Things on my plane that are currently broken.

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

May the force be with you
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Aug 8, 2013
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Current broken stuff


Wind caught the cowl and cracked this hinge:
003.jpg 004.jpg



No idea how this broke but I am guessing it needs to be replaced sooner rather than later
002.jpg


Vantage plane plastics send me a wrong part. I told them and they said "Send us your plastic and we will try and make you the right part:
001.jpg


I have a sad plane right now :(
Annual is in 2 weeks so I guess now is a good time to have a plane in need of some love.
 
That last pic looks a bit naughty imo.
 
That sucks! Especially the cowl part. Hopefully they can take care of all that during the annual and it not take away from the kids 529's. :)

Your 3rd pic reminds me I need to order 2 new engine baffle kits as I was hoping to do mine during annual but decided to wait as I needed the plane for the Dam fly-in. Good luck on the annual!
 
What would an annual be if there weren’t anything to fix/ replace?
 
Doesn't look too bad if you can find someone good with small touch up paint work.
 
frfly172 said:
What would an annual be if there weren’t anything to fix/ replace?
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1. Your partner got the annual done earlier in the month and forgot to tell you?
2. You sold your airplane last year and still haven't gotten over it?
3. You bought a brand new Cirrus and put it into annual the week after delivery because you thought your mechanic "needed the practice"?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
No idea how this broke but I am guessing it needs to be replaced sooner rather than later
View attachment 63157
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The aluminum baffle is subject to vibration and fatigue. Not an uncommon problem at all.

Looks like you have an oil cooler at the rear of that baffle assembly, and if it is supported only the baffle (e.g. no attached to the engine mount, for example) that weight often aggravates the situation that causes the cracking.

If its just a one-off crack your mechnic won't have any problem replacing that piece. If your baffles are showing lots of other signs of fatigue cracking you may want to replace it with a new baffle kit. Airforms in Alaska is one source of these:
https://www.airforms.biz/
 
Radar Contact said:
Amazing
The equivalent of a unicorn
Awesome ending to a dream
Time to purchase some upgrades
...
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Biggest annual bills I've had were for upgrades, but I only buy hardy tailwheel bush planes and I'm OCD on operations.
 
The AOA is still functioning I hope.
 
Not sure. Noticed it the first time about a week after.
 
Make your own baffle piece from aluminum sheet. Use the old one as a template. Easy to do. Did it for my 172 before the last annual, mechanic installed it.
 
Even brand new airplanes that haven't been sold have something broke...
 
Baffle cracks on the No. 4 cylinder portion are pretty common when the oil cooler is mounted on the baffling...a significant chunk of mass there, intent on fatiguing the aluminum! A lot of the RV guys (me included) fit a baffle brace that runs just inboard of the oil cooler to either the crankcase or the backside of the No. 4 rocker box. This cuts down flexing and cracking.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
Baffle cracks on the No. 4 cylinder portion are pretty common when the oil cooler is mounted on the baffling...a significant chunk of mass there, intent on fatiguing the aluminum! A lot of the RV guys (me included) fit a baffle brace that runs just inboard of the oil cooler to either the crankcase or the backside of the No. 4 rocker box. This cuts down flexing and cracking.
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So question... I am due for an annual so I am not flying it anyway but say I found this 3 months after annual. Would you fly the plane in that condition?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
So question... I am due for an annual so I am not flying it anyway but say I found this 3 months after annual. Would you fly the plane in that condition?
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I wouldn't. If I found that on a long cross-country, I'd probably fab up a patch with a piece of strap aluminum just to get home (or drill a couple holes and lash it together with safety wire), and then fix it properly once back at my hangar. With the start-up/shutdown waggle that the engine does on its mounts, it could hurt itself more if left in that state.

With Van's baffle kits, the aluminum alloy is stronger specifically for the No. 4 cylinder baffle section...don't know the exact specs. If they crack, it's typically on the corner where the oil cooler mounts.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
I wouldn't. If I found that on a long cross-country, I'd probably fab up a patch with a piece of strap aluminum just to get home (or drill a couple holes and lash it together with safety wire), and then fix it properly once back at my hangar. With the start-up/shutdown waggle that the engine does on its mounts, it could hurt itself more if left in that state.

With Van's baffle kits, the aluminum alloy is stronger specifically for the No. 4 cylinder baffle section...don't know the exact specs. If they crack, it's typically on the corner where the oil cooler mounts.
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ok. I really appreciate this input.
I am kinda lucky that it happened so close to annual.

I don't know how I would have proceeded if it happened at another time.
Well... called my MX ans asked..
 
I'd agree with that. Vibration can really do some damage. Have them check your engine mounts at the annual, too. Also might want to look into a dynamic prop balance, if if looks like you're really getting a lot of vibration up front. Small things that make a big difference.
 
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