ICS course & OM category

[windigo]

Hello All,

I am considering taking the ICS Aircraft Mechanics course, but not in view of becoming an AME. What I am looking for is in depth knowledge about my Cessna 150L. Also considering going to OM category, still weighing pros & cons on that one though. If I do go to OM, I will still call up my AME to look at the more complex stuff. I already do some of the work, AME looks it over and signs off if it's Ok.

My background is in electronics/IT (35 years...) but I am also fairly adept with tools so I feel confortable that I can do much of the work myself. The ICS course would possibly give me pointers on how to properly do the work according to regs and good practice. (After all, it is my b**t in that airplane !)

Has anyone completed this course (or seen the materials) if so, is it any good ?

Thanks for any insight and/or info.

[CentCollStud1234]

Hi Windigo:
I tried contacted them (ICS Canada) a while ago regarding whether I need to take Transport Canada's technical exams after completion of their courses. They never gave me back any answers.
If you do not need to be certificated and you don't need practical college experience, I would recommend you do a lot of reading on your own. There are plenty of resources out there. The FAA have lots of e-books online.... and they are totally free of charge. Don't forget the Advisory Circular 43.13

[Meecka]

Hi Windigo:
I tried contacted them (ICS Canada) a while ago regarding whether I need to take Transport Canada's technical exams after completion of their courses. They never gave me back any answers.
If you do not need to be certificated and you don't need practical college experience, I would recommend you do a lot of reading on your own. There are plenty of resources out there. The FAA have lots of e-books online.... and they are totally free of charge. Don't forget the Advisory Circular 43.13

You will have to do the TC exams once you complete the ICS course, and complete your hours. ( I think its like 4800 hours that are required. Those that attend a college course get credit for some of that time while they are in school. Those that do the ICS route need to do all of it)

[Colonel Sanders]

in depth knowledge about my Cessna 150L

That's a very simple airplane. I might suggest
that you "help" your AME do an annual or two,
and under his supervision - really, you're an
apprentice AME in all but name - learn how to
perform all of the "elementary work" items in
CAR 625, like:

Learn how to service a battery.
Learn how to R&R an ELT.
Learn how to change a tire & tube.
Learn how to clean & repack a bearing.
Learn how to change brake pads & top up fluid
Learn how to clean & gap spark plugs
Learn how to check compression
Learn how to change oil & check screen/change filter
Learn how to clean and lubricate your airframe

That sort of stuff. There is an enormous
amount of material on the internet for this.

Along the way, you will accumulate some
basic tools and parts. Nothing exotic.

You will memorize ACS&S's phone number

Down the road a bit, it wouldn't hurt to learn
a bit more, like:

How to stop-drill & patch aluminum
How to repair plastic
How to repair fiberglas
How to repaint a small area

It's a great journey, if you're interested and
have some aptitude for this sort of thing.

Airplanes really aren't very complex - nowhere
near as complicated as the nightmare under the
hood of your car, for example.

If you've done a little work on bicycles, motorcycles,
cars, boats, etc it will come pretty quickly.

Heck, I spend more time wrenching than I do flying,
but that's what it's like when you take care of stuff
this old. Your airplane is FORTY years old! Lots of
us wrench on aircraft over SEVENTY years old

[GyvAir]

For you, the ICS course would amount to a $899 sheet of paper with a bit of scroll work on it. There is nothing that they will offer in their course materials that you can't access for little or no cost online. If you like the nice tactile book-in-hand feeling, the reference and textbooks are available at reasonable cost as well through aviation book sellers or used on ebay, etc. You can likely even find a low cost non-current (for reference only) version of the maintenance/service manual and parts catalogue for your machine if you look around a bit.
CS puts it pretty well. I'd just add the suggestion that you approach your AME about the idea of "helping" incrementally and perhaps with offerings of good quality hot coffees. Not every AME will be receptive to the idea or be able to accommodate a helper.

[iflyforpie]

The ICS course is going to give you lots of information you don't need to maintain your aircraft.... the Brayton Cycle for gas turbine engines, the nuances of tracking and vibration on rotary wings, the principles of cabin pressurization and air cycle air conditioning..... all kinds of stuff that has zero relevance to what you want to do.

One thing I would recommend in addition to what others said is to join the Cessna Pilots Association. Their Tech Notes are worth their weight in gold, there is always something good by Mike Busch in the CPA magazine, and there are always experts online and on the phone available to help you with any problem.

