A Maintenance Oriented Podcast For Airplane Owners, Pilots, and Mechanics

Category: Podcast Episodes (Page 15 of 25)

110 – My Story With Classic Aviation

Note:  CLICK HERE for more episodes of the Airplane Owner Maintenance Podcast. 


Classic Aviation needs one or two more experienced A&P / IA’s!

If you know of any good possibilities, contact our manager, Yev Bondarev:

540-234-0226 or classicaviationshd@gmail.com

Classic Aviation is a great place to get a well-rounded general aviation maintenance experience.

Website:  https://www.classicaviationshd.com/

Now for today’s episode:

Today is actually March 2, 2019, but I recorded the audio for this episode the day after my birthday, February 21, 2019.  So I reflected back over my time at Classic Aviation and talked about some of my experiences there, and about the changes of ownership and management that have happened over the years.

In my time at Classic, there have been three different owners:

Richard Kiser (the founder of the business.)  1993-2010.

Kyle London 2011-2018.

Rick Kelley 2018- present time.

Listen to today’s episode to hear about some of my experiences over the years.   I cover a wide range of stuff in this episode, including people I’ve appreciated and learned from, various airplanes we’ve worked on, and some people I’ve learned about more recently.  Some of these are:

Jason Catanzariti:  I found Jason online when I was looking for information about the concept of “Transfer of Learning.”  He wrote an article called, “How Juggling, Bulldozer Driving & Savvy Instructors Can Build Flight Skills.”  What an amazing article… well worth your time to read!  The article is about the fascinating reality that our past experience affects new learning.   Here’s a great example:  Jason says, “I’ve observed that bulldozer operators have no problems learning to taxi because they are already accustomed to steering with their feet.”  We need more flight instructors like Jason – the kind who are not just interested in “checking all the boxes of required training,” but instead, are interested in higher levels of training where a passion for aviation is ignited that goes far beyond the status quo.  Well done Jason, and thanks for writing that article!

And just now, I found another article Jason wrote about learning to fly.  It’s called “Instructor Report – Is Flying Hard?”  Another great article!

You can check out Jason at JasonCFI.com

Chris Palmer:  Chris has a podcast called “Angle of Attack.”  Chris says “There are pilots.  Then there are aviators.”  Chris is all about training “aviators” – pilots who have a passion for aviation that goes far beyond the standard requirements.  Check out Chris’ podcast and training opportunities here:

For the podcast:  https://www.aviatortraining.com/category/aviatorcast-podcast/

For aviation training opportunities:   https://www.aviatortraining.com/

I find it totally fascinating that Chris lives in Homer, Alaska!  This is by far one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited!

John and Leslie Caubble:  I’ve mentioned these great people before, and  I want to recommend their new podcast “Fly Maui.”  Recently, they had Chris Palmer on the show as a guest, and it was an EXCELLENT episode.  (Fly Maui episode 18 from February 11, 2019.)  Check it out here:  https://www.flymauihi.com/blog/chrispalmer

Rick Kelley:  Now I’m coming back around to the new owner of Classic Aviation, Rick Kelley.  I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Rick.  He loves aviation of all types.  In fact, that’s why he bought Classic Aviation.  Rick is also on the board of “Sheltering Arms,” an organization that is building a rehabilitation hospital in the Richmond, Virginia area.  Rick has his own fascinating story of recovering from a stroke 6 years ago, and he is super excited about the new opportunity for this new hospital that will serve the eastern United States.

Yev Bondarev:   I want to end this episode with a reminder to give Yev a call or send an email if you know of any good A&P / IA’s who would like to work at Classic Aviation.  We have a good opportunity to add one or two more right now.  Yev is the manager at Classic, and he would love to talk with you!

540-234-0226

classicaviationshd@gmail.com

Contact Yev today!

The post “My Story With Classic Aviation” appeared first on Dean Showalter’s website, AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

109 – Exhaust Valve Problems – Could Lapping Be A Good Option?

How do you Lap an exhaust valve on an airplane engine?  That’s a good question, and this is the topic in today’s episode.

If you’ve owned an airplane for very long, there’s a good chance you’ve had a “low compression” at some point during one of your annual inspections.  What is perhaps not so common, is one solution for dealing with that low compression.

In the past, when a cylinder showed less than 60/80, it was automatically deemed “unairworthy” and removed for repair.  But with today’s technology, this is totally unnecessary in many cases.  If a borescope inspection shows a healthy exhaust valve, with no other issues noted in the cylinder, then there might be other options for dealing with that cylinder.

