Be prepared, wherever you go.
In Orville and Wilbur's day, hardly a flight took place without some sort of mechanical mishap. Mankind 90 years ago still treaded the steep slope of aeronautical education. In a very few years, the science and art of building reliable airplanes advanced with breathtaking speed. In the recent past, we have seen strides in durability and maintainability grow ever shorter, until there are few items left to fix. Given their complexity — even a simple airplane is an involved mechanism — modern aircraft almost bore us with their reliability and trustworthiness.
That doesn't mean they are bulletproof — so it falls on the shoulders of the pilot to plan for the unexpected, to be prepared when away from familiar turf. Many minor breakdowns can and do occur on cross- country trips, ranging from dead batteries and flat tires to lunched vacuum pumps and clogged injectors. It should be our goal to have in the airplane the tools and parts to help make repairs — either on your own, for those items falling into the preventive maintenance column in Federal Aviation Regulation Part 43, or with the help of a mechanic.
Contents of the survival kit, both by tools and parts, will vary by airplane type and its complexity. Many a Skyhawk pilot has flown for years with little more than a screwdriver along for the ride. (Raise your hands, those of you who launch into the wild blue with only the tools you find at the end of a fuel sampler.) This pilot must rely upon the kindness of others and the availability of a mechanic whenever something breaks. Such an arrangement might be manageable if your treks don't take you far from home, but sooner or later, you will wish you had brought something more.
So herewith is a list, actually several of them, from which you may pick and choose depending upon your particular mount; they come in part from a handout given to members of the Cessna Pilots Association when they attend an airframe-specific systems and procedures course.
First off, buy a cheap plastic toolbox and a carton of zip-lock plastic bags. You will be more inclined to carry and use the tools and spares if they are well organized; holding everything in single box helps reduce baggage-compartment clutter. The plastic bags are to carry spare bits of hardware, shop towels, and any consumables such as grease or silicone sealer. (More on those later.)
Your average Cessna or Beech has hundreds of screws holding on inspection panels and securing items like wing tips. A logical necessity would be a high-quality screwdriver, preferably one with interchangeable tips. The best models provide storage for the bits in the handle; this reduces the total number of tools and greatly improves the convenience factor. Here comes the advice those who rent airplanes have been waiting for — the absolute, minimum tool kit. Add to that screwdriver a needle-nose vise-grip wrench and duct tape. These three items will get you through the simplest and most common of repairs and fit in the palm of your hand.
That's probably not enough for the maintenance-inclined, who will add to the growing list an aircraft-quality spark plug socket and the correct 3/8-inch ratchet handle to drive it. Buy the Champion-brand socket because it is the right depth to clear the top of the plugs; don't skimp here. Because you've got the ratchet already, go ahead and tote along a basic 3/8-inch-drive set. A smaller 1/4-inch-drive socket set is a nice addition, although you can get by with a 3/8- to 1/4-inch adapter and a small assortment of 1/4-inch sockets.
Other tools include a basic set of combination wrenches and hex keys. Leave at home the extra-large sizes (anything much above 3/4-inch) and those hex wrenches that fit nothing in the airplane. (Hint: Bendix/King uses a 3/32-inch hex for holding panel-mount radios in place.)
Add a medium crescent wrench, needle-nose pliers (preferably those with a wire stripper in the jaw), and safety-wire pliers — your tool kit is well on its way. Also take along a plastic-head hammer, a tire gauge, and a valve-core extractor. With this entourage of tool-steel clanking around in the baggage compartment, you'll be ready for many minor mishaps and to make quick fixes.
Along with these tools, consider carrying a few parts and consumables. The reason you want to bring along items like spark plugs and landing lights is largely economic. Without the immediate need for the parts, you will not be forced to pay full retail price for them; get the items from your favorite mail-order parts house.
