1959 Cessna 310-C Annual Landing Gear Check. Gearhead Special!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- A broad overview of this critical inspection done each year on 'Harvey' the 1959 C310C. This takes 2 mechanics a full day to perform.
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On one hand, that gear system seems a bit Rube Goldberg, but on the other, it's some impressive engineering. Still, like almost everything about aviation, it's fascinating and very cool to learn about.
I can’t seem to judge if it’s elegant or not. It may just be 12,000 engineering solutions added together in a temporary harmony. My basis for elegant engineering: a browning citori lightning over under shotgun mechanism
Haha…. Complicated??? For that , you want to go to the F-111 landing gear.
@@francisschweitzer8431 heck, you don't even need to go that far, just go to any Cessna single with retracts! Even more complicated than the 310, since you have to get them tuck into the rear fuselage!
Love this! Not many commercial pilots who don't mind getting their hands dirty! Renaissance man indeed!
This brought back memories, Juan.
When I was a kid growing up in Long Beach my Dad's best buddy had a 182, I got my first ride in that airplane. My father helped this fellow build a Starduster Too, and I was a kid who hung out at the hanger and airport, soaking up all I could about planes. Another guy Dad knew,, a few hangers away, had a 310. I don't think it was as early as Harvey, but it could have been.
Anyway they were doing an annual on it and I wandered down there to watch them do the exact thing you just documented.
The owner of that plane, whom I later flew with, was a stickler on things being "right", with his airplane.
He told me one afternoon that "annuals are expensive, but they are cheap compared to a bent airplane or worse, so they are worth it."
I got offers of flights by other pilots, but my Dad would only let me fly with his friend and the 310 owner. As a father myself, I get it.
Great memories. Thank you.
LOVE this story! Those if us lucky enough to grow up in G.A., WOW! That’s why I love to watch Juan!
So that's how that's supposed to look! I'm going to need to do that very soon :)
More videos would be great on this beautiful classic plane of yours!!
The pre check flying and actual flying videos of this plane are awesome also!!
Thanks for sharing alot of your personal time spent with this wonderful vintage plane!!!
😮😮😮😮 Here's me thinking the check is "yeah, it still works" 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm still laughing at the wait and balance quote wait for the bill and balance your checkbook
When the annual is done. It might be nice to know what the annual cost. The purchase price of an aircraft is just the price of admittance. I owned a bonanza and I guess that yearly maintenance costs were about 10~15% of the purchase price. My friend bought a C-35 bonanza for 25k several years ago. I warned him then that the parts he bought for his 1951 airplane were coming to be charged in 1993 prices. Aircraft ownership is not for the faint of heart.
Personally, I think Jimmy chewed off way more than he could deal with on the 310. I'm going to be interested in the airplane that he's looking at in California, both of them. I have to admit though, I do like all the doors and stuff that open and close and the way that works, almost Bonanza/Baron like, When it's rigged properly, it's amazing to watch it all in action.
Did you check to make sure there was no play in the doors when they are up? I'd hate to see all that hard work and then have a door get sucked open in flight because a bushing or something is worn out and it pulls two or three knots off your cruise from drag.
Great she passed it alright.
Seriously interesting post.
Jordan certainly knows her stuff,think she will be a great asset as an A&P.
I had no idea this annual was so involved Great seeing mechanics do their important work They deserve much respect
Because it's a twin and especially because it's a C-310, the annual is so involved and expensive. I've heard that an annual for a C-310 could make your wallet lighter by about 5000 dollars and that was in late 90s when I heard that. I used to own a 1964 PA28-140 which would cost me about 500 - 700 dollars per annual if no expensive repairs were required.
A&P Mechanic here - Thank you, Skip!! You made my day.
@@Тольяттинец-н6ъ Likewise I couldn't help thinking about what this stuff costs. And just imagine when a radio breaks! Yikes. As beautiful as a 310 is, this is unfortunately why I am flying X-Plane on a sim. I don't think I could ever get partners to make this affordable.
About as complicated as an early 60s Lincoln Continental convertible top mechanism.
