TBM TIMES Featured In This Issue: eNewsletter January 2014 Issue: Six Volume: Two About TBM Times ------------ Anatomy of a Hot Section ------------ The Polished Aluminum TBM850 ------------ Winter Ground Operations by Terry Winson ------------ Avionics Website Update ------------ Welcome New Owners ------------ What’s New! About TBM Times... At AVEX we strive to bring the TBM owner selling your aircraft or researching the TBM the best possible experience in every facet market, AVEX is at the forefront. By bringing you of owning a TBM. Details are our business, a monthly newsletter, TBM Times, our goal is to whether it’s the safety of your TBM, new share the knowledge and research we find along innovative ways of maintaining your aircraft, our detail oriented mission. ANATOMY OF A HOT SECTION Most of us associate a hot section repair due to an overtemp or FOD (Foreign Object Debris). However, hot sections are also a routine item that are usually done about half way through the life of an engine, before an overhaul. Thus, at one point or another a hot section is something you need to make yourself aware of. The diagram below takes you on the step by step journey that a hot section repair entails. Chuck Morris has been working at AVEX for 8 years, he is our Pratt and Whitney certified Hot Section Technician. Before working for AVEX, Chuck worked for three years at the Pratt and Whitney Long Beach Service Center. Chuck also served in the US Marine Corps specializing in artillery and marksmanship. Follow Chuck below for an Anatomy of a Hot Section. Chuck goes over his “Hot Section Check List” one last time before the engine split. The engine split begins. Before removing the engine components, Chuck marks them at 12-o-clock with a silver After Chief Inspector, Ron, measures the tip pencil so that Pratt and Whitney and AVEX will clearance with a feeler gauge he and Chuck have a reference point for reassembly. remove the CT Blade. Next comes the removal of the inner combustion (1), baffle plate and lock Next comes the segments, the plate (2), and the inlet guide vane (3). segments are for clearance between the CT blade tips and the combustion liner. Usually the segments have "tip curl," meaning the ends curl up, but according to Ron's measurements this engine has minimal signs of tip contact and no signs of any excessive tip drag! 1 Next the inertial separator needs to be removed in order to get the fuel nozzles 2 out, because the flow divider is located right above the inertial separator and this part will need to be removed to get to the fuel nozzles. The fuel nozzles are then numbered and removed. 3 Chuck uses a torch and the Barfield to make sure the ITT Next the outer temperature probes combustion liner are working correctly. is removed and Ron then does a final the diffuser tubes inspection before are checked to the power section make sure they is reattached, while are secure. it's components are sent out to Pratt and Whitney. After Pratt & Whitney sends back all the components Chuck started on inserting the #2 bearing oiler into a very snug hole, this took some finessing. As you can see the bearing oiler is a very unique shape that fits into a specialized cavity where it goes in and needs to be turned to a very specific degree in order for the nozzle to fit into its correct spot. Chuck puts the ignitors on to align and The outer combustion liner is Next the bearing cover is put into place. hold the liner in place. examined one last time before installation. Here is what the Inlet Guide Vane looks like after As you can see the Inlet Guide Vane is coated in returning from Pratt and Whitney. As you can see the ceramic to help heat protect the Nickel that the CT is segments have been replaced. The new segments made out of. are a snug fit, because the airflow goes the path of least resistance. If there is a small gap, then the air will utilize that passage and in turn the engine will need more fuel to compensate. Fuel Nozzles are also installed at this Next the Number 2 Bearing Cover is The Inlet Guide Vane, Lock Plate and time. put on. Air Baffle Plate are installed. Chuck and Ron place the CT blade on the engine, seat the disk, check the tip clearance and reinstall making sure the bearings are all perfectly in place, throughout this process it is necessary to take the CT blade on and off about three times in order to make sure everything is perfect as they only get one shot at putting the screws in the lock plate perfectly! Here is what the CT disk looks like coming back from Pratt and Whitney. Pratt has done an NDT inspection, replaced the rivets and made sure it is balanced. As you can see in the picture to the left the CT blades are actually hollow, this is specifically designed for cooling. Here you see Ron and Chuck Here Ron is using several feeler Ron is putting loading on the disk and tightening the master spline, which gauges to make sure the CT blade measuring each of the gaps. aligns the CT disk, the compressor, is centered, without this step, gravity the shaft, bearing, and all rotating would insure the blade was off center parts. given the weight of the element. They have to seat the torque, break the torque, then do the final torque per specified torque limits in the manual. Inner combustion liner is inspected one last time and installed. Now just a final scotch bright and cleaning of both sides before reattaching. Now it is time for the hot section Next they use bee's wax on the to be re-attached sealant ring for two reasons: so that and bolted the ring stays centered and so that the together. ring does not pop open, if this were to occur the engine would run hot. Next Chuck reattaches the Next the engine mount comes off. And the hoist comes off. oil scavenge tube. The engine is back together! AVEX is a MRT repair service center and one of the largest Pratt & Whitney shops. Due to our outstanding working relationship with Pratt & Whitney we have negotiated special rates on all Hot Section Repairs and Engine Overhauls. For more information contact Ron Guynn, 805.389.1188. The Polished ALUMINUM TBM850 N422AZ was all the buzz at the Daher-Socata booth at National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas in October. AVEX was approached by a client with a very unique concept, to customize a new TBM850 with a polished aluminum finish. Together AVEX and Socata accomplished this customer request into this outstanding looking aircraft pictured above. The special treatment consists of a bare metal finish across most of the airframe, complemented by gray metal paint on the fuselage bottom and for the composites parts, along with a rare matte black tail and N number. To complete the look the Elite interior has been done completely in black onyx with matching carbon fiber fittings. Winter Ground Operations By Terry Winson In the TBM we find that the months that have the most number of accidents are December, February and March; these 3 months account for 55% of all the accidents. The assumption that these were all weather related accidents, is incorrect, but, the pressure of weather may have had a significant impact on many of these accidents. Another surprising statistic is the average ownership time of the pilots involved in these accidents is 2 years, and the average time in the make and model is 560 hours, indicating they were not necessarily novice pilots. This month we will be discussing Winter Ground Operations. “Cold weather operations hazards are the primary meteorological cause of aviation accidents”. Source: NTSB. On the west coast, winter ops are not something that I generally give a lot of thought to, although perhaps I should. There are a couple of reasons for this; our winter is short and certainly not considered severe and we have a lot of VFR days in the winter with relatively high freezing levels. As an example on December 17th Los Angeles International Airport was 85 degrees! With this being said there is no latitude for complacency as these magnificent machines that we fly take us from warm climates to frigid temperatures in short spans of time. We have to be as cognizant of the hazards of winter flying as our contemporaries on the east coast who are well indoctrinated into the onerous winter conditions by the time the west coast sees our first frost on the wing. This discussion is meant as refresher on winter ground operations. Winter Operations. Before launching into cold-weather areas where inclement weather conditions exist or are forecasted obtaining an in depth weather briefing is critical. Before departing where inclement conditions are forecasted, consider how much experience you have operating in those conditions. If your experience is limited, there is little reason to stick your nose into something that you have no experience flying in. On November 28, 2004 a professional crew in a Canadair Challenger attempted to take off out of Montrose Regional Airport, Colorado and it crashed prior to leaving the airport confines. One of the contributing causes of the accident cited in the NTSB report was the lack of experience of the crew operating in winter conditions. There were 3 fatalities. In February 2006 a Cessna 560 owned by a Fortune 500 company, flown by a professional crew, en route into Pueblo Colorado crashed 4 miles from the runway killing 8 people.