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March 2017 banner

Wednesday 24 July 2019

New engine bushings - off the shelf !


It was time to replace my engine mount bushings. This has always been a pain as they are normally cut out of "a sheet of rubber" without indication of specific characteristics... Last time someone in the Avid Flyer club organized a grouped order at a rubber supplier. This time I was looking for a different solution.
After hours on the web I found a model that appeared to have the correct form factor and size. 
Talking to the manufacturer (Hutchinson Paulstra click to visit) they recommended the softest version. Due to the central part of the bushing being enclosed in the engine mount they don't give the shores rating as this could be misleading. 
The reference of the ordered model is 530903-21.


While the final shape of the bushing looks like the original it is more sophisticated and give a very serious impression. 
The central metal tube is wider than the original but the original tube fit perfectly inside the wider tube. No need to adjust the length. The fit between engine mount and bushing is perfect and the replacement of the bushings can be done in 30 in minutes.
After several hours in the air with the new bushings I'm very happy with the result. Vibrations are reduced and I have noticed no adverse effects. I can feel it and you will see it in my next film...

The taildragger brotherhood

A visit to the annual taildragger brotherhood fly-in at Paray Le Monial June 16th. 

Barbecue Tignes 2019

The super friendly team at the Tignes aeroclub organized a barbecue inviting friends and mountain pilots end of March. Irresistible...