FAA AD BiWeekly

Looking for the FAA Biweekly number and date range?

There are two places to find it:

1) First, LOGIN

On the main Member Dashboard, scroll your screen down a bit, and look for a section called “Last Updated“.   You can view and PRINT the dates:

2) Also in the FORMS section, you can PRINT a sheet with the Dates of the Current Revision Status.

Follow this path:

Forms / Checklists > FAA / Custom Forms > Required Technical Library Form > PRINT:

PRINT the RTLF (Required Technical Library Form) – Example below:

Need a BLANK form?  Click the link BELOW:

RTLF – Required Technical Library Form

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Have questions? Need help? Contact us at (540) 217-4471
9 AM -5 PM M-Thurs Eastern Time
Closed Friday thru Sunday

How to VOID an Invoice or Quote

A recent customer question was “How do I void a Quote”?

Currently there is no button to Void out a Quote, or Invoice.

A quick work-around could be to:

1. Click the Edit Invoice screen, and write “VOID” in the Status, Terms and Maintenance Release fields. (This will help quickly identify the voided quote when you search for it in your list).

2. While in the Edit Invoice screen, you could uncheck the Quote box, if you no longer want the watermark/stamp to appear.  

3. Another place to type “VOID” into would be the Misc section of the Quote/Invoice, if you like. 

RELATED ARTICLE:

Quote Status for Invoices

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Have questions? Need help? Contact us at (540) 217-4471
9 AM -5 PM M-Thurs Eastern Time
Closed Friday thru Sunday

Piper Wing Spar Fatigue Cracks SAIB 2022-20

A new SAIB has come to our attention.

This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) alerts all owners, operators, maintenance technicians, and inspectors of Piper Aircraft, Inc. (Piper) PA-28 and PA-32 airplanes of information gathered as a result of a fatal accident of a Piper Model PA-28R-201 airplane in 2018 and the inspection findings that followed.

The accident, determined to be caused by fatigue cracks in the lower spar cap, resulted in the  FAA issuing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2020-26-16, which requires several actions including a one-time inspection of certain lower spar cap bolt holes. AD 2020-26-16 was issued as an interim action and requires reporting certain inspection information to the FAA to help determine the number of cracks present in the fleet. The inspection reports received by the FAA thus far indicate the presence of numerous cracks and hole-quality issues in a significant number of airplanes.

Click the link below to read the full Bulletin:

Click to access SAIB_2022-20.pdf

This is information only. Recommendations are not mandatory.

AOPA has this to say about it:

“The FAA issued AD 2020-26-16 in the wake of a 2018 in-flight wing separation on a Piper PA–28R-201. The accident, which killed the commercial pilot applicant and designated pilot examiner during a practical test, was found to be caused by fatigue cracks in the lower spar cap. The interim AD, among other actions, calls for a one-time inspection of certain lower spar cap bolt holes to help determine the number of cracks present in the fleet.

According to the SAIB, the FAA and Piper found that 115 of 2,880 aircraft reported having crack indications. Twenty-five percent of those indications were later confirmed to be hole damage or corrosion and not a crack.

The SAIB indicated that the inspection reports received by the FAA have indicated the “presence of numerous cracks and hole-quality issues in a significant number of airplanes.”

Concerned with the possibility of additional in-flight wing separations, the FAA is working toward finding a final AD action to address this safety issue. Currently, the actions specified in the SAIB are not mandatory; however, the FAA is seeking voluntary feedback from the pilot community regarding the availability of eddy current inspectors, the Factored Service Hours approach, and any field reports of cracks or damage not already reported, to help determine further action.

“Analysis of the AD inspection data along with additional analysis by various contributors, including Piper and the U.S. Air Force, is guiding the FAA to develop further corrective action. These analyses are indicating a possible need for frequent inspections, and inspections of additional airplanes beyond those initially inspected per AD 2020-26-16, to ensure proactive detection of fatigue cracks.”

AOPA will continue to work closely with the FAA on this significant AD and to collect and disseminate as much information as possible to ensure the AD supports the continued operational safety of the impacted aircraft in the most tailored way. To help AOPA in this effort, owners of airplanes subject to, or potentially subject to, eddy current inspection of wing spars as outlined in an airworthiness directive for Piper PA–28 and PA–32 aircraft are asked to help AOPA understand inspection costs and availability by completing this survey.”

