drop bags bar:
Duly noted.
And a little relief to have someone with a bit more technical depth than me. The relay/solenoid thing is beyond me, as I have no reference material here, but the point was that the CB near the gear handle doesn’t control the motor, it controls the circuit that controls the motor, and I think we agree on that.
However……
On the first charge: Innocent. Knowledge not solicited in bar. Personal experience related by colleagues after the fact. Note that I said that they were in touch with a mechanic via VHF. The mechanic provided the fix, the crew were just operating under his directions. If it worked once, it would seem to be valid to me.
On the second charge: Guilty. A little knowledge is dangerous and I hate the idea of pilots pulling up floorboards and poking around 200 AMP CB’s (or anything else down there, for that matter). This is a last resort kind of thing, certainly not encouragement to anybody to apply procedures outside the POH, especially the adjustment of non-accessible equipment by untrained and non-approved personnel. Let us be clear on that.
However as pilots we are obliged to safeguard our airframe and pax to the maximum extent of our professional skill and ability. If, in the scenario I outlined, the crew elected to land the aircraft without messing under the floor, nobody would be able to censure them for so doing. Personally, I would go back there, tear up the floor and see what there was to be done, because I would kick myself for not trying at my level of experience. That is a personal judgement call, and does not mean that I would think lesser of somebody who decided not to, or didn’t know that it was an option, because frankly, this is something that isn’t taught and for good reason.
Africa generates a mind set that is not generally found outside the continent. Quite often you are left to swing in the wind by distance or circumstance, and the only person who is going to get you out of what your in is you. I have heard of more sneaky fixes for B200 snags from pilots and mechanics in Africa than I ever heard outside the continent. It is generated by necessity and having to think on your feet. The fact that this thread was started in the Africa forum and not on the GA forum is evidence enough for that. In North America, it would not be difficult to get an mechanic on the radio and talk it through. With all due respect, and not without some envy, life is not like that in Africa. It makes you a little more prepared to proceed with things that are not really in the book.
Anyway, I appreciate that you toned down the reply. This is after all a debate forum, and I do not claim in anyway to hold all the facts or the solutions. I think its great that somebody with more technical insight than me chose to jump in, and I think that anybody reading this should carefully consider your points of view, because they are very valid. In the mean time, I will personally continue to speak softly and carry a long screwdriver.
Best regards
MT