Engine shock-loading
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jxk
I bet I know who you heard that result from....
There's all sorts of rumours going on at the moment but my understanding is that there is now a staff mini-bus going towards Wokingham FROM Oxford every morning.
The quality of work turned out has to do with the staff actually doing the work perhaps more so than the management in place. As A and C said, the quality, price and turnround times from NMA is very good.
If anyone wants any truthful experiences of UK engine companies PM me.
I bet I know who you heard that result from....
There's all sorts of rumours going on at the moment but my understanding is that there is now a staff mini-bus going towards Wokingham FROM Oxford every morning.
The quality of work turned out has to do with the staff actually doing the work perhaps more so than the management in place. As A and C said, the quality, price and turnround times from NMA is very good.
If anyone wants any truthful experiences of UK engine companies PM me.
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Further to my original question - and after seeing the thread on the Aztec that threw a piston - has anybody got an idea of how many of major failures like that one can be traced back to previous shocks, and how many instead are just 'sporadic', i.e. you are doomed to get it, even without shocks?
Cheers.
Deeday
Cheers.
Deeday
Last edited by Deeday; 16th Mar 2009 at 00:00. Reason: typo
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Major failures like that are pretty rare and I have never seen any data correlating them to engine management, parts history, etc.
From what I've read, unreported shock loading has been suspected as the cause of cracks in a crankcase; it's hard to see where crankcase cracks could come from otherwise.
Did Timothy's engine throw a piston? It looks like a cylinder came out, which would involve a number of bolts snapping (or their studs/nuts coming undone).
From what I've read, unreported shock loading has been suspected as the cause of cracks in a crankcase; it's hard to see where crankcase cracks could come from otherwise.
Did Timothy's engine throw a piston? It looks like a cylinder came out, which would involve a number of bolts snapping (or their studs/nuts coming undone).
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Just going through the pain of a shock-loaded 0-200.
Work was turned round very quickly but the insurers........
Its been over 3 months since the incident and I still haven't had the prop or engine back as they won't release until they receive payment.
So far the bill stands at £10k for shock-test, new crank and prop.
A lesson I've learnt is get the insurers to agree the payment, then pay for it yourself until the insurance cheque comes through. We had a very expensive transition to Part M this year which made that impossible.
As it is the engine maintainers have a load of repaired engines waiting for collection but won't release until they get payment. Can't be good for them.
Work was turned round very quickly but the insurers........
Its been over 3 months since the incident and I still haven't had the prop or engine back as they won't release until they receive payment.
So far the bill stands at £10k for shock-test, new crank and prop.
A lesson I've learnt is get the insurers to agree the payment, then pay for it yourself until the insurance cheque comes through. We had a very expensive transition to Part M this year which made that impossible.
As it is the engine maintainers have a load of repaired engines waiting for collection but won't release until they get payment. Can't be good for them.
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A lesson I've learnt is get the insurers to agree the payment, then pay for it yourself until the insurance cheque comes through. We had a very expensive transition to Part M this year which made that impossible.
I had to cough up £20k some years ago, after a close encounter with a pothole.
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FTR, a shockload inspection runs at about £6k if all is well (TO360). A new Top Prop for our commander (3 blade Hartzel) cost £7600 from Proptech in Portsmouth.
We eventually sent our engine for zero timing with Nicholson-Mclaren after some great advice from Ppruners
We would have gone with Barrett had we been on the N reg, but NMA offer many of the same services, we're getting the static and dynamic balancing done at the same time, and were cheaper after shipping was taken into account. The crankcase was badly fretted though and required sending to the USA anyway for machining by someone who has authorisation to do that type of work so perhaps had we known that before then we may have gone for BP in the first place.
We eventually sent our engine for zero timing with Nicholson-Mclaren after some great advice from Ppruners
We would have gone with Barrett had we been on the N reg, but NMA offer many of the same services, we're getting the static and dynamic balancing done at the same time, and were cheaper after shipping was taken into account. The crankcase was badly fretted though and required sending to the USA anyway for machining by someone who has authorisation to do that type of work so perhaps had we known that before then we may have gone for BP in the first place.
