daily pic

[Roger Roger]

Dear FBO tug operator: you're an idiot. Turn limits are placarded for a reason, a $580+labor reason. Honestly I was surprised it was that 'cheap'.

honestly shocked that it was that cheap for that part. I'd have guessed $3k minimum.

 

[ZeroPapaGolf]

honestly shocked that it was that cheap for that part. I'd have guessed $3k minimum.

Yeah, me too!

 

[Roger Roger]

Yeah, me too!

Assuming you bought it from a junkyard?

 

[JustinS]

Caught this one arriving at Moffett Field this evening.

 

[ZeroPapaGolf]

Assuming you bought it from a junkyard?

S&B Industries in Utah. They rebuild them or something. That's where we got one the last time this happened (5 or 6 years ago). It's $580 with a $1000 core deposit until they get your broken one back.

 

[GX]

Dear FBO tug operator: you're an idiot. Turn limits are placarded for a reason, a $580+labor reason. Honestly I was surprised it was that 'cheap'.

For the ignorant: Can you explain what I am looking at? Aircraft, and where the damage is?

 

[ZeroPapaGolf]

For the ignorant: Can you explain what I am looking at? Aircraft, and where the damage is?

It's the nose gear on a PA-31. There's a crack in the turn limit stop, right about where the shadow is in that photo. It's caused by careless FBO guys moving the aircraft with a tractor-type tug and trying to crank the nose gear over too sharp. Most often found after a night in a hangar, when they try to wedge it in the back corner.

 

[GX]

It's the nose gear on a PA-31. There's a crack in the turn limit stop, right about where the shadow is in that photo. It's caused by careless FBO guys moving the aircraft with a tractor-type tug and trying to crank the nose gear over too sharp. Most often found after a night in a hangar, when they try to wedge it in the back corner.

Jesus. Bummer deal.

 

[ArcherII]

It is actually pretty common, sadly.

 

[rframe]

Way back (two decades ago now) when I worked as a line guy, I saw a lot of nose gear turn limits that were bent and broken, I'd always be sure to note it and refuse or make the pilot acknowledge it was like that before we'd tow it so we didn't get the blame.

 

[JustinS]

Way back (two decades ago now) when I worked as a line guy, I saw a lot of nose gear turn limits that were bent and broken, I'd always be sure to note it and refuse or make the pilot acknowledge it was like that before we'd tow it so we didn't get the blame.

Good call! Was that something you saw pretty regularly??

 

[rframe]

Good call! Was that something you saw pretty regularly??

It wasn't an every day thing, but I remember it not being too uncommon.

 

[ZeroPapaGolf]

The last time it got broken was in RST, and the FBO paid to have it replaced. This time I had stupidly not checked it for the last few flights so I couldn't lean too hard on the guys at LIT to pay for it, even though I'm 99.9% certain. They're the only place I had been that uses a tractor and towbar, and they had hangared it in a very full hanger (tornados coming through).

 

[rframe]

Thou shalt not fixate.

 

[EIR]

A fourteener in the background.

 

[ClarkGriswold]

Thanks. I am, made the switch a few months ago.

In the 72 or the Convair? They have Convairs right?

 

[Adler]

In the 72 or the Convair? They have Convairs right?

I'm just engineering on the 72. They do have a ton of Convairs and Flacons, but I couldn't turn down a chance at the Jurassic Jet.

 

[Adler]

A fourteener in the background.

Did you move near a lake?

 

[Adler]

Probably one of the coolest looking aerial survey planes ever.

Survey GTi by I Adler, on Flickr

The bomb door

 

[EIR]

Did you move near a lake?

No, it's a small lake / pond 2 mi north of us.