When looking for parts!

[astjp2]

I have been researching parts and I have noticed that while is not cheap, Univair carries some thing like aileron hinge brackets. wag aero has parts for repairs to the landing gear and air frame. So there are some options out there to keep us flying.
tim

[Hank Jarrett]

So far I haven't seen anyone from either the Forum or the Face Book group wanting to make parts available from any current manufacturer. That would be a wast of OUR resources and needless competition for those who already support us. If there ARE projects in work by owners that would take business from them I don't know about it. The only one that is close that I know about was one was going to make aileron hinges, but they were going to make cast ones which anyone who has read my posts knows I think is a mistake. The welded fittings are directly interchangeable and don't have the crack or corrosion issues. I would also point out that I already have a full set of welded fittings for both my planes.
If anyone knows of any parts we are trying to make that DO compete with current suppliers we should post them here. What we really do need, for all of us, is a list of parts that are available and those we need most. We can work from there, with or in place of the other manufacturers.
How about we get the parts available from each manufacturer and post them here? Good for them, and good for us. Not like any of us are trying to get rich here. We just want parts for our planes.

Hank

[astjp2]

I think that univair only has left over stock on some items and when they are gone, no more. Weldments would be easy to duplicate castings not so much. Ymmv, but I guess my point was that there are some new parts out there and not all is lost if you need a part. Tim

[Glenn Farrant]

Yes, you are correct Tim. I've seen the assortment of parts that Univair has and Jim mentioned that they bought them years ago and are not manufacturing anything more.

[Hank Jarrett]

So when do we start the list and where the parts are still available? Maybe someplace on the Forum. Might get some of hte FB only guys back over here. I like the FB folks, but I don't trust FB to last. Sites like that seem to blow up without warning!

Hank

[Glenn Farrant]

Hank,

Facebook is very problematic for communities like this. It's great that "everyone" is there and it is so easy to engage, but because it is designed to get people's attention with new stimulus, it's a terrible place for a community like this. It's almost impossible to organise and find any of the information that has been shared previously.

Forums like this need to survive. HOWEVER, it is usually a very thankless task performed by 1 or 2 individuals. I don't want to underestimate the effort required to keep this going.

Having said that, I think there are a few things that can be done:
- Point people back to the forum for reference material from Facebook
- Make the forum searchable again (results currently don't appear in web searches). There is so much information here but it is not discoverable. If you didn't know it existed, there is no way to find this forum. It will die if this isn't addressed.
- Allow people who are not logged in to access the information in a read-only fashion


I've personally gained a huge amount from dedicated web forums over the years. Sometimes also committing hundreds of hours in content to share with others. However, most of these forums and the wealth of knowledge are now dead. The ease of Facebook has killed them with a much worse, but more convenient experience.

I don't know what the answer is and I'm indebted to the administrators here. I hope we can find a way to maintain it and allow it to flourish.

Cheers

Glenn

[Hank Jarrett]

Glenn, lots of good points. ALL of us on both FB and here need to keep reminding those on FB to check in here! FB is pretty volatile and I am afraid any number of things could cause the FB Taylorcraft group to disappear over night. Seems all that would be needed is for someone to say something nice or bad about someone the FB Censors like or don't for them to be taken away. It is NOT a platform, it is a monitored publisher. If those in charge decide they don't like what we say, we are done. Glad we keep politics out. There are plenty of places to argue political positions without bringing it here. Probably the best site I go to on the internet (or anyplace else!)
I especially like the idea of letting people read and search but not post until they have been accepted. Isn't that how it works now? I thought anyone could read and search these pages. But then, I have been here forever!


Hank

[Glenn Farrant]

Hank,

I think with the recent "hack" that everything was locked down here. That was just before I joined.

I know a year or so ago I could see the information as a non-member, but that is not the case now.

If you search Google, you won't see a result from vb.taylorcraft.org. For example, just see what you get when you search for this thread: "taylorcraft When looking for parts!"

Essentially, I think it's counter-productive to send people here now, because they can't see any information until they get approved as users. It gives the impression of a "closed" group.

Cheers

Glenn

[N96337]

Well, for one thing, I've sent a bunch of messages to the admin and there's STILL a bunch of people that can't get on here. It's been MONTHS!!! We have an offer to move this whole forum to another host, with Zane from Backcountrypilot.org. He said he'd be glad to do the work, and he runs a good show. He says we wont lose any information. I know I'm tired of people saying they can't get in here time and time again.

That being said, Hank do you (or anyone) have drawings for the aileron hinges?
John

[Hank Jarrett]

I have a set of welded hinges that will be going into my 45. Before it gets to the point where I am ready to put them in I will be using them to have fixtures made. For parts like these, a fixture will make a more accurate part than using a drawing. Several people have shown interest in doing it earlier, but none have gotten far enough along to actually have a welder/ machinist to actually do it. As you might imagine, I am really careful about sending them to someone out of the area I don't know well. I can't afford to loose them!

As for access to the Forum from outside your explanation makes sense. I have helped several people by getting info when they couldn't get ti from the site. Now I know why they were having so much trouble. It is a shame outsiders can't use the site as a "read only" until they can be approved. The administrators do seem to have a lot of support work to do, especially since they are all doing it just to support all of us! We have some really special people here.

Hank

[N96337]

I agree...I'm glad the administrators do what they do, but bottom line is that it really isn't accessible, and there is info here that has a good chance of being lost forever if something happens. Zane feels the same way. He's offering to do it, to keep that info out there and accessible to anyone that needs it. If you haven't been to his site, it's worth it to go check it out. There's lots of tutorials and such... I've been a member there for a long time and it's one of the very best.
John

[M Towsley]

Glenn,

As one of the Admins for the Facebook group and a long time member here on the forum I would like to point out that our little group over on Facebook is searchable. Perhaps you are just unfamiliar with the format.

Though I constantly refer to the Forum, here, I know it can be challenging to become a member at times. Some folks just like Facebook and its ability to get questions answered fairly fast seems to be one of its positive points.

Though I am not the originator of the Facebook group, I was asked to help Admin it. Now, if I can just get people to answer three simple questions and accept the Group Rules question we would have more members on Facebook. It seems to be a steep learning curve for some.

Marty

[astjp2]

Well I tried to get the forum changed and updated, if enough people voice their wants, then maybe Bob will allow us to make some upgrades, until then I am happy to support what I can here. Tim

[Miguel]

Not everyone uses Facebook, or other social networks.- Who can enter facebbok can enter our group with the same ease, without having to tie it to a specific network

[Miguel]

Our group would have to try to improve communication between the members, allowing there to be a direct conversation or contact between everyone.