March 2016 - Red River Swift Wing

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March 2016
Steve Sez...
This year is the 70th Anniversary of the Swift and both the Swift Association and EAA are planning festivities. There is a
push for Swifts to fly to Athens for the annual fly-in and the hope it that we can get 70 Swifts for the 70th. EAA is holding a
special parking arrangement for all the airplanes celebrating their 70th Anniversary at Oshkosh this year. Make your plans
accordingly. Fly safe and as custodians of the best little airplane ever built, let's hope it is still flying for another 70 years.
Did Globe Make Mistakes?
Those of us who love the Swift and are so passionate about it are reticent to claim that there are any mistakes made by
Globe, but being honest we can find a few things that might have been done better. Today I'm just going to address one
item that could have been produced differently with little effort. The stationary guide rod on the emergency gear extension
that engages the bushing in the worm gear where the worm gear rotates should have been about 1/2” longer in order to
engage the bushing sufficiently. As it is, the original rod only engages about 1/4” into the bushing. While it could be
argued that it took nearly 65 years for the problem to rear its ugly head, the possible deterioration of the bushing can, and
has lead to the impossibility of extending the gear manually when it is most likely needed. After the bushing has worn
sufficiently the rod will jam in the bushing or the bushing will just break away. This condition may not be realized until the
extension of the gear manually may be required, and then the gear up landing becomes inevitable.
OK, before I go on, I want to share what I think about some of the problems we are now finding with the Swift. Globe was
up against the time limit to certify the airplane and it was truly the 11th hour when the CAA did certify the Swift. Most of us
are familiar with the source of the stall strip on the center section being the exact dimensions of a 1/4” welding rod and
tape. It is my thought that given the need for expediency, some things were left as they were in order to get into
production, and I firmly believe given time, these flaws would have been identified and remedied.
Continued
Steve Sez Continued
Those of us in the Swift Association can thank Bo Mabry for identifying the wear problem in the manual gear
extension system and offering a solution that should last at least another 65 years. The fix is to make an “owner
produced” replacement stationary rod.
Here's how I did it. The specification in the Swift literature calls for “mild steel 3/8” bar stock.” I found that
3/8” cold rolled bar stock (1018 steel) was available locally. I paid the astounding price of $10.00 for a 74” bar!
They obviously did not know it was for an airplane! This piece allowed me to produce 7 new rods 1/2” longer
than the original. My measurement of the original rod was almost exactly 9” in length. I cut the new rods to 9
1/2” in length leaving the bearing surface the original length. I installed new bushings in the worm screw
(available from Swift Parts), and reamed them to .3125” (a standard ream size). I then found the best fit for the
bearing surface on the rod to be .3110” to .3115”. That allowed for a nice fit, retention, and great bearing
engagement.
The following are pictures of the rods, worm screw, and bushings:
The first photo is of the rods I produced, and the one original which is easy to pick out. It is also easy to see from
the note on one that it is .002 undersize. No problem, if I ever use it, I'll just produce a bushing .002 oversize. By
the way, the bushings do squeeze down several thousandths of an inch when pressed into the worm gear, and do
need to be reamed.
The second photo gives you a good indication of the engagement of the “owner produced” rods and bushings,
alongside the worm gears.
The third picture gives you an appreciation of the final fit, with the engagement well shown.
Steve…
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Preparing for Flying Season
GettingReadyfortheSummerFlying
ByStanPrice
WhenToddaskedmetowritesomethingaboutwhatIdotoprepareformysummer8lyingmy
8irstthoughtwas,“NotMuch.”Butafteracoupleofponderingmomentsitdawnedonmethat
thereasonIdon’tdoanythingspecialisbecausemyairplanehasjustcomeoutofannualand
hopefullyIhaveaddressedanyproblemorpotentialproblemareas.OnceuponatimewhenI
wasacheapairlinepilotIusedtoalwaysdomyannualduringthelastfewdaysofthemonth
andthenhaveitsignedoffshortlyafterthe8irstofthemonth,therebygivingmethirteen
monthsof8lyinginsteadoftwelve.ThiswasagreatideaexceptforwhenIpushedmyannual
intothesummerandhadtoworkaroundallthegoodsummer8lyingincludingKOSHand
everythingelse.WhenI8inallygotmyannualmovedbacktoMarchIdecidedtokeepitthere.
