[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on January 27, 2023 at 6:33 pm #21792

 
At the end of a LONG upgrade project Annie the Apache apparently decided she wanted a little more attention for the new year. A nose job to be specific. So of course I had to comply! On test flying my Apache after the upgrade work on the panel it became obvious that something wasn’t right with the nose gear. And nose gear issues can become EXPENSIVE, especially on a twin. So Annie got her nose job. This pic is pulling the rest of the parts off the nose gear to repair the issues.

 
This pic is my mechanic buddy putting everything back together. Notice the heater in the background as it’s January in North Carolina! We believe we now have repaired all the issues and at this point we will be ready to service the hydrualics and run the gear tests. Hopefully Annie is happy with her nose job!

[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on December 26, 2022 at 5:38 pm #21753

The nosegear microswitch was successfully replaced (easy once we could locate the proper part and get it shipped!). On test flying our work the gear and flaps were slow to operate compared to what we had seen previously. We got Down, 3 green (or green All Up) but the gear handle wasn’t always “popping” to the neutral position on it’s own as it normally does. Same for flaps. We worked the flaps on the ground and it seemed to improve but still not where we wanted it. After three times around the pattern we decided we need to trouble shoot the hydraulics. So the Apache continues to play “whack-a-mole” with us by starting another problem as soon as we solve a different one. But we’re getting closer!

On a good note; Santa brought me a BatteryMinder for my Apache’s Concorde battery. The battery charger is designed just for Concorde batteries and I hope it will help my battery have a much longer life than the previous two batteries. Thanks Santa!

The charger attaches to the GPU port.

Lots of info on the charger and I like knowing what it’s doing.

[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on December 2, 2022 at 2:52 pm #21714

Of course as soon as my mechanic leaves town the awaited part shows up on my doorstep.
I never got a box that said “Boeing” before but it looks impressive!

The part that was sent has yet ANOTHER part number on it that I am checking. My mechanic says it LOOKS like the correct part so we’ll see. At this point I’m ready just to stick this microswitch in and call it good but I really do want everything to work properly.

[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on December 1, 2022 at 5:39 pm #21711

The nose gear microswitch “mini-disaster” continues. We ordered the part from SkyGeeks but after a week we still haven’t gotten it. So I guess I can blame “supply chain”…

We tried a second “salvage” switch but it didn’t work either. So at this point we have the plane ready to fly minus one microswitch. Unfortunately my mechanic is going to Florida for a family visit just as I am getting my time off as well. So we will be driving one more time!

(Notice the hangar is slowly getting less cluttered as the plane comes back together!)

[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on November 25, 2022 at 11:15 am #21693

A new “mini-disaster” for the Apache. We knew we had to replace the lighting rheostat and we have that about half done. However, on the test flight we had a random gear unsafe horn. So after finishing flying we checked the horn. Turns out we have a bad microswitch on the nosegear. Trying to locate one now (over Thanksgiving weekend!). If we don’t get it by Tuesday my mechanic is out of town for two weeks and obviously I am planning some flying during that time period. So….

If anyone knows who I could contact for an Apache nosegear microswitch part # BZ-7RQ31T1 I appreciate it!

*edit* I was able to get ahold of SkyGeek and they provided an alternate part number of SGP-45801 and they have them in stock. So I hope we can cancel the emergency! Also, I asked my mechanic to see if the extra gear leg I have as a salvage that came with the plane has a microswitch that matches. He is checking on that.

*2nd edit* Salvage part wasn’t going to work. So we have ordered part from SkyGeek. Hopefully we can get this done before mechanic goes to Florida. We are still working on the rheostat.

[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on November 21, 2022 at 5:46 pm #21688

The Apache finally flew again today. At least it was perfect weather – cool, clear and calm!

We did one quick trip around the pattern. Had a little “electrical” smell. Unable to find the issue but tied off more wires then flew another 3 patterns with no issue. We need to figure out the screens on the G2 GEM but otherwise it looks good.

Checking plane over after first pattern.

 
Happy to have a plane flying again! My buddy will be getting his 182RG flying in the next month or two. His plane has been down 2 years as he has rebuilt the entire interior. (edit: I have no idea why the pic is upsidedown. No, we didn’t do aerobatics!)

Attachments:

• FlightTest.JPG
• FlightTest2.jpg

[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on November 11, 2022 at 5:14 pm #21675

More Apache “fun” today. We are in reassembly mode. Which on an Apache means LOTS of screws to put the engine nacelles back together!

We finished the last of the work on the left engine and began “wrapping it up”. I tend to forget how many screws hold the nacelle together. I wish I had the contract to supply Piper with screws!

We got the ALT OUT lights moved and working. We had a little trouble with locating them so the right one is slightly off center. However, when viewed from the left seat it looks right on! We had to add a plastic “spacer” to make the lights fit where we wanted them. We still have the cosmetic stuff to do such as paint and labels.

If I’m very careful with my angle it almost looks completed. We still have the right side to go.

After we finish this we still have a few things to do but the plane is now flyable once we finish getting the nacelles put back on.

[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on November 8, 2022 at 9:26 pm #21666

Steve,

Obviously this has become a labor of love and I hope others can enjoy “hearing” about it as you do. The Apache had gotten a lot of “new stuff” on this cycle. Actually way more than I originally thought when we opened it up but I really want this bird to be reliable. My mechanic has replaced a lot of wiring, switches and circuit breakers. He understands that I don’t want to do this long of an upgrade again but we both want to be comfortable that the electrical system is ok. Also, I really wanted more info on my engine’s health so the GEMs are a huge plus but again a LOT of wiring to do each cylinder.

I guess for whatever reason he felt the mag switches were supposed to go in opposite what was actually correct as he had all 4 switches “backwards”. At least it was an easy diagnosis and fix!

Thanks for the comments (and encouragement!).

[STEVE]

STEVE on November 7, 2022 at 9:08 am #21664

Hi Eric,
It’s so much fun to watch your on going upgrades on your Apache. Glad you’re saving it. So many older airplanes are left to rot away. Sad.
And thanks for being so honest about your findings (mag switches installed upside down). I hope it helps people realize that a mechanic’s task, esp on big projects is enormous. We like the challenge but there a many opportunities to make mistakes. Days spent photographing and labeling parts during the disassembly stage of these projects pays big dividends when, months later, the reassembly begins.

[Eric Parks]

Eric Parks on November 5, 2022 at 4:49 pm #21663

We got all the new digital gauges working! It looks great to see them light up. I am very excited to try out the new Insight G2 GEM’s.

The battery box was already upgraded and we just finished the last of the Bogert cable upgrades, We will be putting new copper cable from the GPU plug as well and that will give us all new copper cables.

We put in a brand new Concorde battery as the old one just died on us. I think a combination of sitting in the hangar, occasional engine runs with little charging time and a trickle charger not optimized for the battery caused the old one to die,

Nice to get the plane out again today and start it on it’s own power! We found the issue with no oil pressure indication on the left engine. It was a little bit of air in the line. Once that was “bled” it worked fine. Mag switches were turned around and now work as they should with up being “on”.