In this week’s podcast episode, you’ll hear about: King Air flying.Listener feedback from the last episode on “Phantom Cylinder Cracks.”The latest annual inspection I’m involved in.… and a few other things! I’m in the midst of an annual inspection on a Piper Comanche.  I might talk more about this one in a future episode, but for now,  I mentioned two strange things about this airplane in this week’s podcast: The first strange thing was the oil quick drain kept seeping after I drained the oil and closed the drain valve. I was perplexed when oil was collecting on the bottom cowling and seeping down over the nose tire. Finally, I had to cut the safety wire and remove the Saf-Air P5000 drain valve to take a look. Here’s what I found:  I removed the drain valve and put a temporary plug in the oil sump to prevent any further seepage.  If you look closely, you can see a portion of the black o-ring holding the valve slightly open. Here’s a closer view:  After opening the valve, I noticed the top o-ring had been pushed up off the valve, and it was the second o-ring that was holding the valve open.  (Don’t worry, the other o-ring fell out of the hole when I removed the valve, so it’s not stuck somewhere in the oil sump.)  We will install new O-rings on the valve before reinstalling it in the oil sump.  It actually has 3 total o-rings… the top 2 keep the oil from draining out of the sump, and the lower o-ring (that you can’t see in the photo) is slightly larger and it keeps oil from seeping out around the drain nipple during the oil draining process.  McFarlane sells a kit that includes the three new o-rings and a new snap ring. You can listen to the audio to hear more about this story. … and hopefully, in a future episode, I’ll be able to update you on the weird electrical problem on this same airplane. The post “231 – Piper Comanche Weird Electrical Problem and Seeping Oil Drain Valve” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

In this week’s podcast episode, you’ll hear about: <ul><li>King Air flying.</li><li>Listener feedback from the last episode on “Phantom Cylinder Cracks.”</li><li>The latest annual inspection I’m involved in.</li><li>… and a few other things!</li></ul> I’m in the midst of an annual inspection on a Piper Comanche. I might talk more about this one in a future episode, but for now, I mentioned two strange things about this airplane in this week’s podcast: The first strange thing was the oil quick drain kept seeping after I drained the oil and closed the drain valve. I was perplexed when oil was collecting on the bottom cowling and seeping down over the nose tire. Finally, I had to cut the safety wire and remove the Saf-Air P5000 drain valve to take a look. Here’s what I found: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3835.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> I removed the drain valve and put a temporary plug in the oil sump to prevent any further seepage. If you look closely, you can see a portion of the black o-ring holding the valve slightly open. Here’s a closer view: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3836.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> After opening the valve, I noticed the top o-ring had been pushed up off the valve, and it was the second o-ring that was holding the valve open. (Don’t worry, the other o-ring fell out of the hole when I removed the valve, so it’s not stuck somewhere in the oil sump.) <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3837.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> We will install new O-rings on the valve before reinstalling it in the oil sump. It actually has 3 total o-rings… the top 2 keep the oil from draining out of the sump, and the lower o-ring (that you can’t see in the photo) is slightly larger and it keeps oil from seeping out around the drain nipple during the oil draining process. McFarlane sells a kit that includes the three new o-rings and a new snap ring. You can listen to the audio to hear more about this story. … and hopefully, in a future episode, I’ll be able to update you on the weird electrical problem on this same airplane. The post “231 – Piper Comanche Weird Electrical Problem and Seeping Oil Drain Valve” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/231" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

231 – Piper Comanche Weird Electrical Problem and Seeping Oil Drain Valve

Do you think these really are cracks between the spark plug bosses and the fuel injector bosses?  (Cirrus SR22 Continental engine.)     The owner of a Cirrus SR22 was told by a service center he had 4 cracked cylinders on his engine. However, after taking a closer look and bringing their most experienced technicians together to thoroughly clean and examine the cylinders, it was discovered they were not cracked after all. The service center was very professional with their communications and the process they used to evaluate the cylinders. This whole scenario was such a great example of healthy collaboration between an aircraft maintenance service center and an airplane owner. Listen to the audio of this week’s podcast to hear the full story, and some email communications I had with the airplane owner. After thinking about the situation, here are some thoughts: If an airplane engine cylinder is truly cracked, it needs immediate attention.Sometimes, what appears to be a crack, is not a crack after all.Thorough cleaning and precise evaluation are required.Sometimes a second and third expert opinion are helpful.Excellent communication between airplane owners and service centers is key. Have a great week everyone! The post, 230 “Phantom Cracks” in Airplane Engine Cylinders appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

Do you think these really are cracks between the spark plug bosses and the fuel injector bosses? (Cirrus SR22 Continental engine.) <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3346.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3347.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3349.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3352.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> The owner of a Cirrus SR22 was told by a service center he had 4 cracked cylinders on his engine. However, after taking a closer look and bringing their most experienced technicians together to thoroughly clean and examine the cylinders, it was discovered they were not cracked after all. The service center was very professional with their communications and the process they used to evaluate the cylinders. This whole scenario was such a great example of healthy collaboration between an aircraft maintenance service center and an airplane owner. Listen to the audio of this week’s podcast to hear the full story, and some email communications I had with the airplane owner. After thinking about the situation, here are some thoughts: <ul><li>If an airplane engine cylinder is truly cracked, it needs immediate attention.</li><li>Sometimes, what appears to be a crack, is not a crack after all.</li><li>Thorough cleaning and precise evaluation are required.</li><li>Sometimes a second and third expert opinion are helpful.</li><li>Excellent communication between airplane owners and service centers is key.</li></ul> Have a great week everyone! The post, 230 “Phantom Cracks” in Airplane Engine Cylinders appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/230" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

230 “Phantom Cracks” in Airplane Engine Cylinders

The charging system was not working, but why? There was normal voltage at the alternator field terminal. The field circuit resistance seemed normal as well. But the alternator was not producing the normal 28 volts during operation.   Occasionally, it would produce a small amount of output voltage, like 25 or 26 volts, and then drop back down to battery voltage. Clearly there was a problem. After troubleshooting and seeking advice from a Cessna service center, we replaced the battery contactor and the alternator contactor in the MCU (master control unit) on the firewall.  (The MCU is the electrical control box for the airplane.  It’s located on the forward left side of the firewall.) Replacing the contactors did not fix the problem. After more troubleshooting and some calls to Hartzell Engine Technologies to speak with two different people, and after talking things over with the owner, we decided to order an overhauled alternator and a new ACU (alternator control unit.) They arrived the next day, I installed them, and the system worked perfectly. The alternator was back to producing its normal 28 volts.  (I just wish I had taken the old alternator apart to see if I could determine the problem… I’m guessing one or both of the brushes were severely worn.) The following photo shows what’s inside the MCU.  The alternator contactor is the one in the top of the photo, slightly left of center.  And the alternator control unit the the device to the left of the contactor that says “Lamar” on the side. When replacing anything in this box, it’s very helpful to take photos first in order to put everything back in its place during reassembly!  Listen to the audio podcast for this episode to get the full story. This episode also includes some of the email responses I received after asking if listeners wanted to continue receiving stories about exhaust valves.  Thank you to all who responded! In a nutshell, everyone wanted to continue hearing about exhaust valves and the stories about lapping them and saving them, especially the stories that are instructive and educational. Have a great week everyone! The post, “229 – Cessna 206 Alternator Not Working” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

The charging system was not working, but why? There was normal voltage at the alternator field terminal. The field circuit resistance seemed normal as well. But the alternator was not producing the normal 28 volts during operation. Occasionally, it would produce a small amount of output voltage, like 25 or 26 volts, and then drop back down to battery voltage. Clearly there was a problem. After troubleshooting and seeking advice from a Cessna service center, we replaced the battery contactor and the alternator contactor in the MCU (master control unit) on the firewall. (The MCU is the electrical control box for the airplane. It’s located on the forward left side of the firewall.) Replacing the contactors did not fix the problem. After more troubleshooting and some calls to Hartzell Engine Technologies to speak with two different people, and after talking things over with the owner, we decided to order an overhauled alternator and a new ACU (alternator control unit.) They arrived the next day, I installed them, and the system worked perfectly. The alternator was back to producing its normal 28 volts. (I just wish I had taken the old alternator apart to see if I could determine the problem… I’m guessing one or both of the brushes were severely worn.) The following photo shows what’s inside the MCU. The alternator contactor is the one in the top of the photo, slightly left of center. And the alternator control unit the the device to the left of the contactor that says “Lamar” on the side. When replacing anything in this box, it’s very helpful to take photos first in order to put everything back in its place during reassembly! <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3620.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Listen to the audio podcast for this episode to get the full story. This episode also includes some of the email responses I received after asking if listeners wanted to continue receiving stories about exhaust valves. Thank you to all who responded! In a nutshell, everyone wanted to continue hearing about exhaust valves and the stories about lapping them and saving them, especially the stories that are instructive and educational. Have a great week everyone! The post, “229 – Cessna 206 Alternator Not Working” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/229" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

