On Feb 20, 11:21*pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
We decided to move the annual inspection for Atlas -- our '74 Cherokee
Pathfinder -- into February, since there has been little use for an airplane
this winter. *As a result of the weather and the annual (bless me Father,
for I have sinned...) it had been 20 days since our last flight.
...
This year we found an exhaust shroud (on the carb heat side) that had rivet
and screw holes wowed out (vibration) and needed sheet metal work that was
beyond my capabilities. * And, in an incredible coincidence, the right main
gas tank gauge that had stopped working immediately after some avionics work
(the classic "maintenance-induced failure") last fall turned out to be the
float having fallen off the sending-unit arm, rather than a gauge problem.

How were you able to fly in the meantime? A plane is not airworthy
without a working fuel gauge for each tank (91.205b9). Can one get a
waiver for this sort of thing?