Just more critical. 😆
For it's age, that aircraft looks like it's been very loved and well maintained! Nice find!
*Juan:* "This is a very big part of the 310 annual."
*Me:* "A burrito?"
*Juan:* "The swinging of the landing gear."
*Me:* "Ahhhhh."
Seriously, though. Loving these videos. Thanks for sharing them.
Wow! Amazing system! I think I'll stick with fixed gear LOL
Super cool though, thanks for sharing.
Plane: 2 Juan's Knuckles: 0. And the plane wins! Thank you for a great overview of the 310 annual. Outstanding.
I'm wondering if Juan is left handed, if not that is one well bashed left hand.
Damn - there are links and rods just everywhere in that landing gear. Makes me wonder how long it took for the engineers to design it originally. And to then create the original set of documentation, complete with expected tolerances etc.
A lot has happened with CAD systems since these were designed, and it really can't have been fun to try to take into account the mechanical tolerances of every single detail and the amount of adjustment from each adjustment point.
It was a different mindset at that time. The men who designed this type of equipment thought different than someone who relies on a CAD program to assist them with the answers. They didnt see this as overwhelming it was just the next thing to do. It may have taken the design team some time to get everything worked out but the end result is a plane that still works very well 62 years later. As far as specs I am sure even the new CAD designs are full of the same specs and tolerances. I am not an A&P mechanic and can assume than many of these tests are now done digitally, where sensors are relied upon to make sure everything is proper. It was just the way it was and not a task like we may see it today. I liken it to before you could drive it was nothing to walk two blocks to your freind's house, after getting a license to drive, it would be easy to get mad that you had to park one house over and walk 50 extra feet.
There is nothing. Nothing more wonderful to read than the old manuals. You are right about that one. I could read those old manuals, cars, airplanes, trucks, for hours.
Great Video!
Nancy I use to have full volume 1830/2800PW manuals when I fooled with DC3's and F4u's. The PW Manuals Info was clear and illustrations Beautiful. Back when we had.....whats it called... oh yea... A Book.
I have shelves full of manuals from each airplane I flew. Now they sit forlornly unused. I sure as hell can't bring myself to throw any of them away. Beech 1900, Convair 340, ATR42, 727, 737, A300. When I have departed, my kids will probably trash them...
@@paulwilson8367 ohhhh, what a treasure ! Do you think you could scan them and publish them on GitHub or something similar ? Especially flight sim aircraft model developers would be so thankful for that ! :)
Outstanding tutorial of a complicated inspection process. Great camera work in tight confines Juan. Look forward to future videos of this annual inspection.
Very interesting. Didn't know that there was so much involved in these kinds of checks.
Jimmy from Jimmy's World needs to see this for his A310 rehab. I always enjoy Blancolirio Videos...
Juan, I almost bought a 310 a month ago after selling my Comanche. I ended up buying a Mooney instead and you are making my decision look really good. I knew 310 needed maintenance love, but the complexity of the gear is crazy.
not much worse than the comanche or mooney system just bigger
Very good video. I've been an A&P/IA for 40 years and it is rare to find a technician that is as thorough and has the understanding of the Cessna 300/ 400 series electro mechanical gear as your IA! Good job!
If, and I really mean "IF" you find a good, reliable, intelligent, due diligence, realistic, in-the-now, relatable, ethical Mechanic, HANG ON TO THEM!!!!!!!
You are a treasure for all of us to enjoy!! The exacting details of a mechanical system is quite unique and amazing to see! A little like a mechanical Swiss watch movement compared to a quartz. Clearly hydraulic systems are much more robust and simple to work on. 1959 was my sister's birth year. It warms my heart to see the love and dedication required to maintain this is good working condition! 👏💖
ERAU 80 CFIA&I ret.
Thank you for showing this annual check up. It's very cool to see a&p mechanics at work and all that they have to do to make a plane safe to fly. As for the cost I'm sure it's in the category of if you have to ask you can't afford it, like working on old Ferrari's everything is expensive. Great vid keep 'em coming.
Thank God there are people like you that have the commitment to keep these works of art flying. I can't imagine a world without there presence.
