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How To Care For An Airplane

By: Luat Tran Van

Aircraft should be repaired only by competent mechanics but they should be looked after by their owners and operators; plus, there are situations in which any sort of technician may not be available, so every pilot should know what to do for expedient field repairs.
So, if the next mechanic is in a galaxy far away, what do you do with your mighty, albeit malfunctioning, bush plane in the middle of nowhere? Rules and regulations say that you have to bring the mechanic in, let him work and then get off with your airplane, but that is not always practical or feasible at all.
For example, if you have to abandon an area that is to be affected by an incoming fire and the only thing that you have is an aircraft with some sort of malfunction that is fixable, would you give up such a good chance of survival and run away because of some regulations written by people comfortably located in a cozy office? What of you have to evacuate someone that desperately needs medical attention?
Please bear in mind that I am not suggesting you to break the law or act imprudently; the fundamental concept of aviation is safety and nobody could seriously pretend to do the job of a qualified technician or engineer just because "you saw" how maintenance and repair work takes place. Having said this, however, also consider that the cornerstone of this article is that under special circumstances you may be left with no other choice than to do the job yourself.
Safety comes first and if you have a choice always go for existing rules in the realm of aviation; stay the closest possible to them because unlike many laws written for common life and urban situations air safety regulations have been created by real professionals - not politicians - with security as a sincere goal. If you do make your own repairs always choose the path that will give you the highest degree of safety while staying as close as possible to the norm.
You should also bear in mind that aircraft are always designed with significant tolerances in mind, and that if you read in an operators' manual that any given model is capable of withstanding - for example - +3,9g it will probably be capable of maneuvering safely at +5g, but you shouldn't bet on that margin. Many old aircraft were classified within certain categories such as aerobatic, as it happens with some Luscombes, but our present-day definition of aerobatics is somewhat different and then, even aerobatic aircraft that are fifty years old may not be entirely safe for violent flight.
Particularly with rather old aircraft like those used for bush flying, you should take steps not to stress them too much or beyond their operational limits. They will indeed do what you ask them to do, but you have to consider both the acute stresses that affect the structure and the airplane's systems, as well as the cumulative effect all the flights that you do, bumpy landings and so on.
And before you ever try to use an airplane for bush flying, get acquainted with it, and I am not talking of knowing about the make and model, but the specific flying machine that you intend to pilot because all aircraft are definitely not created equal, even if they belong to the same make, model and version. You must get to know your airplane intimately.
So, having explained all these points, let's see some specific cases related to bush flying: It would require a huge encyclopaedia to cover all aspects related to aircraft maintenance, but let's start with the idea that normal operations under such conditions are not like flying in and out of a tidy airport with a nice FBO and interesting people around. You should assume that each time that you take off or land your plane will be stressed and rattled, it could be damaged by birds, stones, dust, water, heat and so on.
To this you will have to add the normal wear and tear that takes place in more pleasant flying environments; so stay prepared for the commonest of problems at all times, like oil leakage, which is a curse of many aircraft. Take a small quantity of oil with you on each flight.
Some duct tape or transparent adhesive tape will help you a lot , especially if you have a fabric-covered plane that could suffer damage. Duct tape is generally better but transparent ones may prove useful if you ever have to repair a hole in a window or windshield. You can, of course, cover any hole even with newspapers or your socks, but then you may lose critical visibility that while impaired with the transparent tape, will certainly be retained to some extent and more than by using opaque objects.
One thing that is essential in bush flying is to perform a post-flight walk around inspection. This is seldom commented in manuals, flight schools and so on but is an absolute must! What if you detect some sooth or smoke coming out of the engine cowl? What about that wheel's brake that seems dead? What about the mud or cow's dung splattered all over the wing after you landed just on that unusual spot? Are you going to leave the airplane like that until you depart next morning?
Along with the post flight check and while you take notice of all the things that may need to get fixed - and believe me, if you fly in the wilderness you will always have those after each flight - make sure that you will be able to tie up securely and protect the plane from wind, hail, rain, snow, ice, sand, dust and other weather forecast niceties. Place the propeller in a horizontal position and if it is made out of wood, cover it so that if it rains it will not get soaked; then, cover as much as possible of your airplane with canvas, plastic foil or even tree branches and leaves, especially if you expect a lot of dust, ice or snow, because the next day you will spend a lot of time taking it all off.
Of course, before departing you will have to run your pre-flight checklists; every aviator knows. But in the case of a bush airplane it is generally safe to add two more tasks: Cleaning and making sure that you will not carry more weight in the form of ice, dirt, etc. and inspecting the interior to make sure that no animals entered the plane.
Take out all dust, snow or ice covering your airplane, clean the wings with a piece of cloth and take out all remains of insects and anything that may be left there because those little things may otherwise affect the flow of air and consequently, the overall lift of the wings, particularly at low speeds.
New bush pilots will soon notice that cockpits and passenger cabins tend to become dirtier than usual: People that vomit because they feel dizzy, blood from hunted animals or wounded people, mud, dirt, leaves and such stuff will accumulate. So taking cleansing and disinfecting products is a must.
These are some of the things that you should take into account whenever operating a plane in the wilderness; of course, it wouldn't be possible to cover every side of the issue in just one article, so stay in touch because we will publish more about the topic.
And one more thing, for now: Never forget that your expedient repairs are only provisory. Don't assume that because you patched a tear in the fabric of a flap with a plastic bag and some duct tape, that repair will be the same as what a qualified technician will do. It may work to get you out of the slope of an erupting volcano, but please, take your plane to a mechanic as soon as possible afterwards.

Article Source: http://www.articlemanual.com

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