Guest SrPilot Posted November 13, 2015 Posted November 13, 2015 It must be hard waiting for that inspection day to arrive!! Well, it might not be so bad if we knew what day would be "THAT inspection day." This one is a mite elusive. We had one last week (cancelled), another on Tuesday (cancelled), another today (cancelled), and another next Tuesday. That one we have to wait on.
Guest SrPilot Posted November 13, 2015 Posted November 13, 2015 Awesome BB320, very exciting ! Although the waiting is hard Peter keeps you informed of progress, right down to providing the shipping docket so you can track it. I used a ship tracking ap on my phone to follow it from Odessa to Singapore, change ships, then down the west Oz coast, arriving at Fremantle on Christmas Eve. As you can see, I wasn't eager at all ! I did the same, twice a day, from the container in Poland to a ship at Odessa, to Cairo, to NY City, to Norfolk, to Savannah, Georgia. Then the customs delay, followed by a rush haul on a trailer to the unpacking and assembly, then the registration delay, and now the inspection delay. How many days are there in "delay" anyway? Dennis (our Aeroprakt guy) does a great job; it's just that imported LSA aircraft are little pebbles in a big pond. Customs and the FAA do not have them down as priority items on their clipboards I presume. So we hurry, then wait.
Guest SrPilot Posted November 13, 2015 Posted November 13, 2015 SrPilot, thats a shame reference all that red tape, I thought the US would of been fairly straight forward being such an aviation friendly country, we are very fortunate in Australia with our importer as everything (paperwork & registration etc) is done by him & you basically arrive & pick up the keys & you're on your way. Oh but Bennyboy320 the US is a reasonably aviation-friendly country; it's just that as time passes they become even more a paperwork-friendly country. I've seen government documents returned to applicants because they put St, Ave, or Ln on a form instead of putting Street, Avenue, or Lane. Similarly 11/12/15 works with some but not all. Some require Nov 12, 2015, and return the form if it's not in that format. The forms are reasonably simple; the rules are exact and (sometimes) must be followed to the letter (other times maybe not so much). As far as our importer, he too assembles the paperwork and I think he does an excellent job. But I know of two airplane packets sent in to register separate aircraft; one was accepted, the other was returned as faulty. Sometimes it may fall on which person was handling the paperwork at the other end. It certainly has nothing to do with Dennis ("our Peter"). He tries very, very hard to expedite things at every step. I'll speak to arriving and picking up my keys when the inspection is done. I am sure Dennis has them ready and waiting.
BoxFat Posted November 13, 2015 Posted November 13, 2015 About those long awaited keys.... Two cabin door lock keys come with the plane. I wanted a third one so that I could have one with me, one at home filed away for if/when I lose it and one to give to my hangar partner so he could get into my FB to move it etc when I'm not there. I've taken the key to locksmiths in 3 states in Australia, to 2 places in London, one in San Francisco and one in Holland and none of them had the necessary blanks in stock or even knew where to get them. So... If you two blokes with new FB delivery coming want extra keys might I suggest that you ask your agent/aeroprakt to supply them now to avoid a similar search (although I have to admit it's been kinda fun with conversations it starts etc). 1
BoxFat Posted November 13, 2015 Posted November 13, 2015 Hmmmm...now that I think about it, I don't know why I haven't looked in SE Asia. In Manila I think they could knock off a copy overnight not just of the key but the whole plane ! 2 1
eightyknots Posted November 13, 2015 Posted November 13, 2015 About those long awaited keys....Two cabin door lock keys come with the plane. I wanted a third one so that I could have one with me, one at home filed away for if/when I lose it and one to give to my hangar partner so he could get into my FB to move it etc when I'm not there. I've taken the key to locksmiths in 3 states in Australia, to 2 places in London, one in San Francisco and one in Holland and none of them had the necessary blanks in stock or even knew where to get them. So... If you two blokes with new FB delivery coming want extra keys might I suggest that you ask your agent/aeroprakt to supply them now to avoid a similar search (although I have to admit it's been kinda fun with conversations it starts etc). There are only so many possible combinations when it comes to key blanks. Surely, someone in a civilised country must have something that matches the Ukrainian keys?
