I continue to inch closer to finishing the Swift. Today I filled all the reservoirs and gear legs with hydraulic fluid and we tested the landing gear retraction and emergency lowering system. Everything worked just right. I am always apprehensive when we have an airplane up on the jacks. One small mishap and you can punch a hole in the wing. Everything went according to plan today, thankfully. The last big job is refurbishing the engine baffling. I don't think it will take all that long to do, but you never know what surprises might be in store when you get into these things.
The usual cause, I believe, is somebody climbing on the airplane or bumping the airplane. You would have to do that with a fair amount of force It is not uncommon to see and area roped off when an airplane is on jacks. In this case, Bloke had to get into the cockpit to operate the landing gear controls so that I could observe the operation of the gear. The whole contraption is quite solid, really. It just gives me the willies to see my airplane in this state.
