Hi! David/Andy/Roger
Concerning Davids message below and the intentions re:- the aft wing
lift pins being replaced and retained by internal nuts...
IMHO to invade and so access the location would be less structural
disturbance (also cosmetically easier) if the access was made through
the wing to flap close out outboard of the main wing closeout/rib
thereby preserving the integrity of the upper and lower wing surfaces.
Would you kindly ensure that this suggestion is addressed and calculated
prior to finalising the access through the wing surface options?
Respectfully we were asked for contributions of ideas.
Regards
Bob Harrison G-PTAG (almost ready for flight test permit application
with the 914 now installed)
Robt.C.Harrison
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of
David.Corbett
Sent: 06 July 2007 22:19
Subject: Europa-List: UK PFA news - Europa safety mods
Wearing my UK PFA Executive Committee and Europa Club committee hats, I
asked Francis Donaldson (PFA Chief Engineer, for those of you overseas
who do not know) earlier this week if he could release a progress report
on the proposed Europa factory/PFA modifications to be incorporated in
UK Europae following the tragic accident to G-HOFC. You will see
Francis's reply below.
However, before you read it, I must ask you all to consider some other
factors which Francis passed to me in a second e-mail, and confirmed by
voicemail whilst I was at a funeral this afternoon.
1 We are all aware that UK AAIB are shortly to issue a Special
Bulletin about the G-HOFC accident. Francis tells me that this Bulletin
is not expected to give any firm conclusion about the accident -
investigations are still ongoing into the very complex factors involved
- and the Bulletin will basically only draw attention to the Flight
Safety Bulletins issued by the PFA (see next paragraph). If the AAIB
Bulletin reports as normal "Special's" do, I hope that we will at least
be told publicly the scale of the damage/destruction that occurred to
G-HOFC, even if no conclusions can yet be given.
2 Some Europae, like mine, have passed the inspections required
by UK Europa Flight Safety Bulletins 006 and 007, but are grounded
because the tailplane pip pin recesses have not been built to the
dimensions in the build manual - in many cases, the dimensions are
smaller, especially around the joint between the recess and the upper
skin. Owners such as myself are obviously frustrated that we cannot fly
but, quite understandably, Francis asks that those of us in a similar
position to mine wait for the tailplane pip pin mod to come out, and do
not chase PFA Engineering for individual special attention. As we can
all appreciate, PFA Engineering have been severely overloaded by the
investigations, and the resulting mod design work involved, that arises
---From this accident, and other PFA aircraft types are suffering as a
result of these pressures on PFA Engineering. This situation has not
been helped by the sad loss, to a job in Australia, of our recent and
excellent recruit to the engineering team, Kerry Ashcroft; so PFA are
short of an engineer again.
3 The proposed mods (outlined below) are currently with Europa
(2004) Ltd being formatted. There will, of course, be a lead time on the
supply of some mod kit parts - especially the longer wing rear pins
required for Classic aircraft. I will have a discussion with Roger or
John early next week to see whether they are yet prepared to go public
as to the timescale for issuing the mod kits.
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