Tom Baker Posted December 22, 2016 Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 I'm in Southeastern Illinois. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 I went out and cleaned the tape off of the upper and lowers by the wheel fairings. Grabed some lighter fluid and detailed the areas. It appears the right oval molding that accepts the gear cover has been broken on the rear edge. It looks like the aerodynamic gear cover slammed rearward and broke the fuselage oval trim about the size of a half dollar. The gear cover can be pushed forward and rearward about a inch. Is it practical and affordable to repair the part I speak of? The gear looks a lot cleaner and intake without all that poor fitting tape and black gunk. I still need to check the wings for level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbigs Posted December 22, 2016 Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 I went out and cleaned the tape off of the upper and lowers by the wheel fairings. Grabed some lighter fluid and detailed the areas. It appears the right oval molding that accepts the gear cover has been broken on the rear edge. It looks like the aerodynamic gear cover slammed rearward and broke the fuselage oval trim about the size of a half dollar. The gear cover can be pushed forward and rearward about a inch. Is it practical and affordable to repair the part I speak of? The gear looks a lot cleaner and intake without all that poor fitting tape and black gunk. I still need to check the wings for level. Don't use lighter fluid or other flammable petroleum products on your shell. Use isopropyl alcohol or goof off or something like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 I read on here somewhere that lighter fluid was ok. Humm anyway it looks fine and shinny and nice now. I hope tomorrow when I go back to the hanger the whole plane isn't laying in a melted blob on the floor!???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ct9000 Posted December 22, 2016 Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 First thing I would do checking wing level is establish a reference with a spirit level across the door openings . Your problem is difficult to measure because as mentioned before , different tire pressure will make a big difference at the wing tip as will floor levels . If you really want to find out use a laser level but the problem is most likely not a airplane fault but a measure fault . Also I use elcheapo furniture polish fur cleaning . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 The wing level thing has decreased in importantance in my mind as really who cares! The aircraft is beautiful and the gear looks great. Tomorrow I'm going to go to the hanger and put a nice coat of Meguiars Gold Plus Carnauba Wax on her. Hopefully next week we'll warm up to the 20's and I'll get my biannual and aircraft check out so I can get out on my own and really learn the machine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportFlyer1 Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Some fun! We want a full report ... enjoy, and Merry Christmas all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted December 26, 2016 Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Taping the leg fairings is, as roger said, asthetic. However, I do recommend that a sacrificial layer of tape be applied underneath the fairing if you see the paint rubbing off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Yes the leg fairing part of the fuselage has some paint missing on both sides. What is wearing there as there's no parts in that area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted December 26, 2016 Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Vibration and flexing from landings applying brief pressures on the fairing. Mine actually rubbed through part of the carbon fiber (3k hours). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Understood thanks for the tip! Now with 3000 hours what airframe parts start showing some wear? With the Rotax did you have to do a rebuild? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted December 26, 2016 Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Keep in mind, I see a distinct difference between "rebuild" and "overhaul" as they are defined in the regs for us mechanics. But to answer your question: I didn't have to, but I chose to replace the engine anyways. Hung a new engine and keep the old one around for spare parts. The condition of the old engine is absolutely immaculate. It's almost a waste to have done that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Makes sense! How do these aircraft hold up with those hours? Cables, gear, seats, finish, instruments etc..Excluding engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted December 26, 2016 Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Keep in mind she's used for flight training, so it wouldn't be entirely a fair assessment of what you might see at 3k hours. The structure is holding together fine, but there's a lot of wear and tear in the cowling from vibration, some odd paint cracking and peeling in a couple places (easy to fix), and obvious wear in the cabin area that customers touch. The paint has yellowed a bit. It's very faint but it's there if you look closely. The bottom is still very white. I suspect it's UV. It's an absolute must to inspect the insides of the fuel tanks at the 2 year interval! THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL. I found some peeling occuring and had it repaired before it became a problem, but it most definitely would have become one if it wasn't addressed. Gasoline and composites do not mix, and eventually it WILL have damaged the wing if it were ignored. Yes, I've seen photos and videos of a CT where the gasoline managed to work its way through and absolutely tear the bottom side of the wing up. Cables are very difficult to inspect due to extensive use of fairleads and sheathes. One day this WILL be a problem, and it's going to suck to fix as they are laid into the composite, but for now it still seems fine. Not even really showing any signs of wear yet. Here's to hoping it lasts longer than I do. The complex mechanism in the back for the anti-servo tab does need to be watched, as there are plastic inserts in several places that wear over time. If there is one piece of advice that I would have, it is this: is if something feels lose, or there's slop in the controls, get it fucking fixed as of yesterday. I caught a loosened bolt on someone else's, that if it worked its way out, pitch control would be lost. Trim would still work. There are a LOT of bushing used in these airplanes, and it was originally though to be worn bushings (cheap owner wouldn't replace them), until it got bad enough and I happened to be there to say "Wait a minute, that's much worse than before! That will NOT fly." Eventually the bushings were replaced as well. It's still something that rattles me a bit when I think about it, and I wasn't the one flying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted December 26, 2016 Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Taping the leg fairings is, as roger said, asthetic. However, I do recommend that a sacrificial layer of tape be applied underneath the fairing if you see the paint rubbing off. Corey, he has a CTSW. It is completely different from the CTLS in this regard. Bukaroo, when receiving information on this site people tend describe their experiences with the airplane they own and are familiar with. Sometimes the information applies to all models across the board, other times they are 2 different beast. The landing gear is one place where they are 2 different beast. With one little exception possibly being the wheels and brakes, however axles will be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted December 26, 2016 Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 I fall for that every time. And do pay attention to Tom's wisdom regarding what applies to which. Ultimately, the vast majority of info is anecdotal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Wonderful wisdom here and lots of time given. I know others will gain insight as well! Now how does anticept's post for the LS differ for the SW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 I'll try to post 2007 CTSW in my questions. I've never seen a LS in person. Heck my SW is the only FD I've ever seen.???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbigs Posted December 26, 2016 Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 Wonderful wisdom here and lots of time given. I know others will gain insight as well! Now how does anticept's post for the LS differ for the SW? The mains are bolted to the airframe on each side with part of the airframe over the top of each main leg. IMHO this is a weakness in the design. The airframe can be damaged over time and in a hard landing, esp if landing on one main versus the other in a xwind. The best advise to to remove the boots and inspect the mains where they are attached...and be aware the plane is not built like a combat jet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2016 The prior owner on mine dropped it in and the right gear had to be replaced. I can see the slight damage on the rear edge of the fuselage oval gear fairing. I think that's why my right wing is 3 inch's lower than the left although I haven't ruled out tire pressure yet. Log book repair entries look good on the repair and it was done at a approved FD repair station so I'm good with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted December 27, 2016 Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 The mains are bolted to the airframe on each side with part of the airframe over the top of each main leg. IMHO this is a weakness in the design. The airframe can be damaged over time and in a hard landing, esp if landing on one main versus the other in a xwind. The best advise to to remove the boots and inspect the mains where they are attached...and be aware the plane is not built like a combat jet. This advice and picture are not pertinent to the CTSW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted December 27, 2016 Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 I'll try to post 2007 CTSW in my questions. I've never seen a LS in person. Heck my SW is the only FD I've ever seen. The CTLS uses a composite landing gear, that is attached to the fuselage in a different method than the SW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 Which model has the better gear design? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted December 27, 2016 Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 CTLS has better gear, by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted December 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 My CTSW is way better gear by golly! I don't need F-18 gear as I land by the book!???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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