After helicopter flight training this morning it’s back to the Scout. Nose wheel fresh buildups (Port & Starboard) are installed. A little trick is to retract the landing gear and keep the shimmy lock off. This allows the fork to be turned sideways which makes the alignment of the axle bolt, washers, anti-torque pin and wheel very easy!

Photograph below shows the nose gear forks backwards to make tilting for axle alignment really easy:

Disc brakes (Grove), grease seals(Timken), AeroShell 22 Grease arrived from Wipaire. Brake pads (Grove) arrived from Spruce.

Old remnants of brakes:


Rapco tool is flawless and fast!


Incredible value Wip/Grove products. Very little corrosion (surface oxidation only). These floats should last (50)+ years...


Fortunately these (2) discs are spares because the old disc are within limits! Yeah!!


Join me at my Helicopter rating thread too. It’s a lot of work...but, super fun!
https://backcountrypilot.org/community/forum/latest/2018-06-12-r22-ktoa-klgb-21965

Thank you for reading. More to follow...

The helo add on, here in Torrance, is literally exhausting. The last week or so I haven’t been motivated enough to continue servicing the Scout. Today was different, after about (3) hours flying the R22 it was back to the hangar and work continued.

Amphib landing gear is really simple but, different. Therefore in today’s show and tell we shall investigate those differences.

Axle grease seals when new allow no grease what so ever to purge. In order to keep a fresh supply of AeroShell 22 slowly flowing, a 1/8” hole is drilled in the outside seal.


Here’s the configuration:


Insert a cotter pin into the axle and grease barrel to keep aligned. Test the zerk by pumping a little grease into the barrel and see if it exists in the two holes (top and bottom).


While the wheel is removed grease the lower links:


Next, insert the freshly overhauled wheel assembly, adjust wheel nut, and cotter key. Bolt on brakes, safety wire. Then pump the entire axle up with AeroShell 22, takes about 3-5 minutes. Repeat on other side.

Excellent stuff! Keep posting! Thanks for taking the time.

Kurt

Welcome to our FIRST full day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere! If you are in Australia never mind, it’s the first day of Winter.

Time is really flying! I made a hard decision to temporarily stop helo training in order to get packed up and leave Torrance, the Scout’s Annual Inspection is really not happening, due to the excitement of being here in California and all the fun things to do.

Today I was polishing/waxing the empennage and floats. I personally believe the only way to thoroughly inspect an amphib is to polish, clean and lubricant all the little nuance appendages. Several different brushes were purchased for this delicate and time consuming task.



My first squawks. Contaminated rivet under the polyurethane paint. If you don’t clean it by removing paint and corrosion the filiform corrosion can spread under the paint.


Delaminating fabric on the amphibians ventral fin (2100A STC). Shown below is the fin coated with wax. The forward seam is slightly loose.



Note: An annual/100hr sign-off requires that placards from the POH, STCs, TCDS (regulatory items) must be affixed. Surprised that a lot of owners/IAs miss that year after year.

One of the many (many) benefits of being the IA on your inspections, is that when it’s several months overdue you can blame yourself! Anyway, this week should be “All Pau Brah”. And flying again when Mary arrives on leave from Hawaii.

Engine passed with flying colors. Compressions 77/80 (cylinder #1,2,3,4): Coarser, fine screens very clean, 25 hour oil changes pay dividends (I wish GE would too).


The simplicity of the Scout requires very few tools to service. Very attractive asset.


Another squawk: Elevator trim control cable needed extra 4LBS to pass. Removed safety wire and turned turnbuckle barrel about five turns, it’s 1/16” (0.0625).


I use single wrap on the trim tab, it’s easy to inspect and not a primary control. Primary cable controls which have internal turnbuckle(s) use double wrap.


Tempest plugs are definitely better. Highly recommend:


Monday is laundry day. Souther California is hot and dry today, no machine dryer needed. Save a little electric and use the Scout dryer technique:

The annual inspection is complete. I’m free to travel back to Oregon. Will take my sweet time going North, it’s Summer. Many lakes and cool airports thru California and Southern Oregon. My personal opinion on owning an aircraft is it’s a privilege like no other, cherishing every minute aloft. Cherishing every minute I maintain her on the ground.

Mary will be here starting on Friday (LAX) for about a week. Then packing up...

Aloha and thank you for following along, Mahalo.

(The logbooks are now closed)