Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

[Frank DeBartolo]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Does that mean that we have to remove the gear to inspect the fitting? Also, can the fitting be inspected with the strruts in place or miust the struts be removed from the fitting to inspect it.

Frank

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

IMHO the strut attach fitting can be inspected with gear, struts & step in place. The (SL) SB on the struts has been revised, the strut AD is being revised, IMOC's are coming, I am hoping times will be extended. DO NOT shoot me if I am wrong, I am rarely wrong!
I have been on the phones again today ( my day off by the way!) with the factory , FAA and others. Do what it says in the SB, maybe you all can help if you add, owner, A&P, IA to your signature, THIS will NOT be prevenative maintenance. enough said without violating confidences...

[jstall]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

IMHO the strut attach fitting can be inspected with gear, struts & step in place. The (SL) SB on the struts has been revised, the strut AD is being revised, IMOC's are coming, I am hoping times will be extended. DO NOT shoot me if I am wrong, I am rarely wrong!
I have been on the phones again today ( my day off by the way!) with the factory , FAA and others. Do what it says in the SB, maybe you all can help if you add, owner, A&P, IA to your signature, THIS will NOT be prevenative maintenance. enough said without violating confidences...

Thats good news Forrest. I also visited with Joe Perez in SAT yesterday and expressed the concern that I have with the deadline on Nov 20th, and ask him to relay to Andy that if anyway possible, an extension on the final compliance for the strut AD, as struts are comming out but slow, and there could be a major portion of the fleet litterly grounded in 3 weeks. I view of the fact that there hasn't been a strut failure in flight, I would think that this would not be a problem for them. But?? I'm not as knowledgeable as other on this, just my opinion. Keeping fingers X'ED on all of this, including my
struts at the factory??

JS

[Buell Powell]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

James,
I called and talked to Andy yesterday and asked about the possibility of an extension also. He didn't say no but told me not to count on it. He also gave me information on where to get struts inspected in San Antonio. It is All American Inspections 210-525-0421. The person to contact is Scott Ruth. I called and if you bring one set to them it is 375.00. For 2 sets it is 500.00-and less per set for more. To go to San Marcos and inspect on my T/craft it would be 750.00-Ugh. I also asked Andy about treating struts. He said that if I can find a way to inject sealer with the struts on it he thought it would be OK. What I am thinking is to detach one strut at a time from the wing, lower enough to inject Tube SealWhich he agreed would be a good choice) in the bolt hole and inject with a large serenge with a flexable tube. I also talked to Joe Perez. Joe said Harry has gotton the correct welding rods and should be making struts now--. Still checking my options but with less than 3 weeks until D (deadline) Day -time is getting short and an extension is certinaly warented. Would really prefer the original size and 4130 but haven't convinced myself it would be worth that much difference even if I can afford it,and as far as I can tell everone that has purchased struts from Univair has had good luck. I have been buying parts from them for a long time and have always been very satisfied with the parts.
Buell

[whake]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

What is the exact location of the drain hole that is supposed to be under the strut attach fitting ? I am told that a borescope is 3/16 inch in diameter. I cannot immagine a drain hole being larger than 1/16 inch in diameter. Any inspection from the bottom of that fitting is going to be a nightmare.The appearance from the top under the seat appears very well done, strong and clean. I hope to receive my struts from the factory before Nov. 20. I will remove the paint and do the penetrant inspection at that time. Because of strut delivery problems I believe the Nov.20 deadline should be extended. If visual inspections appear satisfactory and are signed off by an IA.

[astjp2]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

The hole will be 1/8", that is what most are, and you can get a borescope that is 1/8", they are spendy. Tim

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

The drain hole does not have to have an inspection inside it.... just see that it is there to 'drain" any moisture. I have posted pictures, the 1/4 in borescope is being used to view the cavity in the center of the attachment lug. pictures will be shown on the new revised SB coming ASAP , it will be posted first on the factory web site.