Again Juan, thanks for your abilities and desire to keep them in the air.
Great video. Really cool to see how the whole mechanism works. I actually had to use the hand crank to get the gear down on a 310B once. The nose gear door arms were not properly secured after MX and they jammed up with the nose gear. I had to use the hand crank to break it loose. Luckily there were two of us flying and it all worked out for us in the end.
You told the story of what happened to the 310-P I sold in 1995 to a "tee"; it ended up a flight school multi engine trainer and met it's demise on a training flight when the nose gear collapsed on landing. The airplane was scrapped and deregistered. I had to smile a little when listening to you describe the scenario.
Somebody is forgetting to stomp down on the brakes before retracting the gear judging from the scrub marks inside the main gear wells! Great refresher on the Cessna gear system.
Or the gear is not sitting on the uplocks after retracting and the wheels are rubbing against the structure. When the gear retracts it goes up and then slightly down when hanging on the up locks. This prevents the tires from rubbing in flight.
"We'll see. Just like Spirit Airlines!" I like that. Spoken like guy who knows the industry well. Glad the gear passed inspection. I liked the sound the doors make when they close, very assuring.
Ker-chunk! Love it.
Dena vu! I'm going to have to go through this on my 310C again pretty soon, too. Glad to see you are using both jack points on the nose, I've seen some 310s messed up structurally from lazy people jacking the nose with only one jack and twisting the structure. I see you mentioned the nose gear idler bellcrank, the source of most nose gear problems in 310s. Harvey should be good to go for another year.
I noticed the steps retract with the wheels going up. Neat video and genuine engineering. Somebody smarter than I figured out something that you depend on every time you want to land safely.
I see that 310 has a step that extends and retracts with the gear also. Wasn't sure if that older 310 had that feature too like the newer ones like Kevin from 310 pilot. Aren't you glad Juan that you don't have to do all the annual maint checks on a triple 7?
Kevins 310 sure looks different than HARVY don't it? :) hehehehe like diff tween a VW and PROCHE :) spoeeled rongly on porpuse lol
Love how you provide “guidance” to Jimmy and his Save The 310 mission. Absolutely love his enthusiasm but I think Jimmy may as well be trying to build another Ark in his backyard. His 310 gives me nightmares…
As Jimmy would say “ what could possibly go wrong”? Lol. I too like his enthusiasm but his 310 is a bit of a cash cow. He shouldn’t have allow us the choice of him fixing it or scrapping it. He won’t do that again I think. lol.
@@Bywater70 based on his latest video, I think he's gone from "Save THE 310" to "Save A 310". :) Looks like he's going to use the original 310 as a parts bird after all.
@@stephenp448 wasn’t there 2 310’s he was looking at a video ago? But I did hear him say about using the current cash cow for parts. He liked the upgraded turbo prop 310. We’ll see how he does this time!!! Lol
I watched a 310 land without the nose gear at our local airport back in the 70’s. They touched down on the mains and eased it over onto its nose before it got too slow and dropped.
Juan and his mechanics are doing a very thorough job. My boss at a 310 fleet I worked on could start from scratch and get everything in spec. A lot of shops don’t really know what they’re doing and just swing it on jacks, not adequate. I’m going to hear that gearbox in my sleep tonight
This is an amazing video, Juan! I had no idea how complex a light twin gear system could be. It's totally whiz bang stuff those Cessna design engineers came up with back in that post war period. It couldn't be done today at a rational enough cost to create a saleable airplane. There must have been a big surplus of those guys that learned their trade during the explosive growth of military airplane design and production during the war years. That's the only way you could find people to cheaply enough design and build a reasonably priced product like the 310. The buyers had to be reasonably well heeled enough to afford one, but for Cessna, they sold enough units along with the 172s and 182s to keep the lights on in Wichita! You've got a real creampuff there in Harvey. He's in good hands. Enjoy!
First flight I had in a military airplane was in the Air Force version of the 310, the U-3A out of Paine Field in Everette when I was an AFROTC cadet at UW. It was a thrill to circle Husky Stadium during a game on Saturday afternoon in the Fall of '64. I thought I was pooping in tall cotton then!
