Got a real nice surprise repair/maintenance tool today.

[Gary Ward]

A buddy of mine found this laying in our FBO with a hand written note on it that said free a week or two ago. He thought of me and "grabbed it and high tailed out of there" His words.
I finally saw him today and he gives it to me. I was floored and couldn't believe how nice of shape it is in.
Said he knew I will need it sooner than later. lol
I am so jazzed. It appears to be very complete, some of it is in color, few pages I noticed.

Do you think it is a copy that someone had made or is this what it looks like if you buy it from somewhere?

Annual inspections check list is right in front, right where it should be. Unlike the old original one I have for my 172. I am not even sure it is all original?
Thank you to who ever donated this SM, it won't go to waste.

 

[Bell206]

Do you think it is a copy that someone had made or is this what it looks like if you buy it from somewhere?

My guess it is a print out of a digital copy of the manual. A number of my old customers would take this route as it was cheaper. However, I would usually recommend using a ring binder to keep the pages from tearing out.

Annual inspections check list is right in front, right where it should be. Unlike the old original one I have for my 172. I am not even sure it is all original?

FYI: If you check the List of Effective Pages Section it should tell you where those pages actually should be placed. But in this case you could rearrange them as you please as it is one of the advantages of "rolling" your own manuals.

 

[Half Fast]

My guess it is a print out of a digital copy of the manual. A number of my old customers would take this route as it was cheaper. However, I would usually recommend using a ring binder to keep the pages from tearing out.

I did exactly that. The hard copy is in a three-ring binder in the hangar and a copy of the file is on a USB stick in the plane toolbag, in case I get stranded and the local A&P doesn't have a copy.

 

[Magman]

My belief has always been that a Service Manual should be a part of

the purchase on any new aircraft. Very costly to do updates for aircraft

you seldom work on.

 

[Gary Ward]

I insisted that the SM came with my 172. First he wanted to keep it but I talked him into it. He also had a parts manual that he kept, now he has passed and his whole hangar was sold a couple years ago. So I don’t know what happened to it?

Years ago I insisted we get one for every work car or truck. I have 2 filing cabinets full of SM from the 80-90s that will probably never be looked at again. Those vehicles are long gone.

 

[Bell206]

Very costly to do updates for aircrafto you seldom work on.

I've found for the average Part 91 owner its best to have manuals that were published the same year as the aircraft was manufactured and to only update those manuals as they update their aircraft. Unfortunately, most OEMs will revise their manuals for new configurations without consideration to older model configurations still flying.

 

[Gary Ward]

The SM that I got with my 1980 172 looks like it is 44 years old or so. The black plastic 3 ring binder is barely hanging in there and some of the pages are getting yellow and brittle. It is nice that I can lay them flat, not possible when it is bound together. Still very thankful to have it. I made photo copy's of these pages to use during annuals so I am not wearing out the original SM.

 

[Bell206]

It is nice that I can lay them flat, not possible when it is bound together.

One option is you can take your 172 manual and have someone convert it to a PDF binder with the same the TOC. I had mostly factory bound manuals and once technology made if affordable I would take the most used manuals and have a print shop cut the binding and digital copy it to include a complete reprint hardcopy on heavier paper and 3-ring binder.

 

[iamtheari]

One way to tell if it’s printed from a digital copy is to look for pages that should fold out but don’t, such as wiring diagrams being cut off at the 8.5” mark instead of folding out to 11x17. This is the case with the manuals I purchased for my plane from Univair a couple years ago.

 

[Dan Thomas]

I see yellow pages in that thing. Those are temporary revisions issued by Cessna. Because they're yellow, I'd say that the whole thing is an original, not a photocopy.

But it's not likely totally up-to-date. If one is really fussy, you need to subscribe to Textron's revision status stuff and find out.

Most revisions address various stuff that is failing across the fleet. Textron monitors Service Difficulty Reports and can see that there are often trends, so they'll update the manuals to encourage closer checks on the relevant areas. An example is the flat-leaf spring main gear legs on older airplanes as well as all 180/185s and all 206s. Corrosion is a problem, and they can crack and break quite suddenly.

 

[Gary Ward]

Well used SM that is in a 3 ring binder.
-

I see yellow pages in that thing. Those are temporary revisions issued by Cessna. Because they're yellow, I'd say that the whole thing is an original, not a photocopy.

But it's not likely totally up-to-date. If one is really fussy, you need to subscribe to Textron's revision status stuff and find out.

Most revisions address various stuff that is failing across the fleet. Textron monitors Service Difficulty Reports and can see that there are often trends, so they'll update the manuals to encourage closer checks on the relevant areas. An example is the flat-leaf spring main gear legs on older airplanes as well as all 180/185s and all 206s. Corrosion is a problem, and they can crack and break quite suddenly.

It's a reprint at least some of it, probably all of it. The paper feels like the paper in my 172 SM? All pages have 3 holes so easily could be put in a 3 ring binder. The yellow pages are just what you suggested Dan I think?

It appears to be written by experts in the field some of it.
They have developed additional check lists for older 182?
I have glanced at it today then forgot it and left it at the hangar. Wanted to read more what the experts think.

 

[Clip4]

You can find that manual free online. I have it on my IPAD.

 

[Gary Ward]

You can find that manual free online. I have it on my IPAD.

Cool deal!
I got to have it on paper in front of me, Yup I am getting old. lol

 

[Dan Thomas]

You can find that manual free online. I have it on my IPAD.

The online free manuals are usually far out of date. They're better than nothing, though. Here's an example of a free online 1977 Cessna 172 service manual's List of Effective Pages:



Look at that. No revisions since it was printed in July 1976, 48 years ago. There has been a raft of revisions since then. This manual has none of them.

The yellow temporary revisions replace various pages in the manual until the next full manual revision. New manuals are not cheap.

Stuff changes. Lubricants and sealants get better and brands and their designations change. Then there's stuff like this:


That "2" in the last column means this:



Paragraph 2-22:


Now, for one thing, NOBODY should have washable paper air filters anymore. If they do, they're at least 30 years behind the times, and probably also legally unairworthy. Washing paper filters is expensive compared to just sticking a new Brackett foam filter element in the STC'd Brackett filter frame, and that filter is saturated with a silicone oil of some sort that really cleans the air.

For another: This AD, from 1984, (40 years ago!) demanded complete replacement of paper filters every 100 hours. That got expensive. https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/2BA8EAB12B8CE12186256A380049C63B.0001
The Brackett is much cheaper in the long run. No one makes paper filters now; those that look like paper are actually a polypropylene media.