Bad news!
No need to talk to Dave that evening as he was taking off while we were taxing up to the hangar. So I called him the next morning. I told him the oil consumption was very high and there was a large amount on the belly. He said that he or Jim would take a look at it. On Thursday morning, he gives me the bad news: the rings on one cylinder are completely gone and two others are showing low compression. The oil is being blown out the crankcase breather by the cylinder blowby.
Now it is big decision time. The engine is a Continental 165hp IO346A. It was made only for 3 years in the mid 60s and used only in the Musketeer and a few home builts. The recommended overhaul time is 1500 hours and this one has nearly 1700 hours on it. Repair is not an option, the cost would be several thousand and the engine would still be beyond overhaul time. As mentioned earlier, the cost of overhaul would be added to the value of the plane, so that was the way to go. A quick call to my banker to assure that the money would be available and we were ready to proceed. Now to find a place to do it.
There are three levels of "overhaul" for airplane engines. At the bottom is field overhaul where a shop simply overhauls the engine, replacing or rebuilding those parts which do not meet service specifications. Next is a rebuild, where the major parts are replaced with factory equivalent new or rebuilt parts. The top is a factory remanufactured engine. The top level is not available for this engine.
It would seem, given the "orphan" status of the engine, that a rebuild is also not an option, but an odd quirk makes that a possibility. The 4 cylinder IO346 is simply a 6 cylinder IO520 with the two center cylinders removed. (346 and 520 are the displacement figures. 346 is 2/3 of 520) In 1999, FAA had approved using IO520 cylinders to rebuild the IO346 and Continental was now selling them as a set of 4. So, if the crankcase and center section parts are OK, it can be rebuilt.
The three options are narrowed then to two. Now to find a place which will do either and compare costs and benefits. After a week of looking through the Trade-a Plane, rumors from the hangar hangers-on and the Musketeer board, a company in Tennessee surfaces. They have been rebuilding engines for three generations and have a sterling reputation. They only offer one option for the IO346, a full rebuild for $16,900 plus any center section work required above teardown and inspection. This includes new (the IO520 set) cylinders, mags, starter, fuel injection, harness and plugs. The job is guaranteed to TBO (overhaul interval is 1500 hours). Full cost for two years or 500 hours and prorated for the balance. And they claim a 30 day turnaround. Now begins my association with Nick Carter Engines (NCE)
The last week in June, we send them a $7,000 deposit and Dave and Jim begin removing the engine for shipment. During removal, we also look at the rest of the airplane and decide that we will go ahead and fix everything that may require fixing to get it all done at once. The turn coordinator hasn't worked since last winter, so it comes out and goes to Century Instruments in Kansas for overhaul. We have no record of maintenance on the alternator, so it goes to Select Aire in Lancaster TX. There is also no record of maintenance on the propeller, so it goes to Byam's in Fort Worth. The Heat Shroud on the muffler is cracked, so we will get a replacement for it. There is some repair needed on the lower cowling, so that will be done before the new engine is done along with a paint touch up. We will also replace all the hoses and tubing under the cowling as it is re-assembled.
With a little luck and coordination, we may get to fly it to the fly-in in Bonham the last week in August. This doesn't take a major quirk of "airplane people" into consideration. These people are honest, warm hearted, good natured, generous and competent. But a calendar is meaningless to them. And Murphy is the most important person in aviation.
The turn coordinator comes back from Century unrepaired. It seems that the model has some obsolete parts in it which can no longer be repaired. So we order a rebuilt one with no exchange. The alternator has several bad parts in it and was on the verge of complete failure, so it means a complete rebuild instead of a simple overhaul.
Dave and Jim cannot find a crate for shipping the engine. Finally, NCE ships him one and the engine is finally on its way to Tennessee the third week in July. Bonham is looking dim and we are looking at the Sulphur Springs fly-in on Sep 15.
Then comes bad news from the propeller shop. All nicks and scratches on a propeller must be dressed out as soon as they are discovered. Normally, a field A&P does this and doesn't worry much about how much metal is removed or the balance of the prop. There are rules about how big a scratch or nick may be removed without a prop shop rechecking the blades. Under these circumstances, it is not uncommon for a propeller to be shaved below the minimum specifications for that engine/airplane without a prop shop seeing it. Well, guess what? There are two places on one blade and one place on the other where it is now below minimums. It cannot be put back on the plane. This plane/engine uses a specific prop which is relatively unique. There are no yellow tag units available. So we buy a new propeller from Tiffin Aire in Ohio for $2,300 which is the best price I can find.
