On a G-reg, the 50hr check is mandatory and only 10% extra is allowed, which is a right PITA when you are doing a long trip away from civilisation, of say 30hrs airborne. I am sure most people who get caught out like that just change the oil and don’t log the flights…
On a G-reg you also have the stupid 150hr service which is practically an Annual (and costs about as much) yet has no basis in any engineering requirement.
On an N-reg you still have to do the oil change etc but there is no fixed schedule. I would never change away from N-reg.
Anyway the consensus from the smart people in the USA is that one should not run to 50hrs on the oil change. By 50hrs the oil – any brand – is pretty well shagged. See that Camguard presentation posted by Achim today. Ed Kollin has previously posted on EuroGA – very helpfully too.
Anthony – thanks for those tent links. Unfortunately I don’t think they would take much in the way of wind, which together with rain is the biggest hassle in outdoor maintenance. It is also rather “obvious”. I think I will look for some kind of plastic “tunnel”, supported by the two upper prop blades at one end, and tied to the cabin at the other, with some sort of long strap. The service work needs only about 0.5m of access room around the front of the aircraft. But it needs side curtains to keep out driving rain.
In the summer it’s not usually an issue.
The formalized ‘50 hr check’ is a European thing, driven by local regulations, formalized/mandatory maintenance ‘programs’ etc, and (AIUI) quite expensive for some. Elsewhere, and certainly in the US under FAA regs, its more common to change the oil at either 25 or 50 hrs and look the aircraft over at the same time.
You can do the same under EASA but it depends on your maintenance program. I do the 50/100h checks myself in my hangar without external help. However, at least in Germany the regulators require one 100h per year to be signed off by a Part 145/66. Given that the annual check and a 100h check is about the same thing, it is a rather workable rule.
Clearly not a legal requirement but includes an oil change I presume, but have you devised your own checklist?
The formalized ‘50 hr check’ is a European thing, driven by local regulations, formalized/mandatory maintenance ‘programs’ etc, and (AIUI) quite expensive for some. Elsewhere, and certainly in the US under FAA regs, its more common to change the oil at either 25 or 50 hrs and look the aircraft over at the same time. Obviously that amounts to the same thing, but the logbook entry tends to be only for the oil change and is signed by the owner/pilot.
Ah, yes… You are quite right! I haven’t racked up 50hrs yet…
Many (most?) airplane maintenance manuals have a 50h check as the smallest regular maintenance check.
Also what exactly is a 50hr check? Clearly not a legal requirement but includes an oil change I presume, but have you devised your own checklist? Perhaps a subset of the 100hr/Annual checklist from the Maintenance Manual?
A gazebo would be quite stylish! One sllghtly larger could be planted just behind the trailing edge, thus covering cabin and engine. Tie it down to the aircraft. Headroom could be tricky though.
As mentioned, when properly timed, “moving” the annual by a month every year does not mean any downtime. Just start it 1-3 days before the end of the month.
Also, if Shoreham is so “police-like” as to surveil if you are doing maintenance in your hangar, then they will just as much tell you off once you make your first oil change on the apron…
TARPAFLEX do a range of temporary shelters, car ports etc that could be modified to fit in the way you describe. To hold something down the aircraft itself is pretty heavy – so why not devise a way of tying it to the airframe e.g. remove cowlings, position shelter and then tie the ridge of the shelter to the lifting ring on the engine with bungees. Of course if the aircraft is in its usual parking spot on concrete then ragbolts will hold anything down. Ragbolts can be countersunk so the ring does not protrude above the main concrete level – very discreet.
