> Doug Davis wrote: > It's time to pack! > Really!! Perhaps in some parts of the country, past > time. To those who think your IA Checks your bearings at > annual--every-time--think again!!...
IA's check what they think needs checking, but the pilot-in-command is responsible for seeing that stuff gets checked. Did you see your IA's checklist and did it say that your bearings were checked after your paint job? Actually, repacking wheel bearings is one of the items which pilots are permitted to do themselves. > "you can't check everything > every-time" - to that I say BS - thats the law, and it's > what you're getting paid to do. It sounds like you picked the wrong IA or you don't have a good relationship with the one you picked. A good IA should make you part of the process and you should jointly decide what gets checked and what doesn't. There is no mandatory checklist, only a suggested one. It isn't the law that everything gets checked every time. The pilot bears a lot of the responsibility for the manner in which the plane is maintained. > After the Paint job, I've > been going over things in general... After a paint job, many things should be checked very thoroughly. All lubricated items can be expected to have been attacked by whatever method was used to remove paint - don't expect the painter to re-lube them. The painter may have gotten noxious stuff in the wheel bearings and not washed it out - or may have washed it out so thoroughly that there was no grease left. Painters also have been known to mis-install control surfaces and other removable items. I did a more thorough inspection on my plane after painting than I did before purchasing it. Wheel bearing maintenance is a subjective matter. A hangared plane which mostly flies long trips and makes few landings may need bearing repacking only every five years. Conversely, a tied-down aircraft which rocks back and forth in the wind (without moving the wheels) and isn't flown much, may actually ruin bearings in several months without being used. IMHO, many tied-down aircraft should have bearings checked as often as every six months, especially if in a windy or rainy location, or near a seacoast. David N6359V
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