On 3 Mar 2004 11:42:37 -0800, (Robert M. Gary) wrote
in Message-Id: :

Larry Dighera wrote in message . ..
On 2 Mar 2004 19:33:12 -0800, (Robert M. Gary) wrote
in Message-Id: :

The worst part is that they charged me more than the cost of a new
Gyro for their "standard" overhaul. Now after 2 attempts should I feel
safe with their gyro next time?

How long has it been since the overhaul and "attempts" occurred? What
is the proximate cause of your AI failure?

The overhaul was about 3 weeks ago, it failed the first flight
afterwards, we sent it back. They said they tested it and returned it
without doing anything to it. My A&P has tested the vac to the back of
the gyro with his instrument. I have a cockpit gauge that shows good
vac and seems to test well. I also have a sensor on the back of the AI
that alarms low vac that I test on shutdown. It too shows good vac at
the time.

The original problem was that it would slowly roll about 30 degrees to
the right but remain 100% responsive to pitch and bank. It would be
very confusing in the clouds.

-Robert

This is a serious safety issue, not to mention the regulatory breach;
it could result in fatalities.

If it were me, the first thing I'd do is purchase a new Attitude
Indicator from a reputable dealer, and have it installed by the same
AP/IA who you had install the "overhauled" gyro. That will help
diagnose the cause of the problem. If the new AI works, the cause was
the overhauled gyro. If the problem persists, the cause is in the
plumbing/pump or the AP/IA's work.

It's important to keep your aircraft in an airworthy state; I would
expect AI to be included on the Type Certificate Required Equipment
List. So first concentrate on making the AI operational.

Then I'd demand ALL my money back from the instrument repair shop.
If the instrument repair shop balked, I'd threaten to mention the
incident to the local FSDO inspector. If the refund still wasn't
forthcoming, I'd ask the FSDO inspector if he's received other
complaints about the shop's work (or your mechanic), and inform
him/her of the difficulty you are experiencing.

The true issues here are safety and competence, not dollars.