Welcome to February. The weather is finally starting to cooperate and there is a hope of flying in the near future. So far, I’ve been able to get only one day of flying since the beginning of the year.
As some of you may have noticed, the Skywriter is still using the old club in our logo. Unfortunately, making this change has been a bit of a challenge for the applications I have. If anyone out there has a graphics package that can modify our logo to reflect the new name and is willing to do it, please drop me and e-mail and I’ll send you the current one.
AME school is coming along well. This term is heavy on the shop work and a lot lighter on theory. We’ve already completed inspections on the Gulfstream G1, Boeing 737 and Cessna 185. We got to run the G1’s Rolls Royce turbines and swap the C-185 from skis to wheels to amphibious floats.
The theory classes have been primarily avionics. One course is concentrated on control systems like autopilots, slave compasses and radar systems. The other electronics course covers the use of standard avionics systems like ADF, VOR, HIS, RMI, ADI, and other TLA’s – that would be “Three Letter Acronyms”.
One course we’re taking is in technical documents. An interesting rule of thumb is taught in this course which helps in understanding how log entries should be made. Basically put, there are three things that must be included in a log entry:
i) What work was done. This, simply put, is what was done to the plane. ie. annual inspection, replace landing light, change tires, etc.
ii) What authority under which the work was done. For certified aircraft, this may be the maintenance manual or STC document for modifications. For homebuilts, this can be AC.43-13.
iii) What was the result? On an annual inspection this could be as simple as “No defects found”. If you replace a light bulb, “Function test – satisfactory”.
After you conduct maintenance on your aircraft, you should also include a maintenance release statement such as:
“The described maintenance has been performed in accordance with the applicable airworthiness requirements.”
Another rule which should also be followed is the use of Independent Control Checks (ICC) or dual inspections. These are required whenever primary flight controls or engine controls are worked on. An ICC can be performed by any qualified person such as a pilot or AME. Inspections should ensure that fasteners are properly installed and safetied and that the controls are free and correct. The ICC should be performed and signed out BEFORE the maintenance release. In this case, the following entry should be made by the individual doing the check:
“I have conducted an inspection for conformance to the type of flight/power plant controls that were affected by the work accomplished.”
Finally, some maintenance tasks require a flight test to ensure that the work is satisfactory such as adjusting wing struts to trim out an undesired roll. In this case, the maintenance cannot be released until the flight is done to confirm that the problem is fixed. A conditional maintenance release can be entered to allow for the flight test as follows:
“The described maintenance has been performed in accordance with the applicable airworthiness requirements, subject to the satisfactory flight test” The pilot conducting the flight test must enter that the “flight test conducted – satisfactory”. This releases the aircraft to normal flight and also covers requirement iii) above.
With less than three months to go, I’ve started to do a little job hunting (hint, hint). I’m certainly looking forward to getting back into the work force. Although there has definitely been a downturn in the economy in general, there still seems to be a reasonably good interest in hiring AME apprentices.
This week I was looking over the AIP Supplements and Aeronautical Information Circulars (AIC) published by Nav Canada. Of interest is AIC 44/08 which the replacement of the old Automated Weather Observation Systems (AWOS) and Limited Weather Information Systems (LWIS). These 20-year-old systems will be replaced with updated systems over the next four years. These systems include numerous new features and reporting criteria. One of the neat features is the addition of digital weather cameras (WxCam). For more information check out the AIC at:
http://www.navcanada.ca/ContentDefinitionFiles/Publ ications/AeronauticalInfoProducts/AIP/Current/PDF/E N/part_5_aic/5aic_eng.pdf
Once again, I’m in need of articles for the Skywriter. Please send me anything you might have…
See you Thursday night.
Calgary Recreational Flying Club YYC 