Use 50mm aluminium sticky tape on fibreglass tank for earth screen bonding. One of our Dimonas had scant paperwork just a Thai doc with total engine and airframe hours. GFA had no policy in place for this so we contacted CASA and got a letter from them stating that any GA aircraft that comes in undocumented has to have every life limited item "zero" houred. We had already effectively overhauled or replaced all life limited items back to zero anyway so this requirement was no big deal for us. We presented GFA with the CASA letter and they happily adopted the same rules and they accepted the Thai documentation with airframe and engine hours.
cheers Rob Rob Thompson mobile 0429 493828 ........................................ ________________________________ From: Ian Williams <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, 20 August 2013 9:10 AM Subject: RE: [DOG mailing list] H36 undercarriage Hi Rob and Nils, Yes... all going OK. Thanks for your note Nils. I have divided the work into little “box”s ... getting more specific as completion looms. The airframe initially ... needed a lot of repairs done ... except for the aileron rod bearings .. most superficial. However 5 years in a hanger very close to the sea caused surface corrosion over everything. So all the metal fittings that could be removed were taken outand bead blasted etch primed and reinstalled. We decided to repaint it ... just pure white with a couple of stripes along the fuse. All done except the trim. I got the tailplane rod end via Hawker Pacific. Did cost an arm and 2 legs but they included 2 so have a spare. Also a replacement pin it slides on. The U/C rod ends were got thru Rick Fisher ... have the X on the end. I do feel happier about the U/C Along with the Docs, I have found a series of colour slide negatives. They appear to have been taken in Ozzie in the storage area when they arrived from Thailand. I will get them copied off which should answer a few questions as well. Your U/C has no evidence of any repairs. I did grind off as much paint as I could to check. Currently just finishing off the engine, engine instruments , flight instruments and all the wiring (have replaced the lot) plus the cockpit detail (except the seats.. another “box) The engine runs OK now. Does need a lot of choke to get going. We have totally redesigned the engine baffles. Have used the Limbach shells ... looks very nice and is well sealed. Still have to complete the radio and transponder installation, speaker and headset sockets / boom mike installation (hope to talk nicely to Ian Mc re boom mic). The next box is the canopy .... (finishing and installing the sliding windows) Then behind the seat ... most already completed, but still need to sort out the master cyl. I have new seals in it but the park valve doesn’t seem to work like it should. Then weigh and calculate the rudder and elevator moments, install the rudder. THEN ... the wing latches. A lot had already been done but not completed All the hardware is here and they are ready to install. I am not sure about the 10mm rod that goes across between the 2. THe drawings show a standard thread both ends which give no adjustment once installed. I am thinking of cutting the rod in half, putting a thread on the 2 ends (shortened a little) then making up 2 threaded brass fittings that bolt together. I don’t fancy the idea of cutting into the fuse unnecessarily ... especially as it is already painted. Last will be the fuel tank. I still will use the glass one at this stage as it still complies. However all the brass screening has rotted so needs replacing. Havn’t got that sussed at the moment However, all this is 10 years on from your work ... past history but all new for me. I am enjoying it though Rob. It is a bit tricky because I also have my own 1 man business so have to be real careful not to focus too much on the Dimona during working hours... has an instant effect on the bank balance I may have some reasonably intensive discussions with the NZ CAA when it comes to final approval as it came into NZ with no export C of A but will cross that bridge when it comes. I do want the aircraft to be well presented and well finished when that time comes and not include significant changes ... must be as original as possible . I think a real plus though is that the engine is zero timed. The prop also has had its 7 year service and is zero timed as well. The airframe seems to have done around 1400hrs total according to some Thai flight sheets I have I can send you a few pics of it if you are interested. Best regards Ian WIlliams From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Rob Thompson Sent: Saturday, 17 August 2013 10:02 a.m. To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [DOG mailing list] H36 undercarriage Hi Ian, Glad to hear that you are close to flying! The tailplane rod end AD requires a change from a very "off the shelf" looking original Hirschmann rod end to the new expensive custom made ones with a much beefed up "shoulder" on them. I wouldn't imagine the loads on this rod end are high and I don't know why a custom "beefed up" one would have been mandated in an AD. I am not sure about undercarriages and why they got separated. The GYT fuselage has no signs at all of any damage in the undercarriage area. Thai repairs are easy to spot. GYT came mounted on a length of timber bolted to the UC attachment points. With no signs of any damage I suspect this may have been to help fit them in the container from Thailand. It would certainly free up a lot of space shipping them with the UC detached. Have you done you wing latches yet? cheers