Mechanic rant (lite)

[tawood]

In my 30 or so years of flying, I have had some really good mechanics (and a couple of bad ones). Obviously I avoid the bad ones, keep the good ones, and with the good ones typically develop great long-term owner/mechanic relationships.

But, my (slight) rant: I have yet to get a mechanic that can correctly compute a W&B. I don't think I have ever once found a W&B computed correctly after a change...at least not the first time the W&B is done.

I recently had the tail beacon removed from my plane. My new-to-me mechanic (who has been great otherwise, btw) computed a new W&B, emailed it to me, and even at first glance, I new something wasn't right. The new W&B moved the CG to the rear, right after removing 2 lbs from the tail. I checked the W&B, and found 6 (!!!) mistakes made by my mechanic. Yikes! I tried to be nice, but I felt like a school teacher with red marker, correcting the W&B. I just computed it correctly for him and emailed it back.

Back in my public service days, I used to joke that "I became a cop because I couldn't do math", but actually math has always been a strength for me...I think the saying should probably be, "I became an A&P because I couldn't do math", LOL.

 

[rotorwrench]

But, my (slight) rant: I have yet to get a mechanic that can correctly compute a W&B.

Ha. I feel your pain. I've found if a mechanic or pilot doesn't perform the written version on a regular basis they will screw the pooch especially when removing an item or there is a negative datum. One of the main issues is they subtract the weight value but add the moment value when calculating a new CG for a removed item. Regardless, have no fear there are mechanics out there that can take care of your W&B needs with no problem.