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Are you a Zook Subscriber?  If you are and would like to read AD 2020-26-16:

1) First, LOGIN here:  https://www.airworthinessdirectives.com/Account/Login

2) then run a search for AD 2020-26-16

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Have questions?  Need help?  Contact us at (540) 217-4471   9-5 M-F Eastern Time

Need a Basic AD List?

Though we offer Serial Number Specific AD Reports, we also offer the most basic AD Lists.

1) Open you Aircraft Profile. Towards tthe right side of your screen, you’ll see the Airframe ADs:

2) Click the white Print AD List button:

3) Print the on screen PDF list to your printer:

You can download and Save it to your computer as well, if you like.

Here is another METHOD to print a basic AD, if you don’t have an Aircraft Profile:

1) On the LEFT panel, click AD & TCD Search, then click Airframe AD & TCD:

2) In the Model field, type in your Model Number and click the Search button. For this example, we’ll use R182:

3) From the Results List, locate your Model, and click on the View AD List (_):

4) Your AD List will appear.

Click the white PRINT AD LIST button towards the top, to display a PDF page that you can save or print.

The AD list will appear similar to this:

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Have more questions?

Contact us at:   (540) 217-4471   M-F   9-5   EST

How to Delete an Aircraft Profile

Deleting an Aircraft Profile is easy, but it is permanent.

1. Locate and View the AC Profile you want to Delete:

2. In the opened AC Profile, locate and click the DELETE button:

3. You will see a warning.   If you are sure, click the red “Yes, delete this aircraft profile” button, or No, Cancel to return to the Profile:

*Please keep in mind that the DELETE function is PERMANENT.  We cannot retrieve any deleted items.

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Have more questions?

Have questions? Need help? Contact us at (540) 217-4471
9 AM -5 PM,  M-Thurs Eastern Time
Closed Friday thru Sunday

Weight and Balance Revision Issues

Weight and Balance Revision Issues?

Calculations seem off?  Check your numbers!  Specifically those in the “As Received” section.  Many times, those figures are the main culprit when the calculations seem off.

Keep the following calculations in mind as you fill out the Form (the numbers are there for example):

The top 3 sections of the Form require hand-typed numbers.  Are they ALL correct?

Real life scenario:  A customer called thinking that the Forms calculations were incorrect.  After much review, it was discovered that his “Empty Weight” figures were off, along with his “As Received” numbers, and lastly, his “Maximum Allowable Weight” was 3600 instead of 3850 which threw his new “Useful Load” off by 250.  Once he corrected all the figures, the Calculations displayed correctly.

Before you call, please check your numbers.

This is and example of what your PRINT out could look like:

Still reading?  We’re happy to elaborate more…

We’ll be going through the entire form, one section, and field, at a time:

WEIGHT / CG RANGE:

    • Maximum Allowable Weight:  this comes from the Manual.
    • Calculation: Maximum Allowable Weight, less Empty Weight, must equal Useful Load, mathematically.
    • CG Range, FWD and AFT.  These are for your reference.  They come from the TCD Sheet.  They are NOT included in any automated calculations.

AS RECEIVED:  (Typically, “As Received” means someone else weighed the aircraft, before you received it)

    • Previous Weight and Balance Date:  This date is always before you received it.
    • Empty Weight:  This number comes from the last document or report as W&B Calculations.
    • Useful Load:  Maximum Weight – Empty Weight = Useful Load
    • Empty Weight CG:  Measurement from Datum Line
    • Moment:  Empty Weight  x Empty Weight CG = Moment

REVISIONS:  (What has been removed, and what has been added.)

  • Weight x Arm = Moment
  • When you remove an item, be sure to include the minus (-) sign before the numbers.
  • The Moment will be auto-calculated, after you have added the Weight and Arm, then click Save.

NEW:  (In this section, all numbers are auto-calculated.)

  • Choose either As Calculated or As Weighed, click SAVE.

*We strongly encourage you to click the green SAVE button often.  Better to know your work is saved, than to risk losing it.

