Progressive Inspections

[Ironflight]

There are many different ways to skin most cats in aviation (as elsewhere), and we always have to remember that ?different? doesn?t necessarily imply Better or Worse ? just ?different". Take inspections, for instance. People have different styles of working, and different things that make them comfortable. Many people talk about ?taking their airplane down for annual? ? whether it be certified or experimental, they like to take it out of service, pull everything apart, inspect everything, then put it back together. Some people can do this in a day, others?.well, in my Grumman days, we often read about the ?Annual from Hades? that took the plane away from it?s owner for months ? or more.

Personally, I have a way of working that allows me to avoid the thing I dread the most?.not having an airplane to fly! Oh sure, I can go a couple of days before I start getting little tremors and eye tics?.but much longer than that without a flying airplane can send me right up the wall. Even if the weather is bad, just KNOWING that I have an airplane to fly is enough! So over my years of ownership, I have developed a ?Progressive Inspection? system ? spreading the inspection out over a few weeks to get the job done incrementally. Many folks are so used to dropping the airplane off at the A&P and waiting to get called to pick it up that they just don?t think of doing it this way. I do like to do all the work within a few weeks, to satisfy the (debatable) ?spirit of the rules to do the inspection once per year, and not spread out over that time ? but there is nothing that says the airplane has to be grounded from the start to the end of the inspection\- unless, of course, you have let time get away from you, and the aircraft is legally out of inspection.

I usually start the first weekend of the month the inspection is going to expire. I try and time my oil changes to coincide with that month, pull the cowling, drain the oil and pull the filter,. While this is happening, I pull the plugs and do a compression check, clean and gap the plugs, do the timing, etc?..I then do a through FWF inspection, using a checklist. In fact, the checklist is what makes this technique safe ? it stays in the hangar for as long as it takes to finish everything, and tells me when I have completed all tasks. I can generally do the FWF in a Saturday, button it all back up, and fly the airplane in the evening.

The next time I have half a day, I do the controls. Pull the covers, check all connections, lube everything, and put it back together. Again ? using a checklist. I also clean up the whole plane ? it is easier to inspect when it?s clean, and the ?annual? on a certified airplane requires you to do it. Again, this is a half day activity ? no big issues, and I can fly it before or after.

I continue this pattern though the interior inspection, exterior structural inspection, electronics/avionics?.basically, until I have checked everything off my list. If I find something that needs fixing, the airplane is ?down? until taken care of. Usually, unless parts are required, this is quick as well.

When the end of the month rolls around, I have finished the list and sign the plane off, ready for another year. If I have had no problems, I have flown every weekend (and many week days), and not lost the use of the airplane at all. If repairs are required, I will either work them into a later work session, or ground things if required until parts and plans are in place.

Of course, this method really only works if you are doing the work yourself, and don?t have to (or choose to) have someone else do your inspection. I have always had the good fortune to have friendly IA?s who let me do most of my own work under their supervision, so my move to the experimental world made little difference ? except that now I have t remember that I have no one else looking over my shoulder. Sometimes I still DO have someone I respect come in and take a peek, just to make sure I?m not getting lazy.

I hate downtime ? airplanes are meant to fly, and doing progressive inspections allow me to do that! I just wanted to bring the idea up for those who maybe don?t realize that this is an option. It?s not for everyone, but for some, it keeps us smiling?and not twitching!

Paul

[David-aviator]

If I read FAR 43.15(d) correctly, a formal progressive inspection could be established by writing a schedule of inspections to be performed throughout the year.

Your method of doing the entire inspection over a 30 day period the month the inspection is due precludes writing the formal progressive inspections but it locks you in to doing it all that month.

It would appear if one prefered to inspect the landing gear in January, the flight control system in March, etc, etc; it could be done that way. But that might be problem with anyone not familiar with the FAR's on the subject - they look in the log book for a annual condition inspection sign off and all they see is a series of progress inspections. An insurance company might have a fit over the absense of the annual condition inspection.

Your method might be the best of both worlds.

[Sam Buchanan]

So over my years of ownership, I have developed a ?Progressive Inspection? system ? spreading the inspection out over a few weeks to get the job done incrementally.

Same here, except the inspection tasks are usually completed within a couple of weeks as the work schedule allows. But the objective is still the same--not having the plane unnecessarily grounded except for the half day that a particular phase of the inspection requires.

It does seem that a lot of pilots think the experimental condition inspection must occur all at one time, but a great advantage of the repairman certificate is that we have some flexibility to tailor the inspection to our needs.

[Special Delivery]

My first conditional inspection was completed as a single 2-week event. Beginning with my second inspection, I adopted a progressive system similar to Paul's. For me, the progressive method is better than MIDOL... no symptoms whatsoever when 'that time of the year' comes. Inspection Checklists? At my age they're a must have, and mine could use some improvement. Paul, is it possible that you could share your checklist(s)?

Blue Skies!
Ernie Butcher
-8 Flying

[rvbuilder2002]

Originally Posted by Ironflight

The next time I have half a day, I do the controls. Pull the covers, check all connections, lube everything, and put it back together. Again ? using a checklist. I also clean up the whole plane ? it is easier to inspect when it?s clean, and the ?annual? on a certified airplane requires you to do it. Again, this is a half day activity ? no big issues, and I can fly it before or after.

Paul

It's a minor point, but those of use flying amature built experimentals have the same "clean the airplane requirement".
Our operating limitations require a log book entry stating that the condition inspection has been complete in accordance with the scope and detail of FAR 43 appendix D. One of the steps in the appedix D checklist is "wash the entire airplane".