THIS is an Advisory Circular?

The UPS guy left me a little present while I was working over Christmas! I ordered FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 43.13 Aircraft Inspection, Repair & Alterations from the ASA online store. Amazon sells it for quite a bit less, but of course I didn’t notice this until after I had placed the order with ASA. Oh well.

Anyway, this thing is a freakin’ PHONE BOOK! When I think FAA AC, I tend to think of a six-page PDF file, but I swear this sucker is thicker than the Aircraft Spruce catalog. It’s basically the bible for aircraft mechanics, and outlines acceptable techniques for repairs and such. It’s recommended by Van’s and quite a few builders’ sites as a good reference for learning “aircraft-quality” workmanship.

You can follow the above links and view the contents for yourself, but basically this book covers everything from materials (wood, fabric, metal, composites), to bolts, nuts and turnbuckles, engines, electrical, weight and balance, corrosion identification and control — you get the picture. It’ll take me a year to read, and it doesn’t look like a cover-to-cover type of book, if you know what I mean. Looks like it’ll make a handy addition to the pile of literature I’m accumulating in preparation for the Big Project.