jmaynard
Joined: 27 Feb 2008
Posts: 394
Location: Fairmont, MN (FRM)
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 Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:33 am Post subject: My First Impressions of the Safety Recommendations |
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On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 07:58:56AM -0400, Frank Derfler wrote:
| Quote: | - I'm calling my insurance company and telling them the airplane is
grounded.
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..and Paul Mulwitz wrote:
| Quote: | I spent a few years in the gumint business myself. I agree with all you
said and have grounded my plane without waiting for the FAA bureaucrats to
make up their "Minds".
|
Far be it from me to tell others how to manage their own risk. As for me, I
thought about all of this a long time ago, when flutter first came to the
fore as a possible cause of the breakups. I see no particular reason to
change my thinking now.
I plan to keep flying my Zodiac unless and until the FAA or AMD issue orders
to ground the aircraft. I do keep on top of my aileron cable tensions per
the AMD service bulletin - though the NTSB letters reveal those tensions
were developed on the CH2000 Alarus, not the Zodiac - and make sure there's
tension on the cables during preflight; keep the airspeed within the green
arc unless the air's absolutely glass smooth; and slow to maneuvering speed
in anything more than slight turbulence. I believe these steps will minimize
the risk of flutter until a permanent fix can be found.
That fix is likely to be aileron mass balances. Every aeronautical engineer
I've discussed the issue with has expressed surprise at the Zodiac's
approach to flutter prevention, and said that it wouldn't likely be
considered acceptable.
Life is risk. Aviation is all about managing risk. Yes, I could die in my
airplane tomorrow. I'm more likely to do it by doing something stupid that
kills lots of pilots, rather than by having my airplane come apart around
me. I'm even more likely to die in my car on the way to the airport, or in
bed, or lots of other ways. I do what I can to manage risk, and then I quit
worrying about it.
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC, PP-ASEL, AGI http://www.conmicro.com
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (KFRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC http://www.tronguy.net/N55ZC.shtml
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_________________
Jay Maynard, K5ZC
AMD Zodiac XLi N55ZC |
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