This included having both exhaust systems being sent to Dawley in Wisconsin for a complete rebuild, and what came back was stellar. The Slick Mags needed new points and were retimed, a missing STC was tracked down, an improperly installed fuel flow transducer was rewired and repositioned, the year old Garmin GTN 750 did not have the required rear support bracket which needed to be ordered, 8 new spark plugs as 6 failed, had the propeller balanced, and while I was losing my mind with these anomalies, I decided to have a Reiff Turbo XP engine preheat system installed as well.
I am sure there was more that was fixed but I don't want to think about it.
Anyways, I was losing patience and told them that I was going turn their FBO into a smoking hole unless they finished my Maule. I got this pup on Craigslist and I have been dying to try it out.
Not wanting to have their FBO vaporized (along with most of the northeast) they kicked it into high gear. Looking like a Circus Clown Car, the four mechanics (two are Air Force trained IA's) attack the last items on the list. They actually did an amazing job in making the Maule airworthy and I feel much safer now.
Having been deprived of flying the Maule over the past three weeks, I decided to fly from Portsmouth KPSM to Errol KERR in northern New Hampshire to try out the new EDM 730 engine analyzer.
The Lycoming started instantly, and with the propeller being dynamically balanced, there was almost zero vibration. So far I was thrilled! Turning on the avionics switch the JPI sprang to life and went through its start up sequence.
As with the already installed JPI 450, I pushed the fill button letting it know that the mains were filled and we had 40 gallons on board.
Takeoff was smooth and vibration free, and it was great to finally have precise engine operating parameters on display.
Here are a few pictures as I motored north.
After making a gradual descent utilizing the COLD feature to monitor shock cooling, the gravel strip at Errol came into view.
I met this gentleman (former Eastern pilot) who was working on a Cub that he has owned for 43 years and three major rebuilds. He had floats and hydraulic skis for year-round fun.
After talking for a bit and finding out that we knew a few of the same people, he gave me his truck keys so I could drive into the small town for lunch. For his kindness, I left a nice bottle of wine on his front seat when I returned.
When I got back at the airport I found this babe drooling all over my plane!
"Hey you Hussey, let go of my Spinner!"
I soon discovered that she only loves men who fly Tailwheels and I was sent on my way.
I soon departed and headed home thrilled with the quality work that was done to make the Maule safe and reliable.
Oh yea, I almost forgot about the Strap-On. (Get your mind out of the gutter!)
As I have been landing on more challenging strips with occasional stiff crosswinds, like most, I dump the flaps immediately for better braking and control. What I did not like however was losing sight of the landing surface as I dumped the flaps especially on really narrow roads.
I decided to install the EZ-FLAP unit and the difference has been night and day. I am now able to dump the flaps from 40* to -7* in an instant without moving my head or losing sight of the path before me. After using the EZ-FLAP for the past few months on over 50 landings, I would never go back.
Thanks for reading!........................Rob
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