Rob Rob Thompson mobile 0429 493828 ......................................... ________________________________ From:Ian Williams <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, 16 August 2013 7:53 AM Subject: RE: [DOG mailing list] H36 undercarriage Hi Rob, The advice that Nigel passed on was essentially not to “trust” any work the previous owners carried out. While your refurbish work was over 10 years ago compared with my work here, obviously there are significant parallels. However I am finding it all quite satisfying from an engineering perspective. If financially viable I would like to “do” another. Apart from the UC rod ends, an issue which did really worry me (hence this reply) related to the tailplane AD. The front pin (that was in the AC when I picked it up) didn’t fit the (real expensive) replacement rod end. It would seem it the HT original was replaced with a mild steeI one (presumably in Thailand) . Fortunatly the correct pin was available from Diamond so all OK, but it could be possible that some other ex Thai H36’s had similar pins. I guess if a U/C rod end broke, a landing could be tricky but if the tailplane comes off in flight things could get real dodgy. Another problem was all the nylon fittings ... rudder pulleys behind the seat and the bearing sets on the wings supporting the aileron control push rods. In all cases, the nylon (being slightly hydroscopic and exposed to Thai weather) had expanded. The rudder pulleys were jammed in their mounting brackets and all the bearings in the wing (older model with 5 sets per wing) were seized (30 bearings in all. Replacing them was a major mission. The Diamond sourced replacements were “proper” bearings with a nylon “tyre” rather than the entire outer being nylon. (identical to the DA40 elevator bearings) The other Dimona here in NZ (which I maintain) has very stiff, sticking ailerons in flight which makes flying it not real pleasant. Nigel B has explained the change in aileron design with later A/C’s. However I am hoping that the new bearings will sort out that problem . The old design does use centering springs which presumably will tend to reduce the “feel” of the ailerons but going well, no “sticking” The H-36 here also has the U/C with the serial no of your H36. That does worry me a little as it seems this one had an engine failure in Thailand and landed in a paddy field, busting its U/C (in the centre) That does account for some repairs we had to do around the attach points (and internal skins) and the bent rod ends. “your” U/C has cleaned up well and there is no sign of any repairs but there is still the lingering question of why it was replaced in the first place. THe little ship here is looking quite nice now and I am really looking forward to getting it in the air. I have tried to keep it as original as possible. The exceptions are ... electronic tach, USB port for Ipad power, GPS, Dittel com and a microair transponder. Of interest, the L2400 from the Stemme which I installed in a Grob 109A over here is going really well. I think it has now over 200 hrs of trouble free operation. Keeping those little engines cool seems the secret. It was not a cheap exercise though. The NZ CAA were at that time charging $90.00 per hour for any inspection work (which I thought was rather high) but now are charging $240 per hr. Best regards Ian Williams New Zealand From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Rob Thompson Sent: Thursday, 15 August 2013 10:00 p.m. To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [DOG mailing list] H36 undercarriage When Nigel and I restored the three Thai Dimonas in 2002 we replaced the undercarriage rod ends. Most of the the old ones were bent and they must have been original...we had to cut out the panels to gain access. My question is....do you really want a high tensile rod end that tends to snap or is it better to have one that bends? This is a question that is right up Nigel's alley of expertise. The flask is under the seat pan...can't remember which side...I think passenger. Poke a mirror through the inspection panels and look rearwards and you will see it. cheers Rob Rob Thompson mobile 0429 493828 .......................................... ________________________________ From:Ian Williams <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, 15 August 2013 7:22 PM Subject: Re: [DOG mailing list] H36 undercarriage Hi Ian, Same here. The ones here were bent indi ating they weren't HT. RickFisher sourced the right ones from Germany for me. there were also other rather dodgy issues as well but all OK now. Nigel B's advice dead right. A question for you Dimona Technocrats however. ..Where the hell is the flask For the VSI stashed. Ian Williams Sent from my iPhone On 15/08/2013, at 20:42, Ian Mc Phee <[email protected]> wrote: Friend with early Thai h36 found an undercart ball rod end broke after landing but zero damage luckily. He fount the Thai we assume used non standard ball rod ends with no untreated shank. >The correct ball rod ends are made by hirshmann in Germany and have a X indicating they are high tension ball rod ends. >Lesson you can not trust Thai airforce or was it Geoff Edwards?? the guy that brought them in. When I was at Archer field there were broken undercarriage everywhere. >If ball rod ends have been changed then there should be a repair in the floor when they have been removed. I think I have read somewhere after hard broken undercart either ball rod ends are to be replaced or are the brackets to be replaced. I would say it is ball rod ends. >May be worth a look and always do perfect landings. >Ian mcphee >...
