FINALLY FINISHED! Well, what started out as a “modest” instrument upgrade and panel rebuild turned into a 6 month project that finally saw 20G airborne once again last Friday for an instrument check and ADS-B certification flight. I’m really happy with the results but I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit where credit is most certainly due.
Thanks to Gail my amazing wife who made this project possible. Her encouragement and support were many times the thing that kept me going when I would come home frustrated at the end of a day because I felt like “nothing got done”. She was forced to go through my frustration with me but also share in those days that felt really productive. I told her (and she already knew) that if I could reclaim all the time I spent looking for something I dropped or misplaced, I would have finished a couple weeks sooner. If you drop something in an airplane that’s “opened up”, it WILL land in a place that’s difficult to get to. My body hasn’t twisted into so many different positions in many years!
The people at the Caldwell airport were fantastic and put up with a thousand questions from me. Mike Harrison, electronics guy extraordinaire, did all the wiring, and can answer any amp/ohm/volt problem. The quality of his wiring is a sight to behold. He was always willing to take the time to teach and often find a “better way” to solve a problem. Bob Hinkle my mechanic and his trusty sidekick Brian Singer had a solution for almost anything and were WAY more than gracious with their time and tools. Mark Ferkin who owns Aero Builders on the field was indispensable. Trying to rebuild what I did without a parts store on the field would have been nuts. Some days I would make 6 or 7 trips to his store for yet another “big” purchase. I know I drove him crazy but he never made me feel like I was. John Wagner who rented me his hangar was fantastic. He allowed me to do whatever I needed to do and was a real encouragement. He always had some “Wow” of encouragement when he would stop to check on my progress. Many thanks to Leon, Stan, Brian and Rob at Cascade Aircraft Management (CGR wiring), Todd Houdek, Wade Spradley and John Roberts. Roy at Skyline Aviation at KMAN offered great 11th hour encouragement on fuel hoses and CGR plumbing. Corey, the parts manager at our local Cessna dealer, Jackson, was amazing. He put up with many silly questions from me but was always willing to step outside the box for me. I highly recommend trying them for parts. Their prices are great. And finally, all the members here at Backcountry Pilot who responded to my posts with encouraging and/or great information, I am honored to be part of such a great group of pilots who are so willing to share their years of experience.
On a side, but very major note, Jim Hayton at North Sound Aviation in Sedro Wooley, WA. rebuilt my main landing gear back in February. For whatever reason, probably a hard landing in the past, the plane sat 5 1/2” lower at the left wingtip. It really bugged me. He rebuilds to factory specs and his turnaround was less than 3 weeks. The price was under $1500 for both mains. A great value. He is a man of integrity and I would recommend him to all who need that service. I think Bigrenna recommended him to me. Thanks!
If I missed anyone it was in no way intentional. No one does anything great by themselves. We all need help to do this kind of thing right. I ask a lot of questions because I’m a big believer in not “reinventing the wheel”. I’m too old for that!
Humbly, Phil.
Caretaker of N2020G...Liberated from a life of smog and congestion in the SF Valley on July 1, 2018
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