Can I Push on the Strut or Not..?

[edasmus]

I avoid pushing on the strut as you are actually pushing on a nonstructural fairing that is covering the actual strut. I worry about deforming it. I cannot say with any certainty that my concerns are founded however it is my overall practice to treat the aircraft like fine china. When one pays for maintenance, I hate to create it. It's one thing to have maintenance events occur in the normal use of the aircraft. It's another thing to create maintenance events that could have otherwise been avoided.

Also things I do or do not do:

I don't slam the doors
I don't pull or push on flimsy interior parts to move the seats fore and aft
I make sure the locking pins are fully disengaged before sliding the seats fore and aft as to not drag the pins over all the holes on the seat rail
I minimize brake usage
I move all controls politely and strive to use the minimum necessary consistent with good operating practice and safety

and blah blah blah....

Hopefully you get the point. The airplane will break all by itself. It doesn't need your help to break it!

Have fun!

Ed