What should you bring? This depends upon the type and complexity of airplane you fly. It's a good idea to have at least two extra spark plugs along — more if you've got a twin or a Comanche 400 — pre-gapped and with new washers. You've heard of Murphy, right? Here's an almost certain way to defeat his influence on aircraft parts — carry a spare. It works for landing lights and vacuum pumps, we've heard many times. Again, the argument for toting the extras is mainly economic, although there is a time element. If your steed uses an unusual vacuum pump, for example, you could spend more downtime than you'd like waiting for a replacement to arrive. And when it does, it will probably cost you more than if you had ordered it beforehand, if only for the shipping expense. Landing lights and vacuum pumps are small and light enough to warrant carrying extras.
Some owners elect to bring spare brake pads — not a bad idea for Grumman drivers, whose airplanes rely on the brakes for ground maneuvering. Consider carrying either a spare inner tube for each tire size or a tube repair kit. And you should consider toting along a spare alternator belt — assuming, of course, that your alternator isn't gear driven. Many times there will be a mechanic around to legally make the repair, but he might not have your particular belt in stock. Again, you will get to enjoy the local scenery and restaurant until a replacement arrives. This advice is offered more strongly to those who fly single- engine Pipers with air conditioning, because the alternator belt on many of these airplanes is narrow and notoriously short-lived.
As far as consumables, carry along some duct tape (we mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating, because this miracle material will fix just about anything in a pinch), electrical tape, tie-wraps of assorted sizes, a tube of silicone sealant, some .020 and .032 safety wire, and a strip or two of emery cloth. Finally, don't forget to bring a small container of hand cleaner. Store those shop towels and any of the fluids individually in plastic bags; this way, the rags will not absorb moisture and the fluids won't make a huge mess when — who else? — Murphy unscrews the lids.
All these items will greatly improve you odds of making (or helping make) repairs on the road, but some maintenance-minded owners have asked what sorts of things would be helpful to have in the hangar or trunk of the airport car.
Here, then, is the advanced-users list from the CPA class:
Add to the aforementioned list a set of jewelers' screwdrivers (perfect for removing the set screws on control knobs); a spark plug gapping gauge; a dentist's pick (ideal for removing carbon from a spark plug's guts); slip-joint pliers; and pliers in standard and/or needle-nose variety.
If your airplane is bountiful with inspection panels, consider buying a rechargeable drill with Phillips and standard bits. This will save you an incredible amount of time during, say, an annual inspection. Owners we've spoken with prefer the Mikita brand almost overwhelmingly.
Owners of retractable-gear airplanes should consider having a set of jack pads, unless yours are permanently attached to the airframe.
For troubleshooting electrical problems, you'll need a small multimeter, available for a few bucks at the local Radio Shack. Plus, you'll want a couple of feet of Teflon wire; 18 or 20 gauge will do it. A dedicated flashlight is a nice addition — the rubber-encased type that you won't feel guilty about dropping, because you will drop it, and to help you see into the nooks and crannies, a small inspection mirror on a telescoping handle.
Alongside the workbench, you will probably want a selection of aircraft hardware (nuts, bolts, cotter pins, washers, and so on). At the next inspection, take a look to see which are the predominant fasteners, get acquainted with the AN sizing conventions, and order up spares. This is probably a good time to consider stainless-steel fastener kits available for most brands; this style of hardware resists corrosion, looks great, and will make life much easier at the annual 12 months hence. Also, you should have in stock exhaust gaskets equal to the number of cylinders, enough exhaust nuts for two cylinders, and two rocker-box gaskets. Also, you will want the full spool of safety wire; common sizes are .020, .032, and .041.
Some of the chemicals you might consider adding to your list include a penetrating oil (like Kroil or ACF-50; don't use WD-40), electrical contact cleaner, and a container of Mil-H-5606 hydraulic fluid.
There is more than one point to this exercise, really. The first is to be ready for most, though realistically not all, eventualities on the road. Another is to be ready to perform preventive maintenance in the privacy of your hangar or tiedown spot, which can help you learn about your airplane in myriad ways. And finally, perhaps in this fit of preparedness, you might succeed in scaring Murphy off onto another airplane.
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