PA-18 & rust

[avouth]

long story short- sort of. I FINAlly got a job flying a Supercub in south florida- banner towing. But I'm concerned about some visible signs of corrosion (red rust) on many of the bolts & cables. They have owned the plane a few`years- prior to that the maint history is missing.
When i asked the A&P about corrosion inspections he said it's been inspected- and the owner said its been inspected every 100.... But the truth is, I got the feeling he & the A&P had not given it much thought.


My concern is that this airplane has never been examined under the fabric- and considering the information, i think its a good bet. This concerns me- especially considering the coastal location.

I have no experience with these aircraft- and I'm not sure whats "normal" and acceptable in terms of visible corrosion . I'm looking for some good advice from those that know- BTW- I am VERY excited about flying this airplane- but feel its not worth it if i have to worry about pulling the wings off during a pick up.

 

[wrigley23]

You're concerns are valid. The airport where I used to work had 2 fatal banner crashes in consecutive years (although I believe they were engine related). It's not a job for the weak!

Also I've seen the feds ramp check a school and ground their entire fleet (something like 14 or 15 aircraft) for a few days on the account of corrosion. It seemed like a very small amount to us, because I've seen aircraft with way worse corrosion flying daily. I guess it all depends on where the corrosion is, on vital flight control surfaces versus something like the door hinge.

Best of luck. Don't fly anything you feel is unsafe just to log hours!

 

[OtterFO]

As wrigley says your concerns are valid. I flew the airplane in this link the previous season Banner crash

Some things to consider are how many aircraft this operator operates, how long have they been in business. Do they keep a stock of parts on hand? What kind of safety record do they have, and most importantly, are you confortable with the operation? I worked for 3 different banner operators in the mid and late 90s. Two were great with MX, one I walked away from because of the MX.

 

[wrigley23]

Wow OtterFO, count your blessings, close call there!

 

[metrodriver]

I saw once a piper tri-pacer that had broken its tie down and flipped during a storm. Both ailerons were broken off because the steel U-brackets that held the hinge bolts were totally rusted away. It was pretty much the paint holding the parts together. Looking from underneath the wing the brackets (= the paint) looked to be in a very good condition and as such had passed it's annual.
Rust in the fuselage is a big concern when dealing with piper cubs (and all it's derivatives), apaches, aztecs, especially in moist salty climates

 

[OtterFO]

I better clarify this. The company operating the aircraft in the accident I linked had fantastic MX. I never had a problem getting something fixed on an airplane. When I was there they were operating 14 cubs and 1 pawnee. This accident brought to light a previously unknown area of corrosion. As a result of this accident there was an AD issued for cubs creating a new inspection ports in the wings.

I really enjoyed my banner flying, got to do things with cubs that I never thought I'd be paid to do. There was nothing like picking up a 50X100 panel on the first swing on a bumpy day.