I order a new heat shroud from Tulsaire. It gets lost in shipping. UPS says it was signed for by someone I do not know in New Mexico. Go figure, I didn't get it. Tulsaire ships another one and this time it arrives. Our dining room is now looking like a parts house.
On Aug 22. I hadn't heard from Carter for 3 weeks, so I called them. There are some over estimate things on the engine. The crankcase needs to be reground and line bored to get the bearing housings back into spec and it needs a new oil pump drive shaft. Add another 3,000 to the rebuild price and move the delivery back to mid September or later. In the meantime, we go to the hangar occasionally just to pet our poor bird. The Redhead is making comments about fearing she will have to have me put down if I don't get to fly soon.
On the morning of September 11, I call NCE about 8:00 CDT to check on current status. While talking to Shelly, she asks, "Do you have a TV on?". "No, we don't have one in the office, why?" "A plane just hit the WTC Tower. Don't have any details yet, but it looks bad. There's a lot of smoke and fire about two thirds of the way up and ..... My God, another plane just hit it." No more talk of my insignificant problems today.
I called back on Thursday and learned that they were still waiting for the crankcase to come back. All the other parts were ready and the crankcase was expected back that day. Chris told me he would check on the crankcase and let me know. We had planned on a trip to Jackson, MS to visit relatives during Fall Break (First week in Oct.), But with the GA restrictions, it looks doubtful even if we do get the plane back in the air.
Monday. October 1, I emailed them checking on it. It was 98% assembled and they were expecting the pushrods from Continental on Tuesday. If they came, the engine would be running on Thursday.
Monday, Oct 8, emailed them to check status. Then I lost my job over philosophical differences. Oh well, I needed the vacation. They replied to the email on Tuesday, but it was to my work address, so I didn't get it until Wednesday. It seems that TCM had suspended all shipments on Oct 1 until Oct 15.
Wednesday, Oct 17, I called. The parts were due in that day. I call again on Friday, the engine is running!
Tuesday, 10/23 I email asking when will it ship. No answer.
Wednesday, "When will it ship? Answer please.". No answer.
Thursday, I email expressing my displeasure with the lack of communication. I get a reply in effect saying that they will tell me when it is ready. Or they can give me daily updates which will slow down the process. I reply that the process can't possibly get slower and it was running a week ago. What is the holdup?
Friday, I receive an email saying that it will ship Monday afternoon. I call the bank and finalize the money arrangements.
The rebuild
October 29, 2001, the engine arrives in a flakeboard crate on a Roadway truck. Jim Skidmore, Dave and I get it unloaded and put in Jim's hangar. I get the mouse from it's hangar and pull it around the corner to Jim's. We removed the "ballast" from the nose and then the cowlings. I put the cowlings in the van to take home and clean up. Jim and I discussed methods of redoing the firewall and made a list of miscellaneous parts needed for reassembly.
The next day, I took the cowlings out in the yard and with much work, dishwashing detergent and the garden hose removed most of the grease and oil from the insides. The next day, I picked up the parts from the list and took them and the cowlings to Jim. He has stripped, cleaned and repainted the firewall. This time, I take the engine baffles to clean up and repaint.
It all takes longer than planned, but finally the new engine is hung and hooked up. The leak check is done and we are ready to re-cowl and go. On November 26, I get to Aero Country early in the afternoon, ready to fly. Dave, Jim and I hook up the last of the hoses, put the cowlings back on and hang the prop. About four, it seems to be ready. Then Jim notices that the spinner is too close to the nose. After discussion, we remove the spinner, rotate it 180 and re install it. This time it looks right. (Note to self: the relation between the back plate, prop and spinner is blade specific. If we remove the spinner, mark which blade goes where on the back plate and which way the spinner goes)
We are finally ready to go. Dave or Jim must make the first flight. Dave has time in mice and this one, so he will fly left seat. I am going even if I have to sit on the wing. The rules (and common sense) say that we should stay where we can glide to the runway if the engine packs up. We climb to 3500 and fly a closed pattern over the runway for 30 minutes, varying the RPM every 5 minutes. I take the yoke for a few orbits before Dave opines that we are running out of daylight. He does the landing and we put it back in Jim's hangar for the night. Our bird is back!
On the 30th, I schedule some time with Dave for me to get back in the saddle. We orbit the pattern for about 15 minutes and everything is doing fine. The new engine should not be used for touch and goes for at least 5-8 hours, but we go to McKinney and I do 2 stop and taxi back landings. They aren't bad for a 5 month layoff. Then back to Aero Country and put it away.