NowIdomyannualduringthelastfewdaysofeveryFebruary,haveitsignedoffduringearly
March,andamgoodtogoforthesummer8lying.SoIguessIpreparemyairplaneforsummer
8lyingbygivingher“TheWorks.”Brakes,hydraulicservice,bearings,airframelube,gearlube,
pulldowncablelube,engineitemstoincludesparkplugs,oil/8ilterchange,air8ilter,
compressioncheck,battery,tires,andeverythingelsethatcomeswiththeannual.
So,toanswerthequestion,“WhatdoIdotogetreadyforsummer8lying,”myansweris,“To
movetheannualtotheearlySpring.”IhaveacoupleofotheritemsIalsolookfor.Igivethe
batterythreeyearsandthenit’sonprobation.Atthe8irstsignofitbecomingweakitgets
replaced.Brakepadsareanotheritem.Attheannualiftheyarenotinexcellentconditionthey
getreplaced,eveniftheymightlastanotheryear.Tiresfallunderthatcategoryalso.
Mostintermittentitemsdonot8ixthemselvesandmanycanbetracedtoabadconnection
somewhere.Stayaheadofthesmallstuff.HavefunandFlySafe.
FO R YO U R I NF OR M ATIO N
Swift National 2016
The Swfit National will be held at the Swift Museum Foundation Headquarters , McMinn County Airport
(KMMI) , on June 8-12. It looks to be an incredible fly-in, and one not to miss. Two great reasons to get
this on your calender include celebrating the Swift’s 70th Birthday, and visiting our new museum
headquarters. Pre-registration sheets went out in the last Swift Museum newsletter, and I am sure more
are available for the asking. It looks to be an action filled week with fun, fellowship, and of course flying
the Swift. Please visit the Swift Museum Foundation website at http://www.swiftmuseumfoundation.org for
more information.
Oshkosh 2016
The Vintage Aircraft Association is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the certification of the
Globe/Temco Swift. As most of you know, Showplane parking is limited. Please pre-register to
help our volunteers plan for your arrival to AirVenture 2016.
If you are planning on attending the 70th anniversary of the certification of the Globe/
Temco Swift by flying in with a Globe/Temco Swift, please complete this form.
http://www.eaa.org/en/airventure/features-and-attractions/airventure-highlight-2016/2016_featured-aircraft-anniversaries/swift
World Domination II: A Swift Takeover
Perry Sisson is organizing another World Domination event. The name will be “World Domination II; a Swift
Takeover”. The date of this new event will be June 12, 2016. The object will again be to see how many Swift’s we
can get airborne in a single 24 hour period…… regardless of location or duration of flight. It doesn’t matter where
you are located or what time you fly. Just go fly your Swift on that day and report it to Perry. More information will
be forthcoming via the newsletter, website, your regional Swift Wing and Facebook. In 2012 during “World
Domination; the Day of the Swift, we had 101 Swift’s fly in 4 different countries, 32 were in the air at the exact
same time and 136.2 hours of flying time were logged on that single day.
The 2016 World Domination event could very well include twice as many countries and upwards of 150 airplanes.
June 12th was selected because that is the scheduled departure day of the National Swift Fly-In in Athens, TN. We
will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Swift and are expecting at least 70 Swifts. The potential of 70 plus
Swift’s departing gives us a huge jump on Swifter’s participating in the event.
UNEXPECTED COSTS
There is nothing more enjoyable than driving to the airport on a beautiful day, and taking your ‘very own’ airplane out for a flight. Some of
my life’s best memories involve flying. Some of these flying adventures have occurred within miles of my home, and some half way across
the country. I wouldn’t trade them for anything, and I am thankful that I have been able to own an airplane. We are all certainly aware
that owning and flying an airplane is an expensive venture. As the commercial says, the experience of flying is “Priceless”.
