What is the cost of owning a War bird ?

Depending how you view it , a war bird will cost you money to maintain it to standards .
If you cut the price of the maintenance, you will get what you pay for.
Pep-boy  charge over $100.00/hr to fix your car. If you have a problem with your car when you driving,
you will put your flashing lights, step on the side of the road and call AAA
When you fly at FL230 and you have a problem ?....
Be realistic, if you want to own a Fouga and you try to save nickel and dimes.... Just get a Cessna 152.
When you see an aircraft at first site to buy it, nice paint job, the seller open the canopy to look inside but not to touch,  not test fly it but offer you just some coffee or a lunch, this is the tip of the iceberg that you can see.
What is under the water line is usually kept in the dark like: real cost to maintain the aircraft,
can the aircraft be certified, hours on the engines, when next parts need to be replaced, who sell parts, at what price , who can overhaul parts and at what cost, who can work on the airplane and do they have knowledge,references where they received the training and proof of the training received ...
If you are not sure, ask around.
It is better to have a second advise than to be forced to pay 1000'$ to have the aircraft in perfect condition.
Every body time is valuable, so do not try to have a meticulous inspection for free unless you find a wannabe fouga mechanic.
Why lawyers are expensive ?  Because they made studies and have knowledge on the law, regulations...
Mechanics are like lawyers. The big difference is that the lawyer will not sign the release of a aircraft where you will be inside at FL270 flying 300 Kts
If you want to go the cheap way, good chance that one day or an other, your airplane will end in the scrap yard.

Borescope inspection .

After doing a borescope inspection on a Fouga with Marbore VI F2, this is what came to my sight:
Right  engine

And left engine

It was past time to replace the engines.
No oil temp rise,  EGT fine, RPM fine, but combustion chamber out of limits.
Engines was replaced and now the Fouga will continue to fly with no problems

Right oil pressure transmitter

Be careful when reinstalling the right engine oil press transmitter

It can prevent full engine power with the linkage hitting the cannon plug

On a short runway, it could have dramatic consequences
This is the way that it is suppose to be:

Check first full travel of the power levers and perform a engines run

Main fuel filter pop out / NEED TO BE TESTED AT EACH ANNUAL OR FUEL FIlTER CLEANING

I did a inspection on a Fouga and this is the indication that the main fuel filter was contaminated

The pop out did his job.
THE POP OUT NEED TO BE TESTED AT EACH ANNUAL AND FUEL FILTER CLEANING
If the pop out does not pop out when you push on it from the inside, if your fuel filter get clogged,
the fuel will not be able to bypass the main fuel filter and fuel flow will stop going to the engines and you will have engines shut down due to fuel starvation. 
Be careful that before installing the new filter or clean stainless filter, that the bypass pop out is working and free to pop out and to be reset because some 5606 oil can drop on it (because the hydraulic reservoir is just on the top of it ) and with time the oil dries and become like sticky glue,  that will prevent the pop out to function normally so no way to see if the filter was bypassed or not.

Old paper filter and new stainless fuel filter

After replacing the main fuel filter ( paper filter cannot be cleaned ) everything is
back to normal and pop out retracted

For your information the fuel filter pop out need to be checked every flight by the pilot.

Fuel puddle in the inlet of the engine, smoke in the cockpit, smell of jetA fouga - Paris Jet - CM191

Old seal braking off like a piece of cheese

If you have a fuel puddle in the inlet of the engine , and some smell of JetA in the pressurization system, or smoke on take off when pressurization is on full hot, you have a good 99% chance that the seal called Mariac seal ( most modification was done by the French Air Force because before it was a o-ring , and some engines still have those O-rings) need to be replaced . That seal was replaced every 5 years at least with the French Air Force.
That seal is on the fuel cutoff valve on the engine fuel pump on the accessory support in the bullet of the engine.

A Beaver DHC2 at less than a 1/4 of the price : Broussard MH1521

MAX HOLSTE BROUSSARD MH1521 for sale  • •  •SOLD  SOLD SOLD SOLD • 1957 Max holste Broussard for sale.6 seats. Engine P&W 985-AN4. The only Broussard MH1521 certified under the new regulation 8130-2G group 2, allowed in TCA B, carrying passengers, no operational area limitations. No need to reapply for new operating limitations at purchase. Certified/current phase II status. Equipped IFR KX155/KI206. 10 years IRAN performed 02/2011. Hours since IRAN 26.6hours. Landings since new 2549. Engine SMOH 841.8 hours. Propeller 2D30, 46.9 hours SMOH. New interior and seats, camouflage paint, Current annual inspection. Pitot/static/transponder check performed 03/15/2014 • Contact Frederic Bourdais - SWIFT AIR INTERNATIONAL, Owner - located San Pedro, CA USA • Telephone: 310-817-9904 . • 

CM191 or the 4 seater Fouga ( The only one flying in the world) and video

Recent video of taxiing and flight of N8015Q S/N 001

After a couple of years, the CM191 came out of his hangar to be ready to soar in  the sky around Chicago
For info the CM191 flying video link is on left upper corner of the photo

That aircraft have the same components than the Fouga CM170 except the canopy and some parts of the fuselage.

 A lot of room to work around ( Mechanics Heaven )

 

Marbore VI C engines

And thanks for the help that I had from Larry, Marty1, Marty2, Robert who is living 1000 miles away in Colorado and the locals tenants of the airport to have that airplane ready to fly.

After talking with the owner, the aircraft will be for sale soon, so like they say come early or go on the waiting line because it is one of a kind and parts are available in case of a need almost everywhere.
Here the dataplate:

And the dream team

Video of the CM191 taxi and flight

2 Fouga under total renovation

We are working on 2 Fouga since a couple of months to be able to have them certified under the new FAA regulation 8130-2G
It is a major work, and was called EMJ ( Major overhaul ) performed every 10 years on Fouga with Marbore II or 3200 hours, and 11 years on Fouga with Marbore VI or 3400 hours.

After a couple of months we can see the end of the tunel

Soon will be the test flights and certification

 Now the aircraft is ready to fly, everything tested and retested

  A perfect test flight for 40 minutes and no sqwak to be reported
   Thank to David my rear flight mechanic crew.

Fouga new generation ?

Reminder of Hydraulic Servicing for the Fouga

After talking with Fouga owners about the servicing of the Hydraulic,
I want to review the procedures:

- First : Start the left engine to have 250 HPZ on the normal and emergency hydraulic systems
            Operate flaps, speed brakes, ailerons boost if you have some.  
            Reconfigure aircraft in a clean mode ( flaps retracted, speed brakes in)


- Shut down the engine and open the small cap on the left, on the main hydraulic reservoir
   ( the big cap in the center is the access to replace the main hydraulic filter)
- Service the hydraulic up to the top of the center spigot that you will see when you open the small cap.
- If you over serviced, open the little valve with the castle wheel on it (lower right hand corner), it will drain   under the aircraft to the normal level. Do not forget to close the valve after. 
- Close the small cap, and this is done.

Never try to check the hydraulic level with no pressure inside the hydraulic systems because when you will open the overflow valve or the small cap, hydraulic will come out of the hydraulic reservoir

Jaguar that we imported in the US

 This is a Jaguar that we imported in the US last year to be in the future back in flying condition

A lot of money and tender loving care will be needed