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Getting it all fixed

I called up the shop today and put in a work order to get most of the outstanding issues taken care of. Most of these are minor, but a couple are relatively major. The plane is currently airworthy, or else I wouldn't have flown it a few times since purchasing it, but it's time to get the big ones taken care of. I might as well have the other items addressed as well.

The items I've asked them to work on include:

  • Investigating the issues I've experienced with the comms system. This is probably the most important as it most affects flight safety.
  • Replacing the left half of the stabilator trim tab. It has a crack in the underside near the outside end of the tab. It's been there a while, as it's been stop-drilled a couple times, but it has lengthened to the point where it should be replaced sooner rather than later.
  • Re-attaching the wing root seal on the right side. On the underside of the wing, the seal has come loose along part of its length. It's still attached at the front and rear, so it's not flopping around loose, and it doesn't appear to be coming out any more after flying it a couple times, but it should be re-attached. Depending on its condition, I may have the seal replaced altogether.
  • Re-attach a section of the honeycomb material that lines portions of the aft fuselage interior. I'm not sure what it's purpose is, but it's probably to reduce noise. A section has come partially loose and just needs to be glued back in place.
  • Fix the cabin interior light. This is the red-colored light for flying at night. We don't know if it just needs a new bulb or if the problem is with the potentiometer or something else in that circuit. Hopefully it's just a bulb.
  • Push the pilot's door hinge pin back into place. The door has a single, full-length hinge with a long metal rod acting as the pin. It has slipped down and protrudes from the bottom of the hinge by about an inch. Should be a simple fix. I tried tapping it back into place myself with a small hammer but it didn't move much, if at all, so I'll let the experts handle it.
  • Clean up a couple of the inspection panel covers. They have a bit of corrosion on them but all they need is to be cleaned up and repainted.

They're pretty backed up with work, which isn't surprising as they maintain the rental fleet, which is used by the flight school as well as regular renters. The manager did say he may have time to go over to the plane and do some investigation of the comms issue so hopefully that can be done soon. The rest of the stuff won't prevent me from flying, and even the comm problem can be worked around, especially when I get my handheld radio. But I'm hoping this can all be addressed within the next several weeks so it's all done before the spring and summer.

I knew going into this that this plane, given its age, would require this kind of maintenance work. That's one of the reasons why it was as relatively inexpensive as it was. But I've decided that this plane is worth the time and money, as long as the cost doesn't explode. But I don't think that will happen as it has been well maintained, and it's been well inspected. It's a risk, but it's a calculated one. This plane is special, at least to me, and I want to keep it in good condition. It's special not only because it's my first plane, but because it has a unique history and character and I want to preserve it.

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