[mikerice]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

The new ATTACH FITTING Service Bulletin 2007-002 Rev. B is on the Taylorcraft factory website.

[adrozell]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Man this is a lot better. I have already looked at mine enough to sine it off under the new SB. Now I just have the struts to worry about. Think this is all we needed to begin with. Just a GVI of the aria.

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Lots of phone calls and back and forth information. I will use the Taylorcraft Factory as the official web information, thank you for posting here too.
The AMOC for AD 2007-16-14 is being posted today on the Foundation discussion under Struts. probably Taylorcraft factory too!

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Here is the latest link to General Aviation News article by Meg Godlewski:

https://www.generalaviationnews.com/editorial/articledetail.lasso?-token.key=15164&-token.src=index&-nothing

Meg called me twice one day prior to her deadline with very good pertinent questions. thank you Meg, I will comment on a couple of corrections I would have suggested had I been provided a draft proof.
Meg was under a deadline, the FAA was under a deadline, and the Taylorcraft Factory , Harry Ingram and his staff were under a deadline to get the information out to the mechanics & owners in the field. We tried to do our best at the time.
The EAA and others are supportive , I thank them but it is up to the Owners & Mechanics along with the Type Certificate holder(s) ; to get a grasp on this Aging Aircraft situation. The Taylorcraft Foundation as a Type Club will become a more active group , I thank all the members ( and non-members) for their comments and support . I am doing the newsletter next week with a complete synopsis of the whole situation from the beginning.
It has been a long drawn out process from the Airworthiness Concern Sheet back in April till NOW the time that the STRUT AD needs to be complied with out there in the field.
The only part that needs corrected in the article is that the issuance of the STRUT AD was well along in progress when the Wiley accident occurred and merely stepped up the process.
THEY are two different things, inter related of course, it is time now to comply with the AD's & SB's as written using any AMOC's that are now approved. Up here in Alliance we will remove struts, inspect the attach fittings, do the strut AD and place the struts back in place. ( If they pass) Standard practices are used at all times in addition to the explanations in the AD & SB's. New hardware of course, and we will monitor the inspections at other locations ( if reported to us at the Foundation) to find out exactly how many struts and attach fittings have failed inspection.
Thanks to: FAA engineer, Andy McAnaul; FAA, Joe Perez; Taylorcraft Factory, President , Harry Ingram and his staff; Univair , Airframes Inc., Wag-Aero, and so many of our tribe ; I will not name them all here , you know who you are , my sincere thanks.......
Now I go to be with the family, my wife's Brother, Dan Ivan, a Karate Great Warrior in Ca. passed away two days ago & we may have to make a life or death situation tonight at the Alliance Hospital on Uncle Joe , a B-24 tail gunner. Good evening and God Bless all members of the tribe.

[robbie]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

After reading the above story,Harry said he is making about 4 sets of struts per day.
He also states he has 42 orders.
Any on the fourm received there struts from the factory yet?
Can I ask how many on the fourm have placed orders with
The factory
Univair
airframes

[Frank DeBartolo]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Got my new struts from Univair. They were shipped out within a short period of time after placing the order last August. I recently received a voucher for the difference between the price I paid in August and the present reduced price.

Frank D
N43684

[DanBrown]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

I ordered struts from Harry in August. After repeated delays (I had to call to find out), I canceled and ordered from Airframes. Received them 3 weeks later.

[Len Petterson]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

On the subject of less when perfect pilots:
We all do something wrong sometime. I did forget one thing on the Nov 11 as the 11 o'clock we hade a miniute of silence and I was in the middle of my walkaround.
I should have started over and as luck hade it was not a serius misstake but!
Never interupt a fellow pilot during a walkaround, he is like you not perfect and needs all the help he help he can get. (We older fellow with early stages of oldhymers?????)
If you see somone doing or not doing something what looks wrong for any reason say something! You may save his life and you still have chanse to make a friend.
Len