Marbore Borescope, why it is important!

A fouga owner purchased a Marbore engine without doing a borescope.

After contacted me, I performed a borescope inspection to see the shape and health of the engine.

This is what I found :

 Conclusion : Engine good to be sent to the scrap yard

Tip tank spigot

This is a other reason why you have to check the tip tank spigot.
A fellow Fouga owner was doing a annual inspection and this is what he found when he
removed the tip tanks.
When you install the tip tanks, be sure to check the right torque on the main nut and back up nut.

Reminder of Fuel filter who could be deadly

I was inspecting a Fouga and the bypass indicator of the main fuel filter on the center top of the housing was out.
First indication of a problem.
When I removed the old fuel filter, the spring on the fuel filter was installed on the top instead to be positioned on the bottom.
Conclusion: after the installation of the main fuel filter check the bypass pop out.
If the bypass is out and does not want to reset in a flush position, the spring of the fuel filter is installed on the top. Remove the fuel filter again and install it with the spring on the bottom, check the pop out and install the safety wire,

Group Yahoo for Fougacm170

Hi,
I created  http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=fougacm170 
A yahoo group for people to be able to post questions and reply to other who have questions about the Fouga or comments.
I put a file concerning the Israeli fouga engines.
The compressors attachments was modified in France in 1976 due to the same problems.

Canopy seal who does not deflate

I was called to fix some  squawks on a Fouga .
Main concern of the owner was smoke in the cockpit.
I ran the engines to 22,500 rpm on the ground for 5 minutes, checking at the same time the pressurization and I could not reproduce the problem, pressurization working perfectly.
Owner, his son and me did the servicing of the aircraft, then Sunday night we did the test flight.
After take off, with pressurization on, we had no smoke but ice particle and condensation due the high humidity coming out of the ACM diffuser, so I increased the temp control to full hot, water came out of the vents, then after 1 minute, back to medium cold and everything was normal. A couple of aerobatic evolutions, all check fine, back to earth.
Out of the cockpit, and closing the canopy : the canopy seals stay inflated.
I checked the canopy selector valve, look like it's working.
After 20 minutes the owner could close the canopy.
That evening looking down the runways lite, I called my friend Didier and talked about the problem.
The outlet vent for the canopy seals could be plugged.

and yes it was. Plug removed, problem solved.

Fouga N313CK S/N 546 Ex PAF

Fouga S/N 546  N313CK  Ex PAF ( Patrouille de France) real one, just came out of a very nice paint job, and is back to Abilene.
I performed the annual inspection, with the help of Mark and his team of Abilene Aero for ground support and the aircraft is ready to soar toward the Texas Sky.
Enjoy your flights Roy...

How could it be missed after so many annual inspections ?

Main attachment bolts facing the wrong way for years....

Look out for theses ground equipments engines

I heard about it but never saw one before this week. (picture)
Turbomeca had made engines to be installed runway swipper.
Theses engines did not have engines logs, because they was prohibited to be installed on aircraft and still are.
Some unscrupulous people tried, and did based on the lack of knowledge of the buyers, installing on aircraft.
You have some other ways to find out, but I will keep that to myself to prevent a cover-up of a not airworthy
engine.
963G-86-A2 is a ground equipment engine and tried to make it as a fake 963F3 engine.

Main gear uplock actuator

Main gear uplock actuator have to be cleaned time to time.
When they are lubricated do not be a grease gun stroke happy.
One or two strokes are required.
If you do more you will have main gear indication problem because the old dried grease will be pushed on the contact switches.


Before

During

Old grease will be removed

After

Check the wings attachment points and tip tank hoses safety wire

Still doing a little bit more than the annual inspection issued in the maintenance program of a fouga,
I discovered that for over 12 years the fouga was flying with the main wing attachment bolts not secured, and tip tanks fuel and pressure hoses not safetied.

Why a borescope inspection is needed

I was performing a annual inspection on a fouga with real high time close to TBO for the engines, and doing the borescope inspection, that is what I found on one engine on the outer combustion chamber.

plus other cracks (8 at least) totaly out off limits.
I called the owner to come and check.
Verdict, engine replaced.

Fouga Tip Tanks spigots inspection

On every fouga when I perform a annual inspection since 1993 I do a dye check on the Tip Tanks spigots and I replace the rubber seals for the tip tanks pressurisation.
I have a friend who was performing a annual inspection on a Fouga that flew around 40 hours since the last annual inspection, and found cracks on one spigot.
I just remind you that it is not allowed to perform aerobatic maneuvers until the tip tanks will be empty.
For the safety of the flights, it should be mandatory to do a dye penetrant check on theses spigots at every annual inspection and written in the aircraft logs.
This is a safety item, if the tip tank coming off in flight, it could have disastrous consequences.

Lors d'une visite annuelle sur un Fouga, j'ai trouvé des criques sur une fusée de bidon, cette fusée avait été contrôlée il y a une quarantaine d'heures(sans crique).

Ci joint 2 photos de la fusée avec ses criques mises en évidence par le révélateur.
Attention ces criques pouvaient provoquer la perte du bidon en vol avec toutes les conséquances.
Je te suggère de faire contrôler par ressuage les dites fusées et de prévenir les propriétaires des Fouga.
Bien cordialement.
Christian