229 – Cessna 206 Alternator Not Working

Dan and Jeanne are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, so it’s always a privilege to work on their airplane.  It was annual inspection time, and the compression test on cylinder #1 was 25/80.  The borescope showed a corresponding reason for the low compression… the exhaust valve had an uneven appearance, indicating it was not sealing well against the valve seat, and there was air leakage around the edge, causing that edge to get extra hot and burn… this is the reason for the uneven color pattern at 10 to 11 o’clock in the photo:  I discussed the situation with Dan, and we decided it was worth a try to lap the valve in place without removing the cylinder, in hopes we could save the cylinder from premature removal. I lapped the valve and installed a new rotocoil to help ensure the valve was rotating properly during operation. After reassembling everything and running the engine, we got a fantastic result… the compression was now 75/80! When the annual inspection was completed, I sent the airplane out the door with great confidence the engine would perform well… and it did. Not long after that, Dan and Jeanne flew the Bonanza to Montana to visit family and then later made the journey back home. At the time of the annul inspection, Dan had agreed it would be a good idea to inspect the #1 exhaust valve at the next oil change to make sure all was well. After having flown about 37 hours since the annual and since lapping the #1 exhaust valve, Dan returned to have things checked out. The oil and filter change were completely normal; the compression in cylinder #1 was 77/80; and the borescope revealed the #1 exhaust valve had returned to normal!   Check it out: the circular patterns on the valve are now nice and concentric.  I’m hopeful Dan will get many more hours of reliable service out of this cylinder since we stopped the harmful trajectory of a burning exhaust valve. On another note, I discussed a couple things in this episode that I noticed this past week while flying. One was related to NOTAMs and the importance of being aware of them (along with something I discovered about NOTAMS, approach plates, and ForeFlight.)The other one was a tip about starting PT-6 engines when they are still hot after a quick stop to drop off passengers and refuel. In my research, I discovered an online course about NOTAMs, and I wanted to pass this link along for anyone who might be interested: notamsmadeeasy.com This is a course by Sarah Fritts.  I do not know Sarah, and I do not receive any compensation from this course, but it seems like a good training resource, and I like to help promote those when I see them. You can also learn more about Sarah over at her website: ThinkAviation.net The post “228 – Saving a Cylinder on Dan &amp; Jeanne’s Bonanza” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

Dan and Jeanne are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, so it’s always a privilege to work on their airplane. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3059.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> It was annual inspection time, and the compression test on cylinder #1 was 25/80. The borescope showed a corresponding reason for the low compression… the exhaust valve had an uneven appearance, indicating it was not sealing well against the valve seat, and there was air leakage around the edge, causing that edge to get extra hot and burn… this is the reason for the uneven color pattern at 10 to 11 o’clock in the photo: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_2933.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> I discussed the situation with Dan, and we decided it was worth a try to lap the valve in place without removing the cylinder, in hopes we could save the cylinder from premature removal. I lapped the valve and installed a new rotocoil to help ensure the valve was rotating properly during operation. After reassembling everything and running the engine, we got a fantastic result… the compression was now 75/80! When the annual inspection was completed, I sent the airplane out the door with great confidence the engine would perform well… and it did. Not long after that, Dan and Jeanne flew the Bonanza to Montana to visit family and then later made the journey back home. At the time of the annul inspection, Dan had agreed it would be a good idea to inspect the #1 exhaust valve at the next oil change to make sure all was well. After having flown about 37 hours since the annual and since lapping the #1 exhaust valve, Dan returned to have things checked out. The oil and filter change were completely normal; the compression in cylinder #1 was 77/80; and the borescope revealed the #1 exhaust valve had returned to normal! Check it out: the circular patterns on the valve are now nice and concentric. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_3501.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> I’m hopeful Dan will get many more hours of reliable service out of this cylinder since we stopped the harmful trajectory of a burning exhaust valve. On another note, I discussed a couple things in this episode that I noticed this past week while flying. <ul><li>One was related to NOTAMs and the importance of being aware of them (along with something I discovered about NOTAMS, approach plates, and ForeFlight.)</li><li>The other one was a tip about starting PT-6 engines when they are still hot after a quick stop to drop off passengers and refuel.</li></ul> In my research, I discovered an online course about NOTAMs, and I wanted to pass this link along for anyone who might be interested: <a href="http://notamsmadeeasy.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">notamsmadeeasy.com</a> This is a course by Sarah Fritts. I do not know Sarah, and I do not receive any compensation from this course, but it seems like a good training resource, and I like to help promote those when I see them. You can also learn more about Sarah over at her website: <a href="https://www.thinkaviation.net/about" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">ThinkAviation.net</a> The post “228 – Saving a Cylinder on Dan &amp; Jeanne’s Bonanza” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/228" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

228 – Saving a Cylinder on Dan & Jeanne’s Bonanza

This Bonanza had a problem in the landing light wiring circuit.  All kinds of weird things were happening when the light was turned on in flight.  You can listen to the podcast audio for more details on this squawk. I removed the induction filter cover and the landing light assembly and inspected the wiring.  It turned out the landing light power and ground wires were chafing against each other… probably over a very long period of time.  Take a look at the area of concern in the red circle on the following photo:  At first glance, it wasn’t visually obvious there was a problem.  But after separating the power and ground wires, it became very clear what was happening.  As the internal strands of the power and ground wires began to just barely make contact with each other, the short-to-ground situation started wreaking havoc in the electrical system.  The following photo shows the areas where the insulation was worn all the way through to the internal wire:  Sometimes there was static over the comm radio, sometimes the TCAS and intercom would cycle power off and back on, and sometimes the landing light circuit breaker switch would flip off. I repaired the wiring and secured it really well with ty-wraps and silicone to prevent further chafing.  Now Brad will be able to use his landing light any time he wants and be confident it will perform normally. Vibration from piston engines can create some bad situations!  It’s always a good idea to take an extra minute or two to look around the engine compartment whenever you’re in there, like at the oil change, or some other maintenance event, like cleaning spark plugs. Another interesting squawk on this same Bonanza was a burning exhaust valve and corresponding low compression.  The borescope revealed the classic appearance when the valve is not sealing well against the valve seat.  Take a look:  I had lapped this valve at the last annual inspection and installed a new rotocoil to help ensure it would rotate properly, so when it still showed an appearance of a burning valve a year later, I figured we would likely need to remove the cylinder and send it for repair. However, the Bonanza owner uses Savvy Aviation to manage his maintenance on the airplane, and the borescoping experts at Savvy thought it would be worth lapping the valve again to see if it could be saved. I was happy to give it a second try.  I lapped the valve heavily this time and finally, I was satisfied.  I installed a new rotocoil again, and after running the engine, I rechecked the compression, and was super happy to see that it was 74/80! I feel 90% confident that when the next annual inspection rolls around, this valve will have returned to a normal appearance.  I’ll be curious to see how it turns out. All in all, it was a good annual inspection, and Brad should be good to go for another year of flying! The post “227 – Electrical Chaos When the Landing Light was Turned On” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

This Bonanza had a problem in the landing light wiring circuit. All kinds of weird things were happening when the light was turned on in flight. You can listen to the podcast audio for more details on this squawk. I removed the induction filter cover and the landing light assembly and inspected the wiring. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3368-rotated.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> It turned out the landing light power and ground wires were chafing against each other… probably over a very long period of time. Take a look at the area of concern in the red circle on the following photo: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3369-1.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> At first glance, it wasn’t visually obvious there was a problem. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3370.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> But after separating the power and ground wires, it became very clear what was happening. As the internal strands of the power and ground wires began to just barely make contact with each other, the short-to-ground situation started wreaking havoc in the electrical system. The following photo shows the areas where the insulation was worn all the way through to the internal wire: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3371.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Sometimes there was static over the comm radio, sometimes the TCAS and intercom would cycle power off and back on, and sometimes the landing light circuit breaker switch would flip off. I repaired the wiring and secured it really well with ty-wraps and silicone to prevent further chafing. Now Brad will be able to use his landing light any time he wants and be confident it will perform normally. Vibration from piston engines can create some bad situations! It’s always a good idea to take an extra minute or two to look around the engine compartment whenever you’re in there, like at the oil change, or some other maintenance event, like cleaning spark plugs. Another interesting squawk on this same Bonanza was a burning exhaust valve and corresponding low compression. The borescope revealed the classic appearance when the valve is not sealing well against the valve seat. Take a look: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3298-1.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> I had lapped this valve at the last annual inspection and installed a new rotocoil to help ensure it would rotate properly, so when it still showed an appearance of a burning valve a year later, I figured we would likely need to remove the cylinder and send it for repair. However, the Bonanza owner uses Savvy Aviation to manage his maintenance on the airplane, and the borescoping experts at Savvy thought it would be worth lapping the valve again to see if it could be saved. I was happy to give it a second try. I lapped the valve heavily this time and finally, I was satisfied. I installed a new rotocoil again, and after running the engine, I rechecked the compression, and was super happy to see that it was 74/80! I feel 90% confident that when the next annual inspection rolls around, this valve will have returned to a normal appearance. I’ll be curious to see how it turns out. All in all, it was a good annual inspection, and Brad should be good to go for another year of flying! The post “227 – Electrical Chaos When the Landing Light was Turned On” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/227" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

