Avoid the "Good Enough" Syndrome
In an old "M*A*S*H" episode, as Frank is finishing-up an operation on a solider, he
asks the nurse, "Is this an officer or enlisted man?" The nurse replies "He’s a PFC.,
sir," at which point Frank says, "Well then, you close, and use big stitches." Hawkeye
Pierce, overhearing the conversation says something like, "Yeah, Frank, don’t waste
thread on a Dogface."
We can have the same attitude as Frank Burns when working on balloons. Some manufacturers have very broad specifications for repairs. One balloon builder, for instance, says "patches may be in any location on any panel and may be of any size and shape." While this freedom may reduce maintenance costs on that balloon (a noble sentiment), the latitude may provide a background, or create an attitude, which seems to sanction sloppy work by the repair person. The "freedom" may make for some messy, odd-looking repairs.
The balloon itself may induce an attitude of sloppiness in the repairman. A 700-hour commercial balloon that has been patched-up by nearly every repair station in the U.S., and looks like hell, is probably not going to inspire the sewing machine operator to produce his/her best work.
Beware this attitude. As a balloon owner taking your equipment to a repair facility you want to know that it is going to be given the best possible treatment, whether it’s a beat-up old model or a pristine, nearly new aerostat receiving its first maintenance.
Don’t expect "good enough" work. And, expect to pay accordingly. You will be happier.
Envelope Certification
George McNeill, FAA, Aircraft Certification, Washington, DC, is aware of problems
encountered in the field trying to combine a replacement envelope with an existing
aircraft and has asked the Balloon Repair and Manufacturing Association to assist the
FAA in establishing a standard procedure for certification of new envelopes.
As many of your may know from certification a new envelope on your old basket, different balloon manufacturers use different methods to certify replacement envelopes, and some manufacturers use more than one method.
According to NcNeill, the FAA’s goal is to establish a standard procedure to be followed by all balloon manufacturers and all FAA offices (FSDOs, MIDOs, ACOs) to eliminate abuse and to make the process as easy as possible.
Fuel System Contamination
Recently a Cameron ride balloon with six 15 gallon stainless steel tanks and triple
ultra burners brought his system in with fuel leaks at all three blast valve stems. Total
time on the balloon was 115 hours with 60 hours since the last inspection.
Stainless steel fragments were found in the blast valves with other unidentifiable debris. One of the blast valve bonnet assemblies was gouged and marked vary badly from the debris. It was unrepairable and replaced. The other two were cleaned, rebuilt, tested, and returned to service.
The tanks required cleaning, vacuuming, and cleaning again. The customer thought that he had received contaminated fuel. The repair facility was not so sure.
Several years ago, Aerostar had almost the exact same problem. They determined that their tank manufacturer, "TMP," or "TECH MFRD PROD," or "Technical Manufacturer Products," of Lancaster, Georgia, had warped the threaded fittings when they were welded into the tank. "TMP," instead of removing the parts, simply rethreaded them and id not clean out the tanks or tell anyone. This problem was very limited and affected only about 25 tanks. This was one of the reason Aerostar discontinued using "TMP" as a supplier.
The 15-gallon stainless tanks in the Cameron were made by "TECH MFRD PROD" of Lancaster, Georgia. Cameron no longer uses these tanks.
It cannot be said for certain what caused this fuel contamination problem. It would be advisable to be on the lookout for any potential problems if you have these brand of tanks.
The fuel supplier in question supplies quite a lot of fuel to balloonists. Their has to date not been another reported case of contaminated fuel either just before or since this incident.
This material originally appeared in the BRMA News and has been edited for Balloon Life. The contamination piece was reported by George Hahn, AERCO, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Editor