And “lapping” is one of those options.  “Lapping” is the process of putting some grinding compound between the edge of the valve and the valve seat, and spinning the valve, in order to restore a good fit between the valve and the valve seat.  Combustion deposits and irregular wear are contributors to a poor fit between the valve and its seat.  If we can safely restore the contact area between the exhaust valve and the seat, it’s possible that cylinder can continue in service for many more hours.  The good thing is that this process can be performed without removing the cylinder from the engine.  And when it’s successful, it has the potential to save time, money, and the risk of further issues that can be a by-product of removing and reinstalling a cylinder.

Listen to today’s episode for a description of two exhaust valves that were lapped with what appears to be significant success.  Time will tell, but so far, I’m hopeful about extending the life of these two cylinders.

Here is cylinder #1.  Note the slight burning spot at the lower left.  The compression test on this cylinder was 45/80, with significant leakage past the exhaust valve.  After lapping, the compression was 63/80 even when it was cold, a remarkable improvement… and, there was almost no leakage past the exhaust valve.

The following is cylinder #2.  It had a compression of 69/80, with significant leakage past the exhaust valve.  After lapping, this one was 74/80 cold, another remarkable improvement, also with almost no leakage past the exhaust valve.

This is the #2 valve seat before lapping… the skinny black line, is the good area of valve seating, not sufficient for a good seal and good heat transfer.  After lapping, the seating area was remarkably better.

The bottom line to remember in this episode is:

If you have a cylinder with low compression, you have options!

When your A&P contacts you and says, “You have a cylinder that’s 57/80 and we need to remove it for repair,” here are some questions you can ask:

    1. Is it leaking out the exhaust valve, and how bad is the leak?
    1. Have you looked at it with a borescope?  (This should be a requirement of yours.)
  1. Are there any other options besides removing the cylinder?

Your A&P should be able to answer and discuss these questions without getting defensive.  If not, it might be time for a second opinion.

The most important goal in all this, is safety, and I’m absolutely in favor of removing engine cylinders when necessary, but it’s also true that many cylinders have been removed unnecessarily.

Also, I’m not telling you to “lap” your exhaust valves.  I’m just hoping to add some worthwhile information to the conversation, so you can make an informed decision whenever you face an issue with an exhaust valve.  Do your research.  Learn all you can.  Then make your decision.

Contacts and resources mentioned in this episode:

Dave Pasquale of Pasquale Aviation and Savvy Aviation.  Dave has written great articles and produced some very helpful videos about exhaust valves and their inspection and maintenance.  Here is just one of Dave’s videos:

Video:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/136005688@N02/38098941925/

Mike Busch, founder of Savvy Aviation.  As always, Mike’s articles, resources and services are incredibly helpful and educational.  https://www.savvyaviation.com/

American Bonanza Society (ABS.)

www.bonanza.org

AOPA:  Anatomy of a valve failure, by Adrian Eichhorn.

https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/air-safety-institute/valve-safety

(You can also download the chart with pictures to help identify healthy and unhealthy exhaust valves.

An article written for automotive applications, but educational for airplane applications as well:

Valves and valve seats – There’s more than meets the eye.

https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2017/03/valves-seats-theres-meets-eye/

An article that very compellingly describes the difference between “grinding” exhaust valve seats, and “cutting” exhaust valve seats.

http://inlandaviationspecialties.com/2017/09/17/dont-call-power-section-nothing/

Another article from Back Country Pilot, that talks about exhaust valves, including “lapping.”

https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/leaking-exhaust-valve-what-are-my-options-15921

Ok, that’s all for today.  And if you’re interested, you can check out the video I posted on Instagram, of the Lockheed Electra doing taxi testing yesterday at KSHD.  Definitely the coolest thing I saw at the airport this week!  (My username at Instagram is airplanedean.)

108 – How Long Do Airplane Spark Plugs Last?

New spark plugs every year?

Yep… that’s what happened for five annual inspections in a row, with the A36 Bonanza I’ve been inspecting and working on.  From 2013 to 2017, the spark plugs were replaced every year.  Four of those times, the spark plugs being replaced, had less than 150 hours on them.  That is not a very long life for a spark plug, and I can’t imagine why they were replaced so soon.

Aviation massive spark plugs should easily last from 300-500 hours, and fine wire plugs should last at least 1000 hours, and perhaps more.

In today’s episode, we talk about several ways to maximize the life of your spark plugs:

  1. Regular servicing, at least every 100 hours.
  2. Rotate the spark plugs properly.  (Use a tray for this purpose.)
  3. Avoid large bead blasters.  (Use a small one designed for spark plugs.)
  4. Use proper torque when installing spark plugs.

These tips should help you maximize the life of your spark plugs, save you some money, and keep your engine running reliably and efficiently.

