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Re: Aileron bracket needed
A few things from your post (and NOT taken with malice or emotion, far from it).
First, the regional rep thing was talked about but I was never actually asked to be one. I don't know if anyone was, so I am no more a rep of the Taylorcraft world than any of us. I am just concerned and based on my engineering training and experience sometimes I have a better understanding of how thing work than an average pilot, lots of times not.
As for possible airworthiness issues and our knowledge of them, there are MANY. You can start with the screw that holds the spinner on and work your way back to the wire bail that holds the lens on the rudder Grimes light. EVERY component is a potential airworthiness issue. If I saw a plane (pretty much ANY plane, not just a Taylorcraft) with an imminent failure risk, I would go to the pilot first and let him know. I have never had a pilot not stop to take a look and make sure everything was OK. Most times it is, but I once got a 737 grounded in Long Island because I saw something while waiting to board. Didn't make the other waiting passengers very happy, but the part WAS broken and our plane had to be changed so they could fix the problem.
I don't think there is ANY liability in talking about something that, with time, could be a problem. There is a long history of cast aileron hinges corroding and many of us have a box of corroded ones. It is something any IA SHOULD be looking at and looking at the aileron hinges has always been on my pre-flight. Every instructor required me to look at the controls for security, damage and freedom of movement, so it is covered. What I worry about (and remember I have nothing but welded hinges on my planes) is missing one or maybe I get the first cracked welded one.
ALL airplanes are ticking time bombs and our vigilance makes sure the fuse is long enough or we blow it out before it gets to the bomb. That is the whole concept basis of preventive maintenance. It isn't fear mongering or exaggeration to remind people that carelessness can kill one of us. It has happened before and unfortunately will probably happen again. That has become a sad part of aviation, I just don't want it to happen on OUR watch. We need to catch these things by looking BEFORE they become something that requires an SAIB or an AD. If WE do it, it is pretty easy, if the FAA does it, it's a PITA. We just have to start EARLY in the process, which is why I want all of us to do informal inspections ourselves before any condition gets serious.
Now if a few guys have to ground their planes because they find failed hinge fittings, then WE need to go to the FAA and let them know for them to do what they seem to do best (that PITA thing again). That could be the only way to protect those who aren't reading here. What I would WANT is to find nothing but some minor corrosion on a few planes that can be fixed next annual with no wide spread implications for the whole fleet, but I am afraid we will find some busted ones and need to take more measures. It would be nice if WE went to the FAA with the problem, and a solution for them already in place.
Everybody look at your plane! Let the rest of us know the results. Lets blow the fuse out now.
Hank
A few things from your post (and NOT taken with malice or emotion, far from it).
First, the regional rep thing was talked about but I was never actually asked to be one. I don't know if anyone was, so I am no more a rep of the Taylorcraft world than any of us. I am just concerned and based on my engineering training and experience sometimes I have a better understanding of how thing work than an average pilot, lots of times not.
As for possible airworthiness issues and our knowledge of them, there are MANY. You can start with the screw that holds the spinner on and work your way back to the wire bail that holds the lens on the rudder Grimes light. EVERY component is a potential airworthiness issue. If I saw a plane (pretty much ANY plane, not just a Taylorcraft) with an imminent failure risk, I would go to the pilot first and let him know. I have never had a pilot not stop to take a look and make sure everything was OK. Most times it is, but I once got a 737 grounded in Long Island because I saw something while waiting to board. Didn't make the other waiting passengers very happy, but the part WAS broken and our plane had to be changed so they could fix the problem.
I don't think there is ANY liability in talking about something that, with time, could be a problem. There is a long history of cast aileron hinges corroding and many of us have a box of corroded ones. It is something any IA SHOULD be looking at and looking at the aileron hinges has always been on my pre-flight. Every instructor required me to look at the controls for security, damage and freedom of movement, so it is covered. What I worry about (and remember I have nothing but welded hinges on my planes) is missing one or maybe I get the first cracked welded one.
ALL airplanes are ticking time bombs and our vigilance makes sure the fuse is long enough or we blow it out before it gets to the bomb. That is the whole concept basis of preventive maintenance. It isn't fear mongering or exaggeration to remind people that carelessness can kill one of us. It has happened before and unfortunately will probably happen again. That has become a sad part of aviation, I just don't want it to happen on OUR watch. We need to catch these things by looking BEFORE they become something that requires an SAIB or an AD. If WE do it, it is pretty easy, if the FAA does it, it's a PITA. We just have to start EARLY in the process, which is why I want all of us to do informal inspections ourselves before any condition gets serious.
Now if a few guys have to ground their planes because they find failed hinge fittings, then WE need to go to the FAA and let them know for them to do what they seem to do best (that PITA thing again). That could be the only way to protect those who aren't reading here. What I would WANT is to find nothing but some minor corrosion on a few planes that can be fixed next annual with no wide spread implications for the whole fleet, but I am afraid we will find some busted ones and need to take more measures. It would be nice if WE went to the FAA with the problem, and a solution for them already in place.
Everybody look at your plane! Let the rest of us know the results. Lets blow the fuse out now.
Hank
Originally posted by drude
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