Are you looking for a shop that really knows 310’s… inside and out? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Hello, I’m Bill Irvine and I own Flying Dog Ranch.
I’ve been working on Cessna 310’s since 1996, when I bought a 1955 model. It was my first airplane, and I must admit I didn’t know a lot about 310’s when I bought it. But I sure learned…
It was cheap and it flew, so I bought it. I flew it around some, including one memorable flight to Dallas on a very cold Christmas Eve. With no heater. And, as I was to discover, a lot of open holes in the cabin forward bulkhead. Yes, it was cold. The inside thermometer read 19 degrees.
My fingers and nose were numb by the time I landed at Addison Airport around 10pm. Tower informed me that the only open FBO was MillionAire, so I taxied in that direction. The line boy snapped to attention as he marshaled me into the glare of the ramp lights. But once he got a good look at my plane, he dropped his wands in disgust, a look of “You gotta be kidding me…” came over his face and he walked away to someplace warm. Yes, my 310 was a real dog.
Several days later I flew home to California and put the plane up on jacks, determined to fix some of the problems. First to come out was the inoperative heater, then the entire landing gear system. I had heard stories of the “problem” landing gear and wanted to go thru the whole system. As I worked, I found more and more problems with the plane until, eventually, the fuselage was a bare shell, the wings were on rolling work stands, and the vertical and horizontal stabs were stacked in the corner. This airplane was completely apart.
While I was working on my plane, a few more 310’s rolled in. It was the usual assortment of new instrument panels, landing gear system rebuilds, engine overhauls, trim actuator rebuilds and such. I’ve had every inch of a 310 apart so they don’t hold any surprises for me. I did that for about 6 years, then I went to work for NASA. Now I’m back to working on 310’s. And I’m pretty good at it.
And there was another 310 inside!
Ok, let’s talk about the more common work… (click to go to new page)
Annual Inspection
Landing Gear Rigging
Landing Gear System Overhaul
Other 310 Work & Common Problems