If you need more detail about spark plug servicing, check out episode 031 – Spark Plug Servicing For Airplane Owners.

 

107 – Avoid Costly Repairs With A Little Lube

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:

  1. A Beechcraft Debonair with a starter problem.
  2. A Mooney M20J with a speedbrake issue.
  3. An A36 Bonanza with a “GND COMM” switch that would not turn off.
  4. 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!

106 – Querky Things About Your Airplane

Sometimes, airplanes have some out-of-the-ordinary maintenance and servicing requirements.  I discovered one of those items yesterday while talking with Kyle Jones, owner of a really nice, fixed gear Cessna Cardinal.  We talk about that in today’s episode.  It’s a very specific procedure for servicing the shimmy dampener on that airplane.  These are items you might want to discuss with your A&P… he or she should find the information in the maintenance manual whenever necessary, but for things like the shimmy dampener on this Cardinal, it might be worth double checking on before having it serviced.Today’s episode also covers some information about a Piper Apache, and an issue I faced with the hydraulic system.

And finally, I have a request for you listeners.  I’d like to put together an episode of stories… stories of anything you consider interesting, maybe a terrifying experience while flying, or maybe the most fulfilling and inspiring thing you’ve done in aviation.  So, if you have a story to share, just click the red “Send Voicemail” button over there to the right and leave me a brief message… it can be up to 90 seconds.  If I get enough response, I’m planning to do an episode of stories.  Thanks!

Have a happy new year!

Dean

105 – The Art of Crawling Around in an Airplane

Yes, it is an art, and it takes careful and precise thinking, in order to prevent damage to an airplane.

I’m not going to post any pictures with this episode, so here’s what’s included in the audio for this podcast:

  • An update on my family’s Thanksgiving trip to Colorado… what an awesome state with so much to see!
  • Some updated information about using “torque plates when changing engine cylinders,” which was prompted by an email I received recently… thank you Jason Burton!  And here’s a link for an excellent article on CSO Beech about torque plates:  http://www.csobeech.com/torque-plates.html
  • And the feature for today… 5 tips for those times when you need to crawl around in inconvenient areas of an airplane.  I’m sure I only scratched the surface of this topic, so if you have any ideas to add, please contact me, and I’ll be happy to add  your tips to the discussion.

Have a wonderful week friends!

104 – Torque Plates: Does Your A&P Use Them When Removing a Cylinder?

I received a voice message the other day from John, a Mooney owner.  He was asking for some discussion on the podcast about using “torque plates” when removing cylinders from airplane engines.  He mentioned that Mike Busch was a proponent of this practice.  John also mentioned the concept of using torque plates had come up in an IA meeting recently.

So at lunch time that day, I did a google search and typed in “torque plates mike busch.”  And I found an article that appeared in the Mar/Apr 2009 issue of the Cirrus Pilot magazine.  It was a very interesting article… the problem was very serious, but thankfully, it turned out well.  The B36TC Bonanza that was featured in the article, had a severe engine problem causing it to come apart soon after takeoff.  TCM’s analytical report said it was an engine failure for unknown reasons.  However, Mike Busch traced it back to improper maintenance during the removal and reinstallation of cylinders 2, 4, and 6 just 9.1 hours prior to the engine failure.  Here’s a link where you can download and read the full article.  It’s well worth your time.

https://www.cirruspilots.org/copa/tech/m/magazine_articles/563618/download.aspx

And here’s another one of Mike’s articles from the June 2014 edition of the Sport Aviation magazine.  This one’s titled “Cylinder Work – Be Afraid.”

https://www.savvyaviation.com/wp…/EAA_2014-06_cylinder-work-be-afraid.pdf

I suppose the procedure of removing and reinstalling a piston engine cylinder on an airplane deserved at least a healthy dose of fear to remind us all of using all the best practices to ensure the safest possible outcome when the task is completed.

John’s message came a really good time for me, since I had just removed cylinder #5 on an A36 Bonanza.  I’m planning to talk about WHY that cylinder was removed, at some point in the future.  It was the most out of the ordinary thing I’ve ever seen during a routine borescope inspection during the annual.  The moral of this story is, “Don’t rely on compression testing only.  A borescope inspection should be done along with every compression test.  Otherwise the results are not complete and not very reliable.  But compression testing and borescoping together, can be a powerful combination for evaluating the health of a cylinder.

This whole idea of using torque plates, or stacks of washers, and torquing the nuts on the through studs when a cylinder is removed, is something that deserves far more attention than it has had in years past.  Let’s all do our part to make people aware of the importance of not allowing the crankshaft bearings to shift during cylinder maintenance.

