After almost 3 months at KHHR getting probed and touched un-gentlemanlike in all her cavities, the old girl took to the skies for a brief test flight today. She was happy to be up basking in the California sun and purred like a kitten with her newly overhauled prop hubs and cylinders. New metalwork on her tail feathers as well, so she shook those for everyone to see. No squawks. It was touch and go for old faithful there for a while, but it's not as easy to kill an old 520 as one thinks!
Personally, I was going crazy not flying for so long, so it was very nice to be back in the saddle again, so to speak. Now, I'll just have to rob a bank to be able to afford theat bl**dy annual....
Getting her tail cone attached just before test flight. There were some damages in the tail previously undiscovered from a tail strike by the
former owner that needed some metal work.
BTW, there was a brand new Skycatcher in at the "garage" as there's a new AD for a reinforcement on the spar/strut attachment point that needs complying with... It's a 30hr job to fix. So it's not only old aircraft that cost money - even brand new ones get it. Aircrafts are not like cars - you are on your own when you buy them - even when they're brand new.