[Colonel Sanders]

You're not try to design an aircraft - just fix it.

Become a hangar rat. Get your hands dirty.

Free advice: If there is ANY doubt in your mind,
get supervision before you perform a task for
the first time (eg lock-wiring). That way, you
know you're doing it right, and not just guessing.

IMHO this is a good idea of whether or not it is
an elementary work item as per CAR 625.

Remember, the aircraft can't read. Paper is
great, paper is wonderful, I love paper, paper
makes the world go 'round but ...

Your job is to keep the metal happy. Don't
forget that.

[NeverBlue]

...Ya...and it's ok to circumvent all of the safeguards that have been put in place to ensure that you won't crash into my house and kill my family someday.

[Colonel Sanders]

I hope you never find out about "homebuilt" aircraft

[hangarline]

I already do some of the work, AME looks it over and signs off if it's Ok.

Why are AME's doing this? The only way to "look it over" to see if it is done right is to actually do it in the first place. Hence, no real saving of time or money. If it is on the list of elementary maintenance items, then fine, go ahead and do it and sign for it yourself.

[iflyforpie]

Actually, most of the work is grunt work. Panel re + re, seat re + re, spark plug cleaning, oil change, greasing, cleaning the aircraft..... not to mention having to 'discover' snags rather than being told about them, or doing AD research myself.

I still charge 'for what I know' rather than hours actually worked, but it winds up being much cheaper than if I do the plane by myself.

[windigo]

Thanks all for your input & suggestions

Started downloading stuff from the FAA & got a hold of the C150 service manual. I' ll start by studying these and as Col Sanders suggests pay real close attention to what my AME does during annuals and learn. Can' t really become a "hangar rat" out here in the boonies as there are no hangars & the closest AME is 2 hours away or one hour by air.

Anyway thanks again.

[LousyFisherman]

Thanks all for your input & suggestions
& the closest AME is 2 hours away or one hour by air.
Anyway thanks again.

Wow that's a fast 150

LF

[Colonel Sanders]

Most important thing to remember:

First time you perform a task, have somebody
that knows what they're doing, looking over your
shoulder, to make sure you don't make any big
mistakes, and to show you the right/easy way
to do something.

For example, a homebuilder friend of mine backed
the helicoil out of one of his sparkplug threads. He
had to pull the cylinder. Don't do that.

Get the parts & maintenance manuals for your
airframe and engine from Essco. Won't cost
you $1000. Search the manufacturer's websites
for SB's, SI's and SL's. Become familiar with
TC's website for searching AD's for your airplane.

FAA's website allows you to search AD by product,
which I find another interesting source of information.

FAA also has type certificates, which is more interesting
reading.

[Mark Y.]

I ordered the ICS info package, what really got me was the picture of the "aircraft mechanic" in their brochure smoking a cigarette hanging a prop on a tugboat.

[CamAero]

I ordered the ICS info package, what really got me was the picture of the "aircraft mechanic" in their brochure smoking a cigarette hanging a prop on a tugboat.

LOL ~ Can you post that for us please..

[PilotDAR]

If, for every task you perform, you have read and understand the aircraft maintenance manual (and Cessna's are very good), and the relevant chapters of AC43.13, and you double think and double check your work, you are unlikely to create an unsafe situation. When you change over to the O/M category for the aircraft, TC will be out to see you, and will review some maintenance tasks with you. I suggest that you buy a good quality torque wrench (one which comes with something that makes it seem that it was individually calibrated), and learn how to use it properly. Yeah, I know, the cool maintainers just grab the wrench with one hand, and haul on it, while holding a coffee in the other, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to damage fasteners and joints by over tightening.

A key element of working on something in isolation, is to photograph it well, before you take it apart, and as parts are removed. Clean all the parts as they are removed, and set them in some reasonable order to assure you'll get them back on as they came off.

Do not modify, or jury rig anything - put it back together as designed, replacing consumable parts if required. Make sure that you have a supply of the parts you will need before you begin the work - things like gaskets, O rings and cotter pins. Do not substitute apparently same electrical system parts with non aviation products which appear to be the same - they're often not.

