May 2005-
Doing some of the maintenance and refurbishing to your own airplane will give you a great deal of satisfaction, give you greater confidence in the reliability of your airplane, allow you to understand some of the little noises and quirks in flight, teach more about systems than you will ever learn from the pilot handbook or flight manual, may save you significant amounts of money and improve the appearance of the bird.
There are a lot of things that you, as a licensed pilot operating under FAR 61 can do to an airplane, so long as that plane is not used under part 121, 129 or 135, and the list of items is almost unlimited if you are under the direct supervision of a licensed A&P mechanic.
Part 43 of the Federal Aviation Regulations is the section that deals with Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, Rebuilding and Alteration of aircraft. Who can perform, what they can perform, and how it must be performed is clearly stipulated. I really suggest that you review Part 43, not only to see what you can do as a pilot/owner, but also to review the requirements that you as an aircraft owner/operator are responsible for as to the completion and recording of maintenance, and inspections.
If your pilot publications do not include Part 43, it can be viewed on the FAA web site (www.faa.gov) as well as any other regulations you might like to review. This is not a bad site to add to your list of favorites when you consider that the FAR publication you purchased was probably out of date before you purchased it if you don’t have a subscription to an update service. FAR 43.9 (g) tells you, “the holder of a pilot certificate issued under Part 61 may perform preventive maintenance on any aircraft owned or operated by that pilot which is not used under Part 121, 129, or 135.”
That’s great, but how do you know what preventive maintenance is? That’s easy; the FAR does define these items for you in Part 43, Appendix A—Major Alterations, Major Repairs, and Preventive Maintenance. Section (c) of the Appendix lists 32 items you as a pilot can perform if it does not involve complex assembly operations.
Remember, even though you are allowed to do the listed items, you still must have the current maintenance manual for the aircraft and equipment to do the job , and you must make the logbook entries as required by Part 43.9. This is an area in which it is easy for the aircraft owner to violate regulations with long range consequences down the road, so be careful!
Some of the permitted items include:
• Remove and replace tires
• Grease wheel bearings
• Lubrication
If you accomplished these items on your own aircraft, you would easily save $200 to $300 at average shop rates around the country. Remember though, if there is any question about what you find when doing these jobs, consult your mechanic. Pitted bearings, scored races, worn bushings, cracked wheels and especially corrosion, are all possible maladies that may be discovered and must be corrected.
Speaking of your mechanic, 43.3 (d) allows a person working under the direct supervision of a mechanic or repairman to accomplish any task that his supervisor is authorized to perform. The supervisor must be readily available in person for consultation, and must personally observe the work being done to the extent necessary to ensure that it is done properly.
If you ask your mechanic, he very likely would welcome your help at the next annual doing the grunt work that is time consuming and not a good use of his time. Here is your opportunity to gain an education on aircraft maintenance procedures and save considerable money.
What is this grunt work?
• Remove and replace inspection panels and cowling.
• Clean and degrease the engine, landing gear and airframe.
• Lubricate the landing gear and control surfaces
• Clean and gap spark plugs
• Remove and replace the interior as necessary
• Service the battery
All of the above work is permitted under Appendix A, and doesn’t add liability to your mechanic if you make the logbook entries attesting to the work accomplished. You can do all the maintenance required if you work under the auspices of 43.3 (d), but inspections must be performed by a mechanic.
The more work you do, the greater the savings, and the above listed items are things your mechanic probably doesn’t want to do anyway. The potential problem with 43.3 (d) might be that your mechanic’s insurance carrier does not allow anyone not directly employed by the mechanic to work on the aircraft. It is possible a phone call to the insurance underwriter and a hold harmless agreement for the specific circumstance may resolve that issue. Is your interior looking a little long in the tooth? Appendix A, items 11, 14, and 15 allow you to repair upholstery and furnishings, replace seat belts, and replace seat parts as long as it does not involve primary structure or operating systems.
Interior work is mostly labor, and very expensive because of it. There are companies that will provide do-it-yourself interiors. One that I have used many times and have always been pleased with is Airtex Products, Inc. in Fallsington, Penn. They have everything you need to refurbish your interior with quality products—including leather. Their web site at www.airtexinteriors.com is complete with a catalog and ordering information. Sample material packages are available to compare colors and fabrics prior to ordering.
A little time and effort on your part will make your bird look new, save a lot of money and add value and enjoyment to the airplane. This is an ideal project for the patient, careful do-it-yourselfer.
Interior plastic cracked, faded, and tired? There are a number of companies that offer new and usually improved interior plastics. The company that I have used is Vantage Plane Plastics. Their web site at www.planeplastics.com has extensive catalogs to find the new parts for that cracked, faded instrument panel overlay, or most any other interior part to make your airplane look new.
Is there a constant haze when you look out the side windows? Aircraft windows cloud with age and should be replaced when vision is obscured. Windows are also available on the Vantage Plane Plastic web site (for other resources, see the end of the article), and Appendix A, of FAR 43, item (13) tells us that replacing side windows is preventive maintenance and can be performed by a pilot owner.
Are the fairings cracked and broken? You can improve the external appearance of your airplane by replacing the cracked and broken fairings. Texas Aeroplastics of Roanoke, TX offers new fairings and other parts to help improve the appearance of your airplane, and appendix A, item (9) and (12) define this as preventative maintenance, both installation and painting. These companies’ products are FAA/PMA approved parts, which is a requirement for installation on a certified airplane as per FAR 21.203 (a).
If you are really an aggressive do-it-yourselfer, FAR 21.303 (b) (2) will allow you to produce parts for your aircraft, without having a Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA). This means that you can actually make any replacement part you like for your airplane as the owner or operator.
Remember, any part you make must be at least equal to the part being replaced, which means you need to have an engineer certify the quality of what you produce as being equal to the original, and you would need the original drawings and specifications to know what equal is.
I really would not suggest producing your own parts unless there was absolutely no other way, however it is done many times in the restoration of antique aircraft. Some years ago I was involved with restoring a Lockheed 10, and parts availability for 1930’s aircraft is difficult at best. Lockheed actually had its engineering department approve many of the parts we produced for the aircraft using different alloys, procedures and materials (we had a number of landing gear parts forged). Other items were approved by a Designated Engineering Representative (DER). This was all time consuming and expensive.
If you decide to become a do-it-yourselfer, there are a lot of projects to improve your aircraft, add to its value and allow you to spend quality time with your airplane while not flying. You do need to follow the regulations, use certified parts (unless you manufacture your own), correct procedures as described in the maintenance manuals and make correct, accurate logbook entries, but the regulations do allow do-it-yourself maintenance.
Resources:
Vantage Plane Plastics Interior
Plastics & Window Replacements
580-327-1565
Great Lakes Aero Products, Inc.
Windshields & Windows
1-888-826-2641 or 810-235-1402
Globe Fiberglass Ltd, Inc.
Wheel Fairings & Wingtips
1-800-899-2707
Charles Clapper is an ATP rated pilot in helicopters and airplanes with eighty type ratings. Seaplane and glider rated with over 20,000 hours experience in charter operations, airline and corporate, he holds letters of authority in several types of warbirds. He is also a current CFII in helicopters, single and multi-engine aircraft. He is currently serving as Director of Operations for a south Florida aircraft charter company.
