Q: My friends and I mostly fly light backcountry in vintage 1940s Cubs and Champs that we hangar and maintain responsibly. Our airframes are still 75 years old. Aside from corrosion, how long will these old airframes remain safe to fly?
A: As a pilot, you take on a certain amount of risk when you leave the ground. Even the aircraft such as Cubs and Champs that you and your friends operate—while primitive by today’s standards—are still complex machines. You can minimize the risk by vigilance and maintaining a keen eye to detail.
The instrument panel will give you baseline information on how the aircraft performs, for example, altitude, engine rpm, and oil pressure. What the gauges do not tell you, however, is the state of the structure under the fabric. The 100-hour and annual inspections allow your maintenance professional to peel the onion, so to speak, and inspect the inner structure of your airplane. Just think of what these aircraft have seen over the past 75 years.