227 – Electrical Chaos When the Landing Light was Turned On

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning at KSHD, and we had the maintenance hangar door open with a good view of the runway.   A nice, red and white Piper Lance made a perfect landing on runway 5.  As the airplane taxied up to the ramp, I thought, “It would be nice to meet that guy, whoever he is.” Momentarily, he was standing in our shop, asking if we could help with an electrical issue.  It turned out Merle was a super nice gentleman, and he had flown in with his brother, Dave, and their colleague Ron.  They were on their way to Pennsylvania that morning, but made a precautionary landing at Shenandoah Valley because of the electrical failure. I was eager to help.  I grabbed my multimeter and hopped in the airplane.  When I tried to start the engine, all I got was a small and very feeble attempt to turn the engine and prop.  The battery was too weak to run the engine. I remove the cowling and got access to the alternator.  After removing the field wire from the field terminal on the alternator, I turned the master and alternator switches on and verified there was battery voltage at the field wire.  I was then satisfied the voltage regulator was working fine, and the problem was likely in the alternator or the wiring circuit. I then measured the resistance between the alternator field terminal and ground, and at first I got a resistance reading, but when I moved the prop a bit, I had no continuity.  There should be a resistance reading, maybe around 6 ohms, give or take a little, for a 12 volt alternator.  At this point, I was 90% sure the alternator was bad. We started searching, and found a local parts supplier had an overhauled alternator, and also one that was “as removed.”  Merle opted for the overhauled one, and one of our guys made the short drive to pick it up.  Unfortunately, that alternator had a crack in the bolt hole for attaching the alternator belt tension arm. We ended up overnighting another overhauled alternator in, and got them going the next day.  It was great meeting these guys!  Merle, Ron, and Dave… if you’re ever passing through again, stop in and say hi, and maybe we can go grab a burger at the Old School Burger bus down at the Valley Pike Farm Market. On a totally different subject, I also talked in this podcast episode about an Aerostar trip we made to Wisconsin this week… not much of an FBO at this little airport near Lake Geneva, WI.  Be sure to listen to the episode to find out about an interesting phenomenon I learned about on the return trip… a momentary harmonic vibration in the clouds. That’s all for this episode! The post “226 – Piper Lance Lands at SHD After In-Flight Electrical Failure” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning at KSHD, and we had the maintenance hangar door open with a good view of the runway. A nice, red and white Piper Lance made a perfect landing on runway 5. As the airplane taxied up to the ramp, I thought, “It would be nice to meet that guy, whoever he is.” Momentarily, he was standing in our shop, asking if we could help with an electrical issue. It turned out Merle was a super nice gentleman, and he had flown in with his brother, Dave, and their colleague Ron. They were on their way to Pennsylvania that morning, but made a precautionary landing at Shenandoah Valley because of the electrical failure. I was eager to help. I grabbed my multimeter and hopped in the airplane. When I tried to start the engine, all I got was a small and very feeble attempt to turn the engine and prop. The battery was too weak to run the engine. I remove the cowling and got access to the alternator. After removing the field wire from the field terminal on the alternator, I turned the master and alternator switches on and verified there was battery voltage at the field wire. I was then satisfied the voltage regulator was working fine, and the problem was likely in the alternator or the wiring circuit. I then measured the resistance between the alternator field terminal and ground, and at first I got a resistance reading, but when I moved the prop a bit, I had no continuity. There should be a resistance reading, maybe around 6 ohms, give or take a little, for a 12 volt alternator. At this point, I was 90% sure the alternator was bad. We started searching, and found a local parts supplier had an overhauled alternator, and also one that was “as removed.” Merle opted for the overhauled one, and one of our guys made the short drive to pick it up. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3449.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Unfortunately, that alternator had a crack in the bolt hole for attaching the alternator belt tension arm. We ended up overnighting another overhauled alternator in, and got them going the next day. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/image000003.jpeg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> It was great meeting these guys! Merle, Ron, and Dave… if you’re ever passing through again, stop in and say hi, and maybe we can go grab a burger at the Old School Burger bus down at the Valley Pike Farm Market. On a totally different subject, I also talked in this podcast episode about an Aerostar trip we made to Wisconsin this week… not much of an FBO at this little airport near Lake Geneva, WI. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3428.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Be sure to listen to the episode to find out about an interesting phenomenon I learned about on the return trip… a momentary harmonic vibration in the clouds. That’s all for this episode! The post “226 – Piper Lance Lands at SHD After In-Flight Electrical Failure” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/226" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

226 – Piper Lance Lands at SHD After In-Flight Electrical Failure

And the winner is… Ben Moroze! Recently, in podcast episode #223, I asked for help in identifying an ATC intersection we flew over on our way into Dulles Airport, (KIAD) awhile back. I remembered it sounded something like “you-dee-ah” or something similar. Maybe something like “UDIYA” except that’s not it. Well, Ben emailed me after listening to episode 223, and he correctly identified the intersection as “UDIYU” and told me it’s on the DOCCS THREE arrival and also on the GIBBZ FOUR arrival. Thank you Ben!  You’re the first one to respond after listening to episode 223. Then, I sent an email out yesterday morning and received a good handful more responses about the intersection, UDIYU. A big thank you to all of you who responded to this email! You can listen to the audio podcast for this episode to hear about all those responses. I also received a couple photos from my good friend Clark, showing the position of the UDIYU intersection… here’s one of those:  Thanks Clark, for the photos! And here are a couple of my screen shots to get more context for the arrivals with the UDIYU intersection:   And thank you to ALL OF YOU GUYS who responded to my question… it’s really fun to learn about these obscure situations with you. Now… I’m off to the shop to work on a Bonanza… and be sure to tune in again in a future episode to hear what I found in this Bonanza’s landing light wiring circuit that was causing all kinds of strange and weird effects in other systems as well. Have a fantastic weekend! The post “225 – Obscure ATC Intersection Mystery Solved (It’s UDIYU!)” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

And the winner is… Ben Moroze! Recently, in podcast episode #223, I asked for help in identifying an ATC intersection we flew over on our way into Dulles Airport, (KIAD) awhile back. I remembered it sounded something like “you-dee-ah” or something similar. Maybe something like “UDIYA” except that’s not it. Well, Ben emailed me after listening to episode 223, and he correctly identified the intersection as “UDIYU” and told me it’s on the DOCCS THREE arrival and also on the GIBBZ FOUR arrival. Thank you Ben! You’re the first one to respond after listening to episode 223. Then, I sent an email out yesterday morning and received a good handful more responses about the intersection, UDIYU. A big thank you to all of you who responded to this email! You can listen to the audio podcast for this episode to hear about all those responses. I also received a couple photos from my good friend Clark, showing the position of the UDIYU intersection… here’s one of those: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Attach0.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Thanks Clark, for the photos! And here are a couple of my screen shots to get more context for the arrivals with the UDIYU intersection: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG-0060-1.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG-0063-1.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> And thank you to ALL OF YOU GUYS who responded to my question… it’s really fun to learn about these obscure situations with you. Now… I’m off to the shop to work on a Bonanza… and be sure to tune in again in a future episode to hear what I found in this Bonanza’s landing light wiring circuit that was causing all kinds of strange and weird effects in other systems as well. Have a fantastic weekend! The post “225 – Obscure ATC Intersection Mystery Solved (It’s UDIYU!)” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/225" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

225 – Obscure ATC Intersection Mystery Solved (It’s UDIYU!)

Recently, I received an email from Jim Janaitus, owner of a Cessna 182.  He told me the story of lapping an exhaust valve on his engine because the valve showed signs of burning even though the compression was still in the high 60’s.  Take a look at the appearance of the valve before lapping:  The area from about 12:00 to about 3:00 is the bad area, indicating the valve is not seating well in that area. Jim lapped the valve and installed a new rotator.  I was super happy when he said, “It went better than I imagined.” Here’s a follow up photo of the same valve about 12 flight hours later:  Isn’t the improvement remarkable?! It’s not perfect, but it’s MUCH BETTER than before, and Jim has an excellent plan to monitor the condition of this valve every 20 hours or so. Well done Jim! Be sure to listen to the audio for this week’s podcast to hear this story, along with some other weird electrical issues I’ve been sorting out on a Bonanza and on a Cessna 210. Have a great week! The post “224 – Jim’s Exhaust Valve Rescue on his Cessna 182 Engine” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

Recently, I received an email from Jim Janaitus, owner of a Cessna 182. He told me the story of lapping an exhaust valve on his engine because the valve showed signs of burning even though the compression was still in the high 60’s. Take a look at the appearance of the valve before lapping: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_1021-1.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> The area from about 12:00 to about 3:00 is the bad area, indicating the valve is not seating well in that area. Jim lapped the valve and installed a new rotator. I was super happy when he said, “It went better than I imagined.” Here’s a follow up photo of the same valve about 12 flight hours later: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_1022.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Isn’t the improvement remarkable?! It’s not perfect, but it’s MUCH BETTER than before, and Jim has an excellent plan to monitor the condition of this valve every 20 hours or so. Well done Jim! Be sure to listen to the audio for this week’s podcast to hear this story, along with some other weird electrical issues I’ve been sorting out on a Bonanza and on a Cessna 210. Have a great week! The post “224 – Jim’s Exhaust Valve Rescue on his Cessna 182 Engine” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/224" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