As an airplane owner, you would do well to talk with your A&P about using torque plates, if you ever need to have one or more cylinders removed from your engine for repair, and then reinstalled.

Have a wonderful week, and by all means, if you have to change a cylinder, use torque plates!

103 – Things I Found On a Cessna 172 Inspection

This week, I inspected a Cessna 172.  From a distance it appeared to be a really nice airplane, and it is.  But at closer examination, as is often the case, there were a number of issues that needed to be addressed.  In today’s episode, we’ll cover those issues and talk about what was discovered.

When I ran the engine on this airplane, I discovered the fuel primer nozzle was very stiff to move.  The following picture is a similar primer nozzle I recently resealed on a Cessna 182.  Notice how brittle one of the o-rings was… it broke in two!  These primer nozzles are easily resealed with two new o-rings (MS 29513-012) and a very light coating of Krytox grease.  After this, they work like new.

Here’s a one minute video of how stiff the primer was in that Cessna 172 when I was preparing to run the engine:

 

Here’s one of the two items I found on this airplane that were safety wired backwards.  This oil drain plug safety wiring was quite nice-looking, but it was in the wrong direction.  I corrected this after draining the oil.

If you need to learn how to perform safety wiring on your own airplane, check out my video tutorial course, Safety Wire Like A Pro!  This course will teach you everything you need to know about quality aircraft safety wiring.

This Cessna 172 fuel strainer (gascolator) also needed a good cleaning.

And, when Dave, another A&P, removed the fuel strainer, he noticed the fuel would not shut off, so we’ll also need to reseal the fuel selector valve to make sure it will shut off the fuel when it’s in the “OFF” position.

The fuel tank drain valves also need attention, since the left one was leaking, and the right one would not even operate properly (it would not press to drain.)

Listen to the audio of today’s episode to get more details on these issues, and many more.

How about you?  Has your airplane had a thorough inspection recently.  I find there’s a wide range in the quality of inspections that are done on airplanes, depending on the inspector or the shop.  Some are very detailed.  Others are not nearly detailed enough.  Yet another good reason to get your airplane inspected by a different set of eyes every few years!

Until next time, fly safely!

 

 

102 – Bonanza and Baron Landing Gear Motor Stories

Retractable landing gear is an incredible feature when everything works properly.  On Bonanzas and Barons, the gear motor is like the heart of the system.  And sometimes, a heart repair, or even a “transplant” is necessary.  Sometimes, the heart, (or the gear motor,) shows signs and symptoms of poor health, and sometimes, problems become apparent during “routine checkups,” or annual inspections.

I’ve seen issues with landing gear motors, both during the annual inspection, and at other times.  In today’s episode, we talk about 6 separate stories of issues with landing gear motors on Bonanzas and Barons.  When we put them all together, they’re useful to learn some important things about keeping the landing gear system performing at its best.

Here are the stories we cover today:

A Beech 58 Baron:  An issue with the gear motor and the landing gear relay.

A Beech A36 Bonanza with a gear motor problem.

A Beech 55 Baron with some “broken teeth.”  (They just barely got the gear extended with the hand crank.)

A Beech A36 Bonanza with inconsistent gearbox clearance, and the solution for the problem.

A Beech V35 Bonanza with inconsistent gearbox clearance, and the solution.  (It was different than the solution for the A36 Bonanza.)

Another Beech A36 Bonanza (the one I’m working on now at Classic Aviation, LLC.) with a very strange issue… occasionally, the gear motor would run about half speed for the gear extension cycle.

For this last story, we sent the gear motor to Aircraft Systems, Inc. in Rockford, Illinois.  Jeff has been fantastic to deal with.  I highly recommend this shop.  http://www.acs-rfd.com/  Or if you’d like to call them, the number is  815-399-0225.

 

 

 

101 – I Busted My Knuckles on an Airplane Engine

Today, I’m sharing with you a story about busting my knuckles trying to remove a locknut from an engine mount bolt.  The nut was bottomed out on the shank of the bolt, making it very hard to hold the bolt still while loosening the locknut.

I could have avoided all that if I had put my Mechanix gloves on first 🙂

You’ll also hear an audio message from Jerry Esquenazi, the owner of an RV 8 that he built, and also partner in an F33A Bonanza.  Thanks for the message Jerry!

One last thing, could you help me?  I need some feedback about what you need as an airplane owner, when it comes to maintenance.  I put together a VERY SHORT 3 question survey, and I’d be grateful if you could take a minute and answer 3 simple questions.  Thanks!

Here’s the link for the survey (it’s very short):

Click here to answer 3 quick questions.

Thanks for your feedback!

Dean

 

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