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I need an aileron before I go to take my checkride....

The DFE is a super stickler with the paperwork and my CFI doesn't think it'll pass his inspection. I have a friend, who has a friend, who has some. But before I commit, do any of you guys know where I might get the most bang for my buck?

The aileron, (the right one, by the way. the left one's fine.) is mechanically sound I suppose. At least, it passed its annual. But it has a small ( trust me, unfixable, we tried.) dent in the middle on the trailing edge. And also, about 3/4 of the way down, has a widespread gradual bend all the way to the tip. Which doesn't line up right, causing the need for tedious left aileron and rudder to compensate a gradual right turning tendency during S&L flight.

I'm outside with the iPad right now, but as soon as I get to the computer, I'll post some pics.

Personally, just because an aileron has some damage does not make it automatically unairworthy. I certainly would not be replacing an aileron just because a certain DFE does not like it! If an I/A has signed it off as airworthy during an Annual Inspection, then the paperwork is up to snuff.

Bill

Pics:

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And my prop soon needs some attention too:

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I wouldn't worry about it too much. If your IA has signed off on it, then I would think he/she is the governing body of determining the airworthiness of the aircraft. I would not attempt to fix anything. It would likely cost lots of cash and might not be needed. If your are that worried find a different examiner that is more laid back or rent a aircraft just for the purpose of taking the check ride.

The prop doesn't look to have any major nicks or gouges from what I can see? Props are not super costly to overhaul. I had mine done for about $500. Quite often people take their props in for OH to find out it cannot be successfully overhauled. Not enough metal left.......... I would talk to your mechanic about dressing it and painting it as required before anything too major.

I think the aileron is supposed to have a gradual bend from about mid-span out to the wing-tip (compare it to the other aileron).

However, that bend on the trailing edge may be more problematic. It's hard to see from the photo, but in the third photo (the underside of the aileron) it appears to be a crack across the stiffening bead. That may well be of concern.

Is there a crack there, or a sharp crease that flaked off the paint?

Amy...this is my unsolicited, and likely unprofessional opinion...

With a little bit of manual manipulation, that bent/creased area could be made to be a whole lot less noticeable. Even a little dab of white fingernail polish could be used to cover up the crack (if there is one) and any flaked-off paint.

That won't change the fact that, at some point, you may have to address the area legitimately. In fact, if you were headed to a paint shop with this plane, I would recommend sending it off to have that section of the aileron skin repaired or replaced.

But, since your plane looks great as it is, simply straightening it out as best as you can would help some. A long phillips screwdriver fits right up into that diamond-shaped opening and is a useful tool for raising creased areas of that skin.

Despite the flak that I'll likely take for suggesting this, it happens all the time (both these kinds of repairs and me receiving flak), and any crack propagation will be noticed on a general preflight long before it causes anything that would even remotely cause a safety of flight concern.

Good luck on your checkride, BTW!

Hey! Gary changed his avitar!

We tried...

And tried...








And TRIED...







And tried and tried and tried again.


At times with such force, I wanted to say "Woah Stop!!!" But it CONTINUALLY snaps back in place. The mechanic and my instructor both have unofficially declared it "un-rebendable"



Yes, there is a crack there.



Naw. When you line up the left aileron at the tip, it is also aligned at the root. And so is the root of the right aileron. The tip of the right aileron however, is... Eh, about a half a finger to a finger below the tip.

Hope you get the little bump/dent resolved to your satisfaction. Good luck on the check ride, and will look forward to reading your post about how it went! Here's betting you ace it!

Jennifer in Norway