224 – Jim’s Exhaust Valve Rescue on his Cessna 182 Engine

Piper Cherokee

In the beginning of this week’s podcast episode, I want to give a big congratulations to my friend, Chris Wieczorek, who recently got his A&amp;P certificate!  Listen to the audio to find out how Chris pursued getting his A&amp;P in the midst of being a full time attorney and engineer with a wife and 4 kids! Chris, you are an inspiration!  Well done! This week I also had the opportunity to take care of a couple issues on my friend, Dave Ovad’s Bonanza… you can hear more about these items as well in the podcast: We turned up his full power fuel flow a bit to bring the CHT’s down.We installed a couple very specific washers in his nose gear retraction linkage at the idler arm connection. The washer part number is 100951CR016YF. It’s always good to see Dave! Now for the Piper Cherokee… this is the one I’m completing an annual inspection on, along with some squawk repairs.    Here’s a list of some items on the Cherokee we discuss in this podcast episode: Resealing and lubing the fuel selector valve.Installing a new flash tube in the tail strobe light.Replacing the old style throttle and mixture control rod ends with the new rod end bearing style rod ends.Replacing one cowling pin bushing (part number 69790-000.)Installing a new 28L battery in the ELT remote switch in the instrument panel. The final two items we talk about in this episode are two different electrical issues on two different airplanes. The first one is an A36 Bonanza, and the new alternator has been dropping off line.  (The alternator was replaced again and then the voltage regulator, at another airport, and that did not fix the problem.) Through Beechtalk, we discovered a fix for this issue has been developed, where you install a special part number capacitor between the F1 and F2 terminals on the alternator, thus dampening out the voltage spikes that sometimes happen during the break-in phase of a new alternator. Hopefully this will solve the problem! The second electrical problem is on a Cessna 210, and it’s one of those weird and frustrating situations that’s hard to figure out.  It does fine on the ground, and then in the air, the alternator output circuit breaker is popping intermittently.  (Although I need to verify this directly with the owner.) Hopefully we can solve this one soon as well. The final phase of this podcast episode is about a couple recent flights in a King Air 200.  One of these was to Dulles (KIAD) and how we were routed onto the approach.  We usually fly KSHD direct to CSN (Cassanova VOR) and then direct to IAD. This time, we would be landing on 19C, and we were cleared “After CSN, turn left direct to” (and here’s where I can’t remember the name of the intersection, and it’s driving me crazy!)  It was something that sounded like “you-dee-ah” or something like that.  Maybe something like “UDIYA” except that’s not it. If you know what this fix or intersection is called, please let me know… thanks! Thanks for listening to the podcast, and have a great week! The post “223 – Piper Cherokee Annual and Other Maintenance Adventures” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

In the beginning of this week’s podcast episode, I want to give a big congratulations to my friend, Chris Wieczorek, who recently got his A&amp;P certificate! <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Chris-Mechanic-Certificate-4-12-2023.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Listen to the audio to find out how Chris pursued getting his A&amp;P in the midst of being a full time attorney and engineer with a wife and 4 kids! Chris, you are an inspiration! Well done! This week I also had the opportunity to take care of a couple issues on my friend, Dave Ovad’s Bonanza… you can hear more about these items as well in the podcast: <ol><li>We turned up his full power fuel flow a bit to bring the CHT’s down.</li><li>We installed a couple very specific washers in his nose gear retraction linkage at the idler arm connection. The washer part number is 100951CR016YF.</li></ol> It’s always good to see Dave! Now for the Piper Cherokee… this is the one I’m completing an annual inspection on, along with some squawk repairs. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_3232.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Here’s a list of some items on the Cherokee we discuss in this podcast episode: <ol><li>Resealing and lubing the fuel selector valve.</li><li>Installing a new flash tube in the tail strobe light.</li><li>Replacing the old style throttle and mixture control rod ends with the new rod end bearing style rod ends.</li><li>Replacing one cowling pin bushing (part number 69790-000.)</li><li>Installing a new 28L battery in the ELT remote switch in the instrument panel.</li></ol> The final two items we talk about in this episode are two different electrical issues on two different airplanes. The first one is an A36 Bonanza, and the new alternator has been dropping off line. (The alternator was replaced again and then the voltage regulator, at another airport, and that did not fix the problem.) Through Beechtalk, we discovered a fix for this issue has been developed, where you install a special part number capacitor between the F1 and F2 terminals on the alternator, thus dampening out the voltage spikes that sometimes happen during the break-in phase of a new alternator. Hopefully this will solve the problem! The second electrical problem is on a Cessna 210, and it’s one of those weird and frustrating situations that’s hard to figure out. It does fine on the ground, and then in the air, the alternator output circuit breaker is popping intermittently. (Although I need to verify this directly with the owner.) Hopefully we can solve this one soon as well. The final phase of this podcast episode is about a couple recent flights in a King Air 200. One of these was to Dulles (KIAD) and how we were routed onto the approach. We usually fly KSHD direct to CSN (Cassanova VOR) and then direct to IAD. This time, we would be landing on 19C, and we were cleared “After CSN, turn left direct to” (and here’s where I can’t remember the name of the intersection, and it’s driving me crazy!) It was something that sounded like “you-dee-ah” or something like that. Maybe something like “UDIYA” except that’s not it. If you know what this fix or intersection is called, please let me know… thanks! Thanks for listening to the podcast, and have a great week! The post “223 – Piper Cherokee Annual and Other Maintenance Adventures” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/223" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

223 – Piper Cherokee Annual and Other Maintenance Adventures

I inspected another A36 Bonanza recently, and one of the cylinder compressions was too low… lower than the minimum prescribed by Continental using the master orifice tool. I had two options: Option One:  Remove the cylinder for repair or replacement. Option Two:  Make the exhaust valve seal better and improve the compression result in hopes of saving the cylinder from premature amputation. I chose Option Two. It was at least worth a try… … and the result was stunning! After lapping the valve in place and installing a new rotocoil, I ran the engine again and rechecked the compression. It was 75/80! The lowest cylinder on the engine was now the highest cylinder. I also lapped the exhaust valve in cylinder #2, and that one improved from 49/80 to 63/80. If you’d like more info about valve lapping, click here for episode 109. Another surprise during the inspection was a cracked / leaking exhaust riser.    Here’s a close-up view of the bad area:  Also in this episode, I talked about some other squawks that were repaired during the inspection.  Be sure to listen to the audio for all the details. In Part Two of this episode, I talked about our most recent trip in the King Air.  It was quite an adventure navigating some weather situations! The post “222 – How an Engine Cylinder Went From 25/80 to 75/80!” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

I inspected another A36 Bonanza recently, and one of the cylinder compressions was too low… lower than the minimum prescribed by Continental using the master orifice tool. I had two options: Option One: Remove the cylinder for repair or replacement. Option Two: Make the exhaust valve seal better and improve the compression result in hopes of saving the cylinder from premature amputation. I chose Option Two. It was at least worth a try… … and the result was stunning! After lapping the valve in place and installing a new rotocoil, I ran the engine again and rechecked the compression. It was 75/80! The lowest cylinder on the engine was now the highest cylinder. I also lapped the exhaust valve in cylinder #2, and that one improved from 49/80 to 63/80. If you’d like more info about valve lapping, <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/109" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">click here for episode 109.</a> Another surprise during the inspection was a cracked / leaking exhaust riser. <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_3020.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Here’s a close-up view of the bad area: <a href="https://airplaneownermaintenance.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_3021.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Also in this episode, I talked about some other squawks that were repaired during the inspection. Be sure to listen to the audio for all the details. In Part Two of this episode, I talked about our most recent trip in the King Air. It was quite an adventure navigating some weather situations! The post “222 – How an Engine Cylinder Went From 25/80 to 75/80!” appeared first at <a href="http://www.airplaneownermaintenance.com/222" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com</a>

222 – How an Engine Cylinder Went From 25/80 to 75/80!

A podcast devoted to airplane owners and the maintenance of their airplanes.

Outstanding review of maintenance topics for airplane owners!  Highly recommended.

Great podcast!

Airplane Owner Maintenance

Airplane Owner Maintenance - By Dean Showalter

In this week’s episode, we are talking about upgrading to a twin, and some thoughts about choosing between a twin Cessna and a Beech Baron.Thank you Simon Cail, for your email, and for permission to read the email in this episode.Simon’s decision was between a Cessna 340 and a Beechcraft Baron 58.  The pictures above are of a Cessna 414 and a Baron 55.  But I think they’re close enough for the purposes of this episode.Listen to the audio for some thoughts about the two types of airplanes, especially from a maintenance perspective.Simon, I wish you well in your upgrade to a twin… let me know what you decide.  And thanks again for your email!Links and Resources:American Bonanza Society:  https://www.bonanza.org/Twin Cessna Flyer:  https://www.twincessna.org/Bob Ripley’s maintenance shop in Georgia:  http://soaero.com/Tony Saxton’s twin Cessna shop:  https://tas-aviation.com/“Rig it Right” twin Cessna landing gear rigging instructions:  https://www.twincessna.org/OnLineStore.asp?p_num=P016Baron and Bonanza landing gear inspection checklist and repair guide:http://www.flyabonanza.com/Resources_files/abs%20landing%20gear%20guide%20copy.pdf

In this week’s episode, we are talking about upgrading to a twin, and some thoughts about choosing between a twin Cessna and a Beech Baron.Thank you Simon Cail, for your email, and for permission to read the email in this episode.Simon’s decision was between a Cessna 340 and a Beechcraft Baron 58. The pictures above are of a Cessna 414 and a Baron 55. But I think they’re close enough for the purposes of this episode.Listen to the audio for some thoughts about the two types of airplanes, especially from a maintenance perspective.Simon, I wish you well in your upgrade to a twin… let me know what you decide. And thanks again for your email!Links and Resources:American Bonanza Society: <a href="https://www.bonanza.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.bonanza.org/</a>Twin Cessna Flyer: <a href="https://www.twincessna.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.twincessna.org/</a>Bob Ripley’s maintenance shop in Georgia: <a href="http://soaero.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://soaero.com/</a>Tony Saxton’s twin Cessna shop: <a href="https://tas-aviation.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://tas-aviation.com/</a>“Rig it Right” twin Cessna landing gear rigging instructions: <a href="https://www.twincessna.org/OnLineStore.asp?p_num=P016" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.twincessna.org/OnLineStore.asp?p_num=P016</a>Baron and Bonanza landing gear inspection checklist and repair guide:<a href="http://www.flyabonanza.com/Resources_files/abs%20landing%20gear%20guide%20copy.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.flyabonanza.com/Resources_files/abs%20landing%20gear%20guide%20copy.pdf</a>

128 – Should I Buy a Twin Cessna or a Beech Baron?

