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Falcon Fall 2002
- Don’t Make Two Trips For ELT, RVSM & TAWS
- The Value Of Paint, Plan For Protection
- Falcon 900 Bleed Air Duct Rumble
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Don’t Make Two Trips For ELT, RVSM & TAWS
— Dave Pleskac
There are three avionics mandates that are quickly coming up for operators:
- ELT—January 1, 2004
- RVSM—December 1, 2004
- TAWS (EGPWS)—March 29, 2005
There are approximately 7,500 aircraft worldwide that still need ELT, RVSM & TAWS avionics upgrades. Duncan Aviation believes that many of these operators may be headed for unnecessary downtime or possibly AOG situations by waiting for the last minute to perform these upgrades.
In order to maximize customer value and minimize customer headaches, Duncan Aviation recommends that customers complete these mandates now while performing other required maintenance. This “killing two birds with one stone” approach will ensure an operator that they are in compliance with the mandates. Duncan Aviation believes that operators who follow this “early compliance” approach will save money, downtime and an AOG situation because we believe there will be a rush to install these upgrades next year.
Contact Dave Pleskac for more info at 402.479.1509.
The Value Of Paint, Plan For Protection
— George Bajo
Our current economy is a catalyst for the exchange of aircraft and new paint is often a differentiator in the decision-making process. If you are considering buying or selling an aircraft, consider the condition of its paint. An aircraft kept in a quality coat of paint is less likely to develop corrosion. For this reason, aircraft should be stripped, inspected and repainted by a reputable aircraft paint facility every five to seven years.
Paint technology has improved considerably in recent years. The new High Solids (HS) primers and paint have evolved into excellent products with proven performance on all surfaces, including composites. Flexible agents in HS paint and primers, combined with skilled paint technicians, ensure a longlasting, top-quality finish and maximum protection for your aircraft.
Also consider that inferior or old paint can cause electrical problems affecting comm radios and navigation receivers. In addition, many aircraft manufacturer’s “continuing maintenance instructions” for RVSM aircraft stress that the paint around the static ports needs to be kept in “new condition” with no paint chips allowed to disrupt the airflow over the static sensing areas which could cause altitude errors.
Falcon 900 Bleed Air Duct Rumble
— Kevin Bornhorst
Duncan Aviation recently had a
Falcon 900 operator who observed a
rumbling noise coming from the
bleed air ducts when the APU bleed
air was selected and during climb
out. During troubleshooting, technicians
found the silicone fluid material,
located in the cylinder of the
safety relief valve in the water separator
(shown in CMM 21-55-63,
figure 9), had leaked out of the
cylinder. The purpose of the silicone
fluid is to act as a dampener.
Without this fluid, the relief valve
vibrates during high airflow conditions
causing the rumbling noise.
This silicone fluid dampened relief
valve is found in water separator
p/n’s B31WA3022 & B31WA3023.
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