Year: 2020 (Page 1 of 4)

164 – Airplanes, Motorcycles, and Bob’s Grass Runway

December 18, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 2 Comments

Bob Shenk (right) is a huge fan of Luscombes… this beautifully restored aircraft was among the airplanes I got to see when I visited Bob’s place a week ago… what a pleasure that visit was!

Donnie Simmons (left) is a good friend of Bob’s, and often spends his Fridays at Bob’s place, both helping with Bob’s projects, as well as some of his own.

In addition to airplanes, Bob also likes motorcycles…

He owned a Honda dealership years ago, and has some pretty cool two-wheeled machines… and can you guess what that airplane in the background is?

That is an Acroduster… one more fascinating airplane!

Another Luscombe, and an Aeronca Champ:

Here’s the runway, as viewed from the approach end:

I’d been wanting to visit Bob’s place for awhile, and one reason was to show Bob my borescope, and how it works.

He liked it, and I think he might buy one.

We didn’t see anything startling in Bob’s engines.

Donnie’s Piper Cub engine, however, was a different story…

The cub was over in another building, so we took the borescope over there to take a look.

Donnie purchased the Piper Cub project after it was in a landing incident more than a year ago:

It startled both of us when we saw the terrible rust on the cylinder walls:

I hated to see what had happened to Donnie’s cylinders, but he took quick action after consulting an engine guy. He removed all four cylinders the next day, hoping they could be salvaged by honing them.

The visit to Bob’s place was fantastic! I came away with some thoughts. Here are two:

If you have a local aviation friend you’ve wanted to go visit, do it! It will probably make your day, and theirs as well!
If you have an inactive engine, find a way to preserve it.

Thanks Bob and Donnie, for showing me around… you are both a real inspiration!

Thanks to PilotWorkshops.com for sponsoring this episode.

To check out the book on Airplane Engines, click here.

Also, be sure to sign up for the “Tip of the Week.” It’s free and really practical.

Here’s a new service I’m offering:

Evaluation of borescope pictures:

4 cylinder engine: $50

6 cylinder engine: $70

Twin engine: $100

Click here to make a payment.
Send me an email with your borescope pictures attached. (dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com.
Within two days, I’ll send you a typed document with evaluations of all the pictures.
If you have questions, shoot me an email!

God bless you my friends, and Merry Christmas to you all!

The post “164 – Airplanes, Motorcycles, and Bob’s Grass Runway” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

163 – Gear Warning Light Mystery

December 6, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 0 Comments

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I recently did an annual inspection on a Rockwell Commander, and the gear warning light was not working.

Before we tell that story, I want to thank our sponsor, PilotWorkshops.com

This week’s “Tip of the Week” was about emergency checklist memorization… a very interesting lesson by Sarah Fritts, a West Point graduate and Army combat aviator.

These short, practical, free tips are sent out every Wednesday, and are totally worthwhile. Click here to sign up.

I also discovered Sarah Fritts has a website with fantastic training resources at ThinkAviation.net

She writes on topics that pilots really want to know about… topics you often hear debated among pilots, like which medical certificate you need and how long it’s good for, and many more.

Now back to the gear warning light… after some troubleshooting, I discovered there was proper voltage at the light assembly and the ground connection was good, so it had to be the bulbs.

Sure enough, those little mini bulbs with soldered wire strands were the culprit… there are two of them.

I was super excited to find a batch of 7 or so of these on eBay, only to discover they were not working… how frustrating! Back to the drawing board.

I finally found some appropriate bulbs from another source, soldered them in the light socket, and they worked perfectly!

Another mystery with this Commander 114 landing gear system was solved a couple years ago after the owner had a huge yaw in flight… it turned out the landing gear was extending during flight. Since the gear is hydraulic, the one with least resistance came down first, and created a yaw effect.

It turned out the emergency extension valve was leaking internally past a worn o-ring, and causing the gear to extend.

Here’s the knob near the pilot’s right knee… the knob is connected to a hydraulic valve.

This issue was perhaps more difficult to troubleshoot since the gear warning light was also not working.

Now, both squawks have been fixed, (the valve was replaced a couple years ago, and the light was fixed during the most recent annual inspection.) Now, hopefully the system will operate normally for a long time.

One last item for today… check out an exhaust valve I recently lapped in a TSIO-550 cylinder for an owner… it showed very early signs of burning, but was still in good condition:

We lapped the valve and installed a new rotator, hopefully extending the life of this cylinder.

