Citation Winter 2006

• Take Care When Positioning Carpet
• A-O-A Taper Probe Covers
• Adjustment of Avionics Loaner Policy
• Trivia Question

Take Care When Positioning Carpet

— Joe Austin

Behind the soft carpet on the floor and toe kick areas lies the ducting for the heating and cooling distribution. In those ducts are holes to let the conditioned air into the cabin or cockpit. During routine inspections, we often see that the floor or toe kick carpet is blocking the holes, causing air to not be distributed correctly.

An easy check that you can do is inspect with your fingers just above the floor carpet and just below the toe kick area. If you can’t get your fingers in this area, then most likely the air can’t get out. The carpet should be repositioned to open up this area. These ducts run the full length of the cabin and continue up to the cabin door on the left side.

A-O-A Taper Probe Covers

— Joe Austin

Cessna does not sell A-O-A covers for this style of probe. These probes are used on the 500, early 550s, S550s, early 560s and 650s.We have found a location in Florida that sells them.

Please contact Joe Austin for more information at 800.525.2376.

Adjustment of Avionics Loaner Policy

— Rick Whitesell

For more than 30 years, Duncan Aviation’s extraordinary Free Loaners program has kept Duncan Aviation customers flying whenever their avionics and instrument units required repair or overhaul. During that time period, prices have soared for everything from food and fuel to costs associated with the wonderful aircraft which do so much for our modern society. Incredibly, Duncan Aviation loaners have remained free and will continue to be free; however, a slight adjustment is warranted.

Since inception of the Free Loaners program, recertification of every loaner unit returned to Duncan Aviation has been required. In the past, Duncan Aviation has absorbed the cost of returning loaners to service during the recertification process. Now we are asking customers to help shoulder the cost of returning these units back to original manufacturer specifications. Recertification fees will range from between $50 and $200 depending on the time it takes to recertify a particular unit. If you have questions about the recertification fee, please contact Rick Whitesell at 800.LOANERS.

Trivia Question

— Joe Austin

The previous question was: What type of fasteners are prohibited from use in the fuel cells, unless extra measures are done to the fastener? The answer: Cadmium-plated fasteners.

Cad-plated fasteners are only allowed if they are sealed with fuel resistant sealant (proseal). The chemicals in jet fuel over time dissolve the plating which then allows the fastener to corrode. The plating, when mixed with fuel and heat, can stick to components within the engine and cause damage. That is why dome nutplates are covered in proseal. Not only does the sealant provide an extra layer of protection for a possible fuel leak, but it covers the cad plating on the nutplate. The preferred fastener is corrosion-resistant steel (stainless steel.) This information is found in Chapter 20 of the maintenance manual. This edition’s question is: In the early 1960 Cessna made helicopters. What were they called and how many did they make?

To answer, contact Joe Austin at 800.525.2376. The first 10 people to answer correctly will receive a small gift.

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