During the recent annual inspection on Drew Wright’s Cessna 182, cylinder #1 had a low compression of 42/80.  However, with the amazing technology of borescoping, he was able to take a look inside the cylinder.  The nice concentric circle of deposits on the face of the exhaust valve indicates a healthy valve.  Drew wondered if perhaps this valve would be a good candidate for lapping in place, without removing the cylinder.Even though the valve appeared healthy, Drew noticed a significant amount of air leaking out the exhaust during the compression test.  Once again, his borescope was very helpful in observing the condition of the exhaust valve and seat area.  The valve looks good, except for the rough and uneven seating area.  The seat also looks good, except for the corresponding rough and uneven seating area.With the supervision of his A&amp;P, Drew was able to remove the rocker cover and the exhaust valve springs.  After verifying the valve guide was in good condition with no excessive wear, and the valve was sliding freely in the valve guide, he was ready to “lap” the valve (to apply a small amount of valve grinding compound to the edge of the valve using a long Q-tip through the top spark plug hole, and spinning the valve against the seat to smooth out and improve the seating area.)Drew used a piece of wood dowel rod, some clear tubing, and some hose clamps, for this task… I like his idea so much, I’m planning to use this technique in the future.One of the most important parts of the lapping process, is cleaning out the residue after the job is finished.  One method is to spray Av-gas into the top spark plug hole to wash the grinding compound off the valve and the surrounding areas, and let it run out the bottom spark plug hole.  Multiple washings, along with some compressed air, cleans up the area very well.  An additional thing Drew did was to push a thin cloth into the top spark plug hole, and pull the valve back to squeeze the cloth between the valve and valve seat.  Then, he could turn the valve against the cloth and clean the seating area even better.  I’m also going to keep that little tip in mind for my next lapping project.  Thanks Drew!The seating area of the valve showed a nice smooth band after the lapping was done – very impressive!After the lapping was completed, a new rotator was installed on the exhaust valve, everything was reassembled, and the compression immediately improved!  But the best result was the compression test that was done after running the engine… that same cylinder that was 42/80, now had a compression of 78/80!  What a fantastic result, and now, hopefully that cylinder will run reliably for many more hours.Be sure to listen to the audio for this episode for more details about Drew’s adventure.  He also shared about an induction leak that was visible because of some blue fuel staining.After removing the intake pipe, it was obvious the gasket had shifted out of position during the assembly process many years ago… perhaps this was part of the poor idling problem that was also corrected during the annual inspection.  After installing a new intake gasket and adjusting the idle mixture setting, the engine idled much better than before.Drew’s story is a true inspiration in so many ways.  So, if you, as an airplane owner, have an interest in learning and getting involved in the maintenance, just find an A&amp;P who is willing to give you some supervision to keep things legal, and you’ll have all kinds of possibilities.Well done Drew, on your exhaust valve lapping project!  I’m thrilled with the result you achieved on this one!  Drew has a young family, and it makes me happy to know he’s taking such good care of his airplane… after all, he’s got some precious cargo to haul around!

During the recent annual inspection on Drew Wright’s Cessna 182, cylinder #1 had a low compression of 42/80. However, with the amazing technology of borescoping, he was able to take a look inside the cylinder. The nice concentric circle of deposits on the face of the exhaust valve indicates a healthy valve. Drew wondered if perhaps this valve would be a good candidate for lapping in place, without removing the cylinder.Even though the valve appeared healthy, Drew noticed a significant amount of air leaking out the exhaust during the compression test. Once again, his borescope was very helpful in observing the condition of the exhaust valve and seat area. The valve looks good, except for the rough and uneven seating area. The seat also looks good, except for the corresponding rough and uneven seating area.With the supervision of his A&amp;P, Drew was able to remove the rocker cover and the exhaust valve springs. After verifying the valve guide was in good condition with no excessive wear, and the valve was sliding freely in the valve guide, he was ready to “lap” the valve (to apply a small amount of valve grinding compound to the edge of the valve using a long Q-tip through the top spark plug hole, and spinning the valve against the seat to smooth out and improve the seating area.)Drew used a piece of wood dowel rod, some clear tubing, and some hose clamps, for this task… I like his idea so much, I’m planning to use this technique in the future.One of the most important parts of the lapping process, is cleaning out the residue after the job is finished. One method is to spray Av-gas into the top spark plug hole to wash the grinding compound off the valve and the surrounding areas, and let it run out the bottom spark plug hole. Multiple washings, along with some compressed air, cleans up the area very well. An additional thing Drew did was to push a thin cloth into the top spark plug hole, and pull the valve back to squeeze the cloth between the valve and valve seat. Then, he could turn the valve against the cloth and clean the seating area even better. I’m also going to keep that little tip in mind for my next lapping project. Thanks Drew!The seating area of the valve showed a nice smooth band after the lapping was done – very impressive!After the lapping was completed, a new rotator was installed on the exhaust valve, everything was reassembled, and the compression immediately improved! But the best result was the compression test that was done after running the engine… that same cylinder that was 42/80, now had a compression of 78/80! What a fantastic result, and now, hopefully that cylinder will run reliably for many more hours.Be sure to listen to the audio for this episode for more details about Drew’s adventure. He also shared about an induction leak that was visible because of some blue fuel staining.After removing the intake pipe, it was obvious the gasket had shifted out of position during the assembly process many years ago… perhaps this was part of the poor idling problem that was also corrected during the annual inspection. After installing a new intake gasket and adjusting the idle mixture setting, the engine idled much better than before.Drew’s story is a true inspiration in so many ways. So, if you, as an airplane owner, have an interest in learning and getting involved in the maintenance, just find an A&amp;P who is willing to give you some supervision to keep things legal, and you’ll have all kinds of possibilities.Well done Drew, on your exhaust valve lapping project! I’m thrilled with the result you achieved on this one! Drew has a young family, and it makes me happy to know he’s taking such good care of his airplane… after all, he’s got some precious cargo to haul around!

131 – Drew Wright’s Cessna 182 Exhaust Valve Lapping Success!

Happy New Year Friends! This week on the podcast, we’re talking about simple fixes with just a little lubrication.  Sometimes on airplanes, there are parts that might need some lube, that can easily be overlooked.  We have several of these examples in today’s episode.  Here they are:  A Beechcraft Debonair with a starter problem. A Mooney M20J with a speedbrake issue. An A36 Bonanza with a “GND COMM” switch that would not turn off. An Aerostar with a nose gear steering problem.  In the end, all of these situations were solved with some simple lubrication… spray silicone, LPS-1, and a grease gun with a special adapter, were what solved the problems.  Listen to the audio to get the details, and consider any areas on your airplane that might need a little lube. AND… be looking for some pictures on Instagram in the near future… I’m planning to open an Instagram account for Airplane Owner Maintenance real soon. Have  a great weekend!

Happy New Year Friends! This week on the podcast, we’re talking about simple fixes with just a little lubrication.  Sometimes on airplanes, there are parts that might need some lube, that can easily be overlooked.  We have several of these examples in today’s episode.  Here they are: <ol> <li>A Beechcraft Debonair with a starter problem.</li> <li>A Mooney M20J with a speedbrake issue.</li> <li>An A36 Bonanza with a “GND COMM” switch that would not turn off.</li> <li>An Aerostar with a nose gear steering problem.</li> </ol> In the end, all of these situations were solved with some simple lubrication… spray silicone, LPS-1, and a grease gun with a special adapter, were what solved the problems.  Listen to the audio to get the details, and consider any areas on your airplane that might need a little lube. AND… be looking for some pictures on Instagram in the near future… I’m planning to open an Instagram account for Airplane Owner Maintenance real soon. Have  a great weekend!