On Dec 2, The Redhead and I fly to Sherman for fuel and lunch. We take the FBO courtesy car and hit the Grandy's. Weather is good and the plane flies great.
On Dec 6, I schedule night time with Dave to regain my night currency. Jim had been hinting for a ride since he had never flown a Musketeer, so I got there early to take him up. The engine runs great and I can really feel the new power on takeoff. Over the practice area, Jim takes over for a few minutes. He seems impressed with the handling and responsiveness of the plane.
Night currency requires 3 full stop landings in the previous 90 days. Aero Country is too short for stop and goes, so we go to McKinney and I do 4 of them. Two are acceptable and two are good. The landing at Aero Country is very good. Now we can fly at night again.
Starting over
Now we are ready to fly again. On Dec 14, we take off at dusk and fly over Frisco, Denton and Plano seeing the Christmas lights from the air. It is beautiful, clear night, calm winds. From above, you can see the decorated houses for blocks at a time rather than one at a time. It is a totally different view.
On the 18th, I make a solo practice flight. I do some T&Gs, and some air work on the way to Gainesville for fuel. I am now comfortable enough again for travel. The engine is purring fine. It is a little hard to start cold, but hot starts are just like always. I have been warned that initial oil consumption will be high, but it is not happening. I email Carter to ask them and Nick replies that there is no reason for high oil consumption on one of their rebuilds with new cylinders. I'm still feeling a little behind the airplane on landings, but they are coming out well.
The hiatus is over. We can now plan some real trips. We had cancelled the intended trip to Jackson, MS on fall break. We wanted to see Granbury. The Stanley's still need a ride, etc., etc..
The week before Christmas, we get a call from friends in Winnsboro. The entire family will be together between Christmas and New Year, can we make a trip there? You bet!
Seeing old friends
Winnsboro is 75nm from Aero Country. Plus or minus winds, that is 45 minutes flying time. We have full tanks, all we need is good weather. We have family engagements for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Christmas. By Tuesday, the forecast for Friday, Dec 28 looks good and it still seems good on Thursday.
We launch at 11:00. The flight is beautiful. Calm and clear. For the first time, we climb to 5500 for cruise. We fly the Quitman VOR to within 5 miles of Winnsboro. The wind is slightly gusty and favoring the north, so we approach and enter the pattern for runway 1. The landing is a little rough but more than acceptable. Marca and most of the crew are waiting. We had told Marca to bring coffee and doughnuts if she wanted a ride. She did. We cleaned out the back seat and loaded Marca and 2 kids in and took off. We flew over Winnsboro and out towards her father's place while I tried to raise FSS to close the flight plan. A couple of orbits over Larry's and back to the field. Load up Brad and 2 more kids and take off again. Out over Larry's, orbit twice and back.
Button up the bird and off to lunch. Marca took us to a barbecue place that was unbelievably good. Then back to Larry's for the afternoon and the gathering of the entire family. Much reminiscing, old and new tales, etc.. I had half planned to return after dark, so time was no real object.
I rechecked the weather at 6:00 and we head for the airport. Marca lights up the plane with her Explorer while I do preflight. The windsock is now pointing north and hanging. So we taxi out to 19 and wait for oil warmup.
Rather than fly straight back to Aero country, I planned to fly straight towards Dallas and turn north after crossing Lake Ray Hubbard. There is a high thin overcast with a full moon. The overcast is light enough that there is plenty of moonlight and we can see the lights of Dallas before we get to our 4500ft cruise. It is simply beautiful!
We turn north over Garland and staying outside of LBJ fly direct to Aero Country. The landing would have been good even in daylight. The perfect ending to a fine day! This is what flying is all about.
More Joyriding
A family who have been friends (at least with Sandra) since childhood has a son in college and two daughters. The older daughter is married with two children. The younger daughter and the son are both chomping to go for a ride. Ginny, the younger daughter is a teacher in a suburb south of Dallas and by the week after New Year's is back in school. But Tim doesn't go back to college until the next week. So we look for a pretty day and 9th is it. Tim comes to the house and we head for the airport. He is only a little apprehensive, mostly enthusiastic.
After the Winnsboro trip, the tanks are low, so the plan is the circuit to Sherman and then to Gainesville for gas. From the time we taxi away from the hangar until we are turning west at Sherman, the only word he says is "Wow!". Several times. I show him VOR and how to read the sectional and he soaks it all in. We land at GLE and taxi up to the fuel dock. Tim is a big fella, 285 lbs., so I can't fill up completely, but I put in enough for 4 hours. We walk around the airport admiring the planes. A man tows a beautiful C195 up to the other side of the pumps and we admire it. Then we head back.
