Not doing anyone any favors...

[trafficinsight]

"I like to keep my airplane in top condition so let me know what you find."

"We have discovered that the magnetos on your engine are mismatched, incorrect for this engine, timed incorrectly and, it seems, completely randomly, and there is no way to time them properly based on the fact that there is no data available for this combination of engine and magnetos. We're honestly not even sure how this engine runs"

"What? You can't be serious, I've had those mags for 15 years and they've been fine and everyone has signed them off. The airplane is experimental anyway so I can do whatever I want. I'm not buying new mags."


True story.

Please, if you're a mechanic, don't allow people to bully you into signing for things that are completely heinous. I'm tired of being berated by cheap ass (I guess you can say that here.) owners.

Maybe nothing happens this year or next year, or maybe ever but why are you betting your livelihood on covering for someone who has a lot more money than you do and just refuses to shoot the lock off of their wallet? Why are you kicking the can down the road to the next poor girl or guy who has to get tough?

Have standards, apply them.

Thanks.

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[trafficinsight]

I'd like to add that we have spoken with the two previous people who signed condition inspections for this airplane and they both said "I told <owner> that those mags weren't right."


WHY DID YOU SIGN FOR THEM?

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[Roger Roger]

I'd like to add that we have spoken with the two previous people who signed condition inspections for this airplane and they both said "I told <owner> that those mags weren't right."


WHY DID YOU SIGN FOR THEM?

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There's some stuff that's a judgment call and applying the "sumbitch flew in..." rule isn't going to hurt anything.

Correct magnetos is not one of them.

 

[NickH]

If it's an experimental, he can put whatever type of magnetos he wants. He can design and build his own engine and glue it on the front. Inspect it, note the discrepancies and advise the owner to buy new mags. If you think this is bad...

 

[BigZ]

If it's an experimental, he can put whatever type of magnetos he wants. He can design and build his own engine and glue it on the front. Inspect it, note the discrepancies and advise the owner to buy new mags. If you think this is bad...

This pretty much.
We built an angle valve 320 once (480 jugs on 320 case) - the thing was a monster. Until the next guy tried to run it without oil.
And then there's CubCrafters early SportCubs where the mag/engine/prop combos were causing enough resonance to fatigue the mag shafts in under 50 hrs.

 

[bike21]

jugs

 

[knot4u]

It's getting ugly out there for some of the older jets, pretty much anything with TFE-731s designed before 1990. The purchase price for a lot of these planes is relatively low and people who have never owned an airplane are buying them. When the cost of maintaining them becomes a reality they think it's like a car, they can just put off the maintenance and keep on rolling. The best way to protect yourself in a situation like that is to include any airworthiness issues that the owner decides to not address in your log book entry and, where applicable, maintenance release.

 

[falconvalley]

This isn't limited to private owners. My company's maintenance control told the contractor working on a jet I was flying to sign off a chipped blade as "blended". It clearly was not yet blended, as in the chip had 90ish degree angles. It wasn't a huge chip but you could see it in the shade of the nacelle. I mean, it would have taken 5 minutes to blend. But they wanted to close it out with wrong information. I realize that the engine manufacturer may allow some put-offs, but the wording isn't likely, "annotate "previously blended"." I'm sure the dude later told the story like, "and then the captain turned around and claimed to know what a blended blade looks like. What a $&@#."

 

[trafficinsight]

If it's an experimental, he can put whatever type of magnetos he wants. He can design and build his own engine and glue it on the front. Inspect it, note the discrepancies and advise the owner to buy new mags. If you think this is bad...

This is not a homebuilt and contrary to popular belief you can't always just do what you want.

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[knot4u]

This isn't limited to private owners. My company's maintenance control told the contractor working on a jet I was flying to sign off a chipped blade as "blended". It clearly was not yet blended, as in the chip had 90ish degree angles. It wasn't a huge chip but you could see it in the shade of the nacelle. I mean, it would have taken 5 minutes to blend. But they wanted to close it out with wrong information. I realize that the engine manufacturer may allow some put-offs, but the wording isn't likely, "annotate "previously blended"." I'm sure the dude later told the story like, "and then the captain turned around and claimed to know what a blended blade looks like. What a $&@#."

Sounds like MX control didn't want to open a can of worms. Assuming the engine was a 731, you might need to perform a vibe survey after blending which requires equipment that most operators don't possess. It's not a big deal if the engine is on MSP, they'll pay for a service center to come to you and complete the repair properly, but that takes time, and that is ultimately what people are trying to buy when they purchase a jet.

 

[trafficinsight]

Sounds like MX control didn't want to open a can of worms. Assuming the engine was a 731, you might need to perform a vibe survey after blending which requires equipment that most operators don't possess. It's not a big deal if the engine is on MSP, they'll pay for a service center to come to you and complete the repair properly, but that takes time, and that is ultimately what people are trying to buy when they purchase a jet.

how much FOD damage is acceptable?


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[knot4u]

how much FOD damage is acceptable?


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You'd have to reference the applicable manual, the information is there, you just need to apply it. If you're unsure, call the manufacturer, they will help you.