How do ya do, fellas

[Randolph]

My name is Jim Randolph. I'm 53 years old. I've been in construction for a number of years. I've been a licensed pilot for almost 10 years. I've owned a ragwing 170 for 8 or 9 years. I've got just over 400 hours flying time, most of it in my 170. I have a little Citabria time, and a little time in a couple of Cessnas with the wheel on the wrong end. I've joined this club several times through the years but never done anything more than pay the dues and read the newsletters. I just printed out the application again and will send it in tomorrow with the check for $35 or whatever it is.
I've made a decision recently that I would like to become a little more involved in the airpane and in flying it properly. I have never done anything with it except fly it once in awhile. I have hardly ever worked on it at all. Today I actually took a light and looked under the panel. Boy was that scarey!! Any of you guys know where all those wires and hoses go? Straight away I can see that I need a better light and a pair of large cheap glasses. My bifocals aren't going to work very well under there, especially in the dark.
I'm hoping to become a regular poster here. I have noticed from reading these boards that there is an amazing amount ot knowledge out there and it seems that some of you enjoy sharing it. If I don't get too much flack I may be asking a lot of questions that are going to make some of you wonder if I should even own an airplane. Believe me, I've wondered that myself a few times.
My first question is going to be about my Airspeed Indicator. I will switch to another forum to ask it. I sure hope I'm doing all this forum thing correct.

[N2255D]

Welcome aboard! I've had my 170 for 8 years and work on it. I still learn things about it all the time. When you quit learning it's time to quit flying.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Welcome Randolph.

The first thing you need to do is go to your profile and put something in there that will tell us about where your at. there may be a knowledgeable 170 guy in the hanger next to you and you and he would never know it.

Second if you don't know it there are a lot more maintenance things that you can't do with your airplane with out a mechanics license than you can with out one.

Sounds like you don't have a mechanics license. So almost anything you do to your airplane must be inspected by a licensed mechanic. I'd venture to say that most of the people here at the forum including myself do not have a mechanics license. Don't let that stop you from learning about your plane and participating in it's maintenance.

Third if your going to stick your head under the panel or look in an inspection cover and then ask questions you should have a few manuals handy which you can use to help describe to use what your talking about.

The first one you should have is a parts manual for your aircraft. Reprints are available from places like Univair and Aircraft Spruce I think and it is also available on CD. The next manual you might want is the Cessna service manual '62 and prior. This is the closest thing to a service manual for our aircraft. I believe reprints are available and it is also available on CD. Both of these manuals in reprint and original form come up for sale occasionally on ebay as well which is here I found mine. There is nothing like a crisp original copy.

After these manuals if you need to fill your book shelf you should probably have a copy of AC43.13 1B / 2A which is the bible of acceptable methods and practices as far as aircraft maintenance goes. This is the manual which will tell you exactly how to replace that defective safety wire correctly which BTW as a licensed pilot you are allowed to do.

How do you know what maintenance you are allowed to do. Look at FAR 43 appendix A under Preventive Maintenance.

AC43.13 1B and 2A and FAR 43 are available in print and for free from the FAA web site.

OK have fun but please take on more bit of advice. If you don't absolutely know what your doing don't do anything until you at least ask if you should even think about doing it and whats involved. This forum is great for that but a real live person at your plane would be better.

I have to keep reminding myself that it's always ea$ier to ask how to fix something before I've started rather than what till after I've broken it.

[Randolph]

Well, thanks for the kind welcomes. I dug around in a box of junk that came with the plane when I got it and found what I believe may be an Illustrated Parts Catalog. I didn't see a Cessna Service Manual but I'll start casting about for one. The other two items you mentioned should be pretty easy to come up with. Thanks for the adivce.
Oh, I went back twice and tried to add a few fascinating tidbits of personal information to my profile but didn't have any luck. I suppose anybody that can't update thier profile shouldn't be trying to work on his airplane?

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Well Randolph if you found an illustrated part catalog in the box then it wasn't junk was it.

What trouble did you have adding interesting tidbits? Did you remember to hit the submit button found by scrolling to the bottom of the profile page.

BTW while I don't mind the private message (PM) you can ask direct questions to individuals write here on the forum for everyone to read so that all can benefit from the answers. Of course if the message is personal then a PM is the best method.

[Randolph]

This may be my first chance to do one or two of you a good turn. It was suggested to me by one of you that I might want to invest in a Cessna Service Manual pre 1962. I looked on e-bay and found 5 of them priced at $35. I have purchased one but there are still four left. Perhaps some of the rest of you would like one. Do an ebay search: Cessna 150, 172, 182 Service Manual. I paid anothr $7.87 for shipping but I'm in California.
Randolph

[N170CT]

Jim,

This is an excellent website and forum. Its a rare day I don't learn somethng new from the comments here. In spite of what Bruce said..... I AM an A&P, a former FAA Designated Engineering Representative, working on both my Great Lakes biplane and 170B and I often place questions here to get other folks opinions BEFORE I start a project. There is no way I can reasonably estimate the time and money saved by reading the responses from these experts. Shucks, sometimes I don't agree with them, but I always learn....and so will you.
Re: Manuals on ebay...be careful, I bought a manual for magnetos from some guy in Alabama and when it arrived, I couldn't use it. Enjoy
BTW, Where are you based on "The Left Coast"??? My 170B is hangared at KCNO.
Chuck

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Jim Jim Jim. I thought your first name was Randolph. Shows how closely I read sometimes.