What a good year of the aircraft. It's a 59 like me!
I might have flown in one of these in 1967 from McAlester Oklahoma to Oklahoma city and back the next day.
This was really cool to watch. There's so much going on when you move the gear handle it's amazing. What's even more amazing to me is all those moving parts are still very reliable, but there's always an ingenious backup if it fails. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Very interesting and complicated. I hope Jimmy watches this..! Jordan has a good eye for detail....!
Juan please tell Jimmy (Jimmy's World) that fixing a 310 that's basically totalled costs more than it's worth. His viewers are urging him to waste all his money doing just that.
Jimmy is well aware of the cost of rebuilding the 310 and has stated a few times that the cost will be a lot more than the 310 would be worth flying. I think that is why he bought another 310 in better condition. Take two 310's and make one fly.
I tried....
#Savethe310
Yeah that's a painful money pit to watch...
Jimmy is no dummy, he is using your money to “save the 310” not his money!
blancolirio, Love watching your videos!!! Always a delight to view, thank you for keeping such a great aircraft in continuous, airworthy operation, hope it passes annuals for decades to come!!!
Cost of the annual is sure reflected in the price of purchasing a 310.
Background music should be Pink Floyd's Money
I'll add this a year late! Did my first annual on my new-to-me C320F in January. I chose to do it owner-assisted to learn the systems. We spent 1.5 days for the gear rigging. Fascinating system. My A&P/IA (Chris Hamilton, owner of Tri Valley Aviation at KLVK - who grew up in the business working on twin Cessna's) commented that these gear systems are "like a sewing machine". So true! I was very happy to see him pull out his old tool box with the tension tool, spring scales, and "Rig it Right" instruction guide. He hadn't done one in a few years, but once he picked up speed, he clearly knew it cold. Big respect for the folks who know how to do this intricate procedure the right way!
Thanks for explaining the intricacies of the annual checks on such an aircraft and why it can be so expensive.
Having flown 1000s of hours in 310s one of the major problems we encountered was low time pilots extending gear at too higher airspeed. It is critical to low the undercarriage below from memory 129 kts. We had 5 nose gear damage due to this procedure. The drag when lowered on the noise wheel is very high.
Cleanest 310 I've seen. Nice!
It inspires confidence when a mechanic refers to a proper, actual, genuine printed paper manual instead of mucking about with a laptop, trying to find something online that may be accurate and fact-checked, but probably isn't.
I've been flying since I soled at 16 in 1968. But I've never owned an airplane. As a CFI, I've had the benefit of flying in my younger years when I really learned to fly. As I got older, I had to put two kids through college. Yeah, I could have avoided that lifestyle and owned a C-210 or even a C-310. If I had to do it all over again, I'm not sure. I love my two kids, but my family and I live far apart these days. I wish I could have had both lifestyles, but I made my choices and now I have to live with them.
This was really interesting to watch! Keep this content coming whenever you can.
This is such a wonderful series of videos. Feels like the old mechanical engineering type magazines/books. 😁👍
Safety. First and Last. Good job Juan. I think your 310 paint scheme is really nice.
From 24:00 on, I had a huge grin on my face ! What extraordinary engineering!.
Too cool.
Thank you Juan.
Ah yes, the age old FO/FE check-ride question: How many cranks to get the gear down?
"A million" if you're doing it cause you need to.
The Airforce head to 310 to our meeting. Also had a 3:10 and we know that the landing gear especially knows Liniger will collapse on so Cessna came out with a new system to replace. Do you change your bicycle chain on your nose landing here also, the beach craft had a swing thing with the bicycle chain, so just replaced it
The engineers who designed the system were damn smart people
Is this where the saying about boats and boat owners also applies to aircraft and their owners: The two happiest days of an owner's life are the day they bought their vehicle and the day they sell their vehicle?
Sometimes. I'm still sad about trading my Champ for a Tri-Pacer (the new baby required more room) and that was nearly 50 years ago.
There's nothing better for knowing your airplane than assisting with the annual! Now you know that landing gear system inside and out. I enjoyed the video very much!
