Return-Path: Received: from marvkaye.olsusa.com ([205.245.9.72]) by truman.olsusa.com (Post.Office MTA v3.5.1 release 219 ID# 0-52269U2500L250S0V35) with SMTP id com for ; Mon, 26 Apr 1999 06:45:14 -0400 Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19990426064813.00901590@olsusa.com> Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 06:48:13 -0400 To: lancair.list@olsusa.com From: Marvin Kaye Subject: More TCM details X-Mailing-List: lancair.list@olsusa.com Mime-Version: 1.0 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> << Lancair Builders' Mail List >> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> LATEST ON TCM CRANKSHAFT INSPECTIONS... Early last week, Teledyne Continental Motors issued Critical Service Bulletin CSB 99-3 mandating ultrasonic inspection of all TCM 470-, 520- and 550-series crankshafts manufactured during 1998. The biggest surprise is that the number of affected crankshafts has increased from 2,200 to more than 3,000. TCM will reimburse up to $700 for the disassembly and reassembly of normally aspirated engines -- up to $900 for turbocharged engines -- and will provide the ultrasonic inspection at no charge. At week's end, the FAA issued Priority Letter Airworthiness Directive 99-09-17 to give the force of law to CSB 99-3. ...WILL BE COSTLY FOR TCM, PAINFUL FOR OWNERS Owners worry how long their airplanes will be out of commission awaiting inspection. Given that TCM presently has only 10 designated inspectors to cover the entire United States, some quick arithmetic suggests that it could take as much as six months to inspect the more than 3,000 affected engines. AVweb advises affected owners to contact TCM as soon as possible to get in line for the inspection. Taking the aircraft to a major metropolitan repair facility might also be a smart move, since shops with lots of aircraft to inspect will undoubtedly receive top priority. TCM's John Barton told AVweb that the company was working on a plan to recruit and train additional inspectors and to obtain more ultrasonic testing equipment for them to use. We'll keep you posted. NOTE: The full text of TCM CSB 99-3, in both HTML and PDF formats, plus a synopsis, FAQ, and link to TCM's online contact form, is available on AVweb's Newswire this week. () >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LML homepage: http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html