I think this thread could have stayed more on track if it had been titled "mechanical self-reliance in the bush."

We talk survival and bushcraft etc quite a bit but aircraft repair technique, or makeshift repairs, or toolkit could avoid having to use skills from the former discipline.

Another way to change a flat tire, I actually did this once: block up the gear with whatever is handy, then dig out under the tire, also with whatever, I used a screwdriver. Once the tire is off, hitchhike to the nearest Les Schwab tire joint, being sure to mention what you went through to give them the job. They'll fix it for free AND (if you catch the service truck going out on a run) give you a ride back out towards the airport. Since that time, they get all my crane tire biz, payback. I thought I invented this method, then I saw the trick described in a 1918 Popular Mechanics in the shop bathroom library. I probably read it years ago and sublimably assimilated the idea.

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Zzz wrote:I think this thread could have stayed more on track if it had been titled "mechanical self-reliance in the bush."

We talk survival and bushcraft etc quite a bit but aircraft repair technique, or makeshift repairs, or toolkit could avoid having to use skills from the former discipline.

It did sort of go all over the place, but the original post really wasn't about mechanical issues...just being able to take care of what comes up while out and about without having to call for help. I personally think it's sort of funny that some of the suggestions were "just be able to call for help". Handy as that option is, it's pretty much the opposite of being self reliant.

Mechanical issues are nearly impossible to address across the board. There's so much that could go wrong, and such a vast discrepancy between individual pilots' mechanical abilities. Tools and parts are heavy enough that carrying more than you absolutely have to "just in case" is not a viable strategy. If weight and space wasn't an issue I'd cary a lot of things...including a mounted spare tire, like all my cars have.

There's also the HUGE issue of knowing what you can jerry-rig and what you can't. I read the accident report of a 185 where the cable that holds the tip of the ski came detached in flight. The resulting yaw when the ski went from horizontal to vertical instantly tore the airplane into half a dozen pieces. A person seeing a soon-to-break connection on their ski cable would be well advised not to fix it with epoxy and safety wire, though that seems like a perfectly good option if you didn't know the consequences of failure.

On the other hand I read about a guy who landed on a lake and noticed that there were only two screws holding the cowling onto his 180. How he ended up in that situation is a topic to itself, but in the end he spent the day whittling willow branches into makeshift screws and flew home...the cowling was completely secure when he landed. Whether or not that was smart I don't really know.

I think "maintain the hell out of it at home" is really the only logical strategy for ensuring a mechanically sound aircraft. After that I think most of a persons success or failure rests on how creative they are and their mechanical knowledge much more than what's in their tool box. But jerry-rigging without a keen understanding of what you're working on is probably worse than just waiting for rescue.

Fixing a flat tire is a legitimate concern, as anyone can get a flat in the field. I cary a patch kit and a bicycle pump, and my tool kit has what I need to remove and split the wheel. That's a few ounces. I don't cary a jack and adaptor and tube...thats a dozen pounds. NOT worth it, in my opinion. I'm a reasonably clever guy and I've got several ideas for how to lift a gear leg...whether I'll be able to harvest the material on site to make it work or not is yet to be seen.

Digging out under the tire...On a heavy Cessna I have a hard time seeing it working. The gear moves so much and there's very little area for the shoring to support. Maybe build a frame and hang the leg from above, then dig out from below. Regardless, I'd much rather spend a day trying that than push the Help button on my Spot.

Good mention on the Stan's Sealant. I personally have not found it to work well with tubes, but I still run it, and I add more a couple times a year to keep it fresh.

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I bought one of these, carried it across California in a floatplane, never needed it. But, it seems pretty interesting. No PIREP as of yet. The unit appeared better than my older power supply.

12v/350a
Air compressor
USB 1.2a
Cigarette 12v adaptor
Car Jumper cables

Lightweight, small size too.

File photo:

WalMart wrote:Don't let dead batteries or low tire pressure slow you down or risk your safety. This multi-purpose rechargeable jump starter from RoadPro will get you back on the road safe, sound and fast. Recharge your low or dead battery at home or in your vehicle with a dependable emergency jumpstart featuring 375 cold cranking Amps. Power up 12-volt tools and accessories with its two DC outlets and included power converter. Use the powerful 260-PSI air compressor (with accessories) to inflate tires and more. The heavy-duty, high-impact rubberized housing and sturdy, easy-grip handle ensure that this rechargeable jump starter is always ready for use, and will thrive in off-road or otherwise rough conditions. All in all, the RoadPro RPAT715 rechargeable jump starter is a vital component of any truly robust car emergency kit.

Back when flying to remote country was a significant part of my work life, I had more than a few occasions to use our radio repeater/telephone link, and later a sat phone to call maintenance types for guidance on a maintenance issue. Fouled fuel injector, a low oil pressure idiot light, fouled spark plug, and a number of others. All were "fixed" sufficient for me to safely fly back to base.