107 – Avoid Costly Repairs With A Little Lube

My friend Matt and I had a plan, and it was going to be an awesome adventure.  The crisp, clear morning was as nice as we could hope for on a November day in Virginia.  The half hour drive from my house to the small town New Market Airport was absolutely refreshing… exhilarating even. As I pulled onto the airport drive, I didn’t go far before I was compelled to back up and take a picture of the signs that arrested my attention.  “DEAD END STREET” AND “LEARN TO FLY HERE” just did not seem to fit together in my mind.  As I think about it, I wish I could replace that top sign with “PATHWAY TO POSSIBILITIES!” For me, and for my friend Matt, we had far more in mind that day than any dead end street.  If our planned adventure came together, we would be flying a little Cessna 150 to Tangier Island (KTGI) and maybe having a crab cake sandwich for lunch.  But first, we had to solve a problem… a report of “No oil pressure.”   We struggled to get the “barn doors” open in the old rustic hangar, and the site looked so familiar for these old airports, complete with gravel floor, a motorcycle off to the side, as well as a Cessna 120 and another Cessna 150.  I was actually pleasantly surprised when I saw the good condition of the airplane we’d be working on. We decided to go ahead and start the engine and see if we got any oil pressure within 30 seconds.  The engine started nicely and within seconds, we saw the oil pressure needle creeping up… good news indeed.  However, after some warm-up time, we noticed the oil pressure needle went back down, and was approaching the red line at the bottom of the gauge.  (It had never made it up to the green arc.) So we shut down, and decided to see if the oil pressure line had any air in it.  Thankfully, the gauge was very accessible at the bottom of the pilot instrument panel.  After loosening the nut for the oil pressure line behind the gauge, there was not even a drop of oil there.  So we attempted to motor the engine with the starter to get the air out of the line. Now we had another problem… low battery power!  The engine wouldn’t even turn over more than a turn or so.  Back to troubleshooting,  except now in the electrical system.   Matt suspected the alternator was not working, and this proved to be true when we discovered no voltage at the field terminal on the back of the alternator when we turned the master switch on. Then something jumped out at me… I was standing over on the left side of the engine, and I noticed the whole wiring harness plug was disconnected from the voltage regulator at the firewall.  Take a look. Amazing how well things work when all the wiring is connected properly! So after charging the battery, we tried again to purge the air out of the oil pressure line.  Matt motored the engine with the starter for maybe 30 seconds, and just as he let off the starter, I saw oil seeping out at the gauge connection… success, finally! This time, after starting, the oil pressure climbed up in the green arc, and stayed there during the runup. Now, how about Tangier Island?  Could we still go? Nope… I noticed the maintenance records were in the back of the airplane, and the airplane was still in annual… sort of.  The main thing is there was some lacking documentation that made it unwise to fly the airplane until it was resolved.  Mechanically, I totally would have been confident to go flying in that airplane with Matt.  But paperwork-wise, the issue needed to be resolved. That’s ok… instead of lunch at Tangier Island, Matt and I had breakfast at Dunkin Donuts.  And… we’re not giving up on the Tangier Island idea.  In fact, after thinking about the whole thing, I did some research, and discovered a young man named Swayne Martin, who gave me even more motivation to visit Tangier Island.  He and his brother flew their mom there in a Cessna 172 several years ago as a mother’s day gift!  If you’re interested, his post is very interesting. Flight To Tangier Island (KTGI) For Mother’s Day You may recognize Swayne from his involvement with the Boldmethod online flight training resources.  He also has an excellent YouTube channel.  I also found out he has gone on to become a first officer with one of the regional airlines.  Well done Swayne!   Now back to Tangier Island… Matt and I are not giving up, and I’m confident we’ll still get there one of these days… very possibly in that very Cessna 150 we worked on.  And when we do, you’ll hear about it, because it will no-doubt be an excellent adventure for another podcast episode! It really was a great day, and the sunset view of my neighbor’s field from my back yard, was just as fantastic as the sunrise view on the way to the New Market Airport. Days like this make me say, “Thank you Lord, it’s good to be alive!” 

My friend Matt and I had a plan, and it was going to be an awesome adventure. The crisp, clear morning was as nice as we could hope for on a November day in Virginia. The half hour drive from my house to the small town New Market Airport was absolutely refreshing… exhilarating even. As I pulled onto the airport drive, I didn’t go far before I was compelled to back up and take a picture of the signs that arrested my attention. “DEAD END STREET” AND “LEARN TO FLY HERE” just did not seem to fit together in my mind. As I think about it, I wish I could replace that top sign with “PATHWAY TO POSSIBILITIES!” For me, and for my friend Matt, we had far more in mind that day than any dead end street. If our planned adventure came together, we would be flying a little Cessna 150 to Tangier Island (KTGI) and maybe having a crab cake sandwich for lunch. But first, we had to solve a problem… a report of “No oil pressure.” We struggled to get the “barn doors” open in the old rustic hangar, and the site looked so familiar for these old airports, complete with gravel floor, a motorcycle off to the side, as well as a Cessna 120 and another Cessna 150. I was actually pleasantly surprised when I saw the good condition of the airplane we’d be working on. We decided to go ahead and start the engine and see if we got any oil pressure within 30 seconds. The engine started nicely and within seconds, we saw the oil pressure needle creeping up… good news indeed. However, after some warm-up time, we noticed the oil pressure needle went back down, and was approaching the red line at the bottom of the gauge. (It had never made it up to the green arc.) So we shut down, and decided to see if the oil pressure line had any air in it. Thankfully, the gauge was very accessible at the bottom of the pilot instrument panel. After loosening the nut for the oil pressure line behind the gauge, there was not even a drop of oil there. So we attempted to motor the engine with the starter to get the air out of the line. Now we had another problem… low battery power! The engine wouldn’t even turn over more than a turn or so. Back to troubleshooting, except now in the electrical system. Matt suspected the alternator was not working, and this proved to be true when we discovered no voltage at the field terminal on the back of the alternator when we turned the master switch on. Then something jumped out at me… I was standing over on the left side of the engine, and I noticed the whole wiring harness plug was disconnected from the voltage regulator at the firewall. Take a look. Amazing how well things work when all the wiring is connected properly! So after charging the battery, we tried again to purge the air out of the oil pressure line. Matt motored the engine with the starter for maybe 30 seconds, and just as he let off the starter, I saw oil seeping out at the gauge connection… success, finally! This time, after starting, the oil pressure climbed up in the green arc, and stayed there during the runup. Now, how about Tangier Island? Could we still go? Nope… I noticed the maintenance records were in the back of the airplane, and the airplane was still in annual… sort of. The main thing is there was some lacking documentation that made it unwise to fly the airplane until it was resolved. Mechanically, I totally would have been confident to go flying in that airplane with Matt. But paperwork-wise, the issue needed to be resolved. That’s ok… instead of lunch at Tangier Island, Matt and I had breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. And… we’re not giving up on the Tangier Island idea. In fact, after thinking about the whole thing, I did some research, and discovered a young man named Swayne Martin, who gave me even more motivation to visit Tangier Island. He and his brother flew their mom there in a Cessna 172 several years ago as a mother’s day gift! If you’re interested, his post is very interesting. <blockquote><a href="http://www.swaynemartin.com/post-format-video/flight-to-tangier-island-ktgi-for-mothers-day/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flight To Tangier Island (KTGI) For Mother’s Day</a></blockquote> You may recognize Swayne from his involvement with the Boldmethod online flight training resources. He also has an excellent YouTube channel. I also found out he has gone on to become a first officer with one of the regional airlines. Well done Swayne! Now back to Tangier Island… Matt and I are not giving up, and I’m confident we’ll still get there one of these days… very possibly in that very Cessna 150 we worked on. And when we do, you’ll hear about it, because it will no-doubt be an excellent adventure for another podcast episode! It really was a great day, and the sunset view of my neighbor’s field from my back yard, was just as fantastic as the sunrise view on the way to the New Market Airport. Days like this make me say, “Thank you Lord, it’s good to be alive!”

127 – No Oil Pressure in a Cessna 150

Not long ago, there was an unusual engine failure in a Cessna 182 at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport.   Cindy Ferek was the flight instructor on board that day, and she landed the airplane safely on the runway.  Before we get into that story, I’d like to introduce Cindy.  (The Cessna 172 in the following picture is not the airplane that had the engine failure.)  Cindy taught high school physical education for 21 years at Turner Ashby High School, which gave her an excellent teaching foundation that she uses today as she skillfully works with students in the cockpit of airplanes.  Not only is Cindy an excellent flight instructor, but she’s also just an inspiring person to be around!  I hope you’ll listen to the podcast to hear about more of Cindy’s story, both in and out of the airplane. The engine failure we talked about in today’s episode, happened in the traffic pattern, thankfully.  Here’s the airplane after they landed safely and parked it in the grass to save the engine: Shortly after their successful landing, one of the line guys tugged the airplane up to the maintenance shop.  At first it was challenging to figure out what actually happened to the engine, because there was no external evidence of any problems.  But a borescope inspection revealed the exhaust valve in cylinder #1 was not opening at all.  And after removing the rocker cover, it became really obvious.  The rocker arm shaft boss had broken apart and the rocker arm could not operate the exhaust valve.   Thank you Cindy, for sharing a bit of your aviation journey and your engine failure story with us, and for all the excellent work you do to make aviation such an inspiring endeavor to pursue!   For those of you who would like to contact Cindy, there are multiple ways to get in touch with her.  (And she would love to hear from you.) Blog:  CindyFerek.Weebly.com Email:  pilotcferek@gmail.com Cell:  540-607-0251 P.S.  One last reminder:   If you work on your airplane, and need to learn to perform excellent safety wiring, check out the “Safety Wire Like A Pro” video tutorial course… It will show you in great detail how to do an excellent job, whether it’s safety wiring an oil filter, a fuel strainer, a brake caliper, or any other item an airplane owner is approved to perform.   Click the following link and check it out: https://airplane-owner-maintenance.teachable.com/p/safetywiring

