To piggy back a thread from RAP, I'm good for another 2 years (as far as a
medical) and our plane is good for another 2 years also (as far as it's IFR
certification).

One of my partners flew the Aztec over to our local avionics shop on Monday
and it wasn't long before I got the dreaded phone call. "They say the
static system doesn't hold any suction at all, zero, and sounds bad." My
heart raced my stomach towards the floor as my head hit the desk.

"They want to know if we want to take the plane home, look for the leaks,
then come back some other time to do the rest." Hmmm.... nice of them to
offer, and I thank them for trying to save us some money, but I thought
"they" were the mechanics. Surely they would be able to find the leak
faster than we would.

I calmed my partner down and explained to him, (he isn't real mechanically
inclined) where they should start searching for the leak, hoping that they
would find it quickly. I told him the first place to look is behind the
instrument panel and that they could remove one of the outside side panels,
just aft of the exterior panel that houses the heater, to take a look. If
they didn't find anything, they could tear into the tail through the rear
baggage compartment and inspect the static vents and the lines autopilot.
He said "Ok, we'll give it a shot." This was at noon.

1pm.... no news.
2 pm... no news.
3 pm... no news and I'm daydreaming of $$$ floating out of our checking
account at breakneck speed.
4pm.... my nerves get the best of me and I call his cell.

"Everything went great, I'm already at home, plane is all tucked away and
refueled!! Cracked hose and T fitting behind the instrument panel took only
a few minutes to fix and everything tested fine."

WHEW!!! That made my day!

Jim