Ouch! A/C repair and costs on a Pilatus Pc-12.
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- Eventually everyone will have to repair the A/C on their aircraft. Often it’s replace this motor, they just wear out over time, here’s what to expect and the cost. Also, what that means on cost to Run the Supplemental A/C system on a Piltus. 
That's what makes Experimental Aircraft so appealing!
Yup, can't break the A/C in a RV when it doesn't exist!
When your A/C has its own Hobbs.... wow.
I thought that too. You know aviation is expensive, when non critical parts have their own Hobbs.
What is a hobbs?
@@FeetusMcCarland It's a little gadget that records elapsed time. It looks sort of like a mechanical car odometer, but it reads in hours rather than miles. They're used on aircraft to track usage of the airplane since many elements have required maintenance at specified intervals. But usually it's for the entire airplane. Having one for an individual component just suggests how expensive the thing must be.
That puts things in perspective - I was having a bad day today because I discovered the failed starter Bendix in my paramotor's electric starter was unserviceable, so I had to buy a new one. Thing fits in the palm of my hand - a whopping 250W unit - and still cost $292. It's all relative I suppose! 😮
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I have a lot of time in PC-12s…on multiple occasions I’ll know the compressor is going bad when I stick my head up in the hell hole on my walk around and it smells burned. I’ve also had the VCCS fail in flight before and when I land it smells really burned back there (luckily the CB protected us). I’ve also had a mechanic tell us this is the same AC unit that’s in S-class Mercedes’ but I never verified that myself. Great airplane though!
Moral of story? Do NOT buy an S Class...!
@@kpdvw Or just frequently replace it with a new one.
Love the shorts like this!!! You explain everything for all the new pilots to absorb and the older pilots to remember!!! Love the channel and keep the videos coming!!!! Blue Skies!!!!
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As an aircraft mechanic and pilot I understand the cost of parts and maintenance but wow, still surprising. Nice troubleshooting and timely find on that potential fire hazard. Perry is in good hands 🤙
Yes, much better than having to make a Mayday call of smoke in the cabin [or cockpit] at 25,000 feet.
It'd be interesting to know if there was some kind of motor temp sensor integrated into the system - one that would turn it off if it got too hot. Same for overcurrent.
Wow, it's crazy how much that bespoke aircraft ac pulley looks like a pulley from a Stanly automatic door. Must be made from that "aircraft grade aluminum" I'm always hearing so much about.
6000 hour compressor motor failure and it may cause a fire? Ummm I was a fan of Pilatus until just now
@@blevenzon Interesting. I found this video, and another mechanic said that it had shown signs of charring:
ruclips.net/video/SZEzE-Ujl54/видео.html
I love seeing these kind of details about the larger aircraft, thanks for sharing Mark
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high priced toys = high priced repairs!! BOAT=Bring out another thousand. good video
Commendably concise and emphatic. Convincingly noteworthy.
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Nice! We get two Patey’s for the price of one 👍🏻 😂. Nice work sir, looking forward to your content.
Nice job finding the problem. That saved you a lot of money not paying a A/P to find the problem. Being able to do that kind of stuff saves you a ton of money over most pilots. Good job.
I saved a ton of money by fixing things myself. That motor probably just needed a new set of bearings and some grease.
@@ronsullivan132 if your not an A/P you have to have them sign off on it but thats a hole lot cheaper than having them get dirty doing all that work. As a A/P I never worked in the airo community but I did get mine in the mid 90s but there were no jobs do to the industry at the time so I went back to cars and boats. Lol
BACK TO WORK! Oh..... That's Mike! Your both great! Fly safe.
"If ya don't need it, don't turn it on". Something to live by.
A/C liquids contain lubricants for the compressor seals. If the A/C is not run once in a while the seals can dry out and leak.
@@jeffhallel8211 I completely agree. But it makes sense to not run systems unnecessarily.
Utter bullshit. Don't buy shit's not meant to be used and live your life.
I sure appreciate you sharing some of the expenses aircraft like that have, especially through a gear headed humble individual as yourself. Though I am a fan of the PC12 and other turboprop planes, owning something like that for me is just a fantasy with no practical business reason. (though currently having 4 piston aircraft now has no practical reason either) That being said, I would love seeing some more down to earth videos like this one for us GA guys about Maintenace and associated costs in maintaining these awesome Turbine aircraft that most of us gearheads will never be able to turn a wrench on! We all can live vicariously through you! Thankyou!
