Airplane Owner Maintenance

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

Tag: jimweir

148 – $200 Annual Inspection with Jim Weir

July 9, 2020 / / 2 Comments

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You might be wondering, “How is that possible,” or “What kind of shady operation is that?!” Same here. When I first heard about the $200 annual inspection, I was skeptical… until I actually researched what Jim does and how he does it. That prompted me to call him, and he was gracious enough to take some time to talk with me for the podcast. Thanks Jim!

In talking with Jim, I discovered he does a very thorough, AND very efficient annual inspection with the carefully selected owners he works with. He does this by maximizing the involvement of the airplane owner, and by requiring a very specific process of preparation before he even puts his eyes on the airplane.

Jim Weir has been involved with aviation for many years, and has a wealth of wisdom and experience to share with us.

Although the following picture may have been a few years ago, Jim is still very much full of life and energy… I discovered that the day I spoke with him!

And somehow, I’m guessing Cindi has been a very significant part of Jim’s success in aviation and in life 🙂

In the following picture, Jim ties down his Cessna 182 in advance of a thunderstorm on the way to Oshkosh (Iowa City) in 2002.

And here’s a fun picture: Jim has collected a coffe cup from Oshkosh, every year from 1974 to 2019!

I have to admit, Jim’s approach to annual inspections is not for everyone, but for the owners of small planes who want to be deeply involved in the process, it’s certainly a fascinating option to consider, especially if you’re anywhere near the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Maybe one day I’ll be able to travel clear across the country to visit Jim in person and see his operation… I would LOVE that, for sure!

Thank you Jim, for talking with us in this episode! Keep up the good work!

You can learn more about Jim at rstengineering.com

This is also a good place to learn about HOW Jim does an annual inspection… the key is, it’s an “inspection” and not “fixing discrepancies.”

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146 – Fixing an Obscure Oil Leak

June 27, 2020 / / 0 Comments

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The part in the yellow circle is an oil scavenge pump that returns oil back to the engine oil sump after it lubricates the turbocharger center bearings. The right side of the assembly is the adapter that fits into the engine accessory case. The left side of the assembly is the hydraulic pump that is used for the landing gear system, the flap system, and the nosegear steering system in this Aerostar 601.

Inside the oil scavenge pump, there are two oil seals, (sometimes called garlock seals,) and two o-rings.

In today’s episode, we discuss this type of pump that reminded me of A&P school from years ago… it’s called a “gerotor pump.” It has a gear within a gear.

Listen to the audio for the details on fixing this oil leak.

We also talk about a Mooney M20K engine in this episode… we lapped the exhaust valve in cylinder #5. We might end up checking the exhaust valve in cylinder #2 as well to make sure it’s not sticking, after the owner had some classic “morning sickness” symptoms as described in Mike Busch’s recent article about sticking exhaust valves. The article is well worth reading.

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/july/pilot/savvy-maintance-valves

And while we’re on the subject of exhaust valves, I wanted to remind everyone this resource is available for free… for now. If you want to learn about what to look for when you’re borescoping exhaust valves, this is a great resource. I’m considering moving the guide into the paid section of resources, so grab a copy while you can.

Click here and sign up with your email, and you’ll receive a free copy of the guide, for at least another two weeks.

Click here to get the Exhaust Valve Borescoping Guide.

And if you have a friend, or a few friends who might benefit from this resource, please share this link with them: AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

Post it on Facebook or Instagram, or wherever you like, so people can take advantage of it while it’s free.

Also in this episode:

  • A big “thank you” to Jeff Claridge who contacted me and did a conference call with me to demonstrate the smoke tester he has to detect leaks in engines. He suggested this would be a great tool for checking exhaust and intake systems for leaks on airplane engines… after seeing it in action, I totally agree! Thanks Jeff!
  • The tester Jeff has is an Autool SDT202. (If you make a purchase with the following link, I’ll get a small percentage… thanks so much!)
  • Thanks also, to Joe Godfrey for talking with us in episode 144, about engine monitoring and data, and how to use SavvyAnalysis.com to analyze that data. Joe used the data from the Cessna 172 Hawk XP that was discussed in episode 142, in the recent “puzzler” in the Savvy Aviation newsletter. Check it out: https://resources.savvyaviation.com/grok-savvy-analysis-puzzler-june-2020/. Thank you Joe!
  • I recorded a conversation yesterday with my friend, Aram Basmadjian, that will appear in a future episode. Be looking for that one. Aram owns and flies a V-tail Bonanza.
  • I also recorded a second conversation yesterday with Jim Weir, a gentleman I only recently became aware of. He has a very unique and strategic way of doing “owner assisted” annual inspecions. That one will also be in a future episode.

Thanks everyone, and have a great week!

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