[GAHorn]

Jim, let me add my 2-bits to the WELCOME messages! You're at the right place to get advice cheap...or...get cheap advice...whichever you want.
I'd like to enourage you to post all your questions right out here in the open so we can all benefit from the exchange. General conversations are here at The Pilot Lounge (just like at the airport) and maintenance-specific questions/discussions are usually better off over in The Hangar,...also just like the airport.
Let me take this opportunity again to point out that one of the goofy things about our moderator is that he doesn't allow references to online Auction websites like "Hey, there's a great deal at ....." . Don't do it or he'll delete your msg. (You got a one-time reprieve on this msg thread because you didn't know.)

The reasons for such is myriad, but the primary reasons are:
1. There is no method for us to determine if a msg relating to an auction isn't really just an advertisement for a msg-poster to bring attention to his auction item.
2. We don't allow non-TIC170A members to advertise here for free, and again, there's no way for us to determine if we don't simply have a case of a non-member using our website for an advertising medium.
3. There's so much aircraft stuff offered on-line that in fact is unairworthy,...and we don't want to encourage our members to expect to purchase parts from undocumented sources.
4. Anyone who knows/likes online auctions knows how to search for items there. They don't need our website for that purpose. If you have a reason to convey a private message to someone about an online auction, then there's a method to do that (PM) without publicly promoting a commercial website at our non-profit website.
5. If YOU are "stalking" an item at an online auction,...and you are about to get it at a very attractive price....the LAST thing you'd appreciate is someone here shooting their electronic mouth off and inviting the entire 170-world to bid against you on that item. So, don't do it to someone else. (Fans of online auction sites are capable of doing their own shopping/stalking,...and if they're too lazy/dis-interested to do their own searching, then it's unfair to those that do spend their valuable time doing it for someone else to advertise auctions here.)

I hope you enjoy all the online friendships you'll find here, and again...WELCOME!!!

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Let me take this opportunity again to point out that one of the goofy things about our moderator is that he doesn't allow references to online Auction websites like "Hey, there's a great deal at ....." . Don't do it or he'll delete your msg. (You got a one-time reprieve on this msg thread because you didn't know.)

The reasons for such is myriad, but the primary reasons are:

You know George I'm sure you've posted those reasons before but I just don't remember reading them before. Or if I did somewhere in the 18468 posts perhaps I read them as well as I read Randolph's.. er.. Jim's name.

Any way the reasons just didn't seem as GOOFY this time.

BTW I was timing you to see how long it took you to reference Jim's transgression. 43 hours, 41 minutes. Must be busy driving that box or figuring out how.

[Randolph]

Oh My!

[GAHorn]

Ha! Bruce! Didn't realize how much time you've got on YOUR hands!
Actually, I was able to go home for the weekend. Four hour drive home on Fri. put me there around midnite, sleep off the drive had me up 9AM, go vote in a local election, drive two hours to a granddaughter's 4th birthday, drive home two hours (stopping at the grocery for items for Sunday's BBQ which I"d been volunteered for) got me home at midnite again, up for Sunday-school and church, get back to light the fire, hook up the auger, drill 3 holes for Jamie's red-bud tree saplings, plant the saplings, drill 4 holes touching each other then shovel it all out for a dog-grave (we'll have to put our mama-lab down next Sat. when I'm home again) cook the ribs, entertain guests 'til 8:30PM, shower, drive 4 hours back to DFW for a week's learning....and THEN let them try to cram it all into my small head!
I've got to learn three different aircraft simulators and two ground schools and be ready to take an FAA check to teach them over the next couple months. You guys better hope none of this applies to 170's or soon you'll have to read some really long explanations!

[N1478D]

Hey George,

How in the world did you ever find something slower than your airplane, those simulators don't move too far very fast do they. You must be feeling right at home. There's a hangar open at O'Brien, nice grass strip & a paved one also, bring that ol slow red B of yours up here so you have a way to commute back and forths to Awstin.

[R COLLINS]

Joe you know for a fact that George's car is faster than that Ol' red B.

Welcome Jim,
As you can tell some of us are here to have fun, and not just work on planes.
Randal

[Randolph]

I've got a Garmin 95XL GPS that came with my airplane. Not sure how old the data is in it. Probably about 10 years old. Garmin quit providing updated data for it in 2003. Still in all, I thought for $35 I'd bring the data up to 2003. In order to download the data I need a $38.00 PC interface/database cable which I would only use once. Thought I would see if any of you had one that they would like to sell/rent/lease etc. for less than $38.00. Let me know. Randolph