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Here’s a great W&B reference video, from AeroGuard:
https://www.flyaeroguard.com/learning-center/calculate-weight-balance/

Loaded Weight, Center of Gravity and Moment changes by Flight Study:
https://www.flight-study.com/2021/04/determining-loaded-weight-and-cg.html

Want to review the FAA’s Weight and Balance Handbook?

Click here to Download:   chttps://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/media/faa-h-8083-1.pdf

Last but not least, if you want a VISUAL representation of the calculations on the W&B Rev Form, click the image below:

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Have questions? Need help? Contact us at (540) 217-4471
9 AM -5 PM M-Thurs Eastern Time
Closed Friday thru Sunday

Search ADs by Keyword

Would you like to be able to search every AD with a specific keyword?

Now you can, in just a few simple steps:

LOGIN to the AD Toolbox.

1. On the LEFT panel, click AD & TCD Search.

2. Click Single AD Search.

3. Click Search by Keyword.

4. Type in your keyword, then click Search:

For the example below, we typed “seat rail” into the search bar.

There were several ADs that came up in the Results List.

To view the AD, just click on the AD Number:

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Have questions?  Need help?  Contact us at (540) 217-4471
9 AM -5 PM   M-Thurs Eastern Time
Closed Friday thru Sunday

Looking for an airplane – Things to consider

Looking for an airplane — Things to consider

I bought my first Maule in 1993. It was an 1970 M-4 220 with original Razorback cover and mid time engine. I decided I would recover it with the Poly Fiber process and have it ready to go the next spring. Two and a half years later I finally got it in the air! First bit of advice.  Don’t buy a project because you think you will save money or with the idea of making money when you sell it. Do a project if you enjoy working on airplanes. If you want to fly. Pay a bit more, find a good sound airframe and engine, put gas in it and go flying.

So far I’ve owned the M-4 220, an M-5 235 that I modified to an M-6, and an MX7 160. All started out as projects.  All took longer than I thought they would to complete. In the process I’ve gained some experience about used Maules and what to look for when buying. I’ve seen a lot of people buy a cheep airplane only to find out in a couple of years they can’t afford to  maintain it in good airworthy condition. So they lose interest and sell the airplane. Second bit of advice. It takes money to own and maintain an airplane. Be prepared for unexpected expenses and know they are part of owning an airplane.

This seems to happen most often with engine related issues. Most of the problems can be traced back to the engine sitting around for years at a time with low usage. I’d rather buy an engine that had 1500 hours on it in the last 5 years than one that is 20 years old and only has 500 hrs. total time. When I bought the MX7-160 it had 300 hrs since overhaul, 50 hrs since tear down and inspection for prop strike, but had set 2 years without flying. We did an annual inspection. It had great compression, low oil consumption and ran great for 80 hours. Then I started noticing higher oil use. To make a long story short I ended up tearing the engine down, replacing the cam and
lifters, polishing the crank and honing the cylinders. The lifter faces were starting to deteriorate and little flakes of metal were floating around in the oil grinding away on all the other engine surfaces. I had changed the oil and cut the filter open three times and never found a thing to worry about. I’m sure if I had run it another 50 hours I would have needed a major over haul. Low engine usage equals rust equals problems. If you are looking at an airplane with low time usage, take the cowling off and take a good look. What’s the condition of the cylinder base nuts and the overall appearance of the case? What does the hardware on the fire wall look like? All this has been sitting in the same environment as the internal engine parts. How can they be much different?

Most aircraft are advertised as “sold with fresh annual” or ” recent annual”. I would rather negotiate a deal where I hired a mechanic to do an annual inspection and the owner paid for the items that needed to be repaired or replaced. The sign off doesn’t mean the airplane will fly for a year with no problems.  Only that at a certain designated time someone  certified it was in airworthy condition. I once picked up an airplane with a fresh annual, hopped in and flew it a couple of hours before stopping for a rest room break. Coming back to the airplane I found oil dripping out of the cowling and a 24″ puddle of oil on the ground. After close inspection I came to the conclusion nothing major was wrong but that every gasket and seal that could leak was leaking! After two years the new owner has most of the leaks contained.

