Excellent - similar to what I'm doing on mine. Your tubing would even have been FAA legal under the owner produced parts clause if you used the original flare nuts.
On Sun, Feb 10, 2013 at 7:08 PM, WILTON <wilt...@nc.rr.com> wrote: > BTW, I titled it "SHADE TREE" MECHANICS & NASA. > 'Should've included that. > > Wilton > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jaime Kopchinski" <jaime...@gmail.com> > > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2013 7:10 PM > Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - Cessnas was Ok don > > > > Great story! > > > On Sun, Feb 10, 2013 at 6:27 PM, WILTON <wilt...@nc.rr.com> wrote: > > Speaking of Cessnas reminds me: >> >> One evening in early winter of 1978, while I was Director of Engineering >> at Sondrestrom Air Base, Greenland, I was in my room reading and listening >> to classical music when Base Commander called and asked me to go over to >> the Officer's Club and talk to a NASA guy about a problem with one of >> their >> aircraft. They were there with a Cessna Citation and a Boeing 707 doing >> high altitude atmospheric research with the National Science Foundation. >> >> At the club, Base Commander, who knew that I had also been a B-47E >> maintenance crew chief before I was commissioned and started flying >> B-52's., introduced me to the NASA guy. NASA guy had just discovered a >> problem with the braking (or steering - can't be sure which now, but more >> likely steering) system on forward landing gear of their Cessna Citation, >> a >> small business-type jet aircraft. A small, U-shaped piece of stainless >> steel tubing under hydraulic pressure of 3000 psi was cracked and leaking. >> They needed to fly one more mission with the Cessna to be finished for >> the >> season. If they couldn't find or make a replacement for the part locally, >> they were going to fly the 707 to Los Angeles and back over the next >> couple >> of days to get a part. After the NASA guy described the problem, I told >> him that I may be able to help - I'd certainly try - I don't give up very >> easily. >> >> We jumped in my truck and went to the hanger to look at the leaking part. >> It was a U-shaped piece of ¼-inch stainless steel tubing with each leg of >> the U less than 2 inches long with a flare and a compression nut on each >> end. I vaguely remembered that I had seen some ¼-inch stainless steel >> tubing in a hanger that was used by the NY Air National Guard for their >> summer C-130 operations on the Greenland ice cap. We removed the >> offending >> part and took it with us to the National Guard hanger. In the hanger, I >> could see several six-feet-long pieces of the appropriate stainless steel >> tubing several feet away on the inside of a shop secured by an 8-feet-tall >> chain link fence topped by strands of barbed wire. We drug a work table >> from across the hanger up to the fence; I jumped up on the table and went >> over the fence onto another table inside the fence, walked across the >> shop, >> got a piece of the tubing and stuck it thru the fence to the NASA guy. I >> quickly and easily went back up on the table inside the shop and back over >> the fence. >> >> Still not sure we'd be able to make a proper part, I stopped by my Danish >> civilian contractor chief engineer's living quarters to ask him if he may >> like to help. Years before, he'd been chief engineer on Danish sea-going >> merchant vessels. He was VERY enthusiastic as we rushed to our Base Civil >> Engineering ground equipment shop, hoping to find the tools to help us >> make >> the appropriate part. When we walked into the shop, we interrupted a card >> game of several Danish civilian contractor workmen/mechanics. When they >> realized what we were doing, they were all anxious to help and rushed to >> find three or four plumbing flaring tools in this shop and the plumbing >> shop nearby. These tools were for copper tubing, of course, but we forged >> ahead. >> >> Soon, there were at least half a dozen well-experienced mechanics in >> friendly competition to make, bend, flare, etc., the perfect replacement >> part for the Cessna. Special problems, of course, were: the 180 degree >> bend in such a short piece of stainless steel tubing, short sides of the U >> leaving little room to form the flare on each end and have the compression >> nut in the right place on each side also. The replacement had to be >> exactly like the original - couldn't be longer because of landing gear >> retraction restrictions (space in the wheel well). After several tries, >> we >> had an acceptable match visually. We rushed to the aircraft and installed >> it for a PERFECT fit and no leaking. The aircraft flew its mission the >> next day and flew home to Los Angeles the next, all without incident. >> >> This is just another small part of my very enjoyable foreign relations >> experience and an excellent example of Danish mechanics' innovative spirit >> and desire to excel. >> >> Wilton >> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jon Agne" <jonag...@gwi.net> >> To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> >> Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2013 6:06 PM >> Subject: Re: [MBZ] Ok don >> >> >> Did I hear Cessna??? >> >>> >>> On Feb 10, 2013, at 5:53 PM, Kaleb C. Striplin wrote: >>> >>> Is your Cessna air worthy? >>> >>>> >>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>> >>>> ______________________________****_________ >>>> http://www.okiebenz.com >>>> For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >>>> To search list archives >>>> http://www.okiebenz.com/****archive/<http://www.okiebenz.com/**archive/> >>>> <http://www.okiebenz.**com/archive/ <http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/>> >>>> >>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >>>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/****mailman/listinfo/mercedes_****okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/**mailman/listinfo/mercedes_**okiebenz.com> >>>> <http://mail.**okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/**mercedes_okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com> >>>> > >>>> >>>> >>> >>> ______________________________****_________ >>> http://www.okiebenz.com >>> For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >>> To search list archives >>> http://www.okiebenz.com/****archive/<http://www.okiebenz.com/**archive/> >>> <http://www.okiebenz.**com/archive/ <http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/>> >>> >>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/****mailman/listinfo/mercedes_****okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/**mailman/listinfo/mercedes_**okiebenz.com> >>> <http://mail.**okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/**mercedes_okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com> >>> > >>> >>> >> >> ______________________________****_________ >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >> To search list archives >> http://www.okiebenz.com/****archive/<http://www.okiebenz.com/**archive/> >> <http://www.okiebenz.**com/archive/ <http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/>> >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/****mailman/listinfo/mercedes_****okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/**mailman/listinfo/mercedes_**okiebenz.com> >> <http://mail.**okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/**mercedes_okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com> >> > >> >> > > > -- > Jaime Kopchinski > http://www.jaimekop.com/ > ______________________________**_________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives > http://www.okiebenz.com/**archive/<http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/> > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/**mailman/listinfo/mercedes_**okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com> > > ______________________________**_________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives > http://www.okiebenz.com/**archive/<http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/> > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/**mailman/listinfo/mercedes_**okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com> > -- OK Don 2001 ML320 2012 Passat TDI DSG 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager 1957 C182A _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
