Mark Phelps
“Owners of old air
planes are faced with
research projects …
all the time.”
Finding parts is anadventure
MARK PHELPS, EAA 139610
Operating an aging airplane is
a hobby, whether you like it
or not. Even if you never turn
a wrench or screwdriver on the real
thing, it’s going to gulp time. Here’s
an example, using my 1954 Bonanza.
I got a call during annual inspection a few years ago (Note to self:
During annual, turn off cell phone).
My sharp-eyed airframe and powerplant mechanic told me he’d found
traces of corrosion in my “inboard
hinge support bracket,” which holds
the V-tail in place. That’s part number
(P/N) 35-600002 for you fans keeping score at home; not a good place
for even a tiny smidgen of corrosion.
Like any dedicated hobbyist, I sprang
enthusiastically into action. In my
case, it was my fingertips that did the
“springing.” First call: Hawker Beechcraft. P/N 35-600002 was indeed in
the computer and the asking price
wasn’t bad, but the availability date
was “ 18 months—maybe.” Next stop:
the American Bonanza Society for
a recommendation on third-party
sources for such parts—those who
salvage them from wrecks, make
new ones, or collect originals that
are “new old stock” (aka NOS). NOS
means unused parts from the original
manufacturer or authorized vendor
that have been sitting on a shelf
somewhere behind a large box of “I
Like Ike” buttons.
In the course of hour-upon-hour
of hobby fun, I learned a lot about
P/N 35-600002, the evolution of its
peculiar nomenclature, and its later
offspring. I wound up with this bot-tom-line choice—a newer aluminum
one in “as removed” condition from
a salvage yard or an NOS magnesium one of the same vintage as my
airplane. At the advice of my shop,
we chose the magnesium NOS unit.
My tail has been wagging happily
ever since (thanks for asking).
Owners of old airplanes are faced
with research projects like this one
all the time. Each one is an adventure in parts-chasing enjoyment that
owners of factory-new airplanes
know not. While you might think it
would seem tempting for us to leave
it all up to the guy with all the numbers after his name who signs the
logbook, there are inevitable situations that come down to judgment
calls. And some of those can be
made only by the guy who signs the
check—and flies the airplane. So like
it or not, you’re involved.
Adrian Eichhorn, the Bonanza P35
owner featured in the accompanying story, is both an owner and a
mechanic, so he has the best insight
into what standards to set for other-
