Making Spare Parts

[kilpicki]

Apparently the Mars crews in Pt Albernie make all their own parts and this job is shared by both pilots and Engineers.

I find this very interesting in this day of quality control and parts traceability.

Do they have the copy machine turning out masses of Form 1 Maintenance Release.

Ive yet to see a pilot on a lathe turning the crank of a big radial or even bending an aileron bracket from scratch.

very interesting.

[dhc-t2]

Well if you tried to contact the Glenn L. Martin Company for spare parts you might find yourself out of luck. I am also pretty sure Aviall does not carry a whole lot either.

There are many rules & regulations in place within (CAR's) that allow for "Repair" & replacement "As per Sample". As long as the replacement parts meets fit, form & function & someone is willing to sign it off then it will fly.

I also understand that even as a commercial operator maintaining your own fleet you are allowed to fabricate your own parts where factory support is no longer available. You are restricted though to selling & distributing such products to other operators/customers.

About the pilot/mechanic deal, I read on another post that the Pilots of these Mars are very skilled & diverse in their training. They are involved in all aspects of maintaining the aircraft.

[North Shore]

Last time I visited Port, they had several engines fresh from the manufacturer, canned and ready to install, so if they were making parts, it'd be for the airframe, not engines. Also, there are several companies that specialise in overhauling big piston engines..

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

It nice to see everybody doing there part to keep this piece of history flying. Making parts is the only way to do it.

Correct if I'm wrong but I think ECI is making new engine parts for big Pratts and Wrights.

[rsandor]

Apparently the Mars crews in Pt Albernie make all their own parts and this job is shared by both pilots and Engineers.

I find this very interesting in this day of quality control and parts traceability.

Do they have the copy machine turning out masses of Form 1 Maintenance Release.

Ive yet to see a pilot on a lathe turning the crank of a big radial or even bending an aileron bracket from scratch.

very interesting.

It's the way it was done back when the plane was new, doing it the same way decades later doesn't make it any less safe, especially with new materials and technology, it's probably safer.

I'm sure there is still more than adequate QC, I doubt the pilot's would risk their lives otherwise.

[Driving Rain]

I was in the Sault last week at the OMNR stable and I saw an engineer bending up a trim tab for a Twin Otter 300 from flat stock. When he was done it looked exactly like the one that was to be replaced.

[Hedley]

um ... there's a lot more to making parts than just dimensions.

For example, what material is to be used? For your trim tab, was it 6061 or 2024T3? Does it matter for that application?

In addition, is there any heat treatment required? Annealing/hardening/tempering? What about surface prep? Corrosion resistance?

This is not trivial. Think about some replacement exhaust parts, say for a twin cessna. If you don't use the correct material (ie some cheaper stuff) it might melt at high temps, and so might the wing spars.

See the recent AD on C 300/400 series exhausts (inconel).

[fougapilot]

and this job is shared by both pilots and Engineers.

A good friend of mine has been working on the Mars for quite some time. He even came down to Oshkosh to do a conference on these Beauties for all the flying boat lovers out there.

He serves as both a pilot and a mechanic. The fact that he holds an Airline Transport pilot license and an AME license makes him perfect for the job. He is very experienced in both sides of his job, having thousands of hours in his logbook and having fixed big radial engines for countless years (starting with the Canadian Air Force's Argus).

I hear he is not alone in this group with such capabilities / experience. Perhaps these individuals are the source of the rumor.

F

[Driving Rain]

um ... there's a lot more to making parts than just dimensions.

For example, what material is to be used? For your trim tab, was it 6061 or 2024T3? Does it matter for that application?

In addition, is there any heat treatment required? Annealing/hardening/tempering? What about surface prep? Corrosion resistance?

This is not trivial. Think about some replacement exhaust parts, say for a twin cessna. If you don't use the correct material (ie some cheaper stuff) it might melt at high temps, and so might the wing spars.

See the recent AD on C 300/400 series exhausts (inconel).

Yes Headley the OMNR is aware of what type of material to use and preparations. Have you ever seen our shops and hanger? They have every piece of equipment you could think of.
The OMNR designed and build the prototype Whipline water bombing floats and them sold the STC to Whipline Floats INC.