When we think about the cost of airplane ownership, we generally talk about fixed and variable costs. The fixed costs include things like
insurance, hanger rental, and average cost for the annual inspection--those things that are the same every year and occur even if you do not
fly a single hour that year. Variable costs are those associated with hours flown and include fuel, oil, oil changes, engine overhaul reserves,
etc. By understanding the fixed and variable costs, you have a good idea how much it will cost to operate your airplane for the year.
That is until the “unexpected cost” occurs. The unexpected cost seems to resemble Russian roulette with a revolver. Five out of six years
nothing major happens. Then BAM, out of no where, a major, unexpected event occurs. This might be an unexpected engine issue that
requires a premature major overhaul--ouch, a leak in the fuel system, a landing gear failure, or any number of things, especially if you are
flying an antique aircraft. This past year has been a bad one for my Cessna 310. I fly it around 120 hours per year, and have a good grasp
on my fixed and variable costs. I had been flying along happily for several years with only minor issues to fix. I suppose I should have
known my luck was running out.
My problems started this spring, when the handle on the cabin door turned freely without opening the door. Who would have thought that
a door latching mechanism and handle could be so complicated? The main cable within the door structure is connected thru several
pulleys and moves 3 locking pins/ latches to the door and had frayed over the last 42 years until it finally broke on our way to visit our son
for Parent’s Weekend (cue, wife is not happy to begin with and even less so when she finds out what is required to repair the problem). The
cable itself was nearly impossible to find. The door had to be taken apart (including metal and rivets in one area) to replace and route a
new cable. Two weeks, 8 mechanic hours, and many dollars later, I must say that I now have the smoothest operating cabin door in town
for a 310.
Shortly after this repair, when fueling for a trip to South Dakota with my youngest son and another father and son duo, we found fuel
pouring out of the right wing (cue, not a way to engender confidence in the plane which will take you 800 miles north). Upon inspection,
we found that the right auxiliary fuel tank bladder had a leak. Of course, this happened only after the left aux tank had been fueled,
making it necessary to drain both aux tanks and fly the trip using only the main tanks, and adding extra stops for fuel. We have since
replaced the right aux tank bladder and once again have a 5 hour range.
That is enough for any one plane and pilot in a year, but the unexpected costs were just getting started. On a short flight out to a surgery
clinic one morning, upon landing I noticed that the main gear door was hanging down--unusual. We found that the main gear bell crank
attached to the gear door had cracked and failed. This is not a large part physically, but Cessna wanted $5,000 for a new one. We were
able to find a used one in good condition for $2,500. Shortly thereafter, it was time for the annual, and who could guess that it was a few
thousand dollars over average this year. When it rains it pours...literally!
All of this is bad enough, but it is even more sobering because my wife is a CPA and handles all of our finances. There is no place to hide.
The only way to deal with unexpected costs is to expect them, and plan accordingly with our savings. Enjoy the good years, but do not get
too comfortable. Unless we are ready to sell our airplane, unexpected costs will continue to be a reality for all of us. And once you have
completed the repairs, you will need to fly a lot to bring the hourly operating costs back down to a reasonable level. I am planning several
exotic trips this year in the 310 to maximize my flying hours and bring down this years hourly operating costs. I haven’t gotten up the nerve
to mention them to my wife yet- we will see how that goes.
Todd
RRSW 2016 F LY-I N S
April 5-10 Sun and Fun, Lakeland FL (KLAL)
May 7 Huntsville, TX (KUTS)
June 8-12 Swift National, McMinn TN (KMMI)
July 25-31 EAA Airventure, Oshkosh WI (KOSH)
August 20 Brenham TX (11R)
September 29-Oct 2 RRSW Fall Flyin -Pecan Plantation (0TX1)
October 29 Chigger Field TX
November 12 Hilltop Lakes TX
I will be sending a reminder, weather update, and specific times and plans for the local events the week
of the scheduled event. I hope to see you all several times this year as we enjoy fun, fellowship, flying,
and of course the Swift
March 2016
RRSW
“Items presented herein are not guaranteed to be accurate and are not intended for operational use.”
RRS W
3005 Creekview
Grapevine TX 76051