582 Maintenance Schedule: Which One?

Re: 582 Maintenance Schedule: Which One?

by Roger Lee » 14 years ago

Roger Lee

131 5.38k 5.44k

HI Erin,

I looked at your other maint schedule, but I don't see a date? Where did it come from?

---

Roger Lee
LSRM-A & Rotax Instructor & Rotax IRC
Tucson, AZ Ryan Airfield (KRYN)
520-349-7056 Cell

Re: 582 Maintenance Schedule: Which One?

by Erin Harvey » 14 years ago

Erin Harvey

1 6 0

I'm surmising the date by the time it was originally posted with great excitement in the South African microlight forum here...

http://www.microlighters.co.za/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7241

The date of the initial post reads May 6, 2008.

Although the original link in that post is no longer working, it is obvious by reading the forum thread and by reading the document at www.aviation-engines.co.za (the Rotax dealer for South Africa) that they are talking about the same maintenance schedule.

Re: 582 Maintenance Schedule: Which One?

by Erin Harvey » 14 years ago

Erin Harvey

1 6 0

It should also be noted that the alternative maintenance schedule above was created with the approval of the CAA, which is the South African Civil Aviation Authority, much like the FAA in the United States.

Re: 582 Maintenance Schedule: Which One?

by bill martin » 14 years ago

bill martin

10 757 0

Erin,

The company that published the alternative schedule is a reputable and well established Rotax dealer. I wonder though, if they wrote that schedule themselves based on their own experience. They advertise that the alternative version is approved by the CAA in South Africa but they don't say it was written or approved by Rotax. I could understand Rotax writing a revised or updated schedule, but not an alternate one. Doesn't seem reasonable to have two very different schedules for the same engine. It's going to be very interesting to see if someone out there can shed some light on this subject.

Bill.

Re: 582 Maintenance Schedule: Which One?

by Erin Harvey » 14 years ago

Erin Harvey

1 6 0

Yes, Bill. You are correct. I exchanged a few emails directly with the South African company, and they said that Rotax was not involved in the creation of the alternative maintenance schedule. It was based on the experiences of South African mechanics, aircraft owners, and flight schools and then the new maintenance schedule was approved by their Civil Aviation Authority. Apparently, they were particularly concerned with the Rotax requirement for a new crankshaft at 300 hours, which their experiences suggest can easily wait until 600 hours. Anecdotally, many pilots on the web have complained of Rotax engines running just fine until after the 300-hour overhaul.