DrZoos Posted November 13, 2015 Posted November 13, 2015 About those long awaited keys....Two cabin door lock keys come with the plane. I wanted a third one so that I could have one with me, one at home filed away for if/when I lose it and one to give to my hangar partner so he could get into my FB to move it etc when I'm not there. I've taken the key to locksmiths in 3 states in Australia, to 2 places in London, one in San Francisco and one in Holland and none of them had the necessary blanks in stock or even knew where to get them. So... If you two blokes with new FB delivery coming want extra keys might I suggest that you ask your agent/aeroprakt to supply them now to avoid a similar search (although I have to admit it's been kinda fun with conversations it starts etc). Replace the barrel and key - its cheaper than a world tour There are not many that cannot be easily replaced with a spanner and or 1/8th drill bit... I have done several on motos in the last 2 years and they are easy to get online and easy to replace... i know we are talking about aircraft and thus approved parts...but still its only a certain sized barrel and switch 1
Phil Perry Posted January 14, 2016 Posted January 14, 2016 Hmmmm...now that I think about it, I don't know why I haven't looked in SE Asia. In Manila I think they could knock off a copy overnight not just of the key but the whole plane ! Manila ?. . . jeeze,. . .these people can copy anything. . . I'll try not to go toofar off topic here, as this isnt a firearms thread ( ! ) My friend Ade had a pair of matched duelling pistols, . . these were flintlocks and absolutley beautiful ( if you like nice antiques that is ) During a burglary, somehow, one of them was stolen. He got wind of the brilliance of some of the "Backstreet" engineering shops in and around Manila and he managed to get a transportation licence to take the remaining piece with him in hold baggage. He stayed in Manaila for two weeks, but within nine days, this little very basic looking place had copied and reproduced a virtually identical matching piece to the example he had left, and I have seen this,. . .it is perfect, right down to the woodgrain and timber colour of the stock, and the colour of the gunmetal, and it is proofed to fire, as is the original . . . . So YES, they could well possibly replicate an aeroplane, as long as they'd got a workshop 12 metres 'ish wide to get the wings in for assembly checks. . .! ! ! Back to topic. 1
pylon500 Posted January 14, 2016 Posted January 14, 2016 Looking at the keys to the Foxbat I fly, they look very similar to the keys to my ride-on lawnmower (Husqvarna). 1
cooperplace Posted January 15, 2016 Posted January 15, 2016 About those long awaited keys....Two cabin door lock keys come with the plane. I wanted a third one so that I could have one with me, one at home filed away for if/when I lose it and one to give to my hangar partner so he could get into my FB to move it etc when I'm not there. I've taken the key to locksmiths in 3 states in Australia, to 2 places in London, one in San Francisco and one in Holland and none of them had the necessary blanks in stock or even knew where to get them. So... If you two blokes with new FB delivery coming want extra keys might I suggest that you ask your agent/aeroprakt to supply them now to avoid a similar search (although I have to admit it's been kinda fun with conversations it starts etc). yes, locksmiths always start with 'what's it from"; when I say a 1966 Ducati they scratch their heads, but then I went to Knight Locksmiths in Adelaide, who are excellent and had a good range of obscure blanks. 1
pylon500 Posted January 15, 2016 Posted January 15, 2016 I guess you could tell 'em it's from a Trabant!
Guest SrPilot Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 Manila ?. . . jeeze,. . .these people can copy anything. . . I'll try not to go toofar off topic here, as this isnt a firearms thread ( ! ) My friend Ade had a pair of matched duelling pistols, . . these were flintlocks and absolutley beautiful ( if you like nice antiques that is ) During a burglary, somehow, one of them was stolen. He got wind of the brilliance of some of the "Backstreet" engineering shops in and around Manila and he managed to get a transportation licence to take the remaining piece with him in hold baggage. He stayed in Manaila for two weeks, but within nine days, this little very basic looking place had copied and reproduced a virtually identical matching piece to the example he had left, and I have seen this,. . .it is perfect, right down to the woodgrain and timber colour of the stock, and the colour of the gunmetal, and it is proofed to fire, as is the original . . . . So YES, they could well possibly replicate an aeroplane, as long as they'd got a workshop 12 metres 'ish wide to get the wings in for assembly checks. . .! ! ! Back to topic. Ever consider the fact that it may have BEEN the original? Manila is known for more than craftsmanship. Just saying. Think about it; there are other explanations. I have a friend whose car was stolen from his company parking lot. He was in the lot looking for this car when another employee asked him what it was worth to him to get his car back. He said "all I have is about $100." The guy said "give me 15 minutes." In a few minutes, after a few phone calls, he was told - for the price - where to find his car. And, by the way, it wasn't a duplicate; just the original, without wheels, radio, or battery though. The guys up that road aren't as resourceful as the guys in Manila. The paint was still on the car. I would not even fly over that place in an airplane. I'd probably have to walk home. True event.
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