Not long ago, there was an unusual engine failure in a Cessna 182 at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport. Cindy Ferek was the flight instructor on board that day, and she landed the airplane safely on the runway. Before we get into that story, I’d like to introduce Cindy. (The Cessna 172 in the following picture is not the airplane that had the engine failure.) Cindy taught high school physical education for 21 years at Turner Ashby High School, which gave her an excellent teaching foundation that she uses today as she skillfully works with students in the cockpit of airplanes. Not only is Cindy an excellent flight instructor, but she’s also just an inspiring person to be around! I hope you’ll listen to the podcast to hear about more of Cindy’s story, both in and out of the airplane. The engine failure we talked about in today’s episode, happened in the traffic pattern, thankfully. Here’s the airplane after they landed safely and parked it in the grass to save the engine: Shortly after their successful landing, one of the line guys tugged the airplane up to the maintenance shop. At first it was challenging to figure out what actually happened to the engine, because there was no external evidence of any problems. But a borescope inspection revealed the exhaust valve in cylinder #1 was not opening at all. And after removing the rocker cover, it became really obvious. The rocker arm shaft boss had broken apart and the rocker arm could not operate the exhaust valve. Thank you Cindy, for sharing a bit of your aviation journey and your engine failure story with us, and for all the excellent work you do to make aviation such an inspiring endeavor to pursue! For those of you who would like to contact Cindy, there are multiple ways to get in touch with her. (And she would love to hear from you.) Blog: <a href="http://CindyFerek.Weebly.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CindyFerek.Weebly.com</a> Email: pilotcferek@gmail.com Cell: 540-607-0251 P.S. One last reminder: If you work on your airplane, and need to learn to perform excellent safety wiring, check out the “Safety Wire Like A Pro” video tutorial course… It will show you in great detail how to do an excellent job, whether it’s safety wiring an oil filter, a fuel strainer, a brake caliper, or any other item an airplane owner is approved to perform. Click the following link and check it out: <a href="https://airplane-owner-maintenance.teachable.com/p/safetywiring" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://airplane-owner-maintenance.teachable.com/p/safetywiring</a>

125 – Engine Failure – What Would You Do In A Moment’s Notice?

Whether your airplane has a “Brackett” brand filter like the first picture, or a “Donaldson” brand filter like the second filter, or another brand like “Challenger” or something else, they all need to be clean and in good condition. The air your airplane breathes is critically important.  Your engine, your vacuum instruments, and even other components, all need to breathe fresh clean air in order to function properly. Listen to today’s episode to hear about induction filters, vacuum system filters, and even an obscure filter you may not have thought about.   Take a look at what can happen when a Brackett filter is not changed often enough.  Upon removal, the foam filter crumbled apart.  Brackett filters have an expiration date on the package… while they work very well when they’re in good condition, they can also fall apart when they are expired.  Don’t install an expired filter! Vacuum systems also need clean filters.  Check out this vacuum regulator filter that is covered with dust… this thing has been here for years!  Compare this with the new filter that needs to be installed.  This filter is sometimes overlooked at the annual inspection.  The part number is B-3-5-1.  Or, if you buy a Rapco filter, it’s RAB-3-5-1.     The vacuum inlet filter is also an important one to keep clean, so that your vacuum instruments, like the attitude indicator and directional gyro, can breathe nice, clean air.  Here’s an example of an old, dirty vacuum inlet filter, compared with a new, clean one: Clean air filers are vitally important! Another obscure filter I encountered recently was on an Aerostar 601P.  This airplane has a Sandel SN3308 electronic HSI.  The internal lamp needs to be changed at regular intervals.  Upon removing the unit from the instrument panel, I discovered the fan filter in the bottom of the tray was falling apart.  Take a look at the view from under the instrument panel, and how little was left of the foam filter: The fan pulls air in through the bottom of the instrument tray, for cooling. It’s a bit of an obscure air filter, but still an important one.   A call to Sandel was very helpful.  Although the new filter is a fairly thin, coarse mesh piece of foam, it actually has a part number, and the price was reasonable ($8.)  Check it out in the following picture: The HSI is now breathing clean air again. So… whether it’s an airplane’s induction filter, a vacuum system filter, an instrument filter, or some other filter, it’s important for all these filters to be clean and in good condition.   Take a look at your filters, and make sure your airplane is breathing nice clean air.  Your engine, your vacuum system, and your instruments, will thank you in the form of reliable performance  Filters discussed in this episode: Brackett induction filters. Donaldson induction filters. Challenger Aviation induction filters. Vacuum inlet and regulator filters. Sandel HSI cooling fan filter.

Whether your airplane has a “Brackett” brand filter like the first picture, or a “Donaldson” brand filter like the second filter, or another brand like “Challenger” or something else, they all need to be clean and in good condition. The air your airplane breathes is critically important. Your engine, your vacuum instruments, and even other components, all need to breathe fresh clean air in order to function properly. Listen to today’s episode to hear about induction filters, vacuum system filters, and even an obscure filter you may not have thought about. Take a look at what can happen when a Brackett filter is not changed often enough. Upon removal, the foam filter crumbled apart. Brackett filters have an expiration date on the package… while they work very well when they’re in good condition, they can also fall apart when they are expired. Don’t install an expired filter! Vacuum systems also need clean filters. Check out this vacuum regulator filter that is covered with dust… this thing has been here for years! Compare this with the new filter that needs to be installed. This filter is sometimes overlooked at the annual inspection. The part number is B-3-5-1. Or, if you buy a Rapco filter, it’s RAB-3-5-1. The vacuum inlet filter is also an important one to keep clean, so that your vacuum instruments, like the attitude indicator and directional gyro, can breathe nice, clean air. Here’s an example of an old, dirty vacuum inlet filter, compared with a new, clean one: Clean air filers are vitally important! Another obscure filter I encountered recently was on an Aerostar 601P. This airplane has a Sandel SN3308 electronic HSI. The internal lamp needs to be changed at regular intervals. Upon removing the unit from the instrument panel, I discovered the fan filter in the bottom of the tray was falling apart. Take a look at the view from under the instrument panel, and how little was left of the foam filter: The fan pulls air in through the bottom of the instrument tray, for cooling. It’s a bit of an obscure air filter, but still an important one. A call to Sandel was very helpful. Although the new filter is a fairly thin, coarse mesh piece of foam, it actually has a part number, and the price was reasonable ($8.) Check it out in the following picture: The HSI is now breathing clean air again. So… whether it’s an airplane’s induction filter, a vacuum system filter, an instrument filter, or some other filter, it’s important for all these filters to be clean and in good condition. Take a look at your filters, and make sure your airplane is breathing nice clean air. Your engine, your vacuum system, and your instruments, will thank you in the form of reliable performance Filters discussed in this episode: Brackett induction filters. Donaldson induction filters. Challenger Aviation induction filters. Vacuum inlet and regulator filters. Sandel HSI cooling fan filter.

129 – Air Filters: Don’t Let Your Airplane Suffocate!

Sometimes small, general aviation airplanes get too much maintenance, and sometimes they get too little.  We talk about that in today’s episode along with some real life examples. But first, I want to give a shout out to two people I have absolutely loved learning from recently because they are both excellent teachers. Chris Palmer:  Aviator and flight instructor living in Homer, Alaska.  I’ve been going through Chris’ online instrument ground school course, and it is absolutely amazing.  Stunningly excellent graphics, interesting and engaging teaching, and the best review of the FAA test questions I’ve ever seen.  Check out his courses and training here: http://AviatorTraining.com ——————————————————————————————————————– Carl Valeri:  Airline pilot, podcaster, and aviation careers coach.  Carl is the host of the Aviation Careers Podcast, and he shares a TON of great useful information about flying and aviation careers in a really fun and inspiring way.  If you want to make progress in your flying career, you MUST check out Carl’s podcast and resources.  You can find his podcast in iTunes or other podcast apps, and his website is here: AviationCareersPodcast.com Listen to today’s episode to hear about some things that got my attention last week at Classic Aviation:  A one time AD that keeps getting signed off year after year.A purple paperclip on a jet at Shenandoah Valley.A couple examples of too much maintenance.One example of not enough maintenance. Here’s the purple paperclip: Not something I would expect to see on a jet like this   And here’s my example of “not enough maintenance.”: That induction filter had not been changed in a long time, as evidenced by it falling apart when I removed it. Here’s the recommendation to change these filters every year… it’s right there on the package of the new filter: You can hear more details of all these items by listening to today’s audio. ——————————————————————————————————————– Finally, if you’re going to Oshkosh, I’d love to meet you.  I’ll be presenting a talk on Saturday morning, July 27 at 8:30 am.  The topic is “Exhaust Valve Borescoping and Lapping.”  I’d love to meet you there. Have a great week!

