Learning from an owner annual

In article .com,
Jay Honeck wrote:

I strip a fair number of screws every year -- but I've NEVER had to
drill any out on either of the planes we've owned.

Can you replace them with Torx screws? I have found that they are much
more resistant to striping that phillips head screws. I use them a lot
on cars transmissions...



--
Eduardo K. | Darwin pone las reglas.
http://www.carfun.cl | Murphy, la oportunidad.
http://e.nn.cl |
| Yo.

What I like is when you have everything in neat little tupperware cups
underneath the appropriate parts of the plane -- and then the shop
moves the plane. Or they pull an extension cord under your plane, and
lasso all the parts buckets. Or they get kicked over. THAT is my pet
peeve about doing an annual.


That's why you have all those little cloth "tea" bags, with paper tags and
tie strings, to tie the screws/parts etc to the nearest screw hole, they are
not left lying on the floor in bins to tip over.

BT

For those that do owner assisted annuals now, how do you compensate the
mechanic for misc things like the use of his tools, use of misc parts
(screws, fluids, etc)? Do you pay a flat shop use fee?

I usually end up buying a dozen or so screws, fasteners, cotter pins,
etc, that I manage to strip/break/lose.

I don't pay my guy anything for "tool rental" -- but I did give him and
his wife a night in a hot tub suite for helping me so many times...

:-)

Loaning out tools is almost
unheard of with cars.

I used to have an auto mechanic that I could work with like that, but
he "sold out" and went to work for a dealership as their parts manager.
Now, I can't even SEE my car/truck/van when it's being repaired...

:-(
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Hey, there's a hell of a way to spend a Saturday afterno ... oh WRENCH.
Damn.

Jim



I would highly recommend this experience to any aircraft owner who is
comfortable with a wrench.

wrote:

Dude, you really need to take a good look at the underside of a
Mooney, especially an older one. You just "think" a PA28 has a lot of
screws. Unless things have changed a whole bunch, they are mostly
countersunk machine screws, opposed to your universal head PK screws.

Really ups the temptation for a tech/owner to use power tools to crank
the **** out them when closing up. Makes me shudder just thinking
about it..


I have no problem using power tools to do that, you just need to use the
right ones and use them the right way. Every quality power screwdriver
I have ever used has an adjustable torque limiter, this will make sure
they don't get put in too tight.


--
Chris W
KE5GIX

Gift Giving Made Easy
Get the gifts you want &
give the gifts they want
One stop wish list for any gift,
from anywhere, for any occasion!
http://thewishzone.com

Jack it up, you've got to get it up anyway to cycle the gear
and check the tires properly. Securely raised high enough
for a creeper seat and it is easier to work on.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
| That will work too. One thing to avoid is taking a cover
| plate off and leaving it swung aside and fastened with
one
| screw.
|
| I don't think that can happen on a Mooney. The access
panels are inches
| off the ground. There almost was not enough room for both
me and the
| drill to work under the plane at the same time.
|

When I was a teenager I worked in a sporting goods store.
Part of my job was cleaning and repairing fishing reels and
guns. Our price list was [back in the late 60s]
Disassemble, clean. inspect and reassemble $10.00
Let you watch, $15
Clean, inspect and reassemble the parts you bring in $20
Listen to the story about how your kid took it apart.
priceless or $30


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.



"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
| For those that do owner assisted annuals now, how do you
compensate the
| mechanic for misc things like the use of his tools, use of
misc parts
| (screws, fluids, etc)? Do you pay a flat shop use fee? Do
you just make
| sure to put something extra in his hourly fee for the work
he did? Its
| amazing to me how generous A&Ps are to open their tool box
to pilots.
| In the automotive maintenance world, if you touch a
mechanic's tools
| you'll probably get hit upside the head. Loaning out tools
is almost
| unheard of with cars.
|
| -Robert
|

Spending money can be a waste. Money spent on a good shop
for work done right is cheap at almost any price. There are
good shops wit good mechanics and there are bad shops and
bad mechanics, and often the bad shop charges more dollars.

But if your mechanic tells you that a certain part needs to
be overhauled or replaced he may be trying to save your
life. If the shop rules don't let you actually speak with
the mechanic and they want you to deal with a service
manager, find a different shop or insist on talking with the
mechanic in private. You can describe the squawks you have
and he can tell you what he finds. He can show you the
V-belt that is worn but serviceable, but it is cheaper to
replace the belt because right now the prop is already off,
for example.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
| Good maintenance takes time and time equals money. There
is
| too much poor maintenance, sometimes because the
aircraft
| owner just doesn't have the money to do the work and
| sometimes because the shop, trying to keep cost down
cuts
| corners.
|
| Well you can't get more expensive than the factory service
centers I'd
| been using. I no longer believe in the top dollar = good
maintenance
| anymore. When you're paying $105/hr for a $12/hr kid to
replace your
| access panels and he installs the antennas all backwards,
you figure
| money doens't necessarily equal good work.
|
| -Robert
|

("RST Engineering" wrote)
I would highly recommend this experience to any aircraft owner who is
comfortable with a wrench.

Hey, there's a hell of a way to spend a Saturday afterno ... oh WRENCH.
Damn.


You'd better plan for the entire weekend.

One screw ...take a nap. Another screw ...another nap.


Montblack

Do you s'pose a website dedicated to names & contact info for IAs that will
do owner assisted annuals would be a good thing? Maybe with a little info
about the mech like price structure, do it in your own hangar, etc?

Jim