled, the Aztec is needed, the other Aerostar is needed, and so is the Navajo, not that I am allowed to fly that one.

They did say I can take the Champ, but I figured the car would be faster.:D
 
Aztec Driver said:
.....Time for my mechanic to get some glasses, or me to get another mechanic. The nose gear crack is huge, and not very long from a complete collapse. .....?
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The answer is "C".... All of the above....;):yes:
 
Aztec Driver said:
I could, except that the spare one is having an engine overhauled, the Aztec is needed, the other Aerostar is needed, and so is the Navajo, not that I am allowed to fly that one.

They did say I can take the Champ, but I figured the car would be faster.:D
Click to expand...

I'm surprised that you're not allowed to fly the Navajo but you are allowed to fly the Aerostar. The Navajo is basically like an Aztec with the speed of the 310 and the fuel burn of a C-130.
 
Had to drive from Texas to South Dakota due to a bad mag once.
If you fly long enough it will happen to anyone.:dunno:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I'm surprised that you're not allowed to fly the Navajo but you are allowed to fly the Aerostar. The Navajo is basically like an Aztec with the speed of the 310 and the fuel burn of a C-130.
Click to expand...

I have quite a few hours in the NAVAPIG, but it was a while ago, and I would not feel comfortable in it anyway. It is definitely a truck.
 
Byron, at least you do good preflights.

So I am going to the pacific NW in a week. Seneca II. I have a gig at the TMBOPA meeting, and am extending this to see family.

Annual Due Sept 31. So started annual Sept 7. Uneventful, but elected to change my left Vacuum (pressure actually) pump at 497 hours. there is some carbon coming from the turtle deck discharge from the pressure system (I try to NOT run to failure). Flew it post annual-->boots inflate and stay up. Can't get 'em down. Land.

The deice control valve is stuck open. Bit o' carbon? Well, first I priced the part, 2,495. That's right. Not $24.95, but 100 times that. And Airborne doesn't have it in stock.

We drill out the 12 rivets holding it together. It full of crap and junk. We do the best we can to clean it out. Silicone lube etc, put it back together, it works. I will not go to the NW in October w/o FIKI.

But now I am hunting a deice-control valve. Or contemplating some serious down time as I ship it off and try to get it taken apart and shot peened, etc. sigh. At least, it looks like I won't be driving to Coeur d'Alene. I mean, it's only 1,753 miles from here to there.....with a week to go....
 
I guess I better wash my plane and take a closer look.

Aztec Driver said:
Why is it that every time I want to take a trip, all planned for by the significant other, based on the fact that we own a plane and can fly it wherever and whenever we want, the miserable construct of pieced together metal always decides it wants to rest for a significant length of time just at that particular week?

Had a leaking strut the other week and had to pump it up several times over the course of the week. Took it in to be repaired. Came out of repair looking good. Took it out for some test flights and put it in the hangar. The next week I had to move it to another hangar and noticed some fluid on the wheel and floor. Took it back and they found the typical Comanche crack in the Oleo Strut Housing. Took a look at the other one and found the same crack. Then they looked at the nose strut and found a much larger crack. They tell me that these cracks were probably there for some time and the last couple of annuals they were missed. Time for my mechanic to get some glasses, or me to get another mechanic. The nose gear crack is huge, and not very long from a complete collapse. I should have seen it, but they say it was covered in enough grease to disguise it, but man is it plain to see without any dirt.

Wonderful. Now it sits waiting for the useable nose strut to arrive and waiting for the others to be sent back for repair.

So guess who has to drive 10 hours to get to the vacation spot?
Click to expand...
 
Aztec Driver said:
Why is it that every time I want to take a trip, all planned for by the significant other, based on the fact that we own a plane and can fly it wherever and whenever we want, the miserable construct of pieced together metal always decides it wants to rest for a significant length of time just at that particular week?

Had a leaking strut the other week and had to pump it up several times over the course of the week. Took it in to be repaired. Came out of repair looking good. Took it out for some test flights and put it in the hangar. The next week I had to move it to another hangar and noticed some fluid on the wheel and floor. Took it back and they found the typical Comanche crack in the Oleo Strut Housing. Took a look at the other one and found the same crack. Then they looked at the nose strut and found a much larger crack. They tell me that these cracks were probably there for some time and the last couple of annuals they were missed. Time for my mechanic to get some glasses, or me to get another mechanic. The nose gear crack is huge, and not very long from a complete collapse. I should have seen it, but they say it was covered in enough grease to disguise it, but man is it plain to see without any dirt.

Wonderful. Now it sits waiting for the useable nose strut to arrive and waiting for the others to be sent back for repair.

So guess who has to drive 10 hours to get to the vacation spot?
Click to expand...
Wow, holy ****. This is why it's in ones best interest to keep their airplanes CLEAN so you don't have major issues disguised underneath dirt and grease.
 
Christmas is always a lonely boring time for us heathens. When we lived in DC we'd go downtown and look at the monuments. They were closed, but so what? They didn't rope them off in those days.

When I got the airplane I decided we should do Christmas day flights. We've yet to do even one. Wx, broken things, or just can't get the airplane out of the hangar for the snow.

Yeah, I feel your pain, though you should keep your plane clean enough to spot big cracks.
 
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