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Well folks, I have good news and bad news. I met with the FSDO inspector yesterday, he has gone above the normal (recent) FAA procedures and made arrangements to see the airplane personally, as part of my application for a 337 field approval for my no-weld skylight installation.
The inspector has shown a personal interest in helping me get this approved, and has done far more on my behalf than he is required to do. He has flown Taylorcrafts and agrees that the skylight is a worthwhile upgrade. I must say he's made this far less painful than he could have, and my hat's off to him for doing that.
The good news is that he agrees with most of what I had done, how did it, and why I made deviations from how the factory F-21B skylight was done. He was pleased with my workmanship, drawings, paperwork, etc.. He requested only two minor changes to what I had done, both of which were reasonable. And so I have some amount of confidence that when I complete the minor changes and he sees they were done I will have a signed Field Approval.
The bad news is that he has made it clear that he wants to sign this off for my airplane only. He specifically said he didn't want my modification to be the basis for dozens of other Field Approvals where his name would be on the line. Although I disagree with his reasoning for it, that's the way he wants it done.
What I am NOT certain of, at this point, is whether one inspector signing a Field Approval for my airplane only can or will prevent anyone from doing their own separate field Approval at another FSDO signed off by another inspector. My FSDO inspector told me that the whole "previously approved data" thing is being closed down somehow.
The over-riding point is that this inspector is adamant about my not using this 337 to open the flood gates, but I'm not sure which flood gates he is referring to. If it's just that he doesn't want to have every T-craft in the area knocking on HIS door, that's one thing. If he is saying he doesn't want me to give anyone a copy of my 337 for doing their own Field Approval, at any other FSDO, then that's another thing. I don't know whether one FSDO can do that.
If I am really prevented from even sharing copies of my 337 with other Taylorcraft owners, then I MAY elect to upgrade my 337 to a multiple aircraft full-blown STC. If that is even remotely affordable (DER's , structural engineering, measurement of the Lunar gravitational pull on Lexan panels, etc) then I will do it, but I would have to charge money for it to reimburse myself for the costs and aggravation. That was not my original intent, as you will see from my preivous posts on this subject, but it may be unavoidable.
The skylight installation drawings I posted for review in the Gallery have been significantly changed. Please do not use those for anything other than entertainment. They are not correct and are no longer an accurate representation of what I submitted to the FAA.
There is an existing STC, which I SUSPECT is nearly identical to the factory welded skylight installation. If you are willing to weld some steel tabs on your upper cabin framework, that STC is already in existence and offers you a smoother path towards having a skylight.
Despite the extra heat in summer, I strongly advocate a skylight in the Taylorcraft B series. It makes a huge difference in safety and enjoyment in my opinion.
Bill
The inspector has shown a personal interest in helping me get this approved, and has done far more on my behalf than he is required to do. He has flown Taylorcrafts and agrees that the skylight is a worthwhile upgrade. I must say he's made this far less painful than he could have, and my hat's off to him for doing that.
The good news is that he agrees with most of what I had done, how did it, and why I made deviations from how the factory F-21B skylight was done. He was pleased with my workmanship, drawings, paperwork, etc.. He requested only two minor changes to what I had done, both of which were reasonable. And so I have some amount of confidence that when I complete the minor changes and he sees they were done I will have a signed Field Approval.
The bad news is that he has made it clear that he wants to sign this off for my airplane only. He specifically said he didn't want my modification to be the basis for dozens of other Field Approvals where his name would be on the line. Although I disagree with his reasoning for it, that's the way he wants it done.
What I am NOT certain of, at this point, is whether one inspector signing a Field Approval for my airplane only can or will prevent anyone from doing their own separate field Approval at another FSDO signed off by another inspector. My FSDO inspector told me that the whole "previously approved data" thing is being closed down somehow.
The over-riding point is that this inspector is adamant about my not using this 337 to open the flood gates, but I'm not sure which flood gates he is referring to. If it's just that he doesn't want to have every T-craft in the area knocking on HIS door, that's one thing. If he is saying he doesn't want me to give anyone a copy of my 337 for doing their own Field Approval, at any other FSDO, then that's another thing. I don't know whether one FSDO can do that.
If I am really prevented from even sharing copies of my 337 with other Taylorcraft owners, then I MAY elect to upgrade my 337 to a multiple aircraft full-blown STC. If that is even remotely affordable (DER's , structural engineering, measurement of the Lunar gravitational pull on Lexan panels, etc) then I will do it, but I would have to charge money for it to reimburse myself for the costs and aggravation. That was not my original intent, as you will see from my preivous posts on this subject, but it may be unavoidable.
The skylight installation drawings I posted for review in the Gallery have been significantly changed. Please do not use those for anything other than entertainment. They are not correct and are no longer an accurate representation of what I submitted to the FAA.
There is an existing STC, which I SUSPECT is nearly identical to the factory welded skylight installation. If you are willing to weld some steel tabs on your upper cabin framework, that STC is already in existence and offers you a smoother path towards having a skylight.
Despite the extra heat in summer, I strongly advocate a skylight in the Taylorcraft B series. It makes a huge difference in safety and enjoyment in my opinion.
Bill
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