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To balance my recent filibustering on the strut and fitting issues, I figure I better come up with something more positive and cheerful.
There is an idea that IMHO needs to be pursued. We can take a leadership role in keeping our airplanes safe and AD-free for decades to come:
It is up to US to start creating a manual for "continued airworthiness" and improved inspection procedures. At FIRST glance, I see these documents falling into several sub-categories...
Annual Inspection Recommended Procedures and Concerns, Taylorcraft B and F series.
Five-Year Inspection Recommended Procedures and Concerns, Taylorcraft B and F series.
Restoration Practices and Tasks Pertinent to " " "
Corrosion Inspection and Prevention Techniques and Practices Pertinent to " " "
Pre-Buy Inspection and Ferry Permit Tasks Pertinent to " " "
General Safety and Operational Concerns and Practices Pertinent to " " "
Yeah I know it is a "Herculean" task,and I know it's more than one or even five people can do on a volunteer basis. But it needs to be done. Collectively we have the knowledge and experience. We can all contribute something. Rob Lees has an enormous amount of info, photos, and notes after his restoration. Forrest has resources and documents and knowledge hiding behind places he almost has forgotten about. I have some recent experience with problems upgrading to the 85 horse STC. Others here are experts on fuel systems, brakes, fabric, and structural corrosion. Mike and others here have restored several T-crafts and I believe know a LOT of things to look for, tips and tricks during restoration, etc. Tom Baker won the big trophies with his museum quality restoration... surely he knows some things that should be looked at, or how to put things back together more easily than the rest of us might know.
Yeah I know all about the worries of liability, and who is ultimately responsible for the airworthiness of the plane, blah blah blah. So these manuals and guides are positioned for the benefit of the mechanics and IA's as an ADDITIONAL resource not to overshadow 43.13 or whatever. So there needs to be a disclaimer that these are best efforts to promote safety, no argument, yada yada yada. A freakin' tube of toothpaste has a disclaimer nowdays and they still sell toothpaste.
Wat say ye, O mighty group?
This is clearly going to be a group effort, not one guy climbing the mountain. Everyone will have to participate.
The upside is better, safer airplanes, AND not being an easy target for AD's and intrusive service bulletins. The upside is that an owner would have information that would more or less insist that they look at their 60+ year old structure more carefully, and be helped to look in the right places.
There is an idea that IMHO needs to be pursued. We can take a leadership role in keeping our airplanes safe and AD-free for decades to come:
It is up to US to start creating a manual for "continued airworthiness" and improved inspection procedures. At FIRST glance, I see these documents falling into several sub-categories...
Annual Inspection Recommended Procedures and Concerns, Taylorcraft B and F series.
Five-Year Inspection Recommended Procedures and Concerns, Taylorcraft B and F series.
Restoration Practices and Tasks Pertinent to " " "
Corrosion Inspection and Prevention Techniques and Practices Pertinent to " " "
Pre-Buy Inspection and Ferry Permit Tasks Pertinent to " " "
General Safety and Operational Concerns and Practices Pertinent to " " "
Yeah I know it is a "Herculean" task,and I know it's more than one or even five people can do on a volunteer basis. But it needs to be done. Collectively we have the knowledge and experience. We can all contribute something. Rob Lees has an enormous amount of info, photos, and notes after his restoration. Forrest has resources and documents and knowledge hiding behind places he almost has forgotten about. I have some recent experience with problems upgrading to the 85 horse STC. Others here are experts on fuel systems, brakes, fabric, and structural corrosion. Mike and others here have restored several T-crafts and I believe know a LOT of things to look for, tips and tricks during restoration, etc. Tom Baker won the big trophies with his museum quality restoration... surely he knows some things that should be looked at, or how to put things back together more easily than the rest of us might know.
Yeah I know all about the worries of liability, and who is ultimately responsible for the airworthiness of the plane, blah blah blah. So these manuals and guides are positioned for the benefit of the mechanics and IA's as an ADDITIONAL resource not to overshadow 43.13 or whatever. So there needs to be a disclaimer that these are best efforts to promote safety, no argument, yada yada yada. A freakin' tube of toothpaste has a disclaimer nowdays and they still sell toothpaste.
Wat say ye, O mighty group?
This is clearly going to be a group effort, not one guy climbing the mountain. Everyone will have to participate.
The upside is better, safer airplanes, AND not being an easy target for AD's and intrusive service bulletins. The upside is that an owner would have information that would more or less insist that they look at their 60+ year old structure more carefully, and be helped to look in the right places.
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