Sometimes small, general aviation airplanes get too much maintenance, and sometimes they get too little. We talk about that in today’s episode along with some real life examples. But first, I want to give a shout out to two people I have absolutely loved learning from recently because they are both excellent teachers. Chris Palmer: Aviator and flight instructor living in Homer, Alaska. I’ve been going through Chris’ online instrument ground school course, and it is absolutely amazing. Stunningly excellent graphics, interesting and engaging teaching, and the best review of the FAA test questions I’ve ever seen. Check out his courses and training here: <a href="http://AviatorTraining.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://AviatorTraining.com</a> ——————————————————————————————————————– Carl Valeri: Airline pilot, podcaster, and aviation careers coach. Carl is the host of the Aviation Careers Podcast, and he shares a TON of great useful information about flying and aviation careers in a really fun and inspiring way. If you want to make progress in your flying career, you MUST check out Carl’s podcast and resources. You can find his podcast in iTunes or other podcast apps, and his website is here: <a href="http://AviationCareersPodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AviationCareersPodcast.com</a> Listen to today’s episode to hear about some things that got my attention last week at Classic Aviation: <ol><li> A one time AD that keeps getting signed off year after year.</li><li>A purple paperclip on a jet at Shenandoah Valley.</li><li>A couple examples of too much maintenance.</li><li>One example of not enough maintenance.</li></ol> Here’s the purple paperclip: Not something I would expect to see on a jet like this And here’s my example of “not enough maintenance.”: That induction filter had not been changed in a long time, as evidenced by it falling apart when I removed it. Here’s the recommendation to change these filters every year… it’s right there on the package of the new filter: You can hear more details of all these items by listening to today’s audio. ——————————————————————————————————————– Finally, if you’re going to Oshkosh, I’d love to meet you. I’ll be presenting a talk on Saturday morning, July 27 at 8:30 am. The topic is “Exhaust Valve Borescoping and Lapping.” I’d love to meet you there. Have a great week!

118 – Airplane Maintenance:  Too Much or Too Little?

Is there ever a good reason to fire an A&amp;P? I think so… and in today’s episode, we’ll talk about some evidence for one of those times.  Scroll down for the appalling pictures I took recently! But before that, I want to share some inspiring information related to the amazing Stinson family of airplanes.  And… if you are as involved in your airplane’s maintenance as Bret Chilcott and Randy Phillips, the chances are slim to none that you’ll ever find yourself in a situation where you need to fire your A&amp;P.  You’ll be so involved in the process, that you naturally work with an A&amp;P and IA who are competent, skilled, and very professional. Here’s a video from Bret Chilcott.  He sent this to me a good while back when he was changing a cylinder on his Stinson 108 airplane… I love the color of his airplane!  Thanks for the video Bret!  You’re one of my airplane owner heroes! And for you Stinson owners, (and perhaps others as well, because the Stinson guys are so inspiring,) here’s a link to the Stinson Tech Channel on YouTube, which is managed by Randy Phillips, another great guy.  Listen to today’s episode to hear an audio clip from Randy. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQVOk7qUlVTTXH8hJpdQjg Randy mentioned something I have not thought much about… the “Owner assisted engine overhaul.”  What a fascinating idea!  I’m interested in learning more about that one… thanks Randy! One more really helpful contact for Stinson airplanes and for Franklin engines, is Jack Stewart.  Jack is the A&amp;P / IA who Randy Phillips worked with to overhaul his airplane engine awhile back.  He’s very knowledgeable and here’s a link for a YouTube video of a Franklin engine seminar by Jack: Now for a totally different topic. I discovered something awhile ago on a Cessna airplane that was absolutely appalling to me, and I thought I’d share some pictures and some thoughts that came to my mind about “When to fire an A&amp;P.” It’s rare that I see something this appalling on an airplane, but I thought this one was so bad, I’d talk about it in today’s episode and share some pictures.  It was also a good opportunity for me to use my borescope, since I had to take most of these pictures under the floor of this airplane. Here is a sampling of what I found on a seat track installation in a Cessna airplane…  I could hardly believe it!     Oops!  This rivet was obviously hit with a rivet gun, but was not bucked properly.    Oops!  They forgot to put a nut on this screw.    Oops!  Lots of mis-drilled holes.    Oops!  Rivets too short, and holes too large.  Also check out the butchered holes to the left.    Oops!  Left rivet:  Too short, deformed, and hole too large.  Right Cherry Max rivet:  Hole too large, and rivet not seated properly.    Oops!  A piece of seat track installed UNDER the floor!?!?    Oops!  Rivet hole way to large.    Oops!  Blind rivets not seated properly… the center stem and locking collar should be visible and flush with the surface of the rivet head.    Oops!  Extra, unused holes in the seat track.    Oops!  This rivet was pulled crooked and did not seat properly.    And for the final oops… they didn’t even bother to clean out the shavings and old rivet tails under the floor.      So… what about all this? If I found any one of these situations in the previous pictures on an airplane, and it was an isolated issue by itself, I’d probably just fix it and go on without thinking too much about it.  But to have so many issues on the same installation… that’s just incompetent at best, and even might be considered beyond negligent. Perhaps, this is one time when it would be appropriate to “Fire an A&amp;P.”  I certainly would not want this person anywhere near my airplane engine, or any other critical part of the airplane.  This, to me, is totally unacceptable, and it got me thinking about when it might be appropriate to “Fire an A&amp;P.”  And I thought of several times.  Here they are: If they are deceptive, and you can’t trust them.If interactions with them are continually frustrating.If there is continuous lack of communication.And… if they do something like the butchered seat track installation in these pictures. Thankfully, A&amp;P’s are usually skilled, dependable, and conscientious.  But for some rare occasions, there might be a time to “Fire an A&amp;P.”   My challenge for all of us:  Be the best you can be, in the situation you’re in! And for all A&amp;P’s and IA’s who are doing excellent work:  Well done my friends!  You have a very important job and people are counting on you.  Keep up the good work!  

Is there ever a good reason to fire an A&amp;P? I think so… and in today’s episode, we’ll talk about some evidence for one of those times. Scroll down for the appalling pictures I took recently! But before that, I want to share some inspiring information related to the amazing Stinson family of airplanes. And… if you are as involved in your airplane’s maintenance as Bret Chilcott and Randy Phillips, the chances are slim to none that you’ll ever find yourself in a situation where you need to fire your A&amp;P. You’ll be so involved in the process, that you naturally work with an A&amp;P and IA who are competent, skilled, and very professional. Here’s a video from Bret Chilcott. He sent this to me a good while back when he was changing a cylinder on his Stinson 108 airplane… I love the color of his airplane! Thanks for the video Bret! You’re one of my airplane owner heroes! And for you Stinson owners, (and perhaps others as well, because the Stinson guys are so inspiring,) here’s a link to the Stinson Tech Channel on YouTube, which is managed by Randy Phillips, another great guy. Listen to today’s episode to hear an audio clip from Randy. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQVOk7qUlVTTXH8hJpdQjg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQVOk7qUlVTTXH8hJpdQjg</a> Randy mentioned something I have not thought much about… the “Owner assisted engine overhaul.” What a fascinating idea! I’m interested in learning more about that one… thanks Randy! One more really helpful contact for Stinson airplanes and for Franklin engines, is Jack Stewart. Jack is the A&amp;P / IA who Randy Phillips worked with to overhaul his airplane engine awhile back. He’s very knowledgeable and here’s a link for a YouTube video of a Franklin engine seminar by Jack: Now for a totally different topic. I discovered something awhile ago on a Cessna airplane that was absolutely appalling to me, and I thought I’d share some pictures and some thoughts that came to my mind about “When to fire an A&amp;P.” It’s rare that I see something this appalling on an airplane, but I thought this one was so bad, I’d talk about it in today’s episode and share some pictures. It was also a good opportunity for me to use my borescope, since I had to take most of these pictures under the floor of this airplane. Here is a sampling of what I found on a seat track installation in a Cessna airplane… I could hardly believe it! Oops! This rivet was obviously hit with a rivet gun, but was not bucked properly. Oops! They forgot to put a nut on this screw. Oops! Lots of mis-drilled holes. Oops! Rivets too short, and holes too large. Also check out the butchered holes to the left. Oops! Left rivet: Too short, deformed, and hole too large. Right Cherry Max rivet: Hole too large, and rivet not seated properly. Oops! A piece of seat track installed UNDER the floor!?!? Oops! Rivet hole way to large. Oops! Blind rivets not seated properly… the center stem and locking collar should be visible and flush with the surface of the rivet head. Oops! Extra, unused holes in the seat track. Oops! This rivet was pulled crooked and did not seat properly. And for the final oops… they didn’t even bother to clean out the shavings and old rivet tails under the floor. So… what about all this? If I found any one of these situations in the previous pictures on an airplane, and it was an isolated issue by itself, I’d probably just fix it and go on without thinking too much about it. But to have so many issues on the same installation… that’s just incompetent at best, and even might be considered beyond negligent. Perhaps, this is one time when it would be appropriate to “Fire an A&amp;P.” I certainly would not want this person anywhere near my airplane engine, or any other critical part of the airplane. This, to me, is totally unacceptable, and it got me thinking about when it might be appropriate to “Fire an A&amp;P.” And I thought of several times. Here they are: <ul><li>If they are deceptive, and you can’t trust them.</li><li>If interactions with them are continually frustrating.</li><li>If there is continuous lack of communication.</li><li>And… if they do something like the butchered seat track installation in these pictures.</li></ul> Thankfully, A&amp;P’s are usually skilled, dependable, and conscientious. But for some rare occasions, there might be a time to “Fire an A&amp;P.” My challenge for all of us: Be the best you can be, in the situation you’re in! And for all A&amp;P’s and IA’s who are doing excellent work: Well done my friends! You have a very important job and people are counting on you. Keep up the good work!

121 – When to Fire an A&P

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