The post “163 – Gear Warning Light Mystery” appeared first on AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

162 – Giving Thanks for my Good Friend Jonathan Brush

November 26, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 0 Comments

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Without Jonathan Brush, this podcast might not exist! I’m super-thankful for his part in pushing me to launch this whole thing. I think you’ll enjoy the conversation with him today.

At the end of the podcast, I asked Jonathan to talk a little about the organization he leads, called Unbound.

If you’re curious after hearing about it, or if you have high school age or young adult kids, check out BeUnbound.us for more info.

The phone number is on the top left corner of the website, and if you call, you’ll be able to speak with a real person!

In this episode, I also listed all the guests who have been on the podcast up to this point. Here they are in order:

Morgan Showalter (my daughter) episode 002
Maria Showalter (my wife) episode 022
Mike Busch episode 054
Bret Chilcott 055
Paul New 061
Brian Holmes 076
Cindy Ferek 125
Drew Wright 131
Carl Valeri 135
Joe Godfrey 144
Aram Basmadjian 147
Jim Weir 148
John and Leslie Caubble 149, 150
Jessica Spangler 160

Thanks so much to each of you for the great conversations!

Our sponser for this episode is PilotWorkshops.com

Go to the website and sign up for the free “Tip of the Week.” And while you’re there, take a look at the fantastic book: Airplane Engines – A Pilot Friendly Manual.

Today, I’m offering a Thanksgiving special price on my “Safety Wire Like A Pro” video tutorial course. Today through midnight Eastern Standard Time on December 3rd, you can get the course at a 20% discount.

The normal price is $97, but for the next week, you pay only $77 when you enter the code “thanksgiving2020“

Try it out… it’s risk-free.

If you’re not completely satisfied, there’s a 30 day money back guarantee… no questions, and no problem.

Why safety wire like an amateur, when you can “Safety Wire Like A Pro?!”

Click here for more info.

The course has 15 videos, covering topics like safety wiring an oil filter, a brake caliper, fixing backwards safety wire, good and bad safety wire, how far you can twist safety wire until it breaks, and much more.

Click here, and then:

Click “Enroll in course for $97.”

Click “Add coupon code.”

Enter “thanksgiving2020” and you’ll receive $20 off, and pay only $77.

Check it out today, and let me know what you think.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and God bless you!

161 – Tobin’s Cherokee Six

November 21, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 2 Comments

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Our sponsor for this episode is PilotWorkshops.com

Be sure to sign up for the “Tip of the Week” and you’ll receive a short, but valuable tip to make you a better pilot… it’s a fun way to learn! Click here for details.

PilotWorkshops also has an excellent resource for learning about engines… it’s called “Airplane Engines – A Pilot Friendly Manual.” Click here to check it out.

This week, I have a little request… my daughter just launched a new podcast called “Play Piano by Ear.” Please help me surprise her by subscribing and/or sharing it with anyone who might be interested:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-piano-by-ear/id1541056398

You can also find her on Instagram: search “music minute with morgan.”

In today’s episode, I’m sharing some noteworthy items we discovered on Tobin’s Cherokee Six:

Prop control rod end bolt loose… check out the video:

An oil leak at one of the top crankcase bolts:

Sealing exhaust leaks by cleaning flanges, installing 4 new studs, and installing 4 new gaskets:

Tightening the TruTrak autopilot roll servo cable… the video shows how loose it was:

Fixing stabilator trim issues…

Broken pulley, worn spacer, and worn bolt:

Replacing a frayed trim cable:

This cable often frays in the area that goes around the pulleys on the electric trim servo:

Worn grommets at yoke shaft wiring:

Replacing a vacuum regulator filter that had not been installed properly the last time:

There you go… a sampling of the squawks we fixed for Tobin.

I was totally impressed with the way Tobin takes care of his airplane… and I was just as fascinated with the business he’s in…

Tobin told me, “We are like the wedding planner for office moves.”

Isn’t that great?!

If you need to move an office space, be sure to check out ReloStrategy.com They take care of ALL the details, not only moving and designing the layout, but also tending to details like the wifi connections and the water for the coffee pot!

Note especially the “About” page and read about Tobin and his wife!

One last friendly request: Please help me surprise my daughter by subscribing to Morgan’s new podcast or share it with someone… thank you so much!

The post “161 – Tobin’s Cherokee Six” appeared first on AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

160 – Jessica Spangler Becoming an A&P in Cameroon

November 8, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 0 Comments

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Jessica is our special guest on the podcast today. She and her husband Mark, along with their 5 kids, are serving with a mission organization in Cameroon, Africa. Mark flies helicopters, and Jessica works in the maintenance shop, with plans to get her A&P certificate. I think you’ll enjoy her story!

