Test flight today - never got off the ground

[Bob Turner]

Posted this in an obscure thread on Supercub dot org a few minutes ago - thought it might get some comments here.

Speaking of IAs, here's one for the books.

Scheduled a test flight today in a sort of tired looking 170. It hadn't flown for a decade, but I was ready - fresh fuel, fresh annual . . .

But before climbing in, I decided to look at the logs. No entries - none! There was an invoice - 12 hours to get paperwork squared away, and a lot of notes and receipts on 8 1/2x11 sheets, including an unsigned annual.

Owner said the IA was waiting for a test flight before signing.

So we called the IA - "I am in a meeting - will get right back to you." That was 3 1/2 hours ago.

I have no problem with a mechanic's signature on a separate sheet. You can scratch a legal document on a tractor fender - but the local FAA has problems with entries made on loose sheets of paper. I personally need to see some semblance of a signature on a log entry before I climb aboard. I think the insurers do too.

No wonder the FAA wants IAs to have some recurrent training.

 

[Bruce]

Sounds like he was trying to dodge any repercussions if the plane fell from the sky, you could fly it with out his signature but you will need a ferry permit and this would be to take it some where to have it approved to be air worthy, please tell me he wasn't paid yet. Funny story for checking paperwork, a instructor I know had signed off the student for his cross country flights before finding out the medical he was flying on was for CDL the instructor just asked if he had a medical, next time he will look at it before signing paperwork. All was check the documents you never know when you will be checked and yes I have been checked but that is another story for around the coffee pot on a rainy day of hanger flying.

 

[Bob Turner]

So, Bart: no links to supercub allowed?

 

[Bartman]

I have no idea, if I did that it was months ago and that might as well be thousands of years ago!

did you post a link and it was denied?

 

[Bob Turner]

No, but a poster asked for a link to Supercub and I provided this:

http://www.supercub.org/forum/showthread.php?55871-Major-or-minor

And his and my posts disappeared. Maybe they got lost on another thread?

 

[Bartman]

It's not a hard decision to allow links to outside sites if everyone understands that if we start referring people regularly to facebook or other forums sites then there's no reason for this site to be here. I generally don't care about outside links but when replies are simply a redirect of the conversation to another site then I will generally consider deleting them. I've warned one person about this as he repeatedly posted telling people where to go to get answers instead of bringing the information to the conversation here so it would be content for our members to benefit from.

I'm sure it makes me sound like a d' but within forums sites sending people off-site is generally frowned upon so I'm going to try to find the right balance between awareness of other sites and trying to make this site a valuable resource for our community of owners, pilots, and enthusiasts.

 

[Bob Turner]

Turns out I didn't put the link here. It was in the J3 Cub forum. Oh, well - at least we got a few posts out of the deal - makes it look like somebody read it.

 

[Bartman]

I read it and was thinking about it when you made the follow up post.

You did the right thing, who would sign off a plane AFTER it was flown unless you were being set up!? "Unable" remains a vital tool for pilots.

 

[Bob Turner]

If the guy refuses to enter or sign, do you think the owner has any recourse? I know the FAA does not like to get involved with this sort of thing, but still, there seems to be a violation of 43.9 and 43.11 here.

 

[Bob Turner]

Update:
As of yesterday the IA, after already invoicing 12 hours for paperwork, started the process of entering endorsements in the logbooks. He needed the tach time and the battery serial number, and apparently two more days to do the entries. As I posted in Super Cub dot org:

Fascinating!

I suppose I should note that there are only seven ADs against that airframe. There are a couple against the engine, and depending on the mags and carb, maybe two more. I could do the research in a half hour on those - some are three second things - is the placard installed? How are the selector detents? Does the key really turn the mags off?

 

[Bruce]

Bet he works for the dmv part time, 12 hours for paperwork surly this was the entire annual.

 

[donv]

Is a test flight required for some reason? If it's just an annual, no matter how thorough or lengthy, it shouldn't be required. And if it's not required, there is no reason the IA shouldn't sign the inspection off... assuming the inspection is complete.

Note: I'm not saying a test flight isn't a good idea, because I'm sure it is. But the IA shouldn't be waiting for the completion of the flight to sign off the log, unless there is some reason.

 

[Bartman]

Update:
As of yesterday the IA, after already invoicing 12 hours for paperwork, started the process of entering endorsements in the logbooks. He needed the tach time and the battery serial number, and apparently two more days to do the entries. As I posted in Super Cub dot org:

Fascinating!

I suppose I should note that there are only seven ADs against that airframe. There are a couple against the engine, and depending on the mags and carb, maybe two more. I could do the research in a half hour on those - some are three second things - is the placard installed? How are the selector detents? Does the key really turn the mags off?

Anything new Bob? Still waiting to fly it?

 

[Bob Turner]

No - we flew it three weeks ago. As we were taxiing out, the apparently panicked IA stopped us to ask us to do a half-hour ground run, then circle the airport.

Not me - it seemed to be running ok, we figured out how the radio worked, sort of, and did six landings. The tailwheel shimmied, but other than that it seemed like a normal 170.

I have the pattern pretty much figured out, including what I am going to do if it quits, and I practice engine failures every chance I get.