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Who can do a 50 hour check?

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I am new to ownership and have a G-Reg plane. What exactly is required for the 50 hour besides oil change and a check of spark plugs? Can a PPL do this? Does the work require a sign off by the engineer? Why does this requirement exist if anyone who owns a plane is likely to do it anyway? My concern is the charges I am being quoted for work that it seems to me a licensed engineer is not required for. Please pardon my ignorance. I am getting used to EASA land (and regretting that I haven’t stuck with N-Reg). Never again!

Tököl LHTL

What sort of plane / what sort of engine is it?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Rallye with 180 HP Lycoming

Tököl LHTL

WhiskeyPapa wrote:

I am new to ownership and have a G-Reg plane. What exactly is required for the 50 hour besides oil change and a check of spark plugs?

Do you have the Maintenance Manual of the Rallye? Pages 3.2.01 to 3.3.06 explain the periodic inspections. It is pretty straight forward and contains little odd items. Remember, however, to drain the static system. From my own experience, do check the movement of the controls and flippers. If tightened at the stick (or yoke, depending on type) the Moranes tend to bend the internal control linkages under wind loads. I know one plane where the owner found out as he couldn’t flare properly anymore and one one aircraft I did a pre purchase inspection on, the stick was freely moveable and the elevator did not move at all (and vice versa) due to a bent bell crank.

WhiskeyPapa wrote:

Can a PPL do this?

I have scanned the work and I haven’t found anything not falling under Pilot / Owner Maintenance privileges, so: yes.

WhiskeyPapa wrote:

Does the work require a sign off by the engineer?

No, your PPL is sufficient for the 50 hrs check according to the manual and Part-M.

WhiskeyPapa wrote:

I am getting used to EASA land (and regretting that I haven’t stuck with N-Reg). Never again!

It isn’t that bad. The Rallye is an ELA1 and you can do almost everything by yourself.

You can release any of the following tasks with your PPL, but only if you have performed them yourself. (You can do all other tasks, too, but then you need a Part-66CFS to release it to service)

Appendix VIII
Limited Pilot Owner Maintenance
The following constitutes the limited pilot maintenance referred to in M.A.803 provided it does not involve complex
maintenance tasks and is carried out in accordance with M.A.402:
1. Removal, installation of wheels.
2. Replacing elastic shock absorber cords on landing gear.
3. Servicing landing gear shock struts by adding oil, air, or both.
4. Servicing landing gear wheel bearings, such as cleaning and greasing.
5. Replacing defective safety wiring or cotter keys.
6. Lubrication not requiring disassembly other than removal of non-structural items such as cover plates, cowlings, and fairings.
7. Making simple fabric patches not requiring rib stitching or the removal of structural parts or control surfaces. In the case of balloons, the making of small fabric repairs to envelopes (as defined in, and in accordance with, the balloon manufacturers’ instructions) not requiring load tape repair or replacement.
8. Replenishing hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic reservoir.
9. Refinishing decorative coating of fuselage, balloon baskets, wings tail group surfaces (excluding balanced control surfaces), fairings, cowlings, landing gear, cabin, or cockpit interior when removal or disassembly of any primary structure or operating system is not required.
10. Applying preservative or protective material to components where no disassembly of any primary structure or operating system is involved and where such coating is not prohibited or is not contrary to good practices.
11. Repairing upholstery and decorative furnishings of the cabin, cockpit, or balloon basket interior when the repairing does not require disassembly of any primary structure or operating system or interfere with an operating system or affect the primary structure of the aircraft.
12. Making small simple repairs to fairings, non-structural cover plates, cowlings, and small patches and reinforcements not changing the contour so as to interfere with proper air flow.
13. Replacing side windows where that work does not interfere with the structure or any operating system such as controls, electrical equipment, etc.
14. Replacing safety belts.
15. Replacing seats or seat parts with replacement parts approved for the aircraft, not involving disassembly of any primary structure or operating system.
16. Trouble shooting and repairing broken circuits in landing light wiring circuits.
17. Replacing bulbs, reflectors, and lenses of position and landing lights.
18. Replacing wheels and skis where no weight and balance computation is involved.
19. Replacing any cowling not requiring removal of the propeller or disconnection of flight controls.
20. Replacing or cleaning spark plugs and setting of spark plug gap clearance.
21. Replacing any hose connection except hydraulic connections.
22. Replacing prefabricated fuel lines.
23. Cleaning or replacing fuel and oil strainers or filter elements.
24. Replacing and servicing batteries.
25. Cleaning of balloon burner pilot and main nozzles in accordance with the balloon manufacturer’s instructions.
26. Replacement or adjustment of non-structural standard fasteners incidental to operations.
27. The interchange of balloon baskets and burners on envelopes when the basket or burner is designated as interchangeable in the balloon type certificate data and the baskets and burners are specifically designed for quick removal and installation.
28. The installations of anti-misfuelling devices to reduce the diameter of fuel tank filler openings provided the specific device has been made a part of the aircraft type certificate data by the aircraft manufacturer, the aircraft manufacturer has provided instructions for installation of the specific device, and installation does not involve the disassembly of the existing tank filler opening.
29. Removing, checking, and replacing magnetic chip detectors.
30. Removing and replacing self-contained, front instrument panel-mounted navigation and communication devices that employ tray-mounted connectors that connect the unit when the unit is installed into the instrument panel, (excluding automatic flight control systems, transponders, and microwave frequency distance measuring equipment (DME)). The approved unit must be designed to be readily and repeatedly removed and replaced, not require specialist test equipment and pertinent instructions must be provided. Prior to the unit’s intended use, an operational check must be performed.
31. Updating self-contained, front instrument panel-mounted Air Traffic Control (ATC) navigational software databases (excluding those of automatic flight control systems, transponders, and microwave frequency distance measuring equipment (DME)) provided no disassembly of the unit is required and pertinent instructions are provided. Prior to the unit’s intended use, an operational check must be performed.
32. Replacement of wings and tail surfaces and controls, the attachment of which are designed for assembly immediately before each flight and dismantling after each flight.
33. Replacement of main rotor blades that are designed for removal where specialist tools are not required.

Last Edited by mh at 02 Feb 22:19
mh
Aufwind GmbH
EKPB, Germany

WOW that’s quite a list.

That list is very generous and more so than the FAA one. Is that because it is ELA1? The normal EASA one I had is here

Which is not to say you can do all that stuff yourself (as one person). For example on my TB20 (also a Socata ) I will bugger the bottom cowling if I try to take it off on my own. And that assumes I have removed the prop spinner first, which some firms don’t know one should do… Also “Removal, installation of wheels.” is difficult as a one-man job due to the jacking needed, and while one person can do jacking, it takes ages because you have to run around the (up to three) jacks lifting each one a little bit.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Well, Part-M doesn’t prohibit help… you just can’t sign what I did to an aircraft without you (Assuming we both are named as pilot-owners to work on the aircraft).

Last Edited by mh at 02 Feb 22:54
mh
Aufwind GmbH
EKPB, Germany

The list reads almost like a cut and paste of FAR Part 43 App A subpart C….very encouraging…missing one or two things like changing hoses (excluding hydraulic)

Last Edited by AnthonyQ at 03 Feb 05:38
YPJT, United Arab Emirates

Are items 21 & 22 not sufficient?

mh
Aufwind GmbH
EKPB, Germany

mh wrote:

Are items 21 & 22 not sufficient?

Ah…I missed that…not jus sufficient, but another direct copy and paste…

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

gents many thanks! very helpful!

Tököl LHTL
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