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St. Louis Flying Club Newsletter - 30 September2023

From The President - By Steve

Dear Members,

A lot going on in the club this month. The Arrow sits in the hangar awaiting release from the FAA/NTSB. The FAA showed up last week and with the plane on jacks were able to cycle the gear. At this time no cause has been identified for the gear collapse. An agent from the insurance company has inspected the damage and we are waiting to hear something. No idea yet whether they will total the plane. In the meantime John has been getting quotes on the wing, engine and prop.

Here is where I think we are now. The insurance adjuster came out to the hangar last week to look at the damage. He did some rough estimates on what he thought the repair costs would be and thinks it will be repairable. He is also working to determine the salvage value of the plane. If the repair costs plus the salvage value are more the insured value, they will total it and send us a check and we would have first rights to buy the plane back at the salvage value if we want to. If the repair costs plus the salvage value is less than the insured value, they will pay for the repairs. John currently has estimates for the engine inspection and a new or overhauled prop and is working with a company to get estimates on the wing and cowl/nose gear door repair. We have an officers meeting scheduled for October 9th and I am hoping we know more by then.

Work has started on the Cessna engine swap and is progressing nicely. The old engine is off and the airplane is pretty well opened up as John and Larry work on the annual in addition to hanging the new engine. Thanks to Damian for his help.

Please be careful around the hangar as the Arrow is on jacks with the prop off and work continues with the Cessna.

Steve

Treasurer's Report - by T.J

BILLING STATEMENT

Comments:

• It was another great month of flying! Thanks to everyone for turning in their receipts and making timely payments.
• We've now collected all the assessments for the new Cessna engine, see discussion in the balance sheet.
• There is no accounting for the Arrow incident in these financial statements, it will likely be at least one more cycle before we can start making decisions on how we will treat expenses/insurance.
• Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

BALANCE SHEET

• Our cash position is strong, the new Cessna engine has been paid for and we continue to have plenty of cash to operate into the foreseeable future.
• Regarding the Cessna engine:
  • Because the current engine is still flying, we have shown full payment for the new upgraded engine, against the Cessna engine fund.
  • As the hours continue to accumulate, the negative balance of the fund will decrease.
  • When the Cessna is removed from service, the engine fund will be zeroed out, with the difference flowing to "Treasury-General".
  • We will hold all funds spent in "Major Work" until such time that that the new engine is placed into service, then the overall airplane will be re-appraised and recorded as N20843.
• We were refunded our deposit on the RV carburetor, thus the large improvement in the RV maintenance fund. We expect the fund to return to a positive balance over the next couple of months.
• Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

   Maintenance - by John

N202CR RV-7A

• Carburetor - The richer carburetor is doing a great job keeping the CHTs down during climb out. Full power climbs at higher altitudes, however, may require some leaning as the fuel mixture may be too rich for the altitude and the engine could stumble. Damian reported that he felt the engine stumble during his full power climb through 6000 ft. He leaned the mixture a little and the engine smoothed out and the RPM increased.

N20843 Cessna 172M

• 180 HP Upgrade - With the Arrow still being held by the FAA, we decided to move forward and install the 180 HP engine on the Cessna. The old engine was removed on 30 September and the new engine was installed on Monday, 1 October. We are in the process of installing the baffling, engine controls and engine monitor sensors. In addition to the engine installation, we also have to modify the flap actuator to reduce flap travel from 40 to 30 degrees and install a remarked airspeed indicator to reflect the higher stall speeds.

  

  

N2242N Piper Arrow IV

• The FAA stoped by the hangar last week to inspect the Arrow and witness gear retraction and extension tests. The gear operated normally during these tests and the FAA could not find any issues with the landing gear that would have caused the collapse. The arrow is still being held by the FAA for their investigation so we can't start work on it until they release it.

  Our current approach to the repair is to remove the engine and send it to Poplar Groves for the prop strike inspection and reassembly. We would order a new or overhauled prop and install it and engine when we get it back from Poplar Groves. We are working to get a repair estimate for the wing and lower cowl and nose gear doors from Flying T Repair Station in Anna, TX. The insurance company recommended them and they have the capacity to start working on it in the near future. We would take off the wing and they would send up a trailer to pick up the wing, Cowl, and nose gear doors and take then back to Texas for repair and paint. When completed, they would deliver the wing and cowl back to us and we would install them back on the fuselage. The Engine tear down and inspection is probably the long pole in the schedule at 5-6 months so the complete repair would take approx. 7 months

Copyright © 2018, St. Louis Flying Club, All rights reserved. Last updated October 2023 .