Maintenance info on CD, Plus an update subscription

[Tom Downey]

I discovered some thing to night that disturbs me.
Getting information like MSB 96-11 is getting more and more difficult. There was a time every thing was paper, which came out once a year, many of the manuals were issued once, like the Cessna 100 Service Manual, which was updated as required.
The times have changed to where the manufacturing companies like Contenintal have started an information on CD with an on line up date service.

https://tcmlink.com/infoservices/about.cfm

Read the link and think about return to service, which must be done IAW FAR 43,13(A)
They can now change the pubs once a quarter and say you must have our service to be legal.
This will drive every Freelance Mechanic into the large FBO's and you owners will be at their mercy.
The Freelanced Mechanices like myself will no longer be able to overhaul your C-145s without the latest overhaul manual updated by these services.
We can't legally do an annual with out these CD services.
We cant legally do a spark plug change with out these update services.
You owners can't even do a oil changes without these services.

I feel this is a method of the future, and the cost of flying just went up, because I'll certainly pass the charges on.
Think about the cost when all the manufacturers go to this. Piper, Slick, Bendix, Lycoming, Precision, Mc Cauley, yeah there are a bunch of em. at 250-500 a wack.
Guess what an annual will cost if I got to spread that cost across 5 aircraft.