Advice on Taylorcraft

[Fooey]

Hello,

I am considering getting a Taylorcraft. I am wondering which parts if any are hard to come by
if I need some. Also, are they hard to start in the winter? I live in the Midwest and it is cold half the year.
Got my tailwheel endorsement in one and loved flying it. What are some of the main things to look for on prebuy inspection and what should I expect to pay for a prebuy inspection? This will be my first airplane.

Thanks,
Fooey

[cvavon]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

First off welcome to the forum, now it is a sad thing but parts are not made for the tcraft but there are a lot that owners have them pack ratted away.So when some one needs something this forum will help find what you need. As far as starting in cold they are no different then any other plane.On a pre buy LOOK THE PAPER WORK OVER VERY WELL!!! it will tell you a lot about the plane and it's life.Find a good AI that you trust and let him look it over, Now the price ? for a flying plane $15000. to $35000 for a project $5000 to $10000. This is only my opinion and when more of the group wakes up you will get more ideas Chuck

[Robert Lees]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Hello Fooey, and welcome to the forum.

I'd suggest you find a Taylorcraft owner close to you, and go and have a look / feel / fly. One thing is sure: they are great to fly and you won't be disappointed! Sometimes parts are hard to get (like a lot of aircraft of this era) but we have a good support network to help you resolve problems of that type.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

One nice thing about a Taylorcraft is the factory wasn't as well equipped as most home garages are now and there isn't anything on the plane that can't be made if you are determined. Someone here will normally have an example and I have made some pretty unusual little "bits" with basic tools. We have made parts from fuselages down to replica knobs. You won't ever be permanently grounded for parts in a Taylorcraft. SOMEONE has made every part. Right down to replica placards for different years.
Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Welcome!

Definitely what Rob Lees advised, find someone who is willing to spend a little time with you and their plane to familiarize you with what to look for. Tons of info on here you can search for, but not everything is in one place. Find a good plane to start with, it appears there are several more out there for sale, but unfortunately/fortunately depending upon how you look at it, the prices are starting to creep up a little.

Take a look at this Resources page to figure out some of the AD issues, etc. Link: http://taylorcraft.org/resources.html

I'm over in Illinois, same weather as yours. and I try to fly all year. Starting is a snap, as long as you know how your particular engine is, one shot of prime, two shots of prime, etc.

[Pearson]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Fooey,

You mentioned that you got your tailwheel endorsement in a Taylorcraft, so I would suggest talking to whomever it belongs to about finding a mechanic with Inspection Authorization. You will be miles ahead if you find an I/A that knows Taylorcraft. If you can't find one of those, at least insist on one with tube and fabric experience. You can do searches on this forum for old postings and conversations about every subject on Taylorcraft.

In my opinion, the two weak areas on Taylorcraft are the exhaust system and the brakes. Neither of them are terrible, they just require a careful eye and minor tweaking. Regarding these two items, I would be sure to have the heater muff around the exhaust removed. Then check the exhaust pipes for leaks by hooking a vacuum cleaner in reverse, so that it blows instead of sucks, to the exhaust outlet. Then brush on soapy water and look for bubbles. For the brakes run the engine up to 1800 rpm while holding the brakes. If the plane doesn't move that is a good indication that the brakes are in pretty good shape. Other than those two items just check the usual stuff on a tube and fabric airplane; lower longeron tubes (especially near the tail), also the tail post (the vertical tube the rudder attaches to). Also be sure to do a title search in Oklahoma City. It will cost a few bucks, but is well worth it. I would also order the CD from the FAA and have the I/A go over it to make sure all the modifications, STCs, Airworthiness Directives, and everything else is documented correctly. There have been cases of airplanes being sold with engines on them that were not certified for that airplane, or modifications done with absolutely NO substantiating paperwork.

[astjp2]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Some of us even travel to help others....I seem to be willing to travel just about anywhere to play with a taylorcraft...tim

[jstall]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Hank?? but is it legal to make the parts?? owner made parts vs just garage made parts?? I'm confused on this, as just recently I was looking into a fuel shutoff valve that are available but maybe not totally legal yet, also I just made a control shaft out of brass for a Imperial valve works great old one had broken off, but? is it legal

JS
Alva,OK N95083

[RobertP]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Fooey,

You do not mention which model Taylorcraft you are looking to buy but I presume it is one of the older tail wheel models? If you go for the newer F22 series I would add Leaking fuel Tanks to the list of what to look for besides cracked exhausts / heat muffs and the usual AD's particularly the Struts.