I worked as an AME in Canada from 1986 to 1992. My shop did this inspection on the 310/340 series aircraft and from our research most Canadian and American shops where not doing this inspection. It was tedious and necessary. The poor apprentice would get stuck in the cabin pushing and pulling circuit breakers and checking the manual retraction handle per your video. We had one AME that specialized in the inspection and he was dope doing it. Had the process organized and I often wished I was shown how to do the entire process and be able to have his lever of competencty. I really liked the video and it brought back memories. The older C411 and C421s had a similar gear configuration but I only remember doing the inspection on 310s and 340s. We loved the newer C411 and C421 with the hydralic gear. So much easier to maintain except the first time we did a "blow down" test of the emergency gear system we did not expect the suddeness of the gear action and locking. The aircraft rocked on the jackpads we thought the aircraft was going to fall off them. They never did but we actually would get other techs, especially from our local avionics shot come over to watch the blow down test. GREAT VIDEO!
Canadian AME for 40 years plus. It is heartwarming to see qualified technicians who follow the certified manuals. When I see the 401 rebuild using hammers and screwdrivers to change tires, my stomach churns in anger. Thank you for giving the aircraft maintenance industry the respect it deserves in such a technical and precise environment where knownledge and safety are honoured. Thanks Juan.
I'm not a mechanic but I've been watching that with a bit of trepidation. It seems that it is more for youtube views than anything else, but it is nice to see an abandoned plane getting some love.
Side note: the Grumman F4F Wildcat pilot's had to crank 28 to 32 times to raise their landing gears after taking off. After their sorty, it took 20 cranks to lower the gear.
Hey Juan, where’d you get the Taco?
Microsoft Flight sim just added a C 310 R from Milviz. It flies great, but there is a discussion about the pitch stability on this aircraft. Would pilots of the real 310 consider the pitch to be "twitchy" at low speeds?
Love to see this stuff and so absorbing to my mechanical mind. Wondering about older aeroplanes and their tatty looking control wheel paint finishes. How difficult would it be to remove the wheels and have them freshly powder coated? Appearances are everything!
Sign of an airline pilot... Always something to eat or a drink in their hands when they talking 😉. Awfully jealous of that fine bird
Juan. Great Video. Ive done owner assisted annuals on my lanes for 25 years alway a good time and I always learn something. Glad the Arrows gear is less complicated. Always enjoy your videos 👍👍
Love watching Burritolirio.
Amazed at all the engineering and how they work together. I never knew that the smaller planes have all those parts. Really enjoyed watching this video. Makes me appreciate your jobs inspecting and flying them!
This is clearly a high level check but these small airport A and Ps who end up with anything from 1950s tech or before you to random biz jets with occasional issues…their pay should be a lot more with all the knowledge required to even have a basic idea…let alone be competent.
Nobody is allowed to know as much about aviation as you do.
I am pleased to see how you take work and make it look like fun.
Youre the man
It sure does take a lot of "gear" to do the gear inspection on a 310. I certainly was not "geared" up for the complexity of the the gear system. Fortunately, all of your 310's gears operated smoothly so you did not require any additional "gear." "Gear-ate" video!
Been maintaining a fleet of 310R for the last 20 years. Good information. It's definitely a puzzle to rig from scratch or if you have to make any changes you always have to start from the beginning of the rigging instructions. Never works to start in the middle. Torque tubes are prone to cracking as well as the bell cranks for the inboard gear doors.
...and what if your local airport doesn't have the knowledge and expertise to work on these 1950's aircraft?? Fly them to a service center that does?? It sounds like you better have a fat checkbook come annual time and an even fatter one if something won't come into spec!
All that maintenance looks like you are tearing up the back of your hands. Guess that goes along with tearing up you check book.
Great vid thanks Juan.
"Are you almost at the bottom of that thing yet? Yep, only $1500 left to go..lol.
Appreciate your knowledge - you're good at it. Jordan is getting a good start. What's that about "a down gear is a happy gear"? I thought a rule of thumb is if you have to land unexpectedly in a field or something you're better off gear up.
- Still learning...
Thank you for sharing. Smooth sailing to you.
