Humph, it’s summer, the evenings are long and I’m grounded 
Never mind. Part of self ownership is the double edged sword of being responsible for maintenance yourself. It’s great in that you know exactly what state the engine is in, whats been done, when things are due etc etc. It’s bad in that you have to organise all those things and budget for them and spend hours rigging/de-rigging and trailering the trike about.
So, I bought “Red Sparrow” (Lima Xray) when she’d done about 270 hours so I knew the 300 hour service/overhaul was coming up and although slightly concerning, the purchase price seemed reasonable bearing that in mind and I knew that after the overhaul I’d be content I knew all about the engine state and that any hidden demons previous owners might not have declared would have been discovered.
With that in mind after flying her for 3 months the engine was in the mid 290s hours and so I booked her in at Galaxy Microlights with Mark for her 300 hour overhaul service and dropped her off last week. I’d hoped to pick her up today but alas she needs a bit more doing than I’d hoped.
The crank needs a refurb and so has been sent off to a specialist to be done. That will be a few hundred quid – ouch. There are also a few other bits that need doing. I’m told the cyclinders show signs a previous owner didnt always warm the engine properly before roaring off down the runway (tut tut !). It appears there has been a cold seizure at some time and some work needs doing to the surface of one cyclinder.
A few other bits need replacement, the odd worn hose etc but nothing too major other than above.
So, looks like I’m grounded a couple of weeks yet at the height of summer. My wing is stood on its nose and base bar in the hangar collecting dust. Still, I’ll soon have a tip top engine ready for some more worry free long distance flying. Maybe I’ll spend my time planning that channel crossing holiday I have in mind!
If anyones flying locally and fancies a passenger – hello ! (waves)
