![]() ![]() In aircraft construction, a panel is any single sheet of metal covering. NOTE: Blind rivets should not be used on floats or amphibian hulls below the water line. Inspection of floats and hulls involves examination for damage due to corrosion, collision with other objects, hard landings, and other conditions that may lead to failure. If the necessary information is not found in the SRM, attempt to find a similar repair or assembly installed by the manufacturer of the aircraft.įloatsTo maintain the float in an airworthy condition, periodic and frequent inspections should be made because of the rapidity of corrosion on metal parts, particularly when the aircraft is operated in salt water. Any additional knowledge needed to make a repair is also detailed. Normally, a similar repair is illustrated, and the types of material, rivets, and rivet spacing and the methods and procedures to be used are listed. When repairing a damaged component or part, consult the applicable section of the manufacturer’s SRM for the aircraft. Once all was in place we found it far more stable than any other plane sitting on jacks.This section describes typical repairs of the major structural parts of an airplane. We adjusted the jack position a couple of times and found a spot that allowed one person to lightly press on the aft end of the floats to hold the plane level. The Wipaire procedure lifts the plane using standard automotive floor jacks near the balance point with jack stands forward and saw horses aft for balance. It was obvious to us that Wipaire is somewhat old school and expected aircraft mechanics to act like mechanics and figure out certain details on their own. ![]() We simply used two floor jacks and lifted both floats simultaneously. It also called for jacking one side at a time, which we determined a very dangerous method on the face of it. There were very few details in terms of measurements for exact jack placement or design of the jacking blocks needed. They sent a single page document with a generic procedure which was a variation of the tire change jacking process. We queried Wipaire support for other options to lift the plane. Could be a handy option for most any airplane. Since all four wheels retract at the same time, this isn’t quite what we’re looking for. It is stated to only jack one side of the plane at a time and obviously intended as a way to change the tire. The first is to use a standard automotive floor jack placed under the float keel just forward of the main wheel. #Edo floats maintenance manual manualThe Wipline service manual gives two jacking procedures for the plane on amphibious floats. We innocently assumed our wing jacks would work in the same way as used on the R182. Once the plane was in the hangar, we realized our jacks might go high enough, but no way were we willing to deal with so much mass teetering from points that far above the floor. ![]() This being our first amphibious high wing Cessna annual, we might not have fully vetted the lifting process needed for swinging the gear. Unlike land lubber airplanes, the amphibious undercarriage must be equally reliable in both up and down operation. In the same way the pilot must be vigilant with the positioning of the gear, the mechanic must be sure the retraction system is in reliable operating condition. Any lack of due diligence means nearly instant disaster. As one might imagine, keeping the whole land, water, up, down thing straight in one’s mind requires a great deal of vigilance. A quick YouTube search for “water landing with gear down” will bring up some very educational videos. It’s far worse than landing a land plane on land with the gear up. Landing on water with the gear down is a very bad thing. Just side stepping the runway in favor of the grass is usually sufficient to protect the keel. Landing on grass with wheels retracted on amphibious floats is also an option if the gear won’t extend and there’s no suitable body of water around. The keel of the floats is plenty strong to handle the landing as long as the surface won’t scrape the keel down to a nub. One possible reason being a float plane not equipped with landing gear might land on the grass if taking the plane in for service at a shop on a land locked airport. Unlike land lubber aircraft, intentionally landing a float plane without landing gear on land (sod) isn’t an uncommon practice. Of course, landing on water with the gear up is the norm and a good thing. The indicator was photo bombed by the paddle on the opposite float ![]() I took this picture to show the mechanical landing gear position indicator. ![]()
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