Midwest Flyer Magazine

MFM Yellow Logo.indd 13/31/12 11:01 AMMooney Owners Feel Relief From Leaky Fuel TanksWILLMAR, MINN. – Owners ofMooney aircraft can now have theirleaky fuel tanks repaired with a uniqueprocess developed by former WillmarAir Service owner, Bruce Jaeger, and oneof his technicians, Paul Beck.A “weep’’ is the smallest of four typesof leaks that if not repaired can lead toa large leak that renders the plane nolonger airworthy. Leaky fuel tanks arenot unique to Mooneys, but certainconditions such as leaving the plane ina hot environment, leaving tanks emptyor dry, and stress from landings causeolder sealant to become less flexible andresult in leakage.Beck and Jaeger began investigatingthe chemical process in 2000. Theyfound a chemical that worked andNewest Flight InstructorAt Historic Stanton AirfieldSTANTON, MINN. – Stanton SportAviation, Inc., owner and operator ofHistoric Stanton Airfield in Stanton,Minnesota, has appointed John Hallas its newest flight instructor. Hall isformerly a resident of the area, and isavailable for flight instruction in a widevariety of airplanes.Hall holds a Commercial PilotCertificate, Flight Instructor, andMulti-Engine and Instrument ratings.He has several thousand hours of flyingdeveloped the equipment to performthe process. The old sealant in the fueltank of the aircraft is removed with achemical stripper that is sprayed intothe tank that strips the old sealant downto bare metal. The tank is then washed,dried and resealed.The process replaces the task ofscraping out the old sealant by hand.The task is more difficult becauseexperience as a charter pilot and flightinstructor including mountain flying,most recently in Montana. He also flewfor a company located in Connecticut,so he is experienced in high-densitytraffic areas.“When John lived in the area he wasone of our many customers renting theairplanes on a regular basis,” said airportmanager, Kent Johnson.Stanton Airfield is located betweenNorthfield and Cannon Falls,Minnesota, just south of the Minneapolisand St. Paul metropolitan area.Mooney fuel tanks are part of theairplane’s structure and cannot beremoved. Access to the tanks is gainedby removing panels from the undersideof the wing.Jaeger sold Willmar Air Service toBrian Negen in 2008, who renamed thecompany “Maximum Cruise Aviation.”Negen sold the fuel tank repair businessto Paul Beck in 2010, which is called“Weep No More.”Although Mooney aircraft arecurrently not being built, there aremore than 10,000 Mooney airplanesworldwide, including 6,000 in theUnited States. That means plenty ofbusiness for Weep No More. Beck hasalready expanded to Europe with amaintenance facility in Amsterdam, TheNetherlands.Stanton Sport Aviation provides a fullrange of aviation services includingairplane rental, flight instruction inairplanes and gliders, fuel sales, aircraftmaintenance, and aircraft storage.Stanton Sport Aviation is anauthorized sales and service center forthe Flight Design line of Light SportAircraft, and also specializes in classictail-wheel instruction and rental.To learn more about the servicesprovided by Stanton Sport Aviation call507-645-4030 or visitwww.stantonairfield.com. !"##$%&'()*+"('"&#),-(.$%)*%%&/"('"&#)0%)12&#%&-$.)34MINNESOTA AVIATION TRADES ASSOCIATIONThe Voice of Minnesota Aviation Since 1945!"#$"%&'()*+)",*-.*/00/1(23(.,*45&(,"&&"&*6"%1(,7*!(,,"&.32!"#$%%&"'()*Refer To:www.mnaviationtrades.orgor contact Sara Wiplingerat swiplinger@wipaire.com651-209-7168!9""#$%$&'(&)*')+,)-"./0.""+123)&'"456)-"+#%#718)"""9::;?@A!!!"1646%-#/"+,-! "#$%&'(")*+&,-.-/#0&!!!"#$%!#&'()*"+,-!!!"#(+'"#..$#/*"+,-!!!"0,.12+#3$#4$,/"+,-!!!")5,6/$7#3$#4$,/-(%'"+,-!!!"-$1!6'48.&6%"+,-!!!"/#4$,/#$%"+,-!!!"452/16%0$%1#3$#4$,/"+,-!!!"!606%#3$#4$,/$/'"+,-!!!"!$/#$%#3$#4$,/"+,-!!!"!$)#$%6"+,-