Airventure 2002 was just a memory, but the aftermath of the needed repairs on the nosegear strut lingered on. See the section 'An Oshkosh Miracle!' for the details of THAT adventure. Now, the nosegear strut needed to be replaced and, beyond that, the annual condition inspection performed. The pictures following show the installation of the repaired nosegear strut and many minor tweaks followed by some of the first annual condition inspection.

Click on thumbnails to view larger versions of the pics!

Preparing to replace the nosegear strut. THe plane rests on a sawhorse weighted down with the toolbox to keep it from tipping backwards.		Here, Dad and I start reassembling the nosegear mechanism. The shock absorber spring is reattached. Notice the much heftier reinforcement gussets attached below the nosegear pivot point crosspiece. This represents a factory redesign of the strut for the heavier XL model.	Dad passes the strut up into position and Malcolm Hart and I maneuver it into position to bolt together with the rest of the mechanism still in place in the keel.
The internal mechanism reassembled, we install the nosewheel and reinsert the axle. There is a set screw port in the nosewheel fork that locks the axle into position. I placed a SECOND set screw on top of the first to lock it into position. The position of the set screw(s) should be checked on EVERY preflight. If the set screw loosens, the axle can start to back out. This could result in the protruding axle causing the nosegear fork to hang up on the guides inside the nose of the plane and therefore not fall down into position. A messy short-field landing would then ensue.	Dad checks the axle setup.	Dad performs surgery on the captivator plate. When in down position, the top of the nosegear strut locks into this U-shaped pice of steel which is bolted onto the canard bulkhead. This prevents side to side motion. In cycling the gear, we found that the strut was binding a bit so Dad shaves a little off on one side of the slot in the metal plate.	Final adjustments of the sequence valve and tweaking of the tightness of the various bolts holding the mechanism together being made. The system has to be absolutely scure but also JUST loose enough to ensure that the gear can free fall when the hydraulic pressure is released when using the dump valve.
		A small item: two "keep alive" wires to provide a trickle of elctrical juide to the Sandel HSI and the DVR300i. It turns out the DVR would not function correctly until this wire was installed. This caused much head scratching until I realized that these wires had been omitted. A pair of 1AMP fuses were also installed with the wires.	Testing the avionics, now functioning correctly. The clock now works correctly after shutting down master switch.
		My mother, Inez Guerra, cleans up one of the defroster fittings in preparation to being reinstalled.
	A last check of the innards of the nose before the canard is reinstalled.	Canard being lifted into position.	The canard is tilted slightly to maneuver into position. Malcolm holds some wiring and conduits clear.
Notice the postion of my thumb. A word of advice: DON"T hold your canrd like this when trying to drop it into position!!!! I learned the hard way as I got a nasty pinch! Otherwise, reinstalling the canard is actually fairly easy. One MUST be meticulous though in reconnecting the myriad of wires and fittings. MOST important, however, is to insure you correctly reinstall the cnard bolts and check and recheck the elevator control linkage!	Looking good!	An extension on the ratchet allows tightening of the main canard bolt on the CP side.	Making sure bolt is seated correctly and nut tightened down.
Malcolm and I recheck the 6 bolts holding hte canard in position as my father checks the manual.			Busy top of canard!
Mom personalizes all of our tools!		Checking the torque of the canard bolts.
	Checking off items on the list.	Mom befriends an anthill located just outside my hangar. The ants, satisfied by Mom's largesse, largely leave us alone in the hangar. They become our unofficial mascots.	Mom sands off some cracked micro from the main gear doors. The nice radius we put on the angle at the top attach point cracked with all the flexing. She sands it down for later reinforcement.
	Getting ready for a test flight. Malcolm Hart's Cozy III, N296MH is seen beyond.	Malcolm is perfoming some cosmetic work on the Cozy.	Malcolm Hart and his Cozy III, N296MH.
Consulting the Construction Manual.	Dad sheds some light on a difficult subject.	The nosegear strut in place, we celebrate with a little flight to Farmington as seen in the "These are the Voyages..." section.	Martin Elshire, President of Aerotronics and his wife make a stop to inspect their handiwork on my panel on their way home to Billings, MT. Aerotronics is a first rate company with an outstanding reputation. I think they did a fantastic job on my avionics!
Martin and his wife speak wife fellow Cozy owner, Malcolm Hart.	October 2002, time for a trip to California! My uncle, Dave Palacios, is an A&P and has agreed to inspect my engine. Enroute, we check out the spectacular Meteor Crater outside Winslow, Arizona.	Pit stop in Sedona, AZ. Landing on the aircraft carrier like airport at SEZ is a treat. Watch for the downdrafts on approach!	The red rocks of Sedona loom behind as we prepare to travel the last leg to Corona (AJO) for our inspection.
The infamous Banning Pass with the LA basin lying beyond. We fly in the crystalline sunlight over Palm SPrings. The murk of the basin oozes through the pass. We wait as long as we can before descending into the haze.	We've arrived at AJO! My Uncle Gilbert Palacios inspects N724X.	My Uncle Dave Palacios checks out the interior.	Pushing the plane into Uncle Dave's hangar to start the inspection.
Mom welcomes us to the Guerra homestead in Fullerton, CA. The next day will be very busy. See the next page for details!

Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome! email: rich@rguerra.com
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