Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

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AirHog
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Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by AirHog »

So I was going to update the G1000 databases today. For some reason I sat in left seat instead of just standing outside and reaching in. When I was done, I climbed out of the plane and noticed that a #$(*&^! penny had fallen out of my pants pocket. (Could'nt have been one of the 3 quarters, it had to be the penny). The penny was sitting on the aft side of the trim wheel covering the words "NOSE UP". When I tried to pick up the penny, the instant my finger touched it, it fell through the tiny gap (red arrow in pic) and made a "clink" just like dropping into a piggy bank. :scream:
Does anybody know what's down there in that cavity ???
Does the "console cover" or whatever it's called come off ??? If so, is it 10 minutes or 10 hours of work ???
Is the plane unsafe to fly ??? Is this stupid penny going to jam up the trim cable or some other flight control ???
DA40_lost_penny.jpg
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Re: Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by AirHog »

here's a better quality picture of the gap through which the penny disappeared...
DA40_lost_penny.jpg
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Rich
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Re: Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by Rich »

You can pull the copilot seat without too much trouble and that should get you enough access to find it.
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Re: Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by Boatguy »

From my DA40NG. A DA40 won't have the ECU's under the seats.
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Re: Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by Steve »

There are some critical moving parts down there - fuel selector, elevator trim, aileron bellcrank - that could be jammed by a penny. Best to bite the bullet and get it out on the ground. I dropped a stylus from my PalmPilot down between the console and the pilot's seat about 15 years ago, pulled the seat, and searched for it. I could not find it. A year later, during the annual, I discovered it hiding along a seam in the fiberglas, luckily nowhere near any moving parts. I refrained from aerobatics until I found it... ;)
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Re: Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by AirHog »

Ahhhh, your picture's are worth a thousand words. Thanks for the inspiration guys.
Turns out I was able to find and extract the penny in about 15 minutes without swearing, just removed the copilot seat bottom access panel. Then a flashlight, and some duct tape on the end of a flexible picker upper claw, and some amazingly good luck.
DA40_found_penny.jpg
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Re: Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by jwx96 »

2 days ago I dropped a laminated checklist down the small crack between the pilot’s seat and the side wall. I checked my flight controls right away for freedom of movement and then continued the flight and landed. I haven’t done anything about it yet. My annual is in 2 weeks, but I have to fly to another airport. It looks like I will have to unbolt the seat bottom to retrieve it if I want it out before then. It’s a small checklist about 3” x 6”. There is no access panel in the seat bottom. Recommendations?
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Re: Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by smoss »

the heater vent in the rear seat foot area is held in by velcro and can easily be pulled out. From the back you can access all the stuff under the seat as well.
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Re: Awww CRAP! What's in the trim wheel cavity???

Post by Rich »

jwx96 wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 1:22 am 2 days ago I dropped a laminated checklist down the small crack between the pilot’s seat and the side wall. I checked my flight controls right away for freedom of movement and then continued the flight and landed. I haven’t done anything about it yet. My annual is in 2 weeks, but I have to fly to another airport. It looks like I will have to unbolt the seat bottom to retrieve it if I want it out before then. It’s a small checklist about 3” x 6”. There is no access panel in the seat bottom. Recommendations?
I pull my front seats out for annual and occasionally for other reasons. (Data cards and even smartphones without a sleeve fit in that gap :scream:) It’s not that hard when you figure out the shortcuts.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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