From my personal experience ( been there and got the T shirt! ) leaking fuel tanks are a major potential problem, certainly in the newer models where the wing fabric is attached to the two wing tanks by metal clips which vibrate over time and break away from the tanks leaving holes! I would go as far to say that in certainly the F22 series that the tanks in these aircraft are either leaking, waiting to leak or have leaked and been subject to a modified repair to hopefully prevent it happening again, you take your pick!!!

The fuel tanks on the F22 series are impossible to remove to repair properly without removal of the wing from the Aircraft as there are metal stringers which pass through the tank into the main wing area. The repair is major surgery with a good deal of fabric work as well and needless to say mega bucks in cost for a good repair! Having owned an F22 series aircraft for some years I would say that this is the singular major thing to look for in the newer aircraft as the original system of securing the tanks was / is really poor. It paves the dodgy exhausts and Strut AD's etc into insignificance in comparison.

One good thing is that leaking fuel tanks are easy to spot by either staining under the wing area of the tanks ( a small amount of staining around the wing drain valve is acceptable and part of everyday use ) or unexplained fuel smells! In the case of the former I would suggest you walk away from any F22 series aircraft displaying this staining and obtain some very good explanations for the latter!!

I do not know how or if the fuel tank problems relate to the older post / pre war models but there are plenty of people on here who would no doubt tell you, Stand by for thread drift!!

[M Jones]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Hi Fooey, and welcome to the group. You going to enjoy this.

I don't think you're too far away from Larchwood, and Jim Zangger has a nice airport up that way. He would be one of a few excellent Taylorcrafters in Iowa with a lot of history with these great airplanes that I would suggest you have a talk with. Let me know if you're interested and I call him to see when he's around.

[M Towsley]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

JS, (Sorry to steal this for a second), look at the Taylorcraft Maintenance section of this link. This is on the Taylorcraft Foundation website. Lots of info, including about owner made parts. Link: http://taylorcraft.org/Taylorcraft%2...0Questions.htm

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Yes, it IS legal to make your own parts, with some restrictions. In general if the part is NOT available from a legal commercial manufacturer, you can make it, ut you need to jump through some hoops to do it. It really isn't that hard to clear teh hoops, but the biggest problem in the past seems to be when the "factory" tells the FAA they are selling the part, and when you order it they never have it is stock (sometimes for DECADES). That and one past "owner" of the "Factory" (who is thankfully long gone now) produced VERY sub standard parts, sold used parts as new and did a number of other unsavory things. Like I said, he has moved on to lie, cheat and steel from some other group, and good riddance to him. In general, if someone on the group or a legal supplier like WAG or Aircraft Spruce has the part, you are going to be flying faster (and probably cheaper) to buy from them. If it isn't available, the guys here know all the tricks to make one and sometimes we go together and make a batch of parts where different members do different parts of the process, which keeps the process legal. IF a factory part is available, someone here will know about it and the process will shift to buying from the manufacturer.

Short answer, if you can't buy a part, you CAN make it and use it. When I say make it in your garage, that just means you built it next to your car since you probably have just as good a set of tools out in your garage as Taylor did in the factory. Garage made parts are owner produced parts. Probably a poor choice of words.

As for making a shaft for your valve, you are REPAIRING the original valve. If you have the ability to make a repair part to spec there is no reason it isn't legal.

Hank

Hank?? but is it legal to make the parts?? owner made parts vs just garage made parts?? I'm confused on this, as just recently I was looking into a fuel shutoff valve that are available but maybe not totally legal yet, also I just made a control shaft out of brass for a Imperial valve works great old one had broken off, but? is it legal

JS
Alva,OK N95083

[Carl E. Carson]

Re: Advice on Taylorcraft

Jim Z. is a good source of information and not too far away from you. Another would be to make a visit to the Osceola, Ia. airport, there are seven Taylorcrafts on that field, five of them flying. Lots of good guys there.

Carl