Airplane Owner Maintenance

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

Tag: borescope inspection

119 – Sneak Peek of Dean’s Oshkosh Presentation

July 20, 2019 / / 0 Comments

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Scroll down to check out Dean’s favorite borescope.

I have three kids, and those are my two oldest… from many years ago 🙂

Morgan, my oldest, is on the left, and Seth is on the right. I’m guessing they were around 9 and 7 years old at that time, and they’re now 22 and 20!

So why am I showing you this picture? Good question. I’m using this picture because it’s deeply meaningful to me, AND this Cessna 182 has turned into my favorite exhaust valve borescoping and lapping story.

I’ll be telling that story in a presentation at Oshkosh on Saturday July 27, at 8:30 am. Hope to see you there!

The whole idea of “lapping” the exhaust valves came out of first borescoping the valves.

A borescope is necessary to determine if an exhaust valve is a good candidate for lapping or not.

And for this purpose, I’m a firm believer that:

Sometimes a borescope is better than a compression tester.

When it comes to viewing the condition of piston engine exhaust valves, a borescope is better than a compression tester. I have three specific story examples of actual airplanes that had an exhaust valve in serious trouble, but all three of those cylinders still had a compression test result of at least 60/80. After seeing these examples, it is EASY to see that “Sometimes, a borescope is better than a compression tester!”

So… I’ll also be talking A LOT about borescoping in my Oshkosh presentation. I’ve actually tracked down the company that produces my favorite borescope and I’m looking forward to meeting these people at Oshkosh. Oasis Scientific will have a booth there.

They’ve been great to work with and have set up a code for me to offer you 10% off the purchase price. Just use my code “Dean” at checkout to receive the 10 % discount. Oasis Scientific has many borescoping products, and here are my two favorites to recommend to you: (The first is the borescope alone, and the second is a bundle that includes an adapter to allow you to view and save pictures on your iPhone or iPad.) I bought the bundle and am very happy with it.

If you will be at Oshkosh 2019, you can go to Oasis Scientific’s booth and get their discounted show price PLUS another 10% discount by using my code “Dean”.

For the VA-400 borescope:

https://www.oasisscientific.com/vividia-va-400-rigid-usb-articulating-borescope-videoscope-inspection-camera.html

The borescope above will connect directly to an Android device or tablet.

Or if you’re like me and want to use your iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to buy the bundle which includes the VA-400 above along with a WiFi adapter to allow viewing on your iPhone or iPad. Here’s the bundle: (This is the one I bought.)

https://www.oasisscientific.com/store/p374/VA-400-WiFi_Bundle%3A_Vividia_Ablescope_VA-400_USB_Rigid_Articulating_Borescope_plus_VA-B2_WiFi_AirBox_for_iPad_iPhone_and_Android_Phone_and_Tablet.html

It’s an incredible tool that comes in a really nice metal box.


I’m really happy with this borescope. If you’re looking for a borescope, this one may be a good option for you as well.

Don’t forget to use the code “Dean” at checkout to recieve a 10% discount off the purchase price.

If you have not downloaded my free UPDATED Exhaust Valve Inspection Guide with pictures and descriptions of what to look for, be sure to grab a copy of that as well… it will be super helpful in using your new borescope. You can get access to that free guide here: airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

In the next podcast episode, I’ll give a report on my first time to Oshkosh!

Have a great week, and I hope to see some of you at the big airshow!

115 – Which Borescope Should I Buy?

May 6, 2019 / / 7 Comments

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This is a question many airplane owners, A&P’s, and IA’s ask when getting started with borescoping piston engine cylinders.

If you want to look at the exhaust valves (and other things,) in an airplane engine’s cylinders, this borescope is the one I confidently recommend: The Vividia VA-400. Here are my best reasons:

  1. It has a 180 degree articulating probe. (You can easily see the exhaust valve through the spark plug hole.)
  2. It takes excellent pictures.
  3. The price is great.
  4. It’s been tested and approved by many in the general aviation community.

