FredMa wrote:Here is how you deal with an FAA inspector such as this. You respond " sure I would be glad to cooperate with your request, Could you please show me where there is a requirment for me to destroy red tagged parts and the details of how I am to accomplish this?" When he Can't produce the requested data back to business as usual. The problem is that some people like to jump when the FAA says so without any thought. Fact is they are sometimes wrong and there is nothing wrong with questioning them. I have proven them wrong on numerous ocassions. The key is to remain courteous and professional about the situation even when you feel like ripping their head off and rolling it across the ramp like a bowling ball.
EXCELLENT RESPONSE! I couldn't agree more.
I have also done business with Gibson over the years and believe them to be on the up-and-up. Perhaps they've learned a lesson over this matter. (Replacing the "condemned" cylinders with "serviceable" cylinders would not satisfy myself, however, unless they carried the tag and warranty. The cracked cyls might have been capable of repair by welding, they may not have been cracked beyond repair, and they may have had fewere "cycles" on them than the ones sent as replacements. But at least they bellied up to the bar for their error, and I'd do business with them again, just including on my work-order to NOT destroy condemend cyls but to return them.)
I once had some IO-470 cyls replaced with serviceable ones supplied by Gibson for my right engine on the Baron. The shop (AirRepair in
Austin....NOT Air Repair in Waco who is a very good shop) kept my "deposit" of $600 each, telling me my "cores" were not repairable. This was only after I inquired FOUR months after my work was completed and the airplane returned to service. I"d tired of waiting for my core-deposit to be returned by them, and I had to follow up personally.
I contacted Gibson directly, who spent several days researching the serial numbers of the submitted cores and Gibson called me back to tell me they'd NEVER REQUIRED my core-deposit from AirRepair! (Apparently AirRepair in Austin thought I"d forget about $1800 and just go away.)
Point is: Gibson did the right thing and offered to contact AirRepair directly on my behalf. I thanked them but explained that I preferred to visit them FACE TO FACE. (I deposited AirRepair's refund check within 30 minutes directly at AirRepairs bank to assure no more funny business would occur such as insufficient funds, etc. They are still in-business in Austin, but I'd not use them.)
I've had no problems with Gibson, Sentry, or J & J, in Pleasanton, TX.