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My shock load was about £6k+VAT (CSE) and a new prop was £11k+VAT.
The prop could be bought for $9k from the USA (with perfectly good documents for a G-reg) but the moment "insurance" is mentioned, everybody rubs their hands
I don't think NM do dynamic balancing of anything; they certainly could not when I asked them. They weight match components. The prop can be dynamically balanced but that is a separate job; Worldwide Aviation at Bournemouth can do that.
The prop could be bought for $9k from the USA (with perfectly good documents for a G-reg) but the moment "insurance" is mentioned, everybody rubs their hands
I don't think NM do dynamic balancing of anything; they certainly could not when I asked them. They weight match components. The prop can be dynamically balanced but that is a separate job; Worldwide Aviation at Bournemouth can do that.
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Regarding the parts of the engine: anything from nothing, to pretty much all of it...and anything in between.
Regarding a suspected prop strike: one of my co-owners in the Pitts had one of these at Elvington last year; it was indeed a heavy landing, but unaware of prop damage, he did taxy the aircraft the best part of a mile to the apron where I was waiting to climb in and fly a competition aerobatic sequence. Imagine our surprise when, upon shutting down the engine, that a good proportion of the propellor had been removed.
In summary: yes, it bloody does matter if you have a prop strike on bumpy grass..or one of the largest pieces of smooth tarmac in the country...or a fuel bowser that you didn't see, in fact, pretty much anything. In fact, being confident you have a complete propellor and engine to go with it is right up there with counting the number of wings during the walk round, and if you finish counting with an odd number or a fraction, best to ask a responsible adult for advice.
Now then, is there something about your last flight you think you need to share with anybody?
Regarding a suspected prop strike: one of my co-owners in the Pitts had one of these at Elvington last year; it was indeed a heavy landing, but unaware of prop damage, he did taxy the aircraft the best part of a mile to the apron where I was waiting to climb in and fly a competition aerobatic sequence. Imagine our surprise when, upon shutting down the engine, that a good proportion of the propellor had been removed.
In summary: yes, it bloody does matter if you have a prop strike on bumpy grass..or one of the largest pieces of smooth tarmac in the country...or a fuel bowser that you didn't see, in fact, pretty much anything. In fact, being confident you have a complete propellor and engine to go with it is right up there with counting the number of wings during the walk round, and if you finish counting with an odd number or a fraction, best to ask a responsible adult for advice.
Now then, is there something about your last flight you think you need to share with anybody?
I wouldn't be so quick on the draw Rotorkop. I never cease to be amazed what people will fly never mind taxi.
Quite a few years ago we had a phone call from a pilot who just tried to fly a Hughes 300 helicopter owned by someone else. Didn't even get off the ground. On inspection it was found that the flange that holds the tail gearbox to the tailboom was trying to leave having elongated the (5?) mounting bolt holes to twice normal size. The bolt that held the tail rotor to the hub was worn half way through and had to be sawn out to remove the hub. In addition the threaded bush in the tail rotor hub that tightened onto the strap pack had all the threads worn off one side. It must have been flying for a long time with major problems to end up like that. Owner lucky to survive.
Quite a few years ago we had a phone call from a pilot who just tried to fly a Hughes 300 helicopter owned by someone else. Didn't even get off the ground. On inspection it was found that the flange that holds the tail gearbox to the tailboom was trying to leave having elongated the (5?) mounting bolt holes to twice normal size. The bolt that held the tail rotor to the hub was worn half way through and had to be sawn out to remove the hub. In addition the threaded bush in the tail rotor hub that tightened onto the strap pack had all the threads worn off one side. It must have been flying for a long time with major problems to end up like that. Owner lucky to survive.
Little quick jumping on the assumption train maybe?
