I've found over the years that the further N of 60 I've gotten the better screwings I have gotten regarding airplane parts, repairs, and aircraft themselves. There are a few exceptions, but generally that's been my luck.

Real sorry about that. That sucks.

That is indeed ugly work. As noted, those mashed rivets will have crushed structure underneath.....not airworthy.

That cracked skin is definitely not airworthy, and you can't legally just patch it on a balanced surface.

Hard to believe someone would do that to new skins.

I don't know if going to the FSDO will help you, but you'll be doing the rest of the folks there a favor.

MTV

I wouldn't let them touch anything anymore. Time to get your money back and find someone else. I'm an amateur and even I could have done better than that.

Sorry you got hosed...a similar thing happened to me last year and I ended up eating the money, getting a box full of junk and starting over. I just told myself I paid $750 to get them out of my life forever.

sorry you lost some money on that, that is just sloppy work. good luck with the 180

Oh man, those pictures make me cringe.

Good luck on getting this resolved, I would fight this hard.

I know you'd hate to go this route, but I think I have a good 180 horizontal in my stash. If it isn't serviceable, I know it is rebuildable, and there are a few guys on this board that would vouch for my work. If not, I can ship it to whoever you'd like to use. Send me an email and we can chat if you like. [email protected]

Mods...if this is me selling things out of line, feel free to delete.

AEROPOD wrote:I know you'd hate to go this route, but I think I have a good 180 horizontal in my stash. If it isn't serviceable, I know it is rebuildable, and there are a few guys on this board that would vouch for my work. If not, I can ship it to whoever you'd like to use. Send me an email and we can chat if you like. [email protected]

Mods...if this is me selling things out of line, feel free to delete.

Thanks for the offer! I have a line on a guy here that comes highly recommended from the guy I am getting the engine mount from. He said he can repair mine for around 5k worst case scenario that everything got trashed. I am going to go take a look at his work when I get home.

Nothin here that time and money can't fix I guess..

Did you pay with a credit card? Most credit card companies usually have a really good an aggressive loss prevention/insurance wing that might get your money back for you? Just a thought. Hope it works out for the best!

CW

clippwagon wrote:Did you pay with a credit card? Most credit card companies usually have a really good an aggressive loss prevention/insurance wing that might get your money back for you? Just a thought. Hope it works out for the best!

CW

No sir, it was a cashiers check.

Wow that is sloppy workmanship! It looks like almost every aspect of the work has been done poorly; right down to the customer service.

After much deliberation, I did the unthinkable... I called the FSDO and chatted with the inspector there then sent him pictures. While on one hand I SERIOUSLY hate to get the government involved in ANY aspect of my life or anyone elses, I just cant sit by and take this one in the shorts. This will probly end up with me taking the parts to the FSDO when I get home for further "evaluation" then I will more than likely have to take them to someone else and pay them to do the job right. I just cant see putting the mummy back in the air with sub standard parts on her just because I want to fly the damn thing this summer. I talked to one of the local 135 guys that his rudder in the same shop when I went to pick up my parts and he noted that some of the rivets on his rudder were "bucked a little harder than needed". Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I start putting up pictures of the new engine going together and the interior work getting done.

akavidflyer wrote:After much deliberation, I did the unthinkable... I called the FSDO and chatted with the inspector there then sent him pictures. While on one hand I SERIOUSLY hate to get the government involved in ANY aspect of my life or anyone elses, I just cant sit by and take this one in the shorts. This will probly end up with me taking the parts to the FSDO when I get home for further "evaluation" then I will more than likely have to take them to someone else and pay them to do the job right. I just cant see putting the mummy back in the air with sub standard parts on her just because I want to fly the damn thing this summer. I talked to one of the local 135 guys that his rudder in the same shop when I went to pick up my parts and he noted that some of the rivets on his rudder were "bucked a little harder than needed". Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I start putting up pictures of the new engine going together and the interior work getting done.

Good for you. While I agree with you on a reluctance to go to the FAA with these kinds of things, that is REALLY ugly work, and if he'll put out that kind of work, he'll probably also screw up the balance on a balanced control surface, which might well end in an in flight break up. I agree that this one deserves to have someone look carefully at the guy's credentials.

MTV

FSDO = Good Call!

I'd let him know your going that route and give him the opportunity to make it right. I'd also have my attorney send him a letter stating such.

Make him shake brother!

Sorry to hear about your fiasco. I just picked up some C-180 elevators that are not perfect but appear to be in decent shape. Please feel free to contact me if these would help you out.

You just have to get some oversight going so no one gets hurt as a result of his work.

Gray Morris, M&M Aviation on the Birchwood Airport does excellent work and specializes in Cessna flight controls.

Halestorm wrote:Gray Morris, M&M Aviation on the Birchwood Airport does excellent work and specializes in Cessna flight controls.

He (M&M) was also highly recommended by the guy I just bought an engine mount from. Gave a worst case quote over the phone on fixing the stab (ouch). Will decide next week if we are going to take it to him to have them fixed right based on the outcome of the investigation from the FSDO. The guy at the FSDO was pretty shocked when he saw the pics. The bad part is the quality of work that has come out of this guys shop in the past. I have seen work that was absolute perfection from him... but this time that was certainly not the case. It probably does not help him that I have been in quality control my entire working career LOL.

The inspector from the FSDO is supposed to stop by the house Wednesday and fondle the stab and elevator, take his own pictures and then venture on down the road to the shop that did the work and have a talk with the guy. I am pretty impressed that they are handling this so quickly! Will be interesting to see what his investigation turns up. All I want out of the deal is airworthy parts fixed correctly, but something tells me that this guy wont be doing the repairs.

I would certainly send him a copy of the invoice from the shop doing proper work along with a nice letter from your attorney, explaining how you will settle for ALL of your money back.

If that doesn't work, try the cattle prod idea...

Sorry about all the carnage, Lenny. You can thank me that you're not rebuilding the pilot's door on top of everything else. I trussed it up with that rope on the outside, when the wonky latch kept popping open in the south wind. And that was when that beady-eyed Canadian owned it.