BRAZOS AREA RECREATIONAL FLYERS BRAGGING AND GOSSIP EAA Chapter 983 Newsletter January 2003 EAA Chapter 983, P.O. Box 5191, Granbury, Tx. 76049 Website http://www.eaa983.org

Chapter 983 meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 AM. in Ken houseman's hangar. N.E. corner of Pecan Plantation Airpark. 

Programs for January and February are:

January 11th: Jay Harden - Update on Local Civil Air Patrol Activities

February 8th: Dave Stovall - Sentry Aircraft Cylinders - Care and Feeding of Your Cylinders

Three others are working but not firmed up yet.....Dick Jones

EAA Christmas Party

Sometimes the EAA chapter is the source of aviation knowledge and help, and sometimes it’s just a great fun group to be around. If you missed the Christmas party then your fun level is lower than it should be. Bob and Marilyn Satterwhite put on a great party. The food was wonderful, decorations were outstanding and the band took us back to the 60’s and 70’s. The dance floor was packed, bar was busy and some of us just had Toooo much fun. (just ask my bride “Mustang Donna“)

Special thanks to those who helped put the party on for us: Jackie Bricker, Debbie Steppling, Donna Berry, Debbie Keyt, Lana Kraeszig, Shalise Cash, Bonnie Lewis, Debbie Scanlon, Monica Capps, and Karen Jensen

 

Monte Barrett on Overhauls

 

Last summer Monte wrote a lengthy article for a biplane group on overhauling engines , in particular the IO-540.  While you may not own this power plant , the facts and information in the article are quite appropriate to any overhaul you may undertake in the future.  His article will appear in several installments over the coming months.

 I have refrained from using this forum to promote engine sales, hype my engine shop or anything that could be construed as a business discussion about aircraft engines.  My personal position on that is this is not the place.  I belong to this group because it is a good source of ideas about how to, why for’s , don’t ever-s and all the other things that are unique to a home built biplane. I am going to...lay out some facts, (they are facts, not opinions), some hard numbers, and other bits of information you may find helpful in making an engine decision.

1. The subject engine is going to be limited to the Lycoming 10-540-models.  It seems to be the most desired engine for the most builders and I agree with that selection.  2.  An engine that is available from a Salvage Yard, an Insurance Underwriter, or an accident airplane is there for a reason, that reason being the airplane crashed and / or was not repairable from an natural disaster such as wind-hail damage.  An exception to this is when an engine is Time Expired.  If it is an Insurance engine, it has sat in someone’s salvage yard for at least 6 months and likely longer.  It takes that long for all the players, including the FAA-NTSB, to get all the releases done.  In most of these cases the logbooks are NOT available.  The cause of a majority of airplane crashes is powerplant stoppage, whether lack of fuel or a catastrophic failure, the engine was the first component to the scene of the accident, therefore it has a more than likely chance of sustaining damage, even internally that cannot be detected without disassembly.  3.   Log Books, Yellow Tags, and Factory Statements pertaining to the “Manufacture and Inspection per FAR 21.303” only mean that the person who executed the document can write.  That’s all.  The WORST quality control in history is taking place right now with the manufacturers. 

Engine overhaul is for INSPECTION PURPOSES!  There are just certain parts the manufacturer does NOT want you to use again.  Notice I didn’t say anything about a “REPAIRED” engine.  The parts Lycoming does not want you to use over are spelled out in Service Bulletin 240.  It includes the obvious things like locking devices, seals and gaskets, but also includes a whole list of stuff to be retired from service.

By INSPECTION, I mean that each part is visually inspected, has NDI performed on it, is measured precisely, reworked (when specific approved methods are employed), re-assembled IAW p/n 60294-7 OHM, and tested.  Unless the test is done with calibrated stuff, FAR Pt 43.9 says that it CANNOT BE CALLED OVERHAULED.  A lot of repair stations have lost their certificate, been fined, etc. for violation of this rule.  So have a lot of A & P mechanics.  That is only ONE of the differences between an OVERHAULED engine and a REPAIRED engine.                                

 More from Monte in next months issue...

EAA Sportair workshops are going to be held in Dallas on March 8 & 9. You can enroll in one of the following workshops: sheet metal, fabric covering, composites, wiring, or gas welding. Each two day course has a fee of about $260. Call Charlie Becker at 800 967-5746 or www.sportair.com

 Page 1, Picture #3 - Who is that guy in the background and was he successful in cutting one out of the pack? Answ. p.3

Chapter members Steve and Barbara Wilson came from one of those places up ”Nawth” where they had lots of fun with a group who got together on Sundays and flew out for Brunch. Not much in the organization area just a  “We’re leavin’ then,  goin’ there, see ya if you make it ” kinda thing. A couple of weeks ago the Askins, Berry, Tuckers, Shanes, Sassers, Erskines, Jensens, and both sets of Wilsons went to Kezer for Brunch at the Wild Onion. If you’d like to be on the e-mail list for future fly-outs send yours to Steve and Barb at:  stephen.wilson@charter.net They are planning one for Jan. 5th.