Hi all, something that's been on my mind for a while, wondering if you have any thoughts on it.
Almost all of my flying is done in C152 or PA28 trainers, all of a certain vintage (most seem to be around 30 years old). Some are in reasonable 'visual' condition, while others are pretty tatty. I trained on them, did my share of 'firm' landings in them and pulled a little G in steep turns and spiral dive recoveries.
But, how would I know if the plane I am about to fly in has exceeded the G force/structural limit with other flyers? - when I do a walk around, the bolts holding the wings and under carriage on are covered, so I can't see them (and to be honest, I'm not sure if I could tell if they were over stressed anyway!). I'm assuming that these items are visually checked at the 50 hour check and at the annual, but is it more than just a casual visual inspection? Do planes have some sort of G force device/marker that indicates if the structure has exceeded the safe limits?
Structural integrity has crossed my mind occasionally on particularly turbulent flights - I 'd like to think I'd be okay if the engine stopped at 2000 ft, but not sure how I would cope if a wing fell off
Do these well used planes have a finite shelf life?
Thanks for reading!