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Yes the plane add a zero or 2 factor. Thank you for the video. Nice aircraft - I see some fly over every so often. Not a pilot and guess never will be. Long story but am my wife's caregiver. BTW it's our 47th anniversary today. Hope the family and you are doing well. Be safe - take care and God Bless.
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@@JuanPabloCarcano Thank you but I know they are scammers. I reported it and do so when I see them. Take care - Be safe from those nasty scammers.
Hi Mike! I just wanted to say I especially like this format of short videos showing aviation peculiaries/ specialties 👍❤️😊
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Cheers for the insights Mark 👍
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Smiling throughout that whole video probably to hold back the tears.
The old adage of the two happiest days of ownership ... the day you buy it, and the day you sell it.
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"If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will" thanks for the warning mark! I am 100% sure that my palatus will have an A/C fail!
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That was super interesting! Please do more of these!!
Every video you put out is amazing
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Amazing that such a lovely piece of equipment as this and how extremely dangerous things like that can become. My Toyota air conditioner lasted 16 years in the tropics.
scary to think after only a 1000 hours it was such a fire hazard.
There are significant differences between your Toyota a/c and aircraft unit. For one, the electric motor shown is just the motor to drive the a/c compressor. A Toyota has a huge gasoline engine with no weight or size restrictions required to fit in a very tight and demanding weight configuration in the tail of an aircraft.
Have a nice flight ✈️!
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Our PC-12 NGX air conditioner unit just failed last month also!
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You and your Brother are great people…..love your sense of humour….. crazy money ……but flying is the Best….
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@Mark Patey
Hmmm...I wonder if the way too tight belt tension had any cause-effect on the A/C compressor's life. Have the front and rear bearings compared. And...yeah, as a former representative for the global aerospace fasteners committee (FAA, EASA, Transpo Canada)...It was said by one of the top FAA people (to remain nameless) "The FAA hasn't been operated in a preventative mode, but changes or adds regulations written in blood." Let's hope the recent events in the last few years push them to a more preventative and forward thinking mode to allow modernization with reasonable costs.
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After 40 years of being an A&P/IA, I STILL get sticker shock! Had a fiberglass DUST COVER on an older style Cargo Hook on a Bell 206B that had just deteriorated over the years and was simply breaking down and falling apart, all it did was cover an electric solenoid to keep the dust and dirt out. $4000.00! You could buy a brand new keeperless cargo hook from Brand X, the entire cargo hook, for less than they wanted for the small 4"x6" fiberglass dust cover! Maybe $10.00 worth of fiberglass and resin! Insane! I thought I had seen it all, but this part floored me! needless to say, we retired the older unit and bought a brand new lighter, more modern hook, instead and save $1000 Bucks! We can thank all the Carpet Bagger Attorney's for these exuberant cost due to product liability for the most part, not always, but that makes up for most of the high cost of aircraft ownership!
No defense for the attorneys but they do also need extensive testing and no expense is spared in their manufacturing. Just be glad you can have those kinds of problems. There are much worse problems to have.
I priced out a baron those week- canvas gear dust cover, 600 bucks. A piece of rubber that goes under the radar, 900 bucks. Ridiculous
@@TheReadBaron91 Aren't these exactly the issues keeping many potential GA pilots out? Ridiculous expenses. I'll stick with my simulators.
@@JasemMutlaq yup, those prices are straight from Textron
Don't know why this was recommended to me. But I guess I learned something new. Never thought of planes air conditioner's going out like car's one. One good thing though at least you can roll down the windows in cars.
cousin mentions new style millennium ? brushes for them like starters? and you can make a quick test tool for brush wear, just use a strip of alum, and make a scratch on that strip, from the stationary part, case etc down to the brush. as the brush wears down, you just re scratch a new line and measure that gap.
To quote a famous person, "Ain't that a kick in the head." And the wallet. I'm glad you found that before worse happened. Thanks for sharing, Mark.
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Very informative Mark !!
You've just explained very well to folk who just switch things on and think nothing of it 🤠
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The motor should be the reliable part. Time for Best AC motors.
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Tight belt on a pulley, enough to wear the pulley, hurt that motor. Nice vid!
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Thanks for the info, little things to think about
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Not only the aircraft factor but also the 'Swiss Watch Factor' adds another 100%.
I was just having this conversation with someone today... the minute you say "aviation" it immediately multiplies the cost by at least 5. :)
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Ouch!! Thanks for sharing this info... Great learning opportunity
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I would speculate that the excessive belt tension caused excessive wear on the internal bushings and bearings of the motor which caused the motor to fail prematurely. Based on the heat damage radiating from the center.
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Great content!!
