Window Installed!

After waiting for a few days for the vulcanized rubber tape to arrive, I was able to take another stab at installing the pax side door window.  The rubber didn't adhere to the glass quite as efficiently as the YT video would have suggested, but my son and I kept working it with our fingers, and eventually got it to adhere well enough to attempt to slide the window in.  I was concerned that the soapy water would force it to separate, but we lined it up in the channels, and much to our surprise, it slid in incredibly easily.  The rubber tape bunched up a bit at the point where the frame attached, and I trimmed it with a box cutter - just like in the video.  My son and I used the pop rivet gun to reinstall aluminum rivets to attach the frame again.  Success.

New window looks and fits great!

The next day we drove up to the airport early in the morning.  The plan was to install the new window and frame in the door, and then remove the pilot side window frame to take that home to work on.  We accomplished 50% of that.

Getting the new spring into the small hole it hooked onto was difficult, and it probably took me 20-minutes or so to find a way to do it with pliers and a lot of manipulation.  Eventually it was on, though, and I taped it in place using some painters tape to hold it while we riveted the frame hinge back to the door.  

Riveting the frame back to the door presented some challenges that I hadn't anticipated.  To get the holes to line up with the drilled out ones on the door meant closing the gap between the door seal and the end of the frame.  That gap was slightly too small for the head of the rivet gun to reach it, so it took a bit of work and peeling back the seal on the door frame to get it to work, which it eventually did.

Funny side note -  I had noted that there were two rusted springs in the door that I removed.  When I went back to the spring I had taped it was gone.  We looked everywhere - couldn't hear or feel it moving in the window frame, but also didn't see it anywhere we were working.  Possibly it got itself lodged in the frame in one of the 90-degree bends.  Fortunately I had the other spring I had intended to use for the pilot side door and installed that.  Took some work but managed to get it hooked in, and my son was able to get it wrapped around the return hinge.  With that done, we installed the door back on.  Easy peezy.

Since I'll need a new spring, I decided to wait until after the holidays to do the pilot side door.  That window isn't as bad as the pax side one was, so it can certainly wait.

New window!

Time to Install Some Windows

I'm grateful that the FAA considers installation of the door windows to be eligible for pilot/owner maintenance under Part 43 (based on my extensive research and conversations).  Still, it is a bit surprising just based on how the FAA works in pretty much every other area.  

4TV was moved back out onto the ramp yesterday while it awaits the left mag to return from its overhaul.  With the work likely not to be done until next week, and with the family and I traveling for the holiday then, I wanted to go up to the airport to drop the tailBeacon off with the avionics shop on the field anyways, so it seemed like a good opportunity to try and get one of the windows done.

My son and I pulled my car up between my airplane the one one next to it to get started.  The co-pilot side widow is the worst - with heavy glazing and some type of white substance in areas that makes visibility challenging, so I figured I'd knock that one out before the pilot side.  

Co-pilot side window showing white sticky substance in addition to glazing

Surprisingly, the co-pilot side door  was super easy to pull off.  It consisted of two pins running down the hinge that were easily slid out.  Easy-peasy and my son and I took it to the back of my truck to start the work of removing the frame.

Removing the rivets was not as easy as the videos I watched made it out to be.  First off, the rivet side that I had going up into the hinge that connected the frame to the door was not the end with the rivet going through the ring, but rather the flat end.  Careful drilling and some chipping away finally got rid of them, and I was able to pop the window off.  

Having my son helped in securing it while I worked on the rivets

I was going to try to do the pilot side window as well, but discovered that the hinge attachments on that side were screwed in.  The second screw I tried to release was stuck on too good for my small screwdriver - so not wanting to risk stripping it, I figured I'd come back with a larger one later.  I taped up a plastic bag around the exposed co-pilot side window and headed home.

Super ghetto!

Two additional things were more difficult than I anticipated.  Once I had the rivets out of the area that connects the two ends of the frame together, I discovered that separating the parts wasn't easy.  I also discovered that I removed three rivets I didn't need to, but that's not a big deal.  Eventually I slipped a flathead screw driver into the seem and worked it enough to get some separation that eventually allowed me to use my foot to pull the two sides apart.

