New here & looking for a step

M

Mason

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Joined
Mar 1, 2020
Messages
5
Hi all,

I've owned my 1976 8kcab (N1093E) for about 10 years. Flying it mostly in the Seattle area. Happy to be part of this forum and thank you for allowing me to join.

Recently found some corrosion in the step used to climb into the cockpit. Looking around for a replacement, any leads would be much appreciated.

Regards,
Mason
 
Just a thought but Its hard for me to believe that you have corrosion in your step to point of needing replacement and you don't have corrosion on the airplane elsewhere that needs addressed. Do you happen to have a picture of what you are needing to replace?
 
Agree. Mine seems to be appropriate for a battleship. You must have parked in salt water.
 
hey, can we try to be nice to the new people? thanks! :)

can you maybe post photos Mason of the corrosion? Is the corrosion around the weld to the actual step or where the tube is welded to the longeron?

And welcome!
 
Did you try Chad at ACA? They will have either the part or Dale can help with a solution. We had a step break at the weld on a 1999 7gcaa and it was removed, cleaned up and rewelded with reinforcement. No pictures unfortunately.
 
Mason;

Welcome and glad to have you here.

Not wanting to seem brusque, but Bluemoon's comment is quite valid. With the Seattle area being right on the sound (read - SALT) - and rainfall totals the area experiences - corrosion on an exposed part might just be a red flag. I know I'd be very concerned. Of course you may already have had your A&P check it over, but that would be my first move here. Again, not trying to be difficult or unfriendly, but since you hadn't mentioned having any inspections done on the rest of the AC, it came to mind. I wouldn't post this reply but I have seen the result of airplanes breaking up in flight and it ain't pretty. I don't want it to happen to anyone ever again.

Sad to say though, in answer to your actual inquiry here, I do not have a resource for the part.

Wishing you all the best with your airplane.
 
Steps are ignored. It should be fairly easy for a shop to fabricate.
 
Thank you all for your concern, we have been over the rest of the plane and we're good.

Here are a couple of pictures I took of the step, hot sure how helpful they actually are. The tube seems to be in pretty good shape, it's the step itself that is beyond saving.
 

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Red Owl said:
Mason;

Welcome and glad to have you here.

Not wanting to seem brusque, but Bluemoon's comment is quite valid. With the Seattle area being right on the sound (read - SALT) - and rainfall totals the area experiences - corrosion on an exposed part might just be a red flag. I know I'd be very concerned. Of course you may already have had your A&P check it over, but that would be my first move here. Again, not trying to be difficult or unfriendly, but since you hadn't mentioned having any inspections done on the rest of the AC, it came to mind. I wouldn't post this reply but I have seen the result of airplanes breaking up in flight and it ain't pretty. I don't want it to happen to anyone ever again.

Sad to say though, in answer to your actual inquiry here, I do not have a resource for the part.

Wishing you all the best with your airplane.
Click to expand...
 
Again, appreciate the concern and the good hearted place it came from.

Just to clarify something about Seattle. I've lived here for more than 21 years and in general we really aren't subject much to corrosion unless someone is located right on the sound. The airports that I fly out of are a bit further inland. My plane has been hangared far from salt water the entire time I've had it and except for the occasional flight up to the San Juans really has not been anywhere near salt water. It hasn't spent so much as a night outside and I can count on one hand the number of times it's been in the rain. The prior owner had it even further in land.

I am a member of a flight club with more than 15 planes in it and other than the float plane, typically the fleet isn't subject to much corrosion. The float plane is and I have always suspected it's due to members not washing it well after salt water operations.

With all of that said, I'm not sure how the step got so corroded since the rest of the plane doesn't have anything more than a little surface rust. It's a mystery to me.

Regards,
Mason
 
Goodyear said:
Did you try Chad at ACA? They will have either the part or Dale can help with a solution. We had a step break at the weld on a 1999 7gcaa and it was removed, cleaned up and rewelded with reinforcement. No pictures unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestions, will try the.
 
Mason said:
Thank you all for your concern, we have been over the rest of the plane and we're good.

Here are a couple of pictures I took of the step, hot sure how helpful they actually are. The tube seems to be in pretty good shape, it's the step itself that is beyond saving.
Click to expand...

I think I would take a scotch brite wheel on a drill bit to it and see how deep it is. You can remove and treat the corrosion. As long as enough metal remains to keep the step from breaking when you use it-I say clean it up and put a good primer on it and paint it. Maybe even epoxy filler if it is just pot marked on the bottom. The tops of the step often are a little rounded like a dish. You can buy new anti skid at Home Depot or Harbor Freight or online.
 
I bet you could cut all the bad metal off, form a new dome-shaped bottom, and have a local welder stick it on for under $50.

Your step had to have encountered some kind of adversity - maybe somebody stepped into something aggressively corrosive, then on to your step?

Looking at mine, I figured it was solid cast iron, and removing it would give me 30# more payload.
 
@Mason , was the plane ever parked outside? it looks like water was collecting on the step causing the paint to fail and the metal to rust but why would it have pooled more than any other airplane?
 
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