There is the issue of airworthiness, which I didn't t sweat because the aircraft were "public aircraft". But, as Hammer alluded to, some of this stuff does not qualify as "preventive maintenance" under the FAA definition, so flying the plane would then require a mechanic to sign off on an application for a ferry permit. Even our govt outfit did so with the bigger "oopses".

So, before you wire something back together and fly it home, give a look at the definition of preventive maintenance (tires are in there) and consider that before you launch.

MTV

Fortunately I'm an A&P/IA. The rating/authority gives me a little more flexibility dealing with mechanical issues.

Far from home...
I usually log maintenance on my iPAD and then transfer to the logs when able at home base.

Fly straight and keep her airworthy! Negates the need for an unexpected wrenching.

Not bad to know the laws in your AOR country too...

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/43.7

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/43.7 wrote:14 CFR 43.7 - Persons authorized to approve aircraft, airframes, aircraft engines, propellers, appliances, or component parts for return to service after maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration

Fortunately most of the maintenance issues I've had occurred during flight, and of course I landed at the nearest airport to have them evaluated by licensed personnel. A few times in the middle of the outer territories without any coms or professional advice I (sometimes with a little help from my friends) was able to correct the problem. Something about waiting for a 14 day extended flight plan to elapse before someone wondered where we were makes one deal with the problem.

A stuck starter solenoid on a C-185 comes to mind...why is the ammeter buried on charge after startup and the prop turning after I pull the mixture? A tap from my Leatherman tool fixed it once I read the wiring schematic in the POH and found where it was located.

Gary

8GCBC wrote:I bought one of these, carried it across California in a floatplane, never needed it. But, it seems pretty interesting. No PIREP as of yet. The unit appeared better than my older power supply.

12v/350a
Air compressor
USB 1.2a
Cigarette 12v adaptor
Car Jumper cables

Lightweight, small size too.

I don't think these big units can compare to the small Anti-gravity type batteries. I bought a couple Antigravity knockoff batteries from Amazon and managed to start my 7.3 powerstroke. I just ordered the latest big Antigravity battery, they say it will jump a big diesel all by itself.

albravo wrote:

8GCBC wrote:I bought one of these, carried it across California in a floatplane, never needed it. But, it seems pretty interesting. No PIREP as of yet. The unit appeared better than my older power supply.

12v/350a
Air compressor
USB 1.2a
Cigarette 12v adaptor
Car Jumper cables

Lightweight, small size too.

I don't think these big units can compare to the small Anti-gravity type batteries. I bought a couple Antigravity knockoff batteries from Amazon and managed to start my 7.3 powerstroke. I just ordered the latest big Antigravity battery, they say it will jump a big diesel all by itself.

How many amps does it put out Allan? Mine is 900 and it's awesome.
The one 8GCBC posted has the air compressor which is nice, but you are right, it is a lot heavier then the anti gravity batteries. There is other much smaller air comoressors that would work just fine. A hand pump works pretty good when you have nothing else as well.

A1Skinner wrote:[
How many amps does it put out Allan? Mine is 900 and it's awesome.

The xp10 is 600 amps, 18000 mah. 900 is beastly!

A1Skinner wrote:

albravo wrote:

8GCBC wrote:I bought one of these, carried it across California in a floatplane, never needed it. But, it seems pretty interesting. No PIREP as of yet. The unit appeared better than my older power supply.

12v/350a
Air compressor
USB 1.2a
Cigarette 12v adaptor
Car Jumper cables

Lightweight, small size too.

I don't think these big units can compare to the small Anti-gravity type batteries. I bought a couple Antigravity knockoff batteries from Amazon and managed to start my 7.3 powerstroke. I just ordered the latest big Antigravity battery, they say it will jump a big diesel all by itself.

How many amps does it put out Allan? Mine is 900 and it's awesome.
The one 8GCBC posted has the air compressor which is nice, but you are right, it is a lot heavier then the anti gravity batteries. There is other much smaller air comoressors that would work just fine. A hand pump works pretty good when you have nothing else as well.

The Antigravity 600Amp seems like a better battery. I'll keep shopping. Mahalo for the PIREP.

https://shop.antigravitybatteries.com/products/micro-starts/xp-10/

8GCBC wrote:

A1Skinner wrote:

albravo wrote:[quote="8GCBC"]I bought one of these, carried it across California in a floatplane, never needed it. But, it seems pretty interesting. No PIREP as of yet. The unit appeared better than my older power supply.

12v/350a
Air compressor
USB 1.2a
Cigarette 12v adaptor
Car Jumper cables

Lightweight, small size too.

