Also, if you'd care to offer your opinion(s) on what you'd do differently,
or recommendations to others starting down this road on what to do and what not to do.
Nothing enlightening. It’s been a bit of a slog. You can only spread yourself so thin. Busy at work, rural property to maintain, children to feed and educate. At the start of this my wife went back to work 4 days a week, for the first time in 25 years. That’s definitely a good thing the amount these aircraft cost, but it has slowed progress.
One thing I significantly underestimated was the time spent in manuals, IPC, Genuine and Spruce finding parts and ordering bits. There is as much time doing such as actually putting spanners on the aircraft. And how does a shop pass on those expenses? Taking your aeroplane, car, boat or whatever to somebody that knows them intimately would help.
I also underestimated the cost. But I guess everybody reading this has done the same before.
On the positive, my 180 is in my hangar located behind my house, so no large hangar fees or time limits. And I’ve had some brilliant engineers come to me and help, as they live nearby. Technically I’m a licensed LAME, but working with these guys I realise what an amateur I am. The electrical man by day wires up helicopters and then swings by my place after work and is completely re-wiring my C180. And doing a fabulous job. So I’ve been very lucky.
One area I thought I’d leave was the tail section. But then I found corrosion and also a Cessna service kit for the fin not done which requires more frequent SID’s inspections. So off comes all the tail section. I then found the hockey stick holes badly worn (which in reference to another post on such, would be undetectable without removing the stab) and I chemically stripped the tail gear spring which was not the correct thing to do. So from not intending to touch the tail, I found myself down a 11 k USD hole. Where does it end ��
Oh, dare I mention the crappy currency I earn. From parity a few years ago, I now need to spend $1.50 for every mighty USD. That hursts.
But no regrets. Popular opinion has it that you only live once. And I think a Cessna 180 should be in that life. I want to take my family away flying and therefore want it right. I pranged one of my fathers Ag Cats when I was 18 mishandling a minor mechanical defect, and I guess that possibility effects my desire to have my aircraft in good order. Or I’m just fussy.