Deferred maintenance is perhaps the biggest “gotcha” of new airplane ownership. Not every previous owner or mechanic is a fraud. The mechanic is perhaps just trying to help his friend and client sell the airplane he has only flown 10 hours in the last two years. Why take the mags off for the 500 hour inspection since the engine runs and starts fine? No use to put the owner through that expense since he is selling the plane and if he keeps it he will only fly a few hours anyway. Last December I helped a client move a freshly annualed airplane from Seattle to Cut Bank. We were to head back east with it but weather got in the way and we decided to leave it in Cut Bank and continue on in the spring. Since it was here for the winter the client decided to have the local maintenance facility fix a few things so it would be ready next spring. On inspecting the spark plugs it was found that every plug failed the “go/ no go” test gauge. This was 8 hours of flight time since it had been signed off. Yes the engine started and ran OK but how long until plugs start to fail? Champion makes the test gauge for a reason.

On the other side of things remember you are purchasing a used 20, 30. or 40 year old airplane. Not everything is going to be perfect and the seller shouldn’t have to fix every little thing. You’ll have to live with some imperfections. Come to a price that will leave you some room to take care of different maintenance items you find out about but can work on later. (Look at the “second bit of advice” above.)  The other option for some is to pony up and buy a new airplane.

More Things to consider         12/10/221
Over the last 30 years I have been a student of all things Maule. I have purchased a couple of aircraft and have helped clients with flight training and the purchase of aircraft. There is no guarantee when purchasing a used airplane. If at all possible physically set eyes on the airplane and take a ride in it. That might be enough to make the decision to keep looking for another airplane. For the most part I would say that no matter how much research and inspecting you do there will always be mechanical problems with your “new” acquisition. Some will be easy to correct others can become a financial hardship. Over time I have come to find certain phrases in ads that flag possible future problems. Here they are in no certain order.

Sold with fresh annual.  Always have a pre-purchase inspection done with a mechanic of your choice. If you can be there that is a plus. Set out what items you want looked at. If you want to pay for a full blown annual inspection that’s fine. There are items of an annual inspection set out in Ch.43 apx.D. Get a flat rate price for the inspection. Inspection means looking at the aircraft, not repairing what you find. Discrepancies can be paid for by the owner or discounted off the purchase price. Have this in a written agreement ahead of time.

All compressions in the 70s   Compression readings will tell you the rings and valves are seated and working correctly. If there is a problem only that cylinder need be repaired. That will cost some money and time but it is not out of the ordinary. It is not a good indicator of overall engine health. The real and expensive problem is internal corrosion. A borescope of the cylinders might give some indication of problems, but on the Lycoming’s there is no way to get a good look at the cam and lifters. The problem might not show up for another 70 or 80 hours. That is the expensive problem to remedy. You have to take the engine out and tear it down. If the owner has a long track record of oil analysis records that is a plus. One or two samples is not adequate.

Flown regularly  For some people that might mean once every six months! Not every flight hour is created equal. Once a week around the patch and back in the hangar is not good.  A once every six weeks, four hour cross country may be better. The best scenario is to have the engine oil temperature of 180F and held there for an hour or so to get best life out of the engine.

Author –  Rick Geiger

​I bought my first Maule in 1993. Over the years the aircraft has proven to be rugged and reliable. I have learned a few things along the way that might help you avoid some of my mistakes and expenses of owning and operating an aircraft.

Source:  https://www.montanabyair.com/looking-for-an-airplane

Adding an STC line to an AD Report

Need to Add an STC line to an AD Report?

It’s easy, here’s how:

Open the AD Report you want to add the STC line to.

On the left, click Add ADs/Service Documents.

Next click Add Manual AD/Service Document:

Choose “Other Documents“:

In the fields, add the wording you’d like to appear in the AD Report.  Below is an example.  When done, click Add to Report:

The newly added STC line will appear at the very bottom of your AD Report, under the category of “Other“.  You can edit the subject wording, and add notes and dates:

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Have questions?  Need help?  Contact us at (540) 217-4471
9 AM -5 PM   M-Thurs Eastern Time
Closed Friday thru Sunday