I was a mechanic on Beechcraft Bonanzas and recall the sounds retracting of the mechanical landing gear sounding very similar to this Cessna 310, Thanks Juan & Crew!
Great 310 gear resource Juan, much thanks! Also, at 24:00 on the swing, it looks like Harvey might be prone to a near catastrophic problem a friend experienced in a P-51('Never Miss' - N119H). I flew chase for about an hour until after some very high-G maneuvers and down pressure on the system the gear dislodged.
What happened there, was a left-hand oleo seal had become a tad hard and dry, and rolled, which prevented the strut from extending fully. That caused the tire to bind on the inner gear well opening. It was surprising how little binding force was able to prevent the High-pressure hydraulic system from forcing the wheel past such a bind. Lesson learned, was that oleo condition can be an overlooked component often essential to proper gear operation.
Hard to tell from the video but the clearance in Harvey's gear well appears it might be tight like on the P-51. I'll post a link to 19H as a reply to see if YT will allow it that shows the gear well.
Looks like you guys had a great time. Wow never knew how much went into testing a non-experimental plane. Thanks for sharing. Poor Jimmy has a lot of work ahead of him. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Finally!! Someone made a video of a 310 gear rigging check. THANKYOU!! I do prefer the hydraulic Aztec gear system though. Only takes an hour to do the checks.
Send Jimmy's World copies for he's 310 of the gear wheel adjustment if he doesn't have it. Good video!
Yeah you're a gear head. Sweet. It don't gotta be perfect.....just excellent. That's what I always told my employees. And in round numbers, our warranty was zero.
So intricate Juan. But with those long legs . It's the prettiest. I never knew it was that involved. I have a Cardinal RG and that gear swing is amazing.
I thought it was Rebuild Rescue lol
I gotta know, where did you get the Breakfast Burrito? Great video as always!
Jimmy's World comes to mind he's trying to fix one. Or two. He might could use your help!!
My thoughts also
Thank you, Juan..... This was most interesting. You are much appreciated. Blessings.
not even into plane stuff but i like watchin ur chanel. u and that avweb lol
Interesting video. It really made me happy my only airplane is Aviat Husky A-1C!
Juan, love your skinned up mechanic hands! I still have scars on the back of my hands from sticking my hands in panels on the KC-135!
Juan, aren’t you glad the Mighty Luscombe and Husky are fixed gear…
Did you replace the bell cranks and torque tubes? Some of them looked new.
One of our torque tubes actually broke recently and one main fell down (shows the importance of the drop test!)
Some have been replaced...
@@blancolirioAlso thanks for the video!
I am glad you're doing a maintenance on your plane least you know to yourself as safe as possible that's a lot of homework good video my friend have a nice day God bless👍👍👍👍🙏🛩
Sheeesh, the guy that designed that gear system had to be right next to insane. Probably a relative of Stephen King. You almost never hear of a 310 experiencing a major gear issue and if you do, something is either bent from abuse or, lack of maintenance. I wonder if Cessna made any changes to subsequent, later models of the 310, relative to the gear design or, left it alone because 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Bueno there "Schuyler" Blancolirio....!!
Gee it’s great to see the clever engineering to get the sequence of doors, gear and uplocks to work in the right order. I had no idea how complex the 310 landing gear system was. Thank you for the insight.
Great as a pilot to be with their mechanic as they go through a check of their aircrafts systems like this. So much valuable information is learned on how they operate which could end up being invaluable up in the air.
I was guessing a lot more lubrication steps and fastner replacements.
Edited for brevity....;-)
I hated working on those. 30 + years ago we subbed maint for an outfit that ran a few of these. After they had a gear up, the owner operator repaired the skin and put back in service. A few weeks later, due the a/c was inspection subbed to us. We were, OMG, Not a single grease fitting would take grease and every gear bushing was dry and almost seized. Notable we addressed the issue, but we could not believe we received this unit to inspect in this condition after a repair and a gear up landing.
Save the 310 has a long way to go. There may be a big shortcut to the 310MM. Your airplane is so pristine condition.
Sharing Juan with my Facebook family and friends ❤.