Instagram: Spanglers_in_Cameroon

Check out the crew Mark and Jessica work with in Cameroon:

Be sure to listen for Jessica’s story in today’s podcast, about the time this wrench accidentally shorted across the battery terminals of a helicopter… in fact, it was this story that prompted the interview with Jessica!

Our sponsor for this episode is PilotWorkshops.com

Listen in today’s episode, for another good reason to buy a copy of the new book about airplane engines… there are a couple pages that compare 3 different manufacturers of induction filters and things to be aware of.

Click here for more info about the book.

One more thing about PilotWorkshops.com: One of their most popular free resources is the “Pilot’s Tip of the Week.”

Another highlight this past week was the day Kurt and Karen visited our airport at KSHD, and Classic Aviation LLC. They both work in aviation, and they wanted to get a sightseeing tour. Cindy, one of the local flight instructors, was happy to provide the flight… The weather was perfect, and the experience was fantastic!

Kurt and Karen topped the day off by taking Maria and me to lunch at our local Valley Pike Farm Market… and it turns out it was their wedding anniversary… congratulations Kurt and Karen, and thank you for lunch!

As we approach Thanksgiving season, here are a couple things you can be looking for on the podcast:

On Thanksgiving Day, I’m planning to release a special episode. A very good friend of mine has agreed to let me interview him, and I’m super-excited to introduce Jonathan Brush to you. Without him, the Airplane Owner Maintenance podcast might not exist. I can’t wait for this episode!
I’m also planning to offer a Thanksgiving discount for the “Safety Wire Like A Pro!” video training course… I’ll provide information for that in the Thanksgiving Day episode.

The post “160 – Jessica Spangler Becoming an A&P in Cameroon” appeared first on AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

159 – In the Approach Path of a Boeing 737!

October 31, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 4 Comments

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I’m so glad I got talked into this one! (Thanks Kenneth!)

It turned out to be a definite highlight of the week… you can hear more about the details in the podcast audio.

I want to thank PilotWorkshops.com for sponsoring the podcast.

The book, “Airplane Engines: A Pilot Friendly Manual” is a resource you’ll love. Click here for more info.

Also, don’t miss the very popular “Tip of the Week” by PilotWorkshops as well. This week’s tip was about flying through rain, and had some really useful tips both for VFR and IFR flying. Sign up for free at PilotWorkshops.com

158 – Starters, Starter Adapters, and Starter Solenoids

October 24, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 2 Comments

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I installed this starter and starter adapter on a Beechcraft Debonair IO-470 engine last week… the starter adapters (or sometimes called a clutch, or starter drive,) sometimes begin to slip, and when that happens, it’s time for overhaul.

It’s also recommended to overhaul the starter at the same time, or install a new one.

There are also different opinions about the newer “lightweight starters” like Sky-Tek and others. Some prefer the older style starters due to some past problems with certain lightweight starters.

Regardless of which starter you choose, take some time to do some careful research.

And if you need some technical help, you can always call Jimmy and Debbie Schreiner at Modified Aircraft Accessories. Together, the husband and wife team run their repair station at Brooks, Kentucky, and they do excellent work.

Click here to check out their website.

Our sponsor for this episode is PilotWorkshops.com

One of their most popular free resources is the “Pilot’s Tip of the Week.” It always starts with a question, followed by a brief and practical answer, both in print and in audio form.

At the end, you can make your own choice about what you would do in that situation. Check it out… it will make you a better pilot!

Also, as an airplane owner or operator, you will love the engine book that was recently published. It’s called “Airplane Engines – A Pilot-Friendly Manual.”

I highly recommend this book. It has all kinds of practical information to help you know, understand, operate, and troubleshoot your airplane engine. Read more about the engine book here, and purchase a copy today.

Now back to the starter on the Beechcraft Debonair… after we reinstalled the starter adapter and installed an overhauled starter, it still seemed a little sluggish for starting.

After some troubleshooting and discovering high resistance in the starter solenoid (contactor) we decided to install a new one. Probably not a bad idea at all, since this one looks like it may have been original. Check out the old one beside the new one:

It was also a good time to replace some other old parts and install a couple new ring terminals and terminal boots:

With the new starter solenoid installed, the whole system worked very well, and the airplane is now back in service.

Other items mentioned in this episode:

A Piper cub being ferried by Marie-Claire Laberge… she stopped at SHD and I learned she works for “FullThrottleAviationLLC.com,” a company that provides world-wide ferry services for all kinds of airplanes.

And finally, a sight I had never seen before rolling into SHD the other day… a turbo-prop Maule!

