First day back at their hangar after Covid was wonderful! Under close supervision from the aircraft restorer and Rosie, progress was made albeit not on the Bonanza.
Had been learning more than a bit about the airplane we had been working on, a Beech 18 also built by Beechcraft in 1947. The 18 was built in January 1947 and my Bonanza was built in December 1947.
The Beech 18 is a twin-engine, tailwheel aircraft. While portions of the airplane are metal, the control surfaces are covered in fabric, like earlier airplane designs. The first Bonanzas off the assembly line were the same way; by the time my sister rolled off the line, the control surfaces were metal.
Spending time around older airplanes with parts off of them is quite interesting – seeing the insides of the Beech 18, the pullies holding cables going from the control wheels in the cockpit to the tail reinforced how the two were connected and reminded me of a similar time at inside both the Bonanza and King Air.
The interior no longer was bare, pieces were back in the airplane.
Beechcraft has been known for using a part from one aircraft on another. This was the case in point when finding a part for the Beech 18; after a mention from the aircraft restorer, I expanded the search to look also on Bonanza forums finding successfully.
Understanding what goes on around an airplane for maintenance had been largely theoretical before spending time with the restorers. Seeing how restoration and maintenance actually occurs has been eye-opening.
The hangar my airplane had lived in before we moved was not set up for more than adding oil when needed and other maintenance tasks the aircraft owner can legally perform in Part 43. The maintenance shop at the air ambulance was similar, knowing where the oil or cleaning supplies were located was all that was necessary as a pilot.
If there had been a maintenance issue during a flight, pilots were encouraged to take pictures and/or video when workload permitted documenting specific conditions as much as possible about the portion of flight when the issue occurred, what altitude the aircraft was at, and any additional items deemed necessary for replication of the issue on the ground.
Building upon that, the aircraft restorer said he wanted to make sure I understand how things work so that I can correctly arrange maintenance when needed. Along those lines, when we had gone through the Illustrated Parts Catalog for the Bonanza, I was becoming more comfortable looking at the diagrams of aircraft sections and then referring to the pages with part numbers that correspond.
When we looked at an area underneath the copilot’s floorboards in the Beech 18 and did not have a visual reference available, I found an Illustrated Parts Catalog online for that aircraft.
While looking for items online, I asked the aircraft restorer how the Bonanza casting hunt was going. Rather than addressing he asked Rosie, who was walking by when her schedule would allow for another Bonanza workday.
Rosie mentioned talking with her husband but likely the following Saturday. Bringing the Stabilators to the restorer’s hangar after verifying the sizing of the bolt holes using guides in the bulkhead and taking a closer look at the skin of the bonanza where it meets the stabilator as some of the skin is missing from corrosion.
The restorer explained if any more than 10% of the thickness of sheet metal is missing then repairs need to be made. The repair can be either a replacement or the addition of a doubler on the impacted area. The guidance for this is within chapter 4 of AC43.13-1B
My childhood friend and the mechanic at Moraine had mentioned sheet metal work they were not able to address when everything was brought to light, this must have been what they were talking about.
Talk about a learning experience for both Rosie and me! While progress was being made, the casting uncertainty weighed on me. Things have a way of working out, just keep going…
As everyone was leaving at the end of the day, the aircraft restorer came back into the hangar saying he had a small belated Christmas gift.
Setting the box in front of me, I was surprised at how heavy it was while taking the wrapping paper off. Opening the box itself and pulling out a blob of bubble wrap was confusing.
Unwrapping the heavy bubble wrap my jaw dropped as a new casting appeared.
The same part number as the damaged casting so it does not have the repetitive visual inspection. It was in the parts store from a now-defunct Beechcraft service center. The restorer said he hoped this would make up for not making it home for Christmas.
That’s when I realized, through happy tears, I have a family.
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