Piper Maintenance

[Mr_Joe]

Yes, just came out of an 'annual' a few weeks ago, now it's time to get a few things up to snuff. I started with an oil change, it wasn't that old during the annual, so I said I would do it later. Something easy for me to do.

We flew from WI to Disney World & just came back a few days ago. I drained the oil on arrival back home, left it overnight. I put in Exxon Elite 20-50, with a 1/2 pint of Camguard. New Tempest filter too.

I also put in 2 Whelen LED lights, one taxi & a landing light on one wingtip. They look just great. The other wingtip still has the traditional bulb in it. I'll leave that go for a bit.

I had to remove the wingtip to change my buld. While I had it off I gave the inside some good coverage with 'Corrosion-X'. It looked pretty good in there, a little extra protection can't hurt.

I also put an LED bulb in the burned out tail light spot. As the others burn out I plan to go with the LED versions, as much to reduce the draw as anything.

The last item is my Castleberry electric attitude gyro. It's a backup to my vaccum gyro, but started to tumble for no reason on the way back from FL. I rather like it, so after some internal debate I decided to try a factory exchange, for an overhauled unit. I got it out without to much trouble & the new one will be here this week. I had bought this gyro a bit used, so it does have a few years & hours on it. If I have problems with this echanged unit I'll consider other alternatives.

By next weekend I'll be back in action. A family member in NC is offering to fill my tank if I come visit. If she sweetens the pot with a little 'Sam Adams' I may just do it.

No matter what, there are always a few unexpected costs with aircraft ownership.

 

[johnnydc]

That sounds cool as [censored]. Hey hunny, Lets take a fly in piper. Instead of , hey hunny, lets take a ride in the Ford. Good flying and be careful.

 

[Falcon21]

What kind of Piper is it? I love flying the J-3 Cub.

 

[DrDave]

Mr Joe:

Where did you find an approved LED tail recognition light bulb? All of the ones that I have seen are not approved. I have the Whelen combo halogen/strobe white tail position. I really like the Whelen LED landing and taxi lights.

Which attitude gyro tumbled, the electric or the vacuum?

Dave

 

[Mr_Joe]

This is a 1974 Warrior, right at 3000 hrs TT & about 625 SMOH, 160 HP 0320 engine.

DrDave, The electric 'Castleberry' attitude gyro started to tumble, almost continuously once it started. There is still electrical power to the until. The net has some references to it happening after a number of years. Since I bought it used & got a few years out of it, I thought I'd give it one more go. I have it out, the replacement will come in a few days.

I got my LED tail position light from Wag-aero. Yes, it is made for an airplane, more so the 'non-certified' type. I don't consider it a 'safety of flight' item, so I have no problem putting it in. Some may say, who am I to make that determination? Not to sound snotty, but certain things work for some & not others.

 

[Mr_Joe]

My position light was made by 'PSA Enterprises'. They are heavy into aircraft lighting. When my wing position lights need replacement I may go with one of these 'paddle lights'. They just go in the same socket. They want you to switch over to a clear cover, from what I read.


http://psaenterprises.com/product.php?productid=18544&cat=457&page=1

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: DrDave
Where did you find an approved LED tail recognition light bulb? All of the ones that I have seen are not approved.


Since when did the original bulb have approval? The 4509 landing light my Cardinal uses is 100W, sealed beam, incandescent. The bulb can be made by anybody, anywhere, can be purchased at NAPA, and can be installed by a pilot with just a log book entry.

Since the original bulb was not made under a PMA (parts manufacturer approval) and not made to a TSO (technical standard order(s) ) ie. a part that is made to a certain level of performance, or better to say a "minimum performance standard"....

Many in aviation have taken the position that certain lights can be replaced with ones that are similar in performance and can't cause interference. HID setups are specifically different, can easily cause interference, operate at very high temperatures and so on.

The LED bulbs in question are often considered direct replacements for the originals.

 

[DrDave]

Cujet:

Relax. You misread the post. He and I are talking about the tail position light, not the landing/taxi light.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: DrDave
Cujet:

Relax. You misread the post. He and I are talking about the tail position light, not the landing/taxi light.


I re-read the post and I don't see where I misunderstood.

I simply gave an example of a landing light. I could have used any example of any typical aviation light bulb. Bulbs are not made under a PMA or TSO. Therefore, many feel that properly chosen LED replacement bulbs need no approval.

I've got the FAA coming to my office today to perform an audit. I'll ask the inspector for his opinion.

Many nav lights use reflector bulbs with a very specific designs, some of which are becoming hard to locate. I'm unaware of any approved bulb.