June 2012
For well over a year I had been looking for a true four seat, single engine, fixed gear aircraft that was airworthy and would fit my budget. My budget was a little tight, so I had to be very careful. I was willing to do some repairs and cosmetic upgrades. After all, I had the advantage of growing up with aviation.
My father is an A&P mechanic and a recipient of the FAA’s Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award. He has over 50 years of military, airline and General Aviation experience. My brother, also an A&P mechanic, has over 30 years of experience. This allowed me many resources and connections.
Piper Cherokee 61 Tango was exactly what I had been searching for—and she was right in my own backyard. I am based in upstate New York at the Schenectady County Airport (KSCH) and I found her at the Sullivan County Airport (KMSV), only a two-and-a-half hour drive to the south.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
My relationship with 61 Tango began in the summer of 2007. When I first saw her, she was definitely showing her age. Her paint was original but very dull and chalky, and she had hangar rash on her right aileron. Her interior was also original: faded and soiled, but amazingly, no tears in the upholstery. Her windows were cloudy and scratched. She had a mid-time engine on its second run. She had decent radios, no damage history, a fresh annual. Her logbooks were up-to-date. All ADs had been complied with.
Basically, she was healthy but a little ragged. Could she be a diamond in the rough?
After numerous offers and counteroffers, we struck a deal. I ponied up all of my savings (and then some!) and flew her home. Soon, when I realized that I had accomplished my goal of becoming an aircraft owner, I began to enjoy the pride of ownership as much as flying.
My new goal was to restore 61 Tango’s appearance to be as good as—if not better than—the day she rolled out of the Vero Beach plant. My plan was to fly her a little bit, invest in her a little bit and work on her a little bit until I could afford to send her to the paint shop.
It turned out to be a two-year plan, but it was well worth the time and money. As I proceeded, I found that I enjoyed learning about her and working on her as much as I enjoyed flying her.
THE WORK BEGINS
After getting acquainted with my new airplane, I discovered a number of minor deficiencies such as a sticky brake caliper, a sticky main gear strut and an inoperative cylinder head temperature/exhaust gas temperature (CHT/EGT) gauge.
The sticky brake caliper and main gear strut were remedied by flushing and proper servicing, and I opted to replace the failed digital CHT/EGT gauge with an Alcor analog gauge.
For me, digital EGT gauges are harder to work with. Finding peak EGT on a digital display can be confusing, because the instrument displays flashing numbers as the mixture is adjusted. Alcor’s analog gauge does an excellent job of displaying the EGT trend as the mixture is adjusted, making proper leaning a snap.
My first actual upgrade to 61 Tango was the installation of a panel mounted, four-place intercom. I chose the PS Engineering PM1000II. The installation involved removing the instrument panel overlay, the seats and the interior side panels. I mounted the intercom unit and front seat headphone jacks in the instrument panel, and mounted the rear seat headphone jacks in the rear side panels.
For an additional charge, PS Engineering manufactured a custom wiring harness. All they needed from me was the length of the wire runs from the unit to the headphone jack locations. After receiving the wiring harness, I got my A&P father to complete the electrical tie-in to the circuit breaker panel, audio panel and headphone jacks. Then we reinstalled the instrument panel overlay, the seats and the interior side panels and 61 Tango had a nice, state-of-the-art intercom system.
One day while on the downwind leg of the landing pattern, looking into an afternoon sun, I discovered just how bad the side windows were. I couldn’t see the airport through those old hazy windows. This was more than a cosmetic problem—it was also a safety issue. I decided to order all new side windows from Great Lakes Aero Products.
The FAA regulations allow the pilot/operator to replace the aircraft’s side windows without the supervision of an A&P mechanic. Replacing the windows on the Cherokee couldn’t have been easier. All that was required was the removal of the interior plastic trim and window retainers (all held in place by screws), then the old windows were removed from the inside of the aircraft.
After cleaning the old sealant from the window frames I applied foam tape and sealant to the edges of the new windows, placed the windows into their frames, reinstalled the retainers—and just like that, 61 Tango had all-new side windows. (If you’re considering this update for your aircraft, be sure to read “Side Window Salvation” by Steve Ells. The article appeared in Piper Flyer just last month—May 2012—and it provides step-by-step information and lots of facts about various products on the market today. —Ed.)
