Well if you've ever wondered why people pay such large sums to CAA approved maintenance organisations this won't clear things up! We took the Gipsy Major apart on Amy after the crank went. This on a 600 hours fron NEW engine. The reason........it is pretty certain whoever fitted it about 10 years ago didn't flush the inhibiting oil out of the bearings before startup which did them no good at all.
When we stripped it down we found whoever had done the ring mod a few years later hadn't tightened the big ends or the heads down properly. Not only that there are thin steel washers under the big end bolts. Well sadly 4 of these had been replaced with locktab washers but since the tab didn't reach a corner these were clearly a bodge after someone lost the originals. These are available overnight for £3 each!
The final straw was finding screwdriver marks on 2 bearings where they'd tried to prise the caps of with a screwdriver.
When I get a moment I'll go back through the logbooks, find who was responsible and pass the details onto the LAA engineering department.
Maintenance!
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ROB THOMASSON
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Maintenance!
Last edited by ROB THOMASSON on Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ROB THOMASSON
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MAINT 2
I gather once an organisation has clearance the CAA are most reluctant to get involved. I know of cases of big end bolts not done up on a Bell 47, numerous electrical faults added, one place using an old tank radio as a prop (as in the film sense 
) I even know of one place that when given a Piper Warrior with a dead mag billed for 2 days trying to start it, a new battery after they killed the old one, three hours flight testing ( they brought it back when the tanks were empty) and didn't offset the exchange price on the mag!
Oh and there was the case of the place that replaced a load of hoses as time expired when as it was on a private rather than pub cat c of a only needed testing. The owner refused to pay more than the correct amount and it all got a bit heated.
One set of registration letters too small which were replaced. Next year bill for replacing registration letters as they were now too big!
Oh and the same place removed a prop as U/S and then sold it as serviceable to another of the sydicate members! I gather on that one they put the old prop back, he gave them the "new" prop back and returned his money!
As far as I am aware the CAA NEVER do the mystery customer that trading standards do on garages from time to time.
) I even know of one place that when given a Piper Warrior with a dead mag billed for 2 days trying to start it, a new battery after they killed the old one, three hours flight testing ( they brought it back when the tanks were empty) and didn't offset the exchange price on the mag!Oh and there was the case of the place that replaced a load of hoses as time expired when as it was on a private rather than pub cat c of a only needed testing. The owner refused to pay more than the correct amount and it all got a bit heated.
One set of registration letters too small which were replaced. Next year bill for replacing registration letters as they were now too big!
Oh and the same place removed a prop as U/S and then sold it as serviceable to another of the sydicate members! I gather on that one they put the old prop back, he gave them the "new" prop back and returned his money!
As far as I am aware the CAA NEVER do the mystery customer that trading standards do on garages from time to time.
Last edited by ROB THOMASSON on Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
027506
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steveneale
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- Location: Bristol'ish