Nice flight back and only a slight problem with the swirling crosswind on 17 at Aero Country. We put the plane away and go visit with Dave for a while. It only took a couple of hours to get Tim's feet back on the ground.
With nearly full tanks, the weather for the weekend is forecast to be clear but windy. Saturday, FSS says 330 at 25 for 3000' and similar on the ground. So, we decide to go to Granbury just for the air time. The runway at Granbury is 14/32 so that won't be too bad. The problem is remaining clear of the Dallas Class B. We fly west to Decatur and then turn south, staying west of Eagle Mountain Lake. It is a nice flight, but I can't get Granbury Unicom. Sandra finally notices that I had turned the volume down on COM 1. Everybody can hear me, but I can't hear them. It ain't a bad landing for a very gusty 15k wind and we taxi up to the FBO. They have a nice covered porch around the building, but the interesting thing is the cover supports: 8 ft propeller blades. They are real, but I don't know what aircraft they were made for.
In the FBO, we are offered the courtesy car before we can even ask. Granbury inherits the old city cars as courtesy cars. They are still owned and maintained by the city, and the city buys the gas. Talk about encouraging "fly-in" visitors.
We head downtown and find a place straight out of the 50s to eat. Granbury is a nice place to visit, but unless there is a specific event going on, it is pretty much a one afternoon place. After using their car and facilities, I top off the tanks. Their gas price is more than reasonable.
Flying back into the pretty stiff headwind, we cut off the corner from the north edge of Eagle Mountain to Denton. This puts us very close to Alliance Airport and the Texas Motor Speedway. The speedway is very strange looking from the air. The day is so clear that we can see the Fort Worth skyline and beyond it, the Dallas skyline.
The next day is also clear, and the winds are a little lighter (240 at 25) in the forecast. There is an AIRMET for moderate turbulence, but it is not supported by PIREPS. We decide to go to Tyler and visit with Kerry and Retha again. Maybe, this time, we can also see the twins (now high school Juniors). The turbulence is not there, but the winds are 160 -180 instead of 240. The Tyler ATIS says wind is 190 at 15 gusting to 24 and that 17/35 is closed for maintenance and to expect runway 22.
The tower routes me a little too close (for me, anyway) to a Cardinal on downwind for my base entry, so I make a 360 and enter base for 22. Fortunately, the runway is 7000X150. I touch down on the centerline, but am nearly to the right edge before we are firmly on the ground. We taxi to Tyler Jet FBO and shut down. Now comes our first experience with the new airport security.
We start walking towards the terminal across the ramp. No one stops us, but we cannot get into the terminal because all the gates are exit only. A uniformed National Guardsman comes to one of them and politely tells us that we must exit the flight line through the FBO. Hike back! During the hike (this part of the ramp parallels 22) we see a Cessna also have difficulty landing.
We wait in the terminal for Kerry and Retha and the kids. They arrive shortly and we go to a nice Mexican place for lunch. When we get back to the airport, Sandra and Retha want to go downtown, young Kerry has someplace he needs to be, so Kerry, Molly and I go into the FBO. Molly is game for a flight even in this wind, so we saddle up.
Taxiing out, we hear a Cessna blow her second attempt on 22 ask the tower if there is anyway they can use 17. Of course, the answer is no. So she says she will have to go somewhere else. We take off and head out over Lindale where the Stanley's live. We easily find their house and then go on out over the big swamp east of Lindale. Then back over their house and back into the pattern at Tyler Pounds. For the crosswind, the landing isn't bad at all. And we taxi back to the FBO and call for the fuel truck.
Sandra and Retha come back soon and we sit around and talk some more. With this wind, I want to be back at Aero Country before dark, so we leave about 4:00. Again, the AIRMET for turbulence is a no-show. It is rough below 3000, but doesn't qualify as even moderate turbulence.
On the 21st, I go out alone to do some practice. During the week, we hear from a friend in Plano who, after discussion wants a ride. We had gone to Candace's wedding five years ago. Michael is mildly claustrophobic, and has no interest in flying even commercial. But Candace can't wait.
Saturday the 26th is good weather, so she comes by the house and we go to Aero Country. We only have to move 3 other planes to get the bird out of the nest, but that is the peril of community hangars. We fly the by now usual route to Sherman and then west to Gainesville to fill up. With Sandra, I normally put in no more than 45 gallons unless we are carrying baggage. Candace might weigh 90 lbs. soaking wet, so I fill it 'til it burps. As she has to be someplace at 4:00, we come straight back to T31.
