Sun, Nov 19, 2006
Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.")
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you
may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be
something we might never have considered before, or something that
didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized
it for the practical test.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
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Aero-Tips 11.19.06
Many airplane owners like to keep
the cost of ownership down by doing some routine maintenance tasks
themselves. Some people find that it's fun to do some work on the
airplane. What's legal, and what special requirements exist for
do-it-yourself work?
Maintenance, not repair
Only certificated mechanics are allowed to sign off on repairs
to an airplane. Anyone can perform any maintenance or repair to an
airplane so long as the work is observed, inspected and endorsed by
a mechanic. But there are a number of "preventative" maintenance
tasks that owners are permitted to do without mechanic
oversight.
Part 43 Appendix A
(c) Preventive maintenance. Preventive maintenance is limited to
the following, provided it does not involve complex assembly
operations:
- Removal, installation, and repair of landing gear tires.
- Replacing elastic shock absorber cords on landing gear.
- Servicing landing gear shock struts by adding oil, air, or
both.
- Servicing landing gear wheel bearings, such as cleaning and
greasing.
- Replacing defective safety wiring or cotter keys.
- Lubrication not requiring disassembly other than removal of
nonstructural items such as cover plates, cowlings, and
fairings.
- Making simple fabric patches not requiring rib stitching or the
removal of structural parts or control surfaces.
- Replenishing hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic reservoir.
- Refinishing decorative coating of fuselage, wings tail group
surfaces (excluding balanced control surfaces), fairings, cowlings,
landing gear, cabin, or cockpit interior when removal or
disassembly of any primary structure or operating system is not
required.
- Applying preservative or protective material to components
where no disassembly of any primary structure or operating system
is involved and where such coating is not prohibited or is not
contrary to good practices.
- Repairing upholstery and decorative furnishings of the
interiors when it does not require disassembly of any primary
structure or operating system or interfere with an operating system
or affect the primary structure of the aircraft.
- Making small simple repairs to fairings, nonstructural cover
plates, cowlings, and small patches and reinforcements not changing
the contour so as to interfere with proper air flow.
- Replacing side windows where that work does not interfere with
the structure or any operating system such as controls, electrical
equipment, etc.
- Replacing safety belts.
- Replacing seats or seat parts with replacement parts approved
for the aircraft, not involving disassembly of any primary
structure or operating system.
- Trouble shooting and repairing broken circuits in landing light
wiring circuits.
- Replacing bulbs, reflectors, and lenses of position and landing
lights.
- Replacing wheels and skis where no weight and balance
computation is involved.
- Replacing any cowling not requiring removal of the propeller or
disconnection of flight controls.
- Replacing or cleaning spark plugs and setting of spark plug gap
clearance.
- Replacing any hose connection except hydraulic
connections.
- Replacing prefabricated fuel lines.
- Cleaning or replacing fuel and oil strainers or filter
elements.
- Replacing and servicing batteries.
- Replacement or adjustment of nonstructural standard fasteners
incidental to operations.
- The installations of anti-misfueling devices to reduce the
diameter of fuel tank filler openings provided the specific device
has been made a part of the aircraft type certificate data by the
aircraft manufacturer, the aircraft manufacturer has provided
FAA-approved instructions for installation of the specific device,
and installation does not involve the disassembly of the existing
tank filler opening.
- Removing, checking, and replacing magnetic chip detectors.
- Removing and replacing self-contained, front instrument
panel-mounted navigation and communication devices that employ
tray-mounted connectors that connect the unit when the unit is
installed into the instrument panel, (excluding automatic flight
control systems, transponders, and microwave frequency distance
measuring equipment (DME)). The approved unit must be designed to
be readily and repeatedly removed and replaced, and pertinent
instructions must be provided. Prior to the unit's intended use,
and operational check must be performed in accordance with the
applicable sections of part 91 of this chapter.
- Updating navigational software data bases (excluding those of
automatic flight control systems, transponders, and DME) provided
no disassembly of the unit is required and pertinent instructions
are provided. Prior to the unit's intended use, an operational
check must be performed in accordance with applicable sections of
part 91 of this chapter.
- There are additional items for balloons and primary category
aircraft.
Owners only
Notice that the Part 43 Appendix A items can be performed only
by airplane owners. If you rent or borrow the airplane and are not
a mechanic you can't do the work without a mechanic's final
endorsement. Note also that just because you own the airplane,
you're qualified to do the work -- spend some time with a mechanic
to learn how to do each task before you try it yourself (and be
sure to properly compensate the mechanic for the tutelage).
Aero-tip of the day: Save money, have fun, and
learn more about your airplane by doing owner-performed
maintenance.
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