Play in Cherokee stabilator

Lawson Laslo

Lawson Laslo

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Jan 18, 2019
Messages
403
Location
Sundance airport Oklahoma
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Display name:
N2005H
Hello
I have been renting a Cherokee to do my instrument training
On the preflight last weekend I noticed a large amount of up and down and side to side play on the stabilator and you could definitely hear a noise from the loose fit in bushing or something…
Anyways I told the school and they didn’t do anything about it.
Does anybody know the acceptable limit for stabilator movement? If so is there a section in the manual that I could show them? Two of the three Cherokees have this issue and definitely don’t feel safe flying them
Thank you
 
RyanB said:

You really shouldn’t have to ‘show them’ anything. If you do, that’s a huge red flag and you need to run!
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Yes that’s the first video I watched after noticing the play! A great description but was wanting to see if I could find a document issued by piper or FAA that described a maximum amount of movement
 
My Cherokee has zero up/down/side play and i'd never fly in one that did. As for actual measurements, no clue.
 
23103a said:
My Cherokee has zero up/down/side play and i'd never fly in one that did. As for actual measurements, no clue.
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Yeah, one of the 3 Cherokees is completely solid and feels perfect.
I’ll attach a link to a YouTube video of the play in one of the Cherokees, you can definitely hear it and can see the movement if you look closely
 
My 180 had a slightly perceptable amount of play and the A&P opted to replace the bushings. Parts cost was around $80 can't say what labor was, it was part of an annual and they were back there anyway.
 
Play in control surfaces and trim tabs can lead to flutter. Not something you want to fool around with!
 
Racerx said:
Honestly, I'd tell them with your feet and go elsewhere. You told the once. And they told you what they thought about your safety. K byeeee.
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Yup. Who knows what else they're ignoring?
 
Racerx said:
Honestly, I'd tell them with your feet and go elsewhere. You told the once. And they told you what they thought about your safety. K byeeee.
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While that's not a bad idea, I would also pursue this at least some. If you walk away and something happens, you're safe, but somebody else might not be. Pursue it for the safety of your fellow pilots if nothing else.
 
flyingpreacher said:
While that's not a bad idea, I would also pursue this at least some. If you walk away and something happens, you're safe, but somebody else might not be. Pursue it for the safety of your fellow pilots if nothing else.
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He did pursue it. They didn't do anything. What else are they deferring/ignoring. Pretty paint though. Maybe zoom out and get the tail number in the next video so everyone knows?
 
Don't fly that plane. It's an easy fix to replace the bushings. Someone found some play in my stabilator many years ago, and I promptly had it fixed. I check on every pre-flight now. Watch the following video if you want to get chills down your spine:

 
Racerx said:
Honestly, I'd tell them with your feet and go elsewhere. You told them once. And they told you what they thought about your safety. K byeeee.
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Been there. it's worth paying more money for better maintained planes.
 
pburger said:
Don't fly that plane. It's an easy fix to replace the bushings. Someone found some play in my stabilator many years ago, and I promptly had it fixed. I check on every pre-flight now. Watch the following video if you want to get chills down your spine:

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Honestly after seeing that it made me more confident in the strength of it that it didn't just detach/ disintegrate with all that flutter.
 
Todd82 said:
Honestly after seeing that it made me more confident in the strength of it that it didn't just detach/ disintegrate with all that flutter.
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It wasn't far from it. Aluminum really hates being strained repeatedly like that. I have found the stabilizer front spars in 172s cracked just from pilots pushing down on them to turn the airplane on the ground. I once ferried a 172 that we subsequently found had that stab spar broken all the way through. Only the skin was holding it.
 
Shouldn’t be any play. 28 years of flying a Cherokee 140. Find another place to rent and fly.
 
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