The first Saturday in February is the Allen Special Olympics charity auction. We are both heavily involved in it and I donate an airplane ride. The family that bought it just can't wait to go. The weather the next weekend won't permit flying, so we schedule for the next Saturday.
In the meantime, the bird is now due it's first oil change on the new engine. Dave and Jim had said one of them would get a filter with one of their orders and I already had the oil. Friday the 8th I go to the airport to warm up the engine and get the oil change. Neither Dave nor Jim has gotten the filter. There's only one thing to do: fly over to Addison, walk to Tex-Air and buy the filter.
I had noticed a "problem" with the radios taxiing out at GLE with Candace. Another plane was ahead of us and I never heard him make any announcements. When I went to make my departure announcement, I could not hear myself. I fiddled with it some, checking that the Comm panel was on and turned to Comm 1. Finally, I pushed the com1 button on the panel and I could hear myself.
I didn't notice the silence preparing to take off for ADS. I (as usual) had the com2 button pushed and was listening to McKinney ASOS. When I went to make my departure announcement, I couldn't hear myself again. I punched on the com1 button, re-announced and took off. I tuned com2 to ADS ATIS and got the info and id. Then I set Comm 1 to the approach freq. and called approach. No answer. I immediately turned away from the class B area and started fiddling with the radios. The only way I was receiving was with the appropriate button pushed on the Comm panel, regardless of the com1/com2 switch position. A called McKinney tower for a radio check and they replied loud and clear. I turned back south, rechecked ATIS and called approach. I was given the squawk code and cleared to Addison.
I landed and turned off on the taxiway. I tuned Comm 2 to Addison ground and called. No answer. I checked the push buttons and called again. No answer. I rechecked the freq., re tuned and called again. No answer. I set Comm 1 to the freq. and called. No answer. Recheck freq. and push button and call again. No answer. I re checked the freq. on the chart again. No wonder Abilene ground wasn't answering me, I was too far away for them to hear! I was reading the wrong line on the chart. This time ground answered immediately and cleared me to parking at Mercury Air. I walked around the building and down the alley to Tex Air and bought the filter.
I did a quick check and fired up. After checking ATIS, I called ground and announced ready to taxi. They told me to stand by. I stood by. I stood by. After hearing 2 other planes ask for and receive taxi clearance, I sent "Addison Ground, Musketeer Five Niner Four Lima Bravo at Mercury Air. Did you forget me?" "Uh four lima bravo, taxi to 15."
As I turned onto the taxiway, I could see that I would be number 9 for takeoff. I left ground on Comm 2 and tuned Comm 1 to tower. With the panel set to Com2 and both buttons in, I could hear ground and tower, but still talk to ground. After what seemed like a week, I got off. On the way back, I took a long studied look at the Comm panel. The problem was obvious! The Auto button was out. When in, you automatically hear the radio selected by the switch. When out, you only hear the equipment when the button is in. Glad that problem didn't cost me anything!
Got back to Aero country, got the oil drained and re-installed the quick drain plug so it would be an easier and less messy job next time. We are now ready for the Ecks tomorrow.
Saturday morning was cool and clear. Wind was around 10 from about 200 degrees, so should be no problem. The Eck's were to meet me at the McKinney terminal at 10:00 so I got to Aero Country about nine. As luck would have it, I had plenty of time and this morning I could just pull my plane out without moving any other planes first. So I arrived at TKI shortly after 9:30, had plenty of time to potty and relax before they arrived.
I gave them a short talk and we went to the plane. I did a quick walk around and we got in, Terry and their mildly autistic son in the back and Bo (yes, same as me) and I in front. I fired up and explained what I was doing as I rechecked ASOS and got taxi permission. Taxing to 17, live on ground and monitoring tower, I explained the radio procedures. I did a full run-up and called for departure. I was cleared for takeoff and a southeast departure from the crosswind leg. We went southeast across Lake Lavon and down the east side of Lake Ray Hubbard. We then went west along the dam and on over Garland before turning north. Back across Richardson, Plano and Allen. They could identify their neighborhood, but not their specific house. We flew on to the east side of Aero Country while I rechecked McKinney ASOS and called for landing. We were directed to a right downwind and the tower would call our base. We were out to Melissa before turning in for landing. I only floated the landing enough to annoy me, but not enough that they would know.
