The Replies
From Bondline
Introduction
This is part two (2) of a three (3) part article about Mike (and his '76 AA5A).
- The Annual Inspection
- The Replies
- What I've Learned
Part 2: Replies
Needless to say, the general consensus was that, while this may not be uncommon, I should attempt to find a shop that better meets my expectations. I received a number of responses with specific mechanic recommendations, and expressing their sympathy. I did not want to reproduce all of them here, but I do appreciate them.
Since the original posting, I have found another shop. Below are excerpts of some of the responses that helped me with that decision. (If you wish for me to remove your response for any reason, please let me know):
Andy: There are about 6 or 7 true Grumman gurus in the country and if you don't go to one of them you are pretty much going to be in charge of quality control....my solution is to work with the mechanics as much as I can during the inspection, accept whatever comes out so long as the paper work is correct and get a guru to do the inspection every few cycles.
Ed: ...You don't necessarily need a "guru" to do a good job. I'd rather have an honest, hardworking, meticulous A&P/AI that has limited Grumman experience work on my plane...If you have a good idea about the "special" areas to look out for (for example, SAIB on the tail bulkheads/stiffeners, Front gear service, delamination, aileron bearing wear, fuel tank leaks, corrosion on the main wing spar as viewed from the landing gear root area and also from the seat area, torque tube condition, slight lifting of cowling doors in flight, baffle/cooling dynamics, oil cooler mount cracking, throttle linkage integrity, and I am sure there are others I am missing) and tune your mechanic in to them then you're just about covered. After all, these planes are much easier (as in not harder) to figure out and maintain than a Cessna or Piper because they are so much simpler.
Steve: I think you did all the right things in trying to be there for the annual. I think we all would fly and feel safer if we could be at those once a year events. You should have a copy of the maintenance manual with you at all times at an annual. Insist that the A&P follow it as close as possible and practical. The sqwaks you mentioned should never have happened.
And, of course, there were many people that included comments like the following from Dave:
I believe there is nobody better than Bob Steward [or Cliff, Barry, Ron, etc.], both in knowledge and performance. I feel like I owe him a couple of kilobucks just for the knowledge gained and pain avoided from reading his posts and personal replies.
(Just so you Guru's out there know that the rest of us that are just learning about these fine airplanes appreciate your, sometimes often repeated, advice and understanding!)
The Rest of the Story
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