Here are the highlights you’ll find in this podcast episode:
My latest assignment at Classic Aviation – Installing the freshly overhauled engine in a Cessna 172 that is almost complete after an extensive rebuild process.
Some emails I’ve received from listeners with fun feedback of multiple types.
Some listener thoughts about home simulator systems.
Some resources I’ve found helpful in sharpening up ATC communication skills.
Here are some of those fantastic resources:
Live ATC: Choose an ATC facility somewhere in the country, and listen in! LiveATC.net
Opposing Bases Podcast – 2 guys who are both air traffic controllers AND pilots, and they laugh a lot! This is a great resource to hear about real world situations between ATC and pilots, and how to deal with weird or out of the ordinary situations. OpposingBases.com
A big thank you to all the listeners who have sent information and thoughts about home simulators! This is a great way to practice instrument approaches without burning any gas 🙂
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
Other topics in today’s podcast:
Exhaust leaks found by pressure testing and soapy water:
Find out why there was “pink bubble wrap” under the instrument panel! (I’ll be removing that!):
And… here’s the broken trim pulley from a Cherokee Six (this is the view from the front, looking aft through the access at the back of the cabin area)
I found this one by “feeling” it, not by “seeing” it. I reached my arm up inside the panel on the right side of the tail, and as I was verifying I could rotate these two pulleys, I discovered something did not feel right at all… and this is why!
I got some really good feedback from the email yesterday that featured this picture… thanks to all of you who responded! Be sure to listen for the story of one Boeing 747 captain, who shared something that happened years ago.
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.
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!
The post, “157 – Valve lapping, shock mounts, and vacuum issues,” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com
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.
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
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.
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.
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