I was experiencing a great sense of gratification with each repair and/or upgrade that I had made to 61 Tango, and I concluded that I needed to get serious about having her repainted. It was time to talk to the professionals.
CHOOSING A PAINT SHOP
I started by doing some research on the Internet and generating a list of aircraft paint shops within a 300-mile radius of home. I found that magazine reviews of various shops were a great resource for narrowing down the finalists. (I also discovered that there weren’t that many paint shops within 300 miles of my home!)
Next, I whittled down the list to a handful of shops that I thought I could do business with. I contacted the shops and received price quotes via email.
Understandably, the price quotes were contingent on the extent of preparation required prior to refinishing of the aircraft. What preparation was required? What preparation work was I capable of doing by myself? And of that, what work was cost-effective for me to perform, versus paying the shop? The answers to these questions would require in-person visits to the aircraft paint shops.
I ranked the shops based on four things: published in-depth analysis; word of mouth; examples of local aircraft; and—mostly—gut feeling. Then I scheduled my visits.
AN EASY CHOICE
On my second visit I was totally blown away. I knew I had found the right shop and wouldn’t need to look any longer. I had discovered Prestige Aircraft in Swanton, Vt., just a few miles from the Canadian border. The owner, Walt Fedorishen, also known as “Fed,” and I hit it off right away.
Walt gave me a tour of his facility where I was able to see aircraft in various stages of the refinishing process. I was awestruck by the attention to detail and effort that Prestige Aircraft expends to totally satisfy its customers.
Walt inspected 61 Tango and we generated the following list of items that I would complete prior to delivering 61 Tango to him:
• Re-skin right aileron
• Replace cracked pilot side windshield
• Replace upper and lower tailcone
• Replace forward and aft dorsal fin
fairings
•Replace stabilator tips
•Install new Hoerner style wingtips
GETTING HELP
The first and most challenging item that I choose to tackle was the right aileron. It bore the scars from a bad case of hangar rash that 61 Tango had contracted many years ago. I called upon my A&P brother, whose forte is sheet metal repair.
With his guidance, we removed the aileron from 61 Tango and set the aileron on a benchtop in his garage where I learned how to carefully drill out rivets and remove the old skin from the aileron’s rib and stringer frame. Next, with the help of another A&P friend, we ordered a new skin. Finally, my brother taught me to squeeze rivets as we installed the new aileron skin. It wasn’t all that difficult—once he showed me how it’s done—and it ended up costing about $300. Not bad at all! I am fortunate to have a brother and friends with the right tools, great skills, and the patience to teach me.
The next challenge was the pilot side windshield. The Piper Cherokee utilizes an outside air temperature gauge (OAT) that is mounted through a hole in the pilot’s windshield. I found this feature to be problematic because the OAT probe is in harm’s way when washing the aircraft, brushing snow off of the aircraft and removing the aircraft cover.
I know, I’ve heard it over and over—“I could eliminate those problems by keeping 61 Tango in a hangar”—but after accounting for the hangar fees at the Schenectady County Airport, I think I could afford to refinish 61 Tango every five years, with money to spare. While having a hangar has many other advantages, my budget is a little tight and I choose to spend the hangar money on Avgas and actually fly 61 Tango.
Six-One Tango’s windshield had the customary cracks found around the OAT gauge, and Walt had recommended replacing the windshield prior to painting. I decided to order the new windshield without the hole for the OAT gauge, opting for an electronic OAT gauge with a remotely mounted sensor. I’ll explain that later.
ADDITIONAL UPGRADES
Anyone who has ever tried to clean or remove bugs from the area where the glareshield meets the windshield knows how difficult that area is to access. I was planning to remove 61 Tango’s windshield, and her glareshield was showing its age… so, I thought, why not take this opportunity to replace the glareshield, too?
Next month, we’ll continue this story with the ordering and installation of the glareshield, as well as the installation of the new windshield and many other cosmetic and performance-enhancing upgrades.
Tim O’Brien is a Piper Flyer Association member. He submitted this story so that other members may benefit from his experience. He flies 61 Tango in and around upstate New York. Send questions and comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
RESOURCES >>>>>
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty
Alcor products available
at aircraftspruce.com
Great Lakes Aero Products
glapinc.com
Prestige Aircraft
paintaircraft.com
PS Engineering
ps-engineering.com
