25 Hour Service -912 ULS

What a day I have had, I was meant to fly but the weather was absolutely shite (as usual), so I carried out a 25hr service.

Some of you may or may not know, but I teach qualified riders to pass the advanced riders test, I also service my own motorcycles. Therefore, the prospect of servicing my own aircraft was something I was looking forward too!

If anyone is mechanically minded the process of servicing ones own plane is both cost effective and rewarding, however, and it’s a big HOWEVER, one has to be methodical, and all aspects of the service schedule must be carried out.

Nevertheless, there was an area that I had no idea of what to do whatsoever, and that was the prop friction test. This is were Rob came in, he showed me how to carry out this inspection, the process was not that hard in the end.

Points to note though:

1.       Read through all service bulletins applicable to your engine, it’s a good idea to check the Rotax web site

2.       Have the spares at hand, i.e. Oil, Oil Filter, Fuel Filters etc

3.       Have a good basic tool kit, also have a decent Socket set, a set of good quality spanners, filer gauge, A Torque wrench and an amp meter for those electrical problematic areas. ( obviously there are other tools that you might need, but you can obtain them as and when)

The service took me about 6 hours to complete, only because I had not carried out this process before.

Once complete, Rob advised how I should complete the service records in the airframe and engine logbook, and told me how to file the paperwork as necessary.

All done now, until the next service, which will be at 50 hours.

To conclude, even though I carried out the service myself, those of you who have some previous engine knowledge would not go far wrong by talking to your local service engineer prior to carrying out the service schedule.  Those of you who would like to do your own serving, but have no engine knowledge should refrain from attempting it until you have gained the necessary skill and knowledge. This can be can be achieved by asking your service engineer to allow you to assist in the schedule.

However, remember, your engine keeps you airborne lol ( you already know that don’t you) and failure to carryout the schedule correctly could cause a malfunction or worse still, an engine failure… so if you are up to it, have go, if you have no idea or your loaded why not leave it to the professionals,… their knowledge is your safety.

Happy Landings
GT & Gunny Flexwing