I researched this airplane and found it on YouTube… it was for sale about a year ago for $399,000

Check it out here.

If you need consulting services for your airplane, I’d be happy to serve you.

To set up a virtual call:

Schedule a One Hour FaceTime call with me in 2 simple steps

Go to my calendar and pick a time spot that’s good for you.

Click here to schedule a time.

2. Go to my PayPal link and make a $100 payment.

Click here to pay $100 in PayPal.

On the scheduled day, I’ll call you and we can discuss and examine your airplane concerns. (Many prefer FaceTime for this.)

The post “158 – Starters, Starter Adapters, and Starter Solenoids” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

157 – Valve lapping, shock mounts, and vacuum issues

October 17, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 0 Comments

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Valve lapping is sometimes a great option for improving cylinder compression and extending the life of an exhaust valve. We’ll talk about it in today’s episode.

Pilot Workshops.com is our sponsor for this episode, and I wholeheartedly recommend their resources.

Be sure to sign up for the “Tip of the Week,” and receive a short, practical tip every Wednesday morning that will make you a better pilot.

PilotWorkshops.com also has simple and practical book about Airplane Engines. It’s packed full of easy-to-understand information for pilots. As we approach the season of colder temperatures, you might want to check out the section on pre-heating.

That’s just one useful topic in the book, “Airplane Engines: A Pilot-Friendly Manual.”

When you purchase the book, you’ll get both the digital copy and the print copy.

In today’s episode, we have three issues from Trace’s Cessna 310 this past week:

Lapping an exhaust valve.
Repositioning and correctly installing an engine shock mount.
Evaluating a vacuum system issue, and making a plan.

First, the lapping project. At the recent annual inspection, the compression in the right engine cylinder #4 was in the mid-50’s. After lapping we got a solid 64/80, a significant improvement.

Second, one engine shock mount was out of position:

The 1/4 inch gap got my attention and we had to hoist the engine and loosen the bolt to install the lower shock mount correctly. Here’s the result – notice the 1/4 inch gap has been closed.

The third isssue showed up when we ran the engines. Notice the oil pressure gauges… only the left engine is running. But the vacuum gauge indicates both vacuum pumps are operating.

This usually indicates a problem with the vacuum manifold valve. Most likely, it will need to be replaced.

After we checked and verified there were no oil leaks, Trace took me for a ride in his Cessna 310… a great experience! Thank you Trace!

Trace has been a Navy F-18 test pilot for quite a few years, and it was awesome to fly with him!

And to wrap us this episode, I also met Tobin this past week, owner of a very nice Piper Cherokee Six. He dropped his airplane off at SHD for his annual inspection. Hopefully I can give an update in the future about how his inspection turns out.

Trace, and Tobin, it was a pleasure to meet both of you this past week!

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156 – The Weirdest Vacuum System Problem I’ve Ever Seen

October 5, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 0 Comments

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Although a shop vac might not pull as much vacuum as an engine driven vacuum pump, it can still be useful for some parts of the troubleshooting process. This was just one thing we did on the path to solving a very strange vacuum problem. Listen to the story in today’s podcast episode.

Our sponsor for this episode is PilotWorkshops.com

Regardless of where you are in your aviation journey, PilotWorkshops has the perfect resources to help you become a safer and more proficient pilot.

Subscribe to the Tip of the Week, and every Wednesday you’ll receive a fun pilot tip that includes a question, a short 2 minute or less expert answer, and a quiz to ask what you would do in that scenario. Check it out… it’s one of the emails I look forward to!

And finally, be sure to check out the newly released book, “Airplane Engines: A Pilot-Friendly Manual.” It’s packed full of useful information that’s easy to understand. For example, you can learn about doing an in-flight ignition check, or even an in-flight induction leak check, and so much more. Click here for more information.

Now for today’s episode… we’re featuring two squawks on a twin Cessna.

Squawk #1: The left fuel gauge was completely inoperative, both for the main tank and the aux tank.

In this episode, we talk about the troubleshooting process that led to changing the fuel quantity indicator. The gauge from eBay worked great, and the system was back to normal.

Squawk #2: The vacuum system had a weird problem… the vacuum gauge showed that both vacuum pumps were functioning, but the vacuum was very low (approx. 1 inch of Hg instead of 5 inches.) Apparently it doesn’t take much vacuum to pull the inop indicator in (the little red button for the left and right vacuum pumps in the vacuum gauge.) This squawk was challenging! Actually, the solution turned out to be simple, but the discovery process was not so simple.

