Month: September 2018

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I had a startling situation this past week at Classic Aviation… water in the fuel strainers on a Piper Twin Comanche… scroll down for some pictures of that one.

Also in this episode of the podcast, you can hear about the following:

Update on my washing machine… Being an A&P really can prepare you to work on lots of other things 🙂

A Twin Cessna that needed some new placards to meet the POH requirements.  Here is the lineup of the ones we made with our label maker:

We also had some fuel cap placards made by Aerographics… I was very impressed with them.  They can make all kinds of interior and exterior placards for a reasonable price.  Check them out at aerographics.com    I highly recommend these people.  We had them make three placards similar to the following one:

A main tire on a Piper Archer that had a slow leak.  There was a small hole in the tube, and the hole was in an area that was creased, which caused an area of stress.  Listen to the audio for some info on how to prevent this problem.

Now for the main feature for this episode:  The water in the fuel.

Here are the instructions inside the fuel drain area in the Twin Comanche:

After disassembling the fuel strainers, I found a lot of water in the system.

It took a lot of draining and rocking the wings, to get the water out… and here is the result from both fuel strainers:

The moral of the story for me was:  Don’t get complacent about routine things like sumping the fuel… there’s a good reason for it, and it’s really important!

Now for some Beechcraft Bonanza stuff:

First of all, just for fun, I took a picture of this G36 Bonanza on the ramp recently at SHD, just because it was so beautiful… what a great airplane!

We also started an annual inspection on another Bonanza this past week, and the owner knew his starter adapter was starting to slip.  He requested we have the starter and starter adapter overhauled.  We’re going to send them to Modified Aircraft Accessories, Inc. in Brooks, Kentucky.  I really like this couple.  It’s a family business and when you call, you can expect to speak with either Jimmy or his wife Debbie… I don’t know about you, but that just makes me smile 🙂  They’ve been doing quality work of starters, starter adapters, alternators, and more, for a long time, and I highly recommend them.  You can find them at  http://modifiedaircraftaccessories.com/

Here’s the starter and starter adapter:

One more item I found on this Bonanza was the out-of-position heat shield on the right forward engine mount… I discovered there are too many threads through the locknuts on the engine mount bolts, and it appears the nuts are bottomed out on the shank of the bolts… they will need washers added and torque to specs.

And here’s the last picture for this post:  safety wiring that, well, let’s just say could stand some improvement.  It’s really loose, and the tail is not twisted enough, and there’s a sharp end sticking out.  So… if you’re looking for a good resource to learn how to do quality safety wiring, check out my course here:  https://airplane-owner-maintenance.teachable.com/p/safetywiring

Or click here.

There are step by step videos to learn all about safety wiring and how to do it well. 

Feel free to contact me with any questions.  dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com or leave me a voice message by clicking the tab over on the right side of the page.  Thanks, and have a great weekend!

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Hello aviation friends!

This week, we’re talking about an airplane’s instrument panel that was NOT telling me the truth.  In fact, one of the instruments was lying to me.  Listen to the audio to get the details.

Here’s the instrument that was lying to me during the pre-inspection runup… it’s a pretty interesting situation.

And here’s a question (not related to the lying issue):  Can you explain the numbers that are displayed on this engine monitor screen?  And what conclusion can you draw from these numbers?  In which phase of operation was this picture taken?  Make a comment if you like… or leave a voice message… or email me.    dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com.

Also, here’s the broken magneto P-lead I mentioned in today’s episode:

If you’d like to read an excellent article about spark plug cleaning and servicing, here’s an article published by the Cessna Flyer, written by Jacqueline Shipe.  The article is well done, and includes great pictures.

https://www.cessnaflyer.org/maintenance-tech/item/1009-mind-the-gap-spark-plug-preventive-maintenance.html

Jacqueline has a fascinating bio:

Jacqueline Shipe grew up in an aviation home; her dad was a flight instructor. She soloed at age 16 and went on to get her CFII and ATP certificate. Shipe also attended Kentucky Tech and obtained an airframe and powerplant license. She has worked as a mechanic for the airlines and on a variety of General Aviation planes. She’s also logged over 5,000 hours of flight instruction time. Send question or comments to editor@cessnaflyer.org.

Finally, if you listen to this episode, you’ll discover how I connected airplane maintenance with washing machine maintenance!  (Looks like I have a several hour job ahead of me next week after the repair kit arrives 🙂

Have a great week!

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It’s been a challenging week of airplane maintenance for me.

Here is a sampling of some things I’ve been working on at Classic Aviation:

• A Beechcraft P-Baron with three issues:
  • Right engine #6 CHT indicates too high in the climb.
  • Right fuel selector valve handle very stiff to turn.
  • Cockpit door warning light comes on when aircraft is pressurized.
• A Cessna 414 that’s in for annual inspection.
  • A total of five engine cylinders that need to be replaced due to the ECI cylinder AD.
  • A panel lighting issue .
• A Piper Apache with a hydraulic system problem.

In today’s episode, we also cover some excellent comments that were made after episode #95 about high cylinder head temps.  This part is especially worth listening to, and covers some information I had not heard before.  Thanks to everyone who contributed to that discussion!

Here’s the Insight G4 instrument in the P-Baron:

And here’s the heat sink with the 7 transistors for the panel lights in the Cessna 414:

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Hello Friends.  This episode is different than any other.  It’s very personal.

A little over two weeks ago, my dad passed away, and I wanted to take some time in this episode to leave a tribute for my dad.  My two brothers and I agree that we had a really good dad.  Sure, there were the normal imperfections and the bumps and bruises of life, but all in all, we had a really good dad, and for that, we are deeply grateful.

So, if you’re looking for airplane maintenance topics, you’ll need to go back through the archives of past episodes.  But I invite you to listen to this week’s episode, regardless of your situation.  And if you do, my hope is that you will be encouraged in some way by the life that my dad lived.

I’m so thankful for the dad I had, and I love him with all my heart.  And I suppose that’s why I’m so compelled to share him with you today.

I took this picture earlier this year, and it has become one of my favorites.  For me, it has become a priceless reminder of the simple, but impactful life that my mom and dad have lived together for so many years.

P.S.  I want to thank Jeff Brown, host of the Read To Lead podcast, for the idea of this episode.  Jeff did an episode sort of like this one, in February of this year, and it was deeply impactful to me.  Thank you Jeff!  readtoleadpodcast.com