[Pilots] AMO Report

[Jerry Rosendahl]

*MN Wing Aircraft Maintenance Report - June 3, 2024*

*1.  Open Discrepancies:*  N98175 is grounded due to a broken pilot seat
secondary safety mechanism. This is the "old style" thumb lock device, but
NHQ is sending the newer style inertia seat safety device. The new camera
mounting devices are being installed on 8 of our aircraft as they're coming
through maintenance. We have several upcoming magneto overhauls and ELT
battery replacements. Most everything else falls into the category of
routine maintenance. The current list is attached.

*2.  NHQ maintenance procedure changes:*  NHQ has instituted a couple
changes on approvals for maintenance to be done as well as getting vendors
approved for repairs done outside our regular maintenance contractor (John
Quilling). These changes have been deemed necessary by NHQ, however, they
have resulted in delays of up to several weeks on work being done compared
to previous procedures. Magneto overhauls now have to go to a different
vendor than we've always used in the past and propeller overhauls have
required additional paperwork and approvals.

*3.  Tail flag left on during flight?*  We believe that the minor damage
seen below was caused when the tail flag was left on during flight.  It
appears that the metal ring on the tail flag caused the circular pattern on
the underside of the rudder. Please check your tail flag during preflight!
[image: image.png]

*4.  How well do you check out the data on the AIF cover sheet before
flight?*  Now with AMRAD and WMIRS synchronized we don't run into as many
issues as we did before that happened, with potential over-flying required
maintenance. Part of your preflight should be to familiarize yourself with
all upcoming maintenance, not just the next oil change, and to alert your
squadron DO of any issues you see. I monitor all upcoming maintenance as
part of my job, but I could always use your help.

*5**.  A flight of 101.3 hours?*  I recently had to make a correction in
WMIRS to a flight that showed 101.3 tach time hours! Obviously the pilot
"fat-fingered" the tach time entry and meant it to show 1.3 hours, but
because they didn't look at what they had just done, it obviously raised a
red flag in the AMRAD and WMIRS systems. Please look at your sortie entry
and ask - does this make sense?

*6.  Aircraft Washing Month:*  Wing DO Capt. Bestul has proclaimed June as
the month to get the fleet washed. This is a CAP and USAF requirement to be
done twice per year. In MN it makes sense to do this now, and again before
the super cold sets in. The dates of washing are tracked in AMRAD. If you
let me know when you do this, I'm happy to put it into AMRAD so the
leadership of MN Wing and CAP-USAF can monitor this.

*7.  YTD flying hours:*  Minnesota Wing ranks #11 in the nation in average
flying hours per airplane compared to all other Wings. Our average hours
per airplane is 113.92 so far since October 1. This number leads all other
North Central Region Wings. Missouri Wing is second in NCR with an average
of 82.28.  Our glider program is ready to roll for the season, contact Lt
Col Fitzhenry to schedule. YTD glider flights for MN - 31, North Dakota -
35 and Missouri - 66.

*8.  Annual Form 71 inspections:*  As airplanes come through maintenance I
will be doing the Form 71 inspections. This requires an inspection of the
airplane as well as verifying all maintenance data in AMRAD with the
airplane logbooks. At the same time I update the loose equipment list on
the back cover of the AIF and make sure the intended equipment is in place
and in working order.

*9.  What is an Administrative Preflight Checklist and where do I find it?*
CAP Form 70-8, which specifies the contents of the Aircraft Information
File (AIF), contains this document. It provides a checklist of items to be
completed before flight to ensure that administratively you're ready for
the flight. It also contains a list of important telephone numbers. This
list of duty position, name and telephone number is being updated soon to
reflect the current/new staff assignments of maintenance, operations,
safety and command staff. It also has the number for the National
Operations Center at CAP.

*10.  Airplane Logbooks:*  We currently have a couple private pilot
checkrides scheduled, which requires the student/instructor to provide the
airplane logbooks to the FAA examiner. All logbooks for MN Wing airplanes
are kept at Stanton Airfield. Instructors need to contact John Quilling far
enough in advance of the checkride to get the logbooks or a copy of the
pertinent entries. Some examiners only require a copy of the entries or the
current AIF cover sheet.

As always, if you have any comments, questions or concerns about MN Wing
aircraft maintenance, please contact me. Text or email is preferred.

Jerry Rosendahl, Lt Col, CAP
MN Wing AMO
651.785.8911
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