2006 Annual Inspection -- Complete

Jay Honeck wrote:

So, in the end, it was a pretty decent annual. The total bill is
around $1400 (not including the fairings, oil, filter, and ELT, which I
bought separately), half of which was labor to install the brake pads,
ELT, and the fairings.

Congratulations. I haven't received my bill for the annual on my Bonanza
yet, but I expect it to be around your total.

The three items on my bill that elevated it this year were replacing my
rotating beacon that had a motor that just wouldn't turn consistently
anymore (despite being taken apart and cleaned a few times), replacing the
primary alternator that had failed three months after the warranty expired,
and replacing the TKS anti-ice fluid filter, a filter the size of a tumbler
glass with a price tag of a two new tires.


--
Peter

Just curious- why did you have to replace the TKS filter? Were you getting a
high pressure indication? How long and how much do you use your system?

I have a system in my Baron, but always run the fluid through a filter
funnel when filling, and after a couple of years and many tanks of fluid it
still runs great.

Viperdoc wrote:

Just curious- why did you have to replace the TKS filter? Were you getting a
high pressure indication? How long and how much do you use your system?

Yes, I was receiving a high pressure indication.

However... I did call the company to inquire about the high pressure
indication and one of their techs told me that low voltage can also fool
this sensor into believing there is high pressure in the lines.

At the time I was unaware that my primary alternator had failed (long
story, has to due with problems with my standby alternator sensor light
coming on for other reasons), so in hindsight, it appears that the
indication may have been erroneous.

I have a system in my Baron, but always run the fluid through a filter
funnel when filling, and after a couple of years and many tanks of fluid it
still runs great.

I do the same, but I am the second owner of the aircraft since the system
was installed and AFAIK, the filter was never changed in the six years
since installation. Therefore I am justifying the expense of the filter
replacement as preventive maintenance.

Oh, and the mechanic did admit that the old filter looked used, so it was
only a matter of time. Flying in the northeast and downwind of the Great
Lakes, my TKS system deserves a lot of TLC.

--
Peter

Thanks. After my initial installation I kept getting a high pressure
indication, and went through the process of changing the filter, only to
find that the wire to the panel from the sensor was crimped, leaving an open
circuit. It was a slimy and time consuming job to change the filter, which
obviously didn't solve the problem.

However, I also fly around and over the Great Lakes, and the TKS is the only
way to go short of getting into something that burns kerosene.

Viperdoc wrote:

However, I also fly around and over the Great Lakes, and the TKS is the only
way to go short of getting into something that burns kerosene.

From what I have heard, those pilots who fly the turboprop aircraft in the
Northeast US are never permitted by ATC to get up to the altitudes where
those aircraft really excel.

A pilot at my FBO purchased a turboprop Piper Malibu a few years ago and
admitted that no matter what he files for northeast US flights, he is only
given cruise altitudes in the mid-teens. He stated that the aircraft
prefers the mid-twenties for fuel and speed purposes, so he is actually
considering selling the aircraft.



--
Peter