Walter,

Since 1986, I'm impressed!

It's funny though how "things" happen and the nameplate makes no difference. I lost a mixture cable on a T-Bone once; had to land and wire it back up to get home on two engines. The trim went out on the Cub the other day, seriously, during climb; no electrical obviously. A young apprentice when at the shop for annual decided the cables needed greasing. Of course they started slipping when the grease got spread out real evenly and , no trim.

The lack of a manual trim is one of the things I dislike about the A*, but I've had no issues with it.

It would be very interesting to see a list of maintenance items you have experienced over the 31 years of ownership.

Jgreen

John... relatively few other maintenance items over the years:
HAT section reinforced
Hydraulic leaks
Fuel leak from wing tank
Nose strut overhaul
KFC 200 autopilot failures
Engine case crack
Mag failures

What is a HAT section?

I have a 601P/SS700, but most of the airplane is the same at the NA models...

The issues that I've had are:
-Small, constantly moving hydraulic leaks,
-Failed mag on a trip,
-A/C compressor,
-Loose spar rivets (replace with hi-locks),
-Fuel leaks..

About the only big issue that I could complain about is the fuel leaks. John at Aerostar said that it seems to depend on who built the wing, and when as some never have a problem, and some leak all the time... I got the all the time model.... Of course, the leaks are under the new boots, on each wing...




The airplane is about as simple to work on as any, however it was engineered to be maintained by a small person with 10' long arms and hands the size of a newborn... New and used parts are readily available, and are priced similar to other types. I work with my IA on the annuals, and they are similar to a 414 and 421 that we maintain.

Every time I think about replacing it with something like a 58 Baron, I think about a trip in it where I am down to a 200 knot groundspeed with a strong headwind...

Jason

HAT section is the overhead support structure for the nose gear


Jason....I thought fuel leaks under boots are usually caused by corrosion

Walter,

With our sharing, I will make comments and observations that are mostly directed at the interested third parties, not you. Obviously, after all these years of A* ownership, you don't need my advice.

What you and Jason list are the complete normal. For this discussion, I throw out the items that are not A* specific like mags or cracked cases; that is every airplane.

Yea, the hydraulics are like a friendly mouse in your house. He comes and gets a piece of dropped food every once in awhile, gives you that little mouse look then goes back where he came from. Pretty soon, you give him a name and think of him as a pet. The good thing is that the hydraulic issues are slop simple fixes and all O-rings I have encountered can be purchased at NAPA.

Wet wings leak. Bladders leak. If your shop is adept at fixing them, no big deal. I have had to have one leak fixed, $400. After owning a Mooney Bravo for 8 years, it seems natural. My shop can fix a wet wing a damn sight cheaper than they can replace a bladder in a Baron for sure. MOST wet wing leaks are from hard landings IMO.

The HAT support, is an inspection item, as you know, and damage is almost always from a tug at the hands of an idiot. Worst case scenario is if they rip your nose mount loose, which can happen with any airplane, it's $15,000 to fix with the upgraded/stronger parts.

Oh, and the nose steering actuator is another mouse. I think it might pay to just overhaul it every other annual. Again, generic O-rings, so it cost almost nothing.

Funny thing, but this week at the ranch, I had three issues with hydraulics on equipment, one Ford tractor, a bush hog, and a box blade. Each cost about the same to fix as one one on the A*.


Jgreen

Nope, the wings were corrosion free when the old boots were removed. I left the wings almost empty to get the airplane home (we found them in Akron at UTC), and sealed the rivets from the inside. They didn't seal and are now leaking more than ever..

Fortunately, I went with BFG/UTC boots which I can peel back, repair the rivets, and reseal. The stick on boot would be unusable...

Jason

The flight shop seems to have a way to seal these rivets that is a bit different.
They put a click bond sealing disk over the whole weeping rivet.

The click bind technique works but then you have a click bond on your plane that is unsightly. I have a few click binds from a prior owner. If I ever get the pane painted I will remove them and repair from the inside.

The way I have seen it done is to drill out the leaking rivet, apply fuel tank sealant and replace the rivet with a hi-lock. If you try to buck a a new rivet you risk making the the rivet next to it start leaking.

Also the fuel tank kit that allows the fuel to come out when under pressure also is said to help. The kit is fairly cheap one and easy install.

All stock NA 600s and 600As wing span are approx. 2' shorter than the P models.
You can add wing extensions and get a 200 lb. gross weight increase with a net usable increase of about 170 lbs. Not bad for an upgrade that will literally never need maintenance.
Adding winglets while adding the wing extensions really pumps up the performance and the looks for that matter.
One of the big differences between the NA models vs. the P models is weight.
P models depending on year will weigh on average 300 - 500 lbs. heavier. The earlier year models appear to be the lightest and the later models the heaviest. Some push as much as 700 plus pounds heavier. All those turbos, required parts, pieces, inter-coolers and pressurization do not come without their cost in weight.
Compared to an NA model the P models are right off the batt 5% to 10% heavier flying on essentially the same airframe. Performance and handling are affected accordingly.
On the fuel leak side. I have had my share of leaks, however, once fixed I have never had a problem. Leaking rivets are pulled out and replaced with cherry or Hi-Lok's set in sealer with the inside of the tank addressed with sealant also. Is it cheap, no. Lot's of labor involved. Does it work, yes, so far.

You beat me to it on the leaks. Your experience has been mine.

The click Bonds are ugly on a nice looking wing, especially under the boots. I already have a "patch" (which will get removed soon) that was glued over the weeping rivers in another spot. Aerostar said wrap them around on each rib and never worry about it. I'll look at that nice shiny boot and puke each time I see it! Here is the one I have now:



Cherry's are not approved for use with fluid behind them per the 43-13... That leaves Hi-Locks or structural screw/nuts. The problem is, some of the leaks are a foot deeper than my arm from the access panels.

Jason

Install an access panel where required to access leak. Yes, hy-lok is the preferred fastener.

Here's one for $70k

https://aircraft.wingsofhope.ngo/aircra ... ostar-600/

That's exactly what I was thinking of doing....

Thanks,
Jason