Jim, All
Great to see your getting your silver bird together, Its looking great.
It has been at least 15 years since I have posted anything on this great site. I had to go through a lot of 0/0 IFR, icing, and severe turbulence in my previous EX-XP partners/wife to get to a place of higher learning. My thanks goes out to all that have supported me through the years. George, Dick, John B, Shawn.....to name but a few.
Great news for the 170 TCM Conversions. My STC SA00728SE The FAA has my latest amendment all but wrapped up with current project SA12374SE-A I have my final meeting on Thursday to go over the instructions for installation with the various models. The NEW instructions for continued airworthiness, ICA, will be approved at last, cleanups in drawing errors and vague notations have been cleaned up at least 80%. I know there are a few more to nail down. We are going to be adding parts that are impossible to find, we are going to support this conversion and make every attempt to mass produce parts for not only the home builders but the licensed shops that will be able to do the work quickly to save money for the guy who wants a modern 6 cylinder powerplant.
There is no doubt this is the best conversion for the 170. The 172, thru P172D, 175, and the FR models as well. For that matter any aircraft that used the C-145, O300, or GO300. The expense is overwhelming to the common core of us. I know this. But safety has always been my main reason for advocating this conversion. This smooth running IO360 has the best of both worlds, a relatively low fuel consumption yet has the capability to have extra power when needed. Especially on takeoff.
Jim, don't hesitate to come on by if you need anything. I know you are close. Did you find any more problems with the drawings? We still have time to add them into the latest amendment.
Also to all the posts or even the ones I was in denial to read over the past years I want to clear up rumor out of control or FAA interpolated regulations in general.
1) The largest one I see, saw, were posts that said "engine mounts" can only be produced by PMA. FALSE. When allowed by the STC holder under authorization 21.120. related, AC 20-62E particularly Para 4 (6)n, 21.2, 43.7, 43.12, and 91.417. The approved DATA is the key. Example. If Continental allows one to rebuild an engine using the approved data then you can rebuild the engine and that is one ultimate critical part! The mount drawings I released, to builders like Jim, is approved data. The drawings are approved. The mounts were not for sale. But the approved data was/is until I get my PMA soon again. I will keep you guys posted. If I allow it I can sell the drawing and allow others individually to use the drawing to produce an engine mount. I can go a step further if I want and allow a company like Acorn, Kosola or others to produce the mount under their PMA. The mounts that were sold and produced by others always had my say one way or another. My jig for example was used as required by the approved drawing.
2) I sold mounts / parts that were not produced under PMA. FALSE Never did, never will. Granted the FAA, and even the IRS, have regulations that some call loop holes. Like 21.9a5 or a6 If we did not have those the world would stop rotating. I sent a few unfinished mounts out to people who were fitting them and they never returned them. They were "staged" to be returned. I sold drawings of my main gear...again approved data and those were produced. The FAA and MIDO with their team did investigate me for one or two disgruntled customers made or claims EX-XP partners/wife made, for 6 years 2007-2013 !!! I was never charged nor fined. I was exonerated of any wrong doing! I still have an A+ in their eyes and we work together today like a finely oiled machine.
3) I scuttled the company XP Mods so EX-XP partners/wife could not get my dreams fortune. TRUE and FALSE In 2008 I was forced to choose between my hundreds of customer’s supporters and EX-XP partners/wife. This meant I would either give control to a Charlatan D Court or take control. I choose to take control file bankruptcy and rebuild it all again free and clear of slavery lawyer/EX-XP partners/wife control ...sound familiar The Charlatan D Court would have sold off the STC's to who knew who? to shuffle away the dreams of a man’s super170B dream and landing gear too. These all were built way before the idea of a corporation ever existed. After the BR I personally found and paid all the little guys that had helped me in one way or another. In 2009 8 people gathered for an XP Mods auction. I came loaded for Bear and had a Bear with me. Jerry Buster (late) from JC Aviation, Thomas OK. A long time friend and dealer for XP Mods and my STC's. Together we won all 4 of the STC's back for pennies on the dollar. They went for a total of 25K . The Charlatan EX-XP partners/wife had the TCM engine conversion STC appraised at $800,000 the other STC's at $600,000 combined. This alone was criminal. The best a single STC in this category ever went for in the open market was 20K. As far as a fortune, not a great way to make your million, or billion in this day and age. It turns out we made a wage. We paid our bills and we were able to raise two great kids that are doing awesome. So many positive things came of this seemingly sad story. Today we have 7 employees and we are making landing gear for 170's and Skywagons. We are again making FAA Approved engine mounts and many sought after parts like gear shims and upper wedges. We are paying our bills and we are able to raise new generation kids like employee Jessie and his 4 mo old boy Max. We are forming many gear legs and making it work in our new location at the Renton Airport here in WA. We are just under 2 miles from the FAA and the gateway to Alaska, Idaho, and beyond. We are living in great times.
4) Tom Anderson is gone no one will ever see him in business again. He has vanished off the face of the earth... You guys know that answer even though some wished for it. My tenacity, persistence, safety conscience and love for this business will keep me and my son working for as long as the great Sky Gods allow. The XP 210 Mods is still the name of the engine conversion
www.thelandinggearworks.com is the PMA and I am the sole member of the LLC. The STC's are in my name Mr Thomas Anderson with license to The Landing Gear Works.
I live by my word and my father taught me that a man’s word is the most important asset. Some times I need a little help and I always listen to my customers. I am never above learning from people who know things I don’t.
Here are a few great sayings by a famous figures “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
“When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself.”
Again thank you guys and Gals for the great ride and Thank Cessna for a great machine.....the 170
TW Tom