Canuck
David Megginson
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
- Messages
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I just went to visit my plane 3 days into its annual (December's the best time to have my plane down for an annual in Ottawa, since the weather is icy and I'm busy with holidays anyway). The vacuum pump is showing >50% wear after through the inspection port after ~750 hours in service, so it's being replaced. Otherwise, just minor screwdriver/wrench repairs: the carb heat connector was a bit crooked, the screws on one valve cover needed to be tightened (I had them replace the $3 gasket, since they were working on it anyway), and the nose wheel shimmy damper was a bit loose. They're also going to take another look at my perennially-stiff elevator trim and see if there's anything they can do to make it turn a bit more easily.
I've had a few easy annuals in a row (by "easy", I mean the maintenance to fix what the annual finds), so I felt like I was overdue for a sticker shock. Glad to have dodged it for another year.
And yes, I know that the most-likely time for a vacuum-pump failure is the next ~10 hours after a new pump has been installed, so I'll avoid IMC for a bit—not that there are many circumstances where I could fly in IMC in Jan/Feb up here anyway.
I've had a few easy annuals in a row (by "easy", I mean the maintenance to fix what the annual finds), so I felt like I was overdue for a sticker shock. Glad to have dodged it for another year.
And yes, I know that the most-likely time for a vacuum-pump failure is the next ~10 hours after a new pump has been installed, so I'll avoid IMC for a bit—not that there are many circumstances where I could fly in IMC in Jan/Feb up here anyway.