Even on the simple O-200, avoid complex disassembly of the engine - get some hands on mentoring for that. You probably won't create a hidden unsafe situation working on the O-200, but you can cost yourself a fair amount buy misinstalling things on it. And overtorqued and pulled cylinder through stud will mean removing the whole engine, for at least an expensive repair.

Prepare to take the time to make up some simple tools for special tasks - like tubes and cups for bleeding brakes.

The confidence you will build after doing your own maintenance is excellent, and will serve you well, in confidently flying your 150 to remote locations, knowing that if you have a problem, you understand it, and can help yourself get it out again...

[Colonel Sanders]

bleeding brakes

Hint: you don't bleed little airplane brakes
like you would on a car, or motorcycle, by
forcing the air down to the bleed valve at the
caliper.

You get a little pump, and blow the fluid up to
the master cylinder, and stop when it squirts
out the top of the master.

On light aircraft landing gear, you will frequently
change tires and tubes, and repack bearings, and
(with common cleveland disc brakes) change pads
which requires drilling out the hollow brass rivets.

Occasionally you will see the pad wet with fluid,
which means that in addition to the above, you
need to change the squared-off puck o-ring. Make
sure to put the puck back in the right way, with the
o-ring at the deeper point (no names mentioned).

Now you have a brake system full of air. If you
try to bleed it normally, pushing the air down,
you are in for a wasted day of fun.

However, if you take my advice and pump the
fluid up from the bleed valve, you will be done
in literally a minute.

As the pads wear, you will occasionally need to
add a little fluid to the master as the level drops.

If you're really lazy, and let the level get too low,
then add fluid, your son may complain at you
that the brakes are still spongy because of the air
trapped. Tell him to go up and pull +6G's and
the fluid will know to go down, and the air will
know to go up, and the brakes will be fine when
he lands.

Disclaimer: no animals were harmed, and hopefully
no moderators got their delicate feelings hurt by
this posting, which is what you need to know if
you're going to maintain light aircraft landing gear.

PS Brake discs are cheap. Keep a spare on the
shelf. If it looks bad, replace it.

[Heliian]

Bleeding with a pressure pot is the method of choice for most vehicles. If you dont have one then the old fashion way with 2 people will suffice and it's not that hard.

[robertw]

bleeding brakes

Hint: you don't bleed little airplane brakes
like you would on a car, or motorcycle, by
forcing the air down to the bleed valve at the
caliper.

You get a little pump, and blow the fluid up to
the master cylinder, and stop when it squirts
out the top of the master.

I've bled Cessna brakes many times with this method and it works great. A one man job. Just watch that if you're replacing brake pads and have been diligent on keeping your master cylinder fluid topped up as the pads wear, you'll have to remove some fluid from the master cylinder with a syringe before compressing the piston in the caliper otherwise you'll end up with a mess of fluid on the carpet between your rudder pedals.

[iflyforpie]

We call that anti-corrosion treatment.

Actually, a plastic plug with a hole it in and some plastic tubing to a pail works better.... for both bleeding and compressing the piston.

There are some brakes that are bled much better the other way though.... usually ones where there is a long vertical distance between the master cylinder and the caliper, or has complex routing.

The Lake Buccaneer is supposed to be one of the most difficult to bleed, but using the hydraulic pump and the flap lever half way between neutral and down creates a nice head pressure which blows out any air bubbles through the bleeder that may be trapped in any of the miles of hydraulic lines.

[Colonel Sanders]

a mess of fluid on the carpet between your rudder pedals

I just wrap a towel around the master cylinder.

[PilotDAR]

Now you have a brake system full of air. If you
try to bleed it normally, pushing the air down,
you are in for a wasted day of fun.

Or... for the ever versatile Teal, I jack it up, and retract the main gear. Now the caliper bleed valves are the highest place in the brake fluid circuit, and bleeding is a snap!

But, I do admit, that I did fight to bleed it the regular gear down way, before the light went on over my head!

[Colonel Sanders]

The thing you learn about wrenching is that
although the manuals are nice, there are
generally a million ways to do anything, but
there are often some really easy ways to do
things.

For example, I can drop an exhaust valve
into a cylinder, clean the lead out of the guide,
and pop the valve back in about 100x as fast
as when I first did it. Some tricks and special
tools. Nothing expensive, just the school of
hard knocks.

It's not considered manly or fashionable to fuss
over engines, but whenever anyone rides in one
of my airplanes, they always remark how smooth
they run.