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Hello from Minnesota! Ouch!
Great stuff. Thanks.
You could buy a whole sled assembly with the latest upgraded motor and associated parts of the required service bulletin for a measly 16 grand. Lol. Just replaced the sled in my company's NG.
Thanks for sharing , Im sure things like this are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cost of ownership of a complex certified aircraft.
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And I was feeling bad that my Bose Ipod SoundDock took a dump today after 16 years. Nice Video Mark
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New home AC in June only $800 less. I feel your pain. Jim
I find that if I estimate parts/labor to my best ability and then double it, I'm still way under what it cost. It's the little things like a pulley or a $100 drilled bolt that get you. If that motor was working you would have had a "COOLER" head when making this video. The price we pay for love (of aviation). Take care Mark.
A service bulletin came out on a TPE 331 on a B100 for a new washer to be added in the starter/generator. A little washer that weighed about a tenth of an ounce. Price? $125.00. And this was in the early 1990s. And I used to tell my customers that the only person who never gets laid off at an aircraft manufacturer is the one who raises prices.
Looks like that came off an enviro air con pallet. Setting torque for those belts is silliness at best and extremely frustrating in a noisy shop. *IYKYK*
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I saw you announce the new power supplies in person at OSH! Can't wait to buy one for my Aerostar, when are they going up for sale?
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That's not so bad if you say it quick. Thanks for the cool video as always
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Swiss made and Swiss pricing, I would bet somewhere (worldwide) there is a repair shop offering an overhauled exchange unit!
Good catch Mark. Yeah toothed belts don’t need to be tightened like a V-belt….. OOPs!
And I am sure in the A&P Service Manual there were detailed installation and torque specs that were not followed.
Thanks for the situational awareness on this. It is real, up to date, frank, with a conclusion. God aircraft are expensive!
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Can you get the motor “rewound”? Electric motor shops rewind all sorts of different motors. I’m not sure if that is allowed in the certified world, but it would be a remanufactured part back to factory specs.
Is there a core charge on that motor? If not, I would send it to someone who rebuilds electrical items for aviation. Maybe there would be a market for them to get into repairing them. There isn't a "Made in China" label on it is there? I removed a heavy air conditioning unit from the back of an Aerostar because the pilot wanted more useful load. It must have weighed 50 or 60 pounds. It also taxed the 24 volt charging system.
That’s a core requirement to send it back and the “new” motor is a rebuild with only 3 months warranty 🤪
$10/hr 🤯😵💫!! I didn’t even realize a turbine plane would have a compressor like that 👍 thanks for sharing 👍👍
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Good advice
Unless that belt was put on at factory, was likely a tech in a shop without the tool, cuz the tool may cost that shop $15000 to check $100 belts (not saying it’s right). So they could’ve done their best with alternate procedures
The only tool needed is common sense and knowledge. A straightedge and a machinist scale will show deflection, and a common torque wrench to keep from over torquing the bolt. Any mechanic that has an A&P license could get real close to proper torque just from experience. I call out the last mechanic that over torqued everything in the name of "safety", including the belt tension, which wore out the bearing on the pully end causing the early failure.
@@ronsullivan132 most manufacturers have different specs. And most you give the alternate method using deflection and poundage. Not rocket science, but the reason someone messed it up was likely because they didn’t have the exact $15,000 tool. Some say use a special sonic tensiometer and give no method otherwise.
Thank you
Dang, how could you smile while listing those costs?
You and your brother always have the best smiles when giving bad news. Question: in the beginning, Mike and you talked about your build and scrappy. We have seen scrappy, but what happened to your "Wundercraft?" (german, Wonder craft)
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Looks extremely dirty. Certainly there is a routine inspection for the motor that would include cleaning dirt and debris from the screen on the motor itself. Maybe some other component leaking in the same area? You could implement a more frequent check to clean and inspect that would prolong the service life of the motor. . Dirt is the culprit for the failure of anything that moves. Just a suggestion. I've held a A&P for 34 years
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Hey Mark, I was trying to find your podcast, but seems that all the podcast sites that I checked have deleted your podcasts. Could you post them on You Tube? I think a lot of us would love to see them here!
Thanks!
I love the Pilatus PC-12. When I win the lottery this is my plane of choice... but maintenance... Ouch.
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Are the motors rebuildable or is there a core charge? For that proce I'd put a window unit in it :)! Planes and pocketbooks go hand in hand!
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Good to know for when I need to fix the AC in my PC-12
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This isn’t a problem most people will ever need to worry about. That being said it looks like a brush type motor? I wonder if some preventative attention would have helped such as changing the brushes and possibly lube or fit new bearings?
