Boost pumps on. Mixture rich, then cut off. “Clear left,” I yelled out the storm window. The PBaron’s Continental engine on the left side roared to life as I rotated the starter switch. Left alternator on. Oil pressure in the green. I glanced right to make sure nothing was in the way for the same procedure on the right engine.
The prop didn’t move an inch. Nothing. “Well, that sucks,” I muttered. The engine has less than one hundred hours since overhaul. It’s immaculate. I checked the circuit breakers. No joy. I tried the starter again. Dead silence. Then the sinking feeling.
I am not going anywhere today.
This was not going to be a simple fix.
Months earlier, the on-airport shops at Addison (KADS) chuckled when I asked if they could handle my PBaron maintenance needs. There were no openings. “Call me in a year,” they said. One actually posted a notice on their website that they were not taking any new customers. I scoured the region and found a shop in Denton, Texas (KDTO). Precision Aircraft Maintenance. It was thirty miles to the north of Addison. I had only been there once for a simple oil change. Their shop was full of airplanes, too. I doubted they would drive to Dallas to tackle my AOG Baron.
From my silent cockpit, I called them. “This is Wesley Pearce, who is this?” “Hey Wesley, this is David Miller, the guy with the nice PBaron. You probably don’t remember me.” I explained my predicament.
“Okay, I will grab some tools and head down that way, he said. “You mean right now, as in RIGHT NOW?” I replied. “Yeah, it’s probably the starter. It’s about $2,500. I can pick one up on the way, but I need to look at yours first. If it’s not the starter, the parts folks charge a 20 percent restock fee, and that’s just wasted money.” An hour later, Wesley was on scene.
He removed the cowling.
The starter looked brand new. “It’s not the starter,” he said. From the picture, it was obvious. The cable connector supplying power to the starter was completely severed.
“That’s the worst looking crimp I have seen in a while,” said Wesley.
My $2,500 repair was about to be a whole lot less.
We hung out in the hangar and talked about engine oil use and PBaron oddities. It was refreshing to learn from someone who really knows the airplane. And in less time and for less money than a repair on my German-made car, Wesley had the PBaron ready to go.
The small shop, in the small town, was the right choice.
Fly safe.