Second - removing the window itself was difficult.  It didn't want to come out easily, even with soapy water, so I found I had to break it and pull on the pieces.  this probably took 30-minutes, and the old u-channel didn't want to come out easily either.  Eventually it all did, butt this took some time. I cleaned out out the channel and stared at the bare aluminum frame, realizing that I should probably paint it - if just to look better.  A quick run to Home Depot for some spray primer/paint in winter gray (close enough to the cabin panels), followed by painting, and then off to bed to let it dry.

Side note - when dumping all the loose parts from the frame, two springs popped out.  I suppose that someone dropped a spring in the frame when trying to install it previously, which made me laugh.  Both were heavily rusted.

The next morning I decided to give setting the window a shot.  I hard ordered a u channel from the manufacturer and carefully worked it around the window, which I had prepped by pulling back some of the protective layer around the edges.  Point of annoyance - the logbook sticker for the window was attached to this - so apparently I have to cut it out to apply to my logbook.

While the channel went on fairly easily, my efforts to get it in the frame met with failure.  I had applied extensive soapy water on all parts, per the video I watched.  The problem is, that same soapy water made the u-channel slip from the window.  I didn't get very far before realizing it wasn't going to work, and that I needed to go to my day job.

While the u-channel connected well, it slipped due to the water/soap when trying to set it in the frame

Stopping the project for now while I wait for vulcanized rubber tape to be delivered.  This is what was recommended on the YouTube video that's out there, and I can now see why.  With that tape adhering to the window, it should make it easier to get the window in the frame.  More to come in Part Two.

Finally - Some Good News!

One of the variables affecting the cost of the annual that turned out not to be an annual was the control cables.  They showed spots of some sort of either corrosion or paint transfer near the tail for the rudder and elevator cables.  The aileron crossover cable also showed similar coloring.  The pre-buy mechanic must have missed this despite it being very easy to see when you opened the inspection port on the empennage:

The dark spots of questionable corrosion - that turned out to be light enough to clean, with no metal penetration!

The plan was to attempt to clean and treat the cables.  If the discoloring was able to be cleaned up and demonstrated no delamination of the steel cabling, then I wouldn't need to replace the cables.  In fact, they'd probably be good for several years so long as treatments were continued.  If not, I would need to replace the cables entirely - to the tune of over $4,800.

In bad need of a win, I texted the A&P from a flight I was on yesterday.  With their backlog full hangar of planes being worked on, he apologized that he hadn't gotten back to me - but the cleaning worked, and the inspector judged that the cables were in a condition that would pass annual.  Given these guys' close eye to details and by the book style, that's a huge vote of confidence.  So instead of a $4,800 repair, I instead paid $390 (or that was what I was quoted) to clean the cables.  Will call that a win!

They're motivated to get 4TV done and out of the hangar to make room for other planes waiting, so we're hoping everything should be wrapped up by middle of next week.

The Annual that Wasn't

Got the call from the A&P yesterday.  The annual inspection results weren't great.  Not as bad as they could have been, but not great.  

The bad news first.  While the pre-buy caught several important things, it missed a whole bunch of others that are real headscratchers.  The most egregious was a random bolt the size of a finger floating around one of the wings, and a bunch of blue work towels left in the same wing.  How do you miss those?  No idea.  Corrosion on the elevator and rudder cables was another - clearly seen through the inspection port.  The total price originally quoted to do all airworthy, recommended and owner requested options: North of $28K.  Not a typo, and the A&P prepared me for that.  There's some context to this which I'll explain in a bit, and it's not quite as bad as it sounds.

The good news is that there isn't anything fundamentally wrong with the airframe.  When the inspector first looked into the interior he found a bit of old metal debris, which had him assuming they were going to find substantial corrosion.  Fortunately, they didn't.  The spar looked good and overall corrosion (except for the aforementioned cables) was consistent with a plane of its age and manageable, which the A&P inspector had also noted.  The inspector figures that when the somewhat sloppy paint job was done by the owner, that some of the stripping chemicals dropped down through one of the flap openings and ran down the interior where they found the debris.  

