A Little Better ... At Least For Now -

[Daleandee]

Seems to be a better year for costs as compared to recent years. Small numbers to be sure but for a lowly Sport Pilot the nickels add up.

This year my condition inspection went very well and the cost was minimal with no concerning, costly items needing to be serviced/replaced.

Just had my transponder certification done and it was $50.00 less than two years ago.

Most surprising is that my insurance quote came in almost 20% lower than last year.

Fuel (100LL) while not much cheaper than earlier isn't showing a rise in cost at ~ $5.30-$5.50 a gallon at most nearby unattended airports. Mogas (E-free 90) is even a bit lower.

Just wondering if others have noticed a small break in the cost of being legally high ...

 

[Lndwarrior]

Well, my condition inspection on my homebuilt light sport cost about $100 (did it myself). And the oil change had been done prior.

I started lugging gas cans to the airport because my O-235 has less plug fouling with it. Doesn't hurt that it's cheaper than a gas.

I should add pretty much everything on my aircraft is new, or near new - mags, starter, alternator, carburetor. In the past year or two I've replaced almost every seal and gasket , including the prop seal. Hopefully I will get a few more inexpensive years out of it.

My condition inspection checklist is very thorough - it is 47 pages long and takes me about a week, working 4 or 5 hours a day.

 

[kyleb]

This year my condition inspection went very well and the cost was minimal with no concerning, costly items needing to be serviced/replaced.

My condition inspection started with finding a cotter pin (or part of one) in the oil screen. It didn't get better from there...

 

[Daleandee]

My condition inspection started with finding a cotter pin (or part of one) in the oil screen. It didn't get better from there...

We'll need a follow-up on this ...

 

[kyleb]

We'll need a follow-up on this ...

Cotter pin from the left mag gear. The same left mag that has left me AOG 3 different times in 2 years, plus the cotter pin failure, so 4 times. The mag was replaced once and rebuilt another time. The -540 has a bearing that supports the front end of the mag drive. Either that bearing failed and took out the mag or vice versa. Among other things, when the bearing failed, the balls cycled through the accessory case geartrain and damaged a couple of gears, plus left the balls in the sump. Engine teardown, no damage to bearings, crank, oil pump, etc. When the bearing failed, it also allowed the mag drive to wallow around and damage the boss in the left half of the engine crankcase. So that had to be sent to Crankcase Services to be welded and machined for the bearing. Apparently a fairly common problem/repair.

The engine didn't even hiccup as the mag and bearing were failing. I got home after Oshkosh then started the condition inspection the next weekend. That was when I found the cotter, pulled the mag (the only place inside the engine I can remember a cotter pin) and saw the mag/bearing/case damage.

All back together now, and the engine is rehung, but there are at least two full days of work in front of me to reinstall all the accessories, baffles, exhaust, prop, and reconnect the wires and hoses. After 4 mag failures I'm replacing the left mag with an SDS EI. Which (I assume) will take a couple more full days of work to install and bring up to flying status. We're headed out of town tomorrow, so I won't get back to it until after Thanksgiving. I'll probably only be able to work on it a few hours each weekend between now and Christmas. My unlighted, unheated hangar makes it hard to much during the week.

However, now that the engine is back on, I can move the airplane. (With the engine off, you need a sawhorse under the tail or bad things happen. So moving it was problematic once the engine was off.) Thinking about it, I have a good relationship with the local paint shop and they might let me put it in a corner so I can work in heated space. Need to touch base with them about that...

 

[Jim K]

I was doing great. My plane went from last year's annual to this one without going into the shop; a first for me.

Then I got a surprise engine overhaul. Sigh.