The joys of aircraft ownership
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That's a lot of money. But I'm really not surprised. Airplanes are expensive things to maintain unfortunately
Anything in aviation is costly, Mate going back couple years now had to overhaul his prop on his T28 trojan and there was $250,000 gone
It is a given that aircraft components have crazy prices. What is irking is that the components with exorbitant prices, supposedly great engineering and meticulous attention to quality control, have ridiculous short service lifespans.
An electric motor burns out at 1,000 hours? Sounds overloaded, under cooled or under voltage.
And the over tensioning of the drive belt destroying the pulley? Have a talk with that mechanic!
Aircraft designers use components which are "Over Rated" for intermittent use (for weight reduction) and sometimes (far more often) "Under-Rated/ De-rated" for normal use (particularly for engine/ gearbox longevity); it boils down to which two of the "Cheap, Fast or Good" features designers chose components. As far as the belt tensioner not contributing to the failure, my bet is the excessive tension did not help that situation and sent that motor to Stator Valhalla sooner than would have otherwise been the case.
well, it's still worse than a boat. So it's got that going for it.
1000 hours is a bit short for a compressor drive like that.
But the problem is not unknown to others planes. I have had owners that discarded the ac unit not knowing what they where worth. Obviously they thought they saved some weight but that weight need to be compensated for the balance.
The fun part was that I starter to rebuild the ac’s and yes you can fix that motor too.
We even rebuild the starter/ generators for our hawkers with TFE engines and so the pt6 starters.
All new including the wires. Balancing the motor have us extra time on those. Yes we had them better.
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My daughter just got a $5500 quote for a/c on her Mini Cooper so this doesn’t sound so crazy for a jet!
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Been there, done that!
Try a Cessna RG brake Swivel Bolt MC1280111-1 BRAKE SWIVEL BOLT $1540. It’s a bolt with a hole drilled out etc plus R and R
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Add a zero... something I've always said for aviation expenditures. Great minds... haha
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As the owner of a Lear 31A I was worried he was going to give some horrible price. $10k isn't too bad, the PC-12 really is cost effective for what it is - the A/C on the Lear is about $20k but it does last years and years without trouble. I'd say across the board the Lear is double the cost of operation (for half the cabin size, haha), but I picked mine up in 2019 for $550k so that extra million I saved on the purchase price goes a long way in buying fuel and parts.
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we just sheared a starter shaft on the as350 boom 12K
$6000 for a $100 motor. Sounds about right. I'm looking at replacement plastics for my Cessna and they want $200 for vacuum moulded abs. That's quite the mark up. Production cost is somewhere around $1
0:38 Is Best Tugs now teamed up with the Milwaukee packout system?
Yes
the more you know. thanks.
Interesting information 👍. Would like to see the motor being replaced, if that is possible.
You want him to pull it out again and fit it while it is videoed? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
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…same on my Skylane….
You should show the process of replacing it! So we can learn how to do it!
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I own and fly a Cessna 172, this is above my pay grade.
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TBH, that seems pretty piss poor from Pilatus. Even if the belt was a bit tight, the motor should be spec'd with enough margin to not to be burning out. And it looks like an ordinary old brushed motor... Really? On a multi-million dollar plane?
A modern brushless motor should be able to run till it's bearings wear out, and beyond if the bearings are replaceable.
I can’t disagree with you. I wonder how much of this old stuff is FAA costs to certify. Sad to see how some things feel like we are running unsafe old stuff for the sake of “safety”
@@801pilot hi Mark , Can yo hire a crazy guy like me for part time work ? Wish to move over there and learn from you guys ..
Brushed motors are tried and tested - hence they are used. Certifying a brushless motor for an existing airplane would probably cost 10m$ or more lol
@@rkan2 Everything in GA is tried and tested. . . . 75 years ago! Commercial aviation gets all the new stuff, and we have the state of the art 1950's tech. Imagine how much less fuel we would use with electronic ignition and fuel injection like what is on every car today. And reliability would not be sacrificed, with a weight savings to boot. A second electronic ignition system would weigh less than a second magneto. Plus eliminate the carburetor and you take away the icing problem.
@@ronsullivan132
Fuel injection removes the carburetor ice problem, although there is still a risk of induction icing in IFR conditions.
Us GA pilots are just po' folk trying to get by. There aren't enough of us for the engine manufacturers to justify the cost of certifying updated components, let alone, a modern engine.
