Scooted down to the airport today. I recently purchased a new power pack to replace the one that died some weeks ago on a nice night flight. These things are expensive but hey, what's a couple AMUs to keep you in the flying game?
So, I finally bit the bullet, bought the darn thing, brought the plane to my mech with the replacement pump in the back last week and today, thought I'd swing by to watch him install it, pretend to help and socialize.
My mechanic asked if I would be so kind as to go and taxi my magnificent winged steed from the ramp and bring it over to the hangar. "Of course! No sweat"
I removed the covers and went to open the baggage compartment door to stuff the covers back there, stuck the key in the lock, twist annnnnd snap. The key twisted itself into two pieces, one in the lock and the other in my hand. And I assume everyone here knows where the pump is located on an Arrow, right? Yeah.
All I could do was laugh. What could I do?
I had just spent a completely unreasonable amount of money for what amounts to a simple hydraulic pump that was designed nearly 100 years ago using a slide rule. This pump, of course is located behind the exact door which I had now essentially permanently locked through the use of what could be only described as a key made of a cheap metal alloy with the strength of paper mache on a damp Pac NW morning...
We got it open using a little A&P magic and from what I understand, it went in no problem. Of course, can you guess the availability of Piper key blanks at the local Ace Hardware? Yeah...
So, I finally bit the bullet, bought the darn thing, brought the plane to my mech with the replacement pump in the back last week and today, thought I'd swing by to watch him install it, pretend to help and socialize.
My mechanic asked if I would be so kind as to go and taxi my magnificent winged steed from the ramp and bring it over to the hangar. "Of course! No sweat"
I removed the covers and went to open the baggage compartment door to stuff the covers back there, stuck the key in the lock, twist annnnnd snap. The key twisted itself into two pieces, one in the lock and the other in my hand. And I assume everyone here knows where the pump is located on an Arrow, right? Yeah.
All I could do was laugh. What could I do?
I had just spent a completely unreasonable amount of money for what amounts to a simple hydraulic pump that was designed nearly 100 years ago using a slide rule. This pump, of course is located behind the exact door which I had now essentially permanently locked through the use of what could be only described as a key made of a cheap metal alloy with the strength of paper mache on a damp Pac NW morning...
We got it open using a little A&P magic and from what I understand, it went in no problem. Of course, can you guess the availability of Piper key blanks at the local Ace Hardware? Yeah...