Here's a list of the airworthy items, totaling $12,140 in estimated repairs:

A few comments:

• The seat pan crack on the co-pilot side was something he had ID'd previously.  Cost to repair is estimated at $4,150.  This is the single largest item on the list and is an airworthy item.  I had him show me the crack, and I would have never have noticed it, so I don't blame the pre-buy for not catching it necessarily.  
• When the plane all of a sudden went from starting like a champ to nothing, I figured a solenoid had gone bad on the starter system, and I was right.  Cost to replace, $512.
• Vacuum pump screw was showing now thread.
• Muffler crack was in the base of the exhaust system.  Again, it was hard for me to spot, but you could see it.  Given the CO2 risks, definitely fixing that.  $1,219
• The bushings looked like they had been on a plane that sat and then all of a sudden flew again, causing damage to them.  $866 for the elevator ones and $690 for the rudder.
• Small leak on the left sender needs to be fixed - $328
• Both fuel gaskets - $150
• Bolt on pulley in right flap - I saw this first hand.  Just not screwed in all the way.  $130.
• Adjust aileron cable tension - yes please, for $195
• Adjust flap cable tension - sure, $195
• ADD77-02-09.  Probably noted in the missing first log book, but because I don't have it, $260.
• Replace grease felt RH wheel hub - $249
• Seat belt fraying - $860, but more on that in a bit.
• Mag compass low on fluid and missing card - $340
• Aircraft pitot-static missing sump bottle.  Also, it's not attached to the static port.  You read that right.  $413
• Cleaning and treating corrosion on flight control cables - $390 (more on this in a minute)
• Crack in seat pan on co-pilot side - $4,150

While not all of these are an immediate safety issue, they're all legit airworthy items, and it is great to know that the inspector found them, even if it is a pain in the ass to have to deal with them.

The biggest expense on the recommended items is the replacement of the cables with corrosion.  They're also listed as recommended because we don't know if it'll need it.  The cleaning of the flight control cables mentioned above may be able to eliminate the spots, and if it hasn't broken into the metal and isn't showing signs of metal distress, then the airplane won't need new cables.  I asked the A&P if I was looking at 50/50 odds, and he was more optimistic - thinking 90% of the damage could likely be cleaned away.  Replacing the cables would be an additional $4.840, so I am highly motivated for some good news here.

A few other comments:

• So I asked - does it really take an hour of labor to remove a wasp's nest?  Probably not.  Come to find out that the A&P prices all tasks at at least an hour, even though many will be a fraction of that.  That way he plans for the worst case scenario and is rarely having to quote a client more.  Originally I hadn't included cleaning the bird and wasp nests out, but upon hearing this, I OK'd him to do it.
• Same with the safety wires.  Legal to do as owner/pilot, which I would have in lieu of paying for an hour of labor, but likely much less than that.  Same for the gaskets.
• I authorized the left magneto work - going to wait on the right.  Enough people agreed that 200 hours past inspection was way too much.  $1,060, but that was based on a high end estimate of the time to overhaul the mag, so hopefully less.
• Nose gear work is going to wait.  The shimmy appears to be gone, so unless it comes back, I'm deferring.  
  
• Current cowl fasteners will have to do for now.
• Yes on the corrosion treatment at $350 - need to keep it manageable.

Requested items:

• Took the windows, return springs and tailBeacon home with me.  Going to try doing the windows myself as I originally planned.  Also found an avionics shop that quoted two hours to do the tailBeacon, including the STC paperwork with the FAA.
• No OAT probe, as I'm not going to be adding an AV-20 before the annual now.
• Will sort out the beacon COM interferrence later.
• Will deal with the rigging later - left hand bank wasn't as big a problem with someone in the right seat.  Want to explore this more.

Final decision:

I'm deferring the annual.  Since the plane is still legal until May, I can fix the items that really need fixing, and wait on some of the items that are required, but not affecting safety.  The crack in the seat pan is the biggest of these - that can wait till May, and the A&P agreed.  The seat belt quote was for replacing all seat belts in order to match.  I'm fine trying to find one on my own, and I may be able to attach it myself legally.  Mag compass can wait as well.  

Of course I'm going to have to pay the annual charge again in 6-months, but that seems like a wortwhile cost to defer some of these MX costs I can't stomach all at once.  

In the end, I'm glad I opted to do the annual early - primarily because the airplane WAS NOT safe to fly in its current condition, but secondarily so I can spread the costs out over a bit of time.

So no longer an annual, but rather heavy maintenance.  If the cables need replacing, I'm probably looking at $14K in repairs right now.  If they can be repaired, I'm hoping it's closer to $9K.  Will know tonight.