Only the second annual since I bought the plane, so expecting another painful one as we fix lots of squawks the previous owners deemed too expensive or too much work to fix. Nothing critical or unsafe, just little things like one of the fresh air vents doesn't open... a small but annoying oil leak on the crank seal... belly strobe light doesn't work... Co-pilot seat recliner knob is broken off... All the little things you'd expect on a 39-year old plane.

Do have one critical item on the elevator bearings getting too loose (has horizontal movement left to right - very bad) so the elevators have to come off. And since taking off the elevators is something you only do every 20 years or when the plane is painted, we want to fix everything that is not perfect in there so we don't have to do this again in a couple years. Like... there's a small spot of corrosion on the right elevator... The trim tab acutator up in the stablizer is also a smidge loose in one of its bearings (or is that a bushing?)...

Another whole saga is the co-pilot's seat which doesn't recline, the only option is straight upright and very uncomfortable. Bob's spent quite a few hours in the right seat and is wiling to spend some time working on it. Long saga of how do you get it apart to figure out what parts to order? The seat doesn't match my parts manual so not sure what is needed, to fix it. Took expert help from Monti to get it apart, then several emails to Beech Tech Support to figure out what part to order. Fortunately the part is only $93. Details and photos of the seat saga here. HUGE thanks to Beech Tech Support for figuring out what part number I needed!

Click on a thumbnail for larger photo, click again on photo for full-size.

	Early May starting take-apart. Notice aircraft on right in back of hangar... has no nose gear.	This is Jack O's plane, his annual isn't completed yet so his plane is still up on jacks.	Parts are going on.	He has a new axle. When his plane is done, it moves out and mine moves in and up on jacks to swing the gear.	Back to my plane -- Elevator attach points for right elevator.

	Top attach point has a worn bearing so the whole thing has to come off.	Bill with the left elevator, sanding off a small spot of corrosion. Took weeks to find "MagCoat" to prep the magnesium for painting this tiny spot, MagnaDyne isn't made anymore.	Randy helped a lot too - THANKS!	Left stabilizer without the elevator.	Fresh air vent is missing a springy specially shaped piece of metal made by Wemac, now made of unobtanium. Literally, nobody makes them. Fortunately Bill's friend Monti had one from a crashed plane that he was willing to sell to us. Hurrah, now all the vents work!

	Underneath the left panel, pots controlling the panel lights. A couple don't work. But they are riveted in and would be a TON of work to fix :-( Maybe next year...	On the left is the trim wheel.	The panel lights are either on or off, no dimming. Ah well, I can live with this.	Early June - Another project - underneath the hat shelf, the insulation is hanging down and needs to be glued up.	Close-up. It looks like cotton but feels like fiberglass.

	Mid June - After masking and glueing, we clamped it up to hopefully have the glue bond and stick.	Used paint stirrers to hold the insulation up to the hat shelf above it.	Back to the right stabilizer (without the elevator), there is FABRIC covering up the holes back here. The old fabric was falling off, Bill put new on. Beautiful!	Right stabilizer, starting the masking to paint the left side of it.	Pitot-static check found a leak in the pitot system causing a > 30 kt/min leak. Many hours of labor later ($275 at shop rate, ouch) found and fixed this hole.

	Late June - Next project - crankshaft seal has a small leak. So the prop comes off! Cleaning inside the prop shaft.	It's pretty grody inside there.	LOTS of gunk, probably decades worth. Sludge...	Randy bled for my plane (so sorry!!!), ripped through the nail trying to get the old crankshaft seal off.	Masking the elevator in prep for painting the horn attach point.

	Most of the paint was gone off of the gold-colored attach point, so while it's off may as well paint it.	Yet another project - fixing the belly strobe which has been inop since before I bought the plane. Bob's inside the tail installing a new power supply.	This is looking forward inside the tail from the left back of the tail.	Masking off the rest of the tail in prep for painting the stabilizer trailing edges.

	End of June - HUGE progress - prop back on, painting done, off jacks.	Elevators (on the floor below the wing) still need to go back on.	Elevator is back on and trim tab hooked up, new trim tab rod ends, new bolts, hurrah!	Replaced the belly strobe flash tube, now I have a Whelen Comet Flash (quad-flash!).	Early July - ALL DONE. HURRAH!

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