Porsche tried and quickly realized that it was a losing proposition. And the largest engine manufacturer in the world, Honda, designed a completely new aircraft engine, a couple of decades ago, that was never put into production.
The numbers just don't add up. 🤷♂️
Gotta love aviation repair costs. On the upside at least they're still making parts for the Pilatus. It's getting interesting watching my company maintain our Dash 7s >.>
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@@JuanPabloCarcano Ah I'm sure he just needs help securing funds out of Nigeria. Totally on the level! :P
On second thought, I think 100 degrees is a perfectly comfortable temperature…
Ridiculous, this is what’s wrong with GA, it’s like the medical field inflated prices on everything
There is a sping in the landing gear for my Mooney that prevents it from running the wrong way (No-Back Clutch Spring). It is Mooney p/n M20-282-001 and costs $1,000 plus a few hours of labor. They are always back ordered. Someone please find a manufacturer to provide these under a STC!
Reminiscent of the freon system on the old DC-8’s. The cheapo freight operators would just forget about the freon. Not good for the crews during the heat of summer. The CFM engined, -70 series DC-8’s used air cycle machines like the more modern jets. Excellent cooling and heating characteristics.
I don’t feel your pain, but I do understand the desire for cabin temp control.😁. We fly in the shade and climb to 59°F with our C-185. You do what you can afford.
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@@JuanPabloCarcano Yeah. Thanks.
That's a big winglet bird too...
Still have the white seal flap actuators?
Retired auto tech but still a gearhead . Good video . It’s probably mounted somewhere where only a contortionist can get to ?
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@@JuanPabloCarcano Si !
I thank God for my 2004 Ford.
Mike go to a motor rewinder and get a quote, would be a fraction of that
I might be the only one here who isn't shocked by this A/C's A/C cost.
I was expecting him to say somewhere on the order of $25,000+
I've never owned a plane with an A/C, so I have no first hand experience. It's just cabin air vents for me, with the door hanging open during taxi!
The reason I wasn't shocked? I have a 10+ year old VW Jetta and the air conditioning has been the big sore point on it. Most of the system (including the compressor, expansion valves, some sensors, etc) was replaced after a few years. Thank goodness it was under warranty, because the service writer said it totalled out to approximately $2,600.
The car's A/C failed AGAIN last year, at approximately 160,000 miles and 9 years.
I paid, out of pocket, $1,900. That included a new air conditioning control module (the dials and knobs you actually turn on in the car) that slides into the dash.
Something about the electronics in a VW makes it complicated and prone to failure. No independent AC shop would touch my car except a basic charge+dye to look for leaks in the system. 🙄
So, $10,000 for a Pilatus doesn't seem so bad, after about $4,000 in my car's AC!
The manual air vents in a 172 are more reliable than an HVAC compressor; although not always as cold. 😃
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Ouch...
Should be a delay before compressor starts, to allow motor to come up to operating rpm. If motor is starting with compressor clutch already engaged....burned out motor before its time is what ya get.
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What is surprising about these parts he showed here, is the type of drive system that is used to drive that compressor.... The belts and drive pulleys he showed here have the notoriously problematic square tooth design.... The improved rounded tooth designs are so much more reliable, and tend to trap a lot less dust & debris than the square tooth designs.... In fact, if the belt had been exposed to over-tension, there is a strong chance that it was caused by the lackluster design of the drive belt accumulating too much debris in those square cogs.... Too much tension could also lead up to a drive motor failure... The sad thing is, this is a certificated aircraft, and only approved parts can be used to replace the worn parts... So, the faulty square tooth belts will probably go back on, unless there is an STC to go to different parts... And of course a $6k. Drive motor, and possibly a worn circuit breaker and power cables and the labor for all of this work. Since the plane is pressurized, it makes me wonder why a bootstrap ACM was not used in the design of this aircraft? Lighter, more reliable, and less complicated than the complex HVAC system it currently uses.... Maybe not enough engine bleed air to drive a small acm.... It is a reason WHY I really like the non-certificated planes .. More choices for minor changes in designs.... Less to go wrong too... These Pilatus singles are Nice planes, but the cost of operation make people wonder, if they could have done better with something like a Caravan with a set of seats and a toilet..Not quite as fast as the PC-12, but probably a lot less expensive to operate...
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Surprised you didn't try to look for a more cost-effective replacement motor . Were there FAA approval issues or other reasons that restricted your choice?
You are risking too much with non aircraft parts, esp. fire
You can’t. The aircraft is FAA certified. You must use approved parts defined by the manufacturer or via FAA approval. No buying a car part on open market. In the air, a failure can cause a fire with loss of life.