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N111RW Annual – 2015

The FAA regulations on aircraft inspections are very specific and rigorous.  Regardless of how many hours flown in a year my airplane is required to have a detailed inspection completed each year.  This inspection usually takes a full 3-5 days and consists of a detailed list of areas that need to be inspected and items that need to be serviced.  This not only leads to increased safety and reliability of the aircraft but helps the owner uphold the value of the aircraft.  I have been involved with assisting in the annuals for the past few years as it helps me learn about each plane but also be involved in understanding what issues.  Click here to read my post from the annual completed in 2011.  In 2012 I actually helped my mechanic replace the engine on N2893Z which was quite a learning experience!

This year would be the first annual inspection since purchasing N111RW.  There is always a lot of unknowns going into an annual inspection which can lead to increased costs if something major is found.  I had a thorough pre-purchase inspection done last June and I was confident going into the inspection that nothing major would be identified.  I planned the week with Dominion Aviation a couple of months ago and asked if I could assist in the annual.  Dominion Aviation is located right on the field at KFCI – Richmond Executive Airport where N111RW is hangared so it would be very convenient.

On Monday morning I arrived and met with my lead inspector Bill and we discussed the plan for the week.  I told him I wanted to be as involved as possible but that I didn’t want to get in his way.  Bill joined me in taking the plane out to the run-up area to perform the pre-checks to ensure the engine was creating power and everything was working properly.  We then brought the plane into the hangar and performed compression checks on all of the cylinders of which all were 76/80 or better (good start!).  I then got to work opening all of the inspection covers under the wings, fuselage and tail.  I also removed all of the seats.  Late in the afternoon I cleaned the spark plugs using the bead blaster.

I started Tuesday by getting dirty removing wheels, cleaning the bearings and repacking each of them.  We then “swung” the gear and performed all of the tests which went flawlessly.  Since I’ve never had a retractable gear before this was a new experience for me.  Bill had completed the inspection inside the wings with only minor issues identified so I was able to close up most of the inspection covers.  Wednesday  I tried to stay out of the way as much as I could as the inspection and minor repairs were taking place.  The biennial pitot static, transponder and IFR certifications were also due this year so another couple of techs started on that and completed on Thursday morning.  These checks which are done every two years ensure that your altimeters and airspeed indicators are reporting accurate readings to both the pilot and air traffic control.  I also spent time conditioning the leather seats and cleaning misc items on the plane.  One of the line guys William did an excellent job using PBS stripper and conditioner on the boots which really produced amazing results.  The boots look like new now!  The remainder of Thursday I spent cleaning and vacuuming out the cabin and re-installing the seats.

I didn’t arrive until lunch time on Friday due to other commitments but when I arrived Bill had completed all the minor repairs and was putting the cowling back on the airplane.  We then went for a check similar to the initial run-up we did and everything performed well.  Bill would spend the afternoon completing all of the paperwork and putting a coat of paint on the back of the prop.  I thanked everyone at Dominion for letting me be involved.  It was a very good experience and I’m glad that I joined them in the inspection.  Bill did an excellent job of explaining things in detail whenever I had questions and helped me more than once when I struggled with something.

N111RW is fully airworthy and legal for another year!  Here are the pictures I took throughout the process:

You can also view all the pictures directly from my Picasa Web Albums using the following link:  N111RW Annual – 2015 Pictures

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