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Expensive lesson today

M

Mark Henderson

Well Known Member
I was working on section 22 today in my hanger at Napa airport. Everything was going along smoothly thanks to the tips that Marty and others have posted. I had just clecoed the lower firewall to the fwd skin and ribs. It was sitting on my workbench about 10' from the partially open hanger door. I was keeping the door mostly closed since it was fairly windy. I turned around to double check the plans and heard a loud metalic clang. A gust of wind blew the assembly off the bench. It landed on the upper left corner of the firewall. Scratch one firewall.( $47.00 plus shipping) The good part is nothing else was damaged and I at least I hadn't riveted it yet. The assembly seemed secure sitting on the bench due to the flat skin and weight of the parts. Wrong. The lesson learned is never assume that anything is secure, make sure it is.
 
When we finished our empennage we mounted it on padded mover's-dollies so we could push it around for easy storage. We left it unattended for one minute and a gust sent it taxiing off toward the chain link fence. I ran out of the hangar and caught it just before the crash.
 
I got one that wasn't even my fault!

I came home to find a note in the mailbox saying that my new Catto prop was at the post office. There was a storm approaching so I turned around and sped to town. When I got there, they couldn't find it. How can you misplace a 3-blade prop? Eventually one of the carriers came in and said, "Oh, I left it on the back porch."
Now I raced back home in the storm. When I got there, I went through the house, out the back door, drenching the bedroom with 48 mph rain, in time to see my prop cartwheeling across the back yard. No damage to the prop. Craig packs them well. To say the least, I was not happy with the postal carrier!
 
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"Things" happen. Repair / replace and move on.

Except for the Catto prop story!! :eek: YIKES! ...and to think the government wants to take over health care! :cool:
 
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