Any T-craft owners in the southwestern US, there will be a mobile X-ray event happening at Whiteman Airport on the 28th of this month. Not only does this allow you to comply with the strut AD, but it ALSO adds a much more important level of safety... because the X-ray will be set up to capture the lower fuselage cluster and strut attach fitting.

The more people who have this done the cheaper it will be for everyone. I DO NOT know what the price will be yet.

As some of you know, there has never been a strut failure in a T-craft, but there was one catastrophic failure of a badly corroded attach fitting. So the strut X-ray is to meet the rules, and having the lower longeron cluster also visible in the picture is to save your ass.

The ability to fly in, have the X-ray done, and fly out, without disassembling the aircraft, is a nice convenience too. Anyone who might be interested e-mail me at info(at)ezflaphandle[DOT]com

Any idea roughly what the cost would be??

When I was doing that it was 250 if you brought the plane to me, 350 if I brought the tube to you to do the Xray. It only takes a few minutes to set up the shot and 20 minutes to develope the film.

Too bad it's not closer. I have sealed struts, but it would be nice to see the attach fittings.

What's the radiation exposure risk of using a portable X-ray machine operated by backcountry mechanics?

I can only speak for the company LA X-ray that did the job at Whiteman on our T-carts, which was very professional and thorough. They made everyone stand 100 feet away from the camera, and the guy working the camera was wearing a lead tuxedo. I'm guessing you can't buy the X-ray guns or cameras or film or equipment without showing some sort of radioactive materials certification. Billy-Bob and Bubba probably don't have that.

Another thing for all y'all in SoCal to consider is having the lower clusters looked at on ANY 60 year old steel tube airplane, whether it's a Taylorcraft or not. Champs and Chiefs and Commonwealths and Milk Stools get neglected the same as the T-carts do. Just because you don't CURRENTLY have a big silly AD to deal with doesn't mean they won't name the AD after you and your Porterfield next month because it was the first failure of its kind. The fellow who set up the X-ray the first time had been doing it every 10 years on his L-2, long before the T-craft strut fiasco. And there still isn't an AD on the L-2. But Gary did it because he didn't want to be the one they named an AD after.

More than one way to leave your 'Mark' on the world?........
...At the same time, that is.......

lc

Humor. Somewhat twisted, but humor.