Month: August 2017

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Videos mentioned in today’s episode:

Mike Busch’s story about his aviation journey:  savvyaviation.com

(Scroll down on the home page, and the video is right there.)

Bret Chilcott and his new LED nav lights for his 1947 Stinson:

You can buy these nav lights at Aircraft Spruce:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/navstrobesextant40.php

(There is also a cheaper version of LED nav lights, but they are for experimental aircraft only.)

Bret also gave us a report on his starting procedure for his Stinson… thanks Bret!

Also in today’s episode, I share a question my wife asked me about how we start the lawnmower 🙂

And the featured topic of this week, is about overcoming resistance, to get to a new, significant place in life.  I was reminded of this when I was working on the nosegear of a C-182RG that drove me crazy.

The collar under the block of wood, was so stubborn to get off!

The piston at the bottom of the strut fork also needed to be resealed.

And during the reassembly, this little homemade block of wood, proved to be one of the most important tools in the process.

This whole deal, was a reminder to me, of how difficult it can be sometimes to press forward to a new level of anything in life.  Sometimes the resistance is overwhelming, but it’s worth it to keep moving forward!

And finally, back to Bret Chilcott… he had a question about some water droplets in his bottom cowling.  What do you think?  Are they from melted carb ice, or is there something else to consider?

If you have an idea about this, you can contact me, or contact Bret directly.  His contact information is at his website:  AgEagle.com

Thanks for listening to today’s episode!

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How do you start your airplane engine?  Is it perfectly “by the checklist,” or some other method?  We’ve talked about this topic in the past, and it will come up again in today’s episode.  Listen in, take the challenge, and see if it might be worth considering a small modification to your starting procedure.

Also, if you have not listened to episode 019, you might want to go back and catch that one… it goes into much greater detail on the subject of starting airplane engines, and some things to think about.  It might surprise you!

Also, in today’s episode, we give an update on the Lycoming connecting rod bushing issue.

Thank you, Mike Busch, and the Savvy Aviation team, for keeping us all up to date on this issue.   The recent email from Savvy Aviation is how I first discovered the FAA had issued an AD on this connecting rod issue.

Here’s a link to SB 632B:

http://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/SB632B%20Connecting%20Rod%20Identification.pdf

And here’s one for AD 2017-16-11:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2017-16968.pdf

And finally, one for Lycoming Service Instruction 1458G:

https://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/SI1458G%20Connecting%20Rod%20Bolts%20%281%29.pdf

Bottom line:  If you have a Lycoming engine that is affected by this AD, your local A&P may very well be able to remove the cylinders, do the inspection, and reinstall the cylinders, as long as your connecting rod bushings PASS THE TEST.  However, if you need to have any connecting rods changed due to failing the bushing test, BE VERY CAREFUL about having the work done by your local A&P… this is a task that just might be best accomplished by a reputable engine-overhauler.  Just read through SB 632B (great pictures,) and SI 1458G, and you will discover that “This ain’t no task to be taken lightly!”  Make sure it is done with the care and precision necessary  for reliable operation.

Also, in today’s episode, I talked a little more about the instrument nut that I recently found behind the instrument panel of a Cessna 182.  This past week, I noticed some good techniques for fastening instrument nuts in place to prevent them from falling down behind the panel.  Here are a couple pictures from a twin Cessna I worked on this past week at Classic Aviation, LLC:

Notice how the lacing cord is used to tie the instrument nuts in place.

And here’s another method of tying the nut in place with lacing cord:

Thanks so much for the feedback I received from Arthur Rosen, and from Joshua Swartz, both about the issue of starting airplane engines, and what they found helpful from episode 019.  (Listen to the episode to hear what their emails said to me.)  This leads me to the challenge I’m giving today:

The Zero-Throttle Starting Challenge:

To find any piston airplane engine, where this technique does not work… because I don’t know of any at this point.  (This starting technique is describe in great detail, in Episode 019.)

I also received an email from Bret Chilcott this past week… thanks Bret!  If you have not listened to the episode with Bret, he is doing some very fascinating things in aviation, both flying his own 1947 Stinson, and also, providing drones that are used to survey crop fields.  Take a look at the notes for episode 055 and the great pictures and videos that Bret provided for us.  AgEagle is the name of his company (AgEagle.com)

Thanks for listening, and for checking out the website… if you appreciate the Airplane Owner Maintenance podcast, please go to iTunes and leave a star rating, and write a short review, so that others can become aware of what we offer.

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What kind of “sticky” are we talking about?  Listen to today’s episode, and you’ll find out.

But first, we have a couple of other things to cover:

1. Update on the Cessna 182 that was mentioned in a recent episode, where some pitted lifters and a questionable spot on the camshaft, were found.
2. Follow up on a situation with a listener’s attitude indicator.

In today’s episode, we talk about a variety of things, including sticking exhaust valves in Lyoming engines.  Lycoming has a Service Bulletin (388C) that was issued years ago to address this issue.  (Thank you to Barry Sparonello, who requested some information about this topic in a podcast episode.)  The specific test on the valves and valve guides is sometimes referred to as the “wobble test.’  Here is a link to that Lycoming Service Bulletin:

http://www.caa.si/fileadmin/user_upload/pageuploads/AD-NOTE/AD-2006/093_sb_SB388C.pdf

Paul New, at Tennessee Aircraft Services, in Jackson, TN, is very experienced with this procedure, and has the necessary equipment to do it.  Here is a link to an excellent article that Paul wrote on this topic:

http://www.tennesseeaircraft.net/422/

Check out some other items in this episode as well, including when to overhaul your airplane engine… for Lycomings, SI 1009 might be helpful as a reference.

Also, listen to today’s episode, to get some good information about the new Service Bulletin on Lycoming connecting rod bushings – MSB 632B.

Don’t take your Lycoming engine apart just yet if you don’t have to.  Let the dust settle on this service bulletin, and then make a decision.

Here are a couple Interesting / Startling things I found recently:

An instrument nut, that had fallen into a wire bundle behind the instrument panel in a cessna 182.  Thankfully, it was not shorting anything out!

A razor blade that was riding around in the tail of a twin Cessna for who knows how long!

Have a great week everyone!