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In a message dated 4/24/2003 5:54:20 PM Central Daylight Time, marv@lancaironline.net writes:
I'm an inventive sort of guy. I'll bet I come up with some brand new
screw-ups.
Paul, Et AL:
Exactly.
Be very careful about relying on any list. A general list will help you check general items but, because many of us are building an "experimental" airplane (some chock full of experiments), the list may not remind us to check the function and operation of more exotic items necessary for the safety of flight. To wit, the most common non-outback gear equipped 320/360 error is that the pivot bolt on the center rear-spar mounted flap bellcrank is not secured with a cotter pinned castle nut. This violates rule 2 of the list below.
A good thing to do is to review each system required for flight - pitch, roll and yaw (including trim) control, engine (fuel, air and ignition) and landing (flaps, wheels), etc. At least check it against:
1. The affect of constant vibration
2. What Negative G's would do
3. Can Extremes of temperature cause a failure
4. What would water do, especially in light of 3 above.
This is assuming that all nuts are tightened (marked with witness paint?), safety wires and cotter pins are in place, engine operation checked, fast taxiing tracked OK, etc.
And so much more - I remember that the FAA inspector asked for a piece of safety wire and then checked a couple of rod-ends to make sure the wire wouldn't pass thru the hole indicating that enough threads had been engaged. That night, airworthiness certificate secured, just before falling off to sleep all 42 rod-ends passed by my minds eye and yes, they had long ago been checked and marked with witness paint.
I did lose $50 in a bet I posed to the test pilot - that he wouldn't find anything wrong with my plane. He immediately reached behind the seats and said, "Where is the flap bellcrank pivot bolt cotter pin?" "Nuts!", I said as I passed him a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant.
Scott Krueger
Sky2high@aol.com
LNC2 N92EX IO320 Aurora, IL (KARR)
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