Check out the following links to purchase the VA-400 borescope, or the bundle that includes both the borescope AND the wifi adapter for connecting to your iPhone or iPad:

And, if you use the code “Dean” at checkout, you will receive a 10% discount off the purchase price.

For the VA-400 borescope:

https://www.oasisscientific.com/vividia-va-400-rigid-usb-articulating-borescope-videoscope-inspection-camera.html

The borescope above will connect directly to an Android device or tablet.

Or, if you’re like me and want to use your iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to buy the bundle which includes the VA-400 above, along with a WiFi adapter to allow viewing on your iPhone or iPad. Here’s the bundle: (This is the one I bought.)

https://www.oasisscientific.com/store/p374/VA-400-WiFi_Bundle%3A_Vividia_Ablescope_VA-400_USB_Rigid_Articulating_Borescope_plus_VA-B2_WiFi_AirBox_for_iPad_iPhone_and_Android_Phone_and_Tablet.html

It’s an incredible tool that comes in a really nice metal box.

I’m really happy with this borescope. If you’re looking for a borescope, this one may well be a good option for you as well.

Remember, if you purchase using one of the links above, and use the code “Dean” at checkout, you can get a 10% discount off the purchase price.

If you have not downloaded my free PDF Exhaust Valve Inspection Guide, with pictures and descriptions of what to look for, be sure to grab a copy of that as well… it will be super helpful in using your new borescope. You can get access to that free guide here: airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

On another note, I had the great privilege of being on the Fly Maui Podcast with John and Leslie Caubble last week (episode 29.) It was great talking with them about “Beyond the Preflight Checklist,” where we talked about helpful things to know, that may not be on the standard preflight checklist. Check out the Fly Maui Podcast here: https://www.flymauihi.com/blog

Thanks John and Leslie, for all your inspiration, and for sharing your journey!

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Have a great week everyone!

114 – Free Resource for Airplane Owners to Confidently Borescope Exhaust Valves

April 24, 2019 / / 2 Comments

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Free Training: airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

Here are two of the many pictures of exhaust valves that are in the free training guide I’m offering to you, “Exhaust Valve Borescope Inspections.”

Would you know what to do if you saw this? Get the free training guide and read about what’s going on with this exhaust valve from a Turbo-normalized A36 Bonanza.

Here’s another one:

This exhaust valve is actually in a Lycoming IO-360 engine. After seeing this, I’m a firm believer in doing borescope inspections with every annual, not just for Continental engines, but for Lycoming and Franklin engines as well.

These two exhaust valves and many more, along with explanations, are included in the free borescoping guide.

Here’s the link to subscribe to this free training:

airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

Please take advantage of this free offer, and if you find it helpful, please share the link wherever you feel is appropriate.

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Also in this week’s podcast, I’m sharing some information about magneto contact points. Like exhaust valves, this is an item that is normally hidden unless effort is made to see it. When I saw these contact points, I was reminded of how important it is to do 500 hour inspections on magnetos. This magneto has approximately 1100 hours on it, and the contact points are in poor condition… startling condition actually.

Look at the right side, and then we’ll zoom in on the next picture.

Notice the very dirty contact points.

Very nasty… not sure how much longer this magneto would have run.

Bottom line lesson here: For safe and reliable operation, magnetos need regular maintenance, and the 500 hour inspection recommendation is there for a good reason.

My favorite magneto shop is Aircraft Ignition Services, LLC in Honey Grove, Texas, just outside of Dallas. This is a fantastic shop run by Kevin and Leah Herrington. Everything about their work is top notch. The work is excellent and the ongoing support and service is the best I’ve seen. Here’s their website. Take a look, and give ’em a call if you need any magneto work.

http://aircraftignitionservices.com

This is exactly where this magneto will be going, for 500 hour inspection and any necessary repairs.

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Don’t forget to grab the free Exhaust Valve Borescoping guide here:

airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

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