I don't think these big units can compare to the small Anti-gravity type batteries. I bought a couple Antigravity knockoff batteries from Amazon and managed to start my 7.3 powerstroke. I just ordered the latest big Antigravity battery, they say it will jump a big diesel all by itself.

How many amps does it put out Allan? Mine is 900 and it's awesome.
The one 8GCBC posted has the air compressor which is nice, but you are right, it is a lot heavier then the anti gravity batteries. There is other much smaller air comoressors that would work just fine. A hand pump works pretty good when you have nothing else as well.

The Antigravity 900Amp seems like a better battery. I'll keep shopping. Mahalo for the PIREP.[/quote]
I've got a small cigar lighter powered air compressor that weighs ounces. Cost $15 at NAPA, and would give the same functionality as 8GCBC's device when combined with an antigravity battery I think. Not all one unit, though that might make it easier to stow in nooks and crannies?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

CamTom12 wrote:

8GCBC wrote:

A1Skinner wrote:[quote="albravo"][quote="8GCBC"]I bought one of these, carried it across California in a floatplane, never needed it. But, it seems pretty interesting. No PIREP as of yet. The unit appeared better than my older power supply.

12v/350a
Air compressor
USB 1.2a
Cigarette 12v adaptor
Car Jumper cables

Lightweight, small size too.

I don't think these big units can compare to the small Anti-gravity type batteries. I bought a couple Antigravity knockoff batteries from Amazon and managed to start my 7.3 powerstroke. I just ordered the latest big Antigravity battery, they say it will jump a big diesel all by itself.

How many amps does it put out Allan? Mine is 900 and it's awesome.
The one 8GCBC posted has the air compressor which is nice, but you are right, it is a lot heavier then the anti gravity batteries. There is other much smaller air comoressors that would work just fine. A hand pump works pretty good when you have nothing else as well.

The Antigravity 900Amp seems like a better battery. I'll keep shopping. Mahalo for the PIREP.[/quote]
I've got a small cigar lighter powered air compressor that weighs ounces. Cost $15 at NAPA, and would give the same functionality as 8GCBC's device when combined with an antigravity battery I think. Not all one unit, though that might make it easier to stow in nooks and crannies?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]
I agree. The anti gravity batteries don't seem to like and extended load very much, but I would use my planes battery to run the compressor and then boost it with the anti gravity.

Agreed. The air compressor should be separate. I actually melted a heavy duty Australian ARB compressor on a hot day filling my F350 tires. Ugly.

I bought the above "All in one" because it looked cool. But, now semi-regret the purchase after reading further.

Thanks for the guidance!

I vote also to carrying the antigravity battery booster. There is always a large degree of danger in hand propping. It is one thing when you own a 65 hp cub with no electrical and do it all the time, but a big six cylinder when your running late, worried about getting home. Recipe for disaster. I was contemplating moving my rear battery to the firewall, but it is a very safe boost from the rear if need be.

Mark Y. wrote:I vote also to carrying the antigravity battery booster. There is always a large degree of danger in hand propping. It is one thing when you own a 65 hp cub with no electrical and do it all the time, but a big six cylinder when your running late, worried about getting home. Recipe for disaster. I was contemplating moving my rear battery to the firewall, but it is a very safe boost from the rear if need be.

If you're really worried about that, when you move the battery, have them install an external boost connector somewhere..... Then, fab a matching plug for your antigravity battery. To start, plug in the booster, start, and at idle, a very simple disconnect and go. I suppose you could even have the boost connector installed inside, for that matter.

Actually, though, I've found that after one or two episodes of leaving the master on, I was trained. One thing I always do is leave the strobes ON at all times. When you get ready to start, master comes on and strobes are energized, telling folks you're doing something. After shutdown, setting up camp, or leaving the outhouse, I'll notice the strobes, and secure the master. Simple and cheap.

Finally, I just realized that nobody has noted one of the essentials of day to day and survival: Parachute cord.

MTV

I had an APU plug installed years ago, and I've had to use it at least 3 times that I can think of--sure makes it easier than getting to the battery with a pair of jumper cables. I carry a set of aircraft jumper cables, which have actually been used as much for others as for my airplane. On a 12v system like mine, all it takes is an available car.

I don't leave my strobes on, but I do leave on the "anti-collision" beacon (which is actually a strobe on my airplane)--it uses a pull-push CB which I just leave pushed in except during maintenance. It has told me several times that I'd left the master on. Before I replaced the old rotating beacon with the strobe, I'd hear it rotating--made a grinding sound--which would remind me to shut off the master. Of course, that grinding sound ultimately led to it no longer rotating, which explains the strobe replacement.

Cary

My wife looked at the title of this thread and said, in absolute deadpan, "Anyone mentioned Cialis yet?"