We checked an extensive list of components, both in the vacuum system and in the surface deice system, since the two are inter-related, and the squawk had two parts: the vacuum indication was very low, and the wing deice boots were not being pulled firmly against the surface of the wing (which requires good vacuum.)

Here’s the deice valve in the right engine compartment, one of the components we tested in this process.

Thankfully, we did not end up ordering any high-priced components in this scenario, because the solution turned out to be very simple… we removed an elbow between two vacuum hoses, and installed plugs in them instead. Listen to the audio for the details.

Reminder: the video training course for “Servicing Landing Gear Shock Struts” will be coming soon… be watching for more details.

The post, “156 – The Weirdest Vacuum System Problem I’ve Ever Seen” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

155 – My Retractable Landing Gear is Not Moving!

September 26, 2020 / Dean Showalter / 0 Comments

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This is what Josh discovered recently in his Beechcraft Debonair while getting some training in his airplane with an instructor as part of the Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program (BPPP.) The gear motor was the culprit.

Josh’s story is the main feature in today’s episode, but first I want to thank PilotWorkshops for sponsoring the podcast.

The more I learn about PilotWorkshops, the more impressed I am. The team led by Mark Robidoux is producing all kinds of valuable resources to help us as pilots go beyond being legal and certified, to becoming proficient and safe.

And I’ve discovered when we are proficient and safe, it’s a lot more fun to fly!

So I encourage you to do two things:

ONE: Go to PilotWorkshops.com and sign up for the “Tip of the Week.” It’s a short, 2 minute or less, valuable lesson for pilots, both in print and audio form… there’s a question, followed by an expert answer, along with a fun quiz at the end about “what you would do” in that scenario.

TWO: Grab a copy of the new engine book… “Airplane Engines: A Pilot-Friendly Manual.” Check it out here: https://pilotworkshop.com/products/airplane-engines/

I had the privilege of helping to edit the engine book and provide photos, and I can say with confidence it’s a GREAT resource for pilots!

Now back to Josh and his gear motor.

Sometimes the gear would retract and extend, and sometimes not.

Listen to the story in today’s episode to find out how things turned out with Josh’s instructor that day, as well as why they ended up carefully towing the airplane back to the hangar by hand, and how the aircraft finally ended up on jacks in the shop at Classic Aviation LLC at KSHD, where the landing gear motor could be removed for repair.

The gear motor is on its way to Kevin O’Halloran for repair. I was totally impressed with the procedure he uses to repair these 12 volt “Lamb” gear motors. (Those are the only ones he works on.)

We’re also changing all 3 nose gear rod ends, hardware, down spring, and shear pin at this time (as recommended by ABS.)

Here’s the existing nose gear down spring, shear pin, idler arm rod end and hardware…a portion of the parts we’ll be replacing (looks like they’ve been there for a LONG TIME.)

Josh will be good to go for a long time as far as the landing gear goes.

I found a sketchy-looking entry about the gear motor in the airframe log from 1996. The best I can tell, here’s what it says:

“Removed landing gear motor, cut armature, new brushes, new bearings, replaced overhauled motor, retract tested.”

Sorry, but for me, sloppy maintenance entries makes me wonder if the work was also sloppy.

It’s always best to type maintenance record entries.

And one last thing that’s not a big deal, but it indicates the maintenance manual procedure was not quite finished, is the shimmy dampener. The cotter pin should be slightly spread apart to allow inserting a small measuring rod or wire to determine when the fluid is low.

If you’d like me to travel to your airport for some very specific maintenance oriented training with you, then send me an email: dean@airplaneownermaintenance.com

Or, to set up a virtual call:

Schedule a FaceTime call with me in 2 simple steps

Go to my calendar and pick a time spot that’s good for you.

Click here to schedule a time.

2. Go to my PayPal link and make a $100 payment.

Click here to pay $100 in PayPal.

On the scheduled day, I’ll call you and we can discuss and examine your airplane concerns. (Many prefer FaceTime for this.)

The post “155 – My Retractable Landing Gear is Not Moving!” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

Year: 2020 (Page 1 of 4)

164 – Airplanes, Motorcycles, and Bob’s Grass Runway

163 – Gear Warning Light Mystery

162 – Giving Thanks for my Good Friend Jonathan Brush

161 – Tobin’s Cherokee Six

160 – Jessica Spangler Becoming an A&P in Cameroon

159 – In the Approach Path of a Boeing 737!

158 – Starters, Starter Adapters, and Starter Solenoids

157 – Valve lapping, shock mounts, and vacuum issues

156 – The Weirdest Vacuum System Problem I’ve Ever Seen

155 – My Retractable Landing Gear is Not Moving!

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