Multimedia Video of the Week

How To Cut And Inspect An Oil Filter

pauldyeavweb

Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 07:08 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Inspecting cut-open oil filters is a critical step for individuals performing their own airplane maintenance.
A purpose-made tool should be used for this task to ensure efficiency and proper execution, avoiding tools like a hacksaw.
KITPLANES Editor-at-Large Paul Dye demonstrates the correct procedure for cutting and inspecting oil filters in the accompanying video.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XajDFyGYY8I

If you do your own airplane maintenance, cutting open and inspecting an oil filter is an important step. In this video, KITPLANES Editor-at-Large Paul Dye explains how to do it. Having a purpose-made tool for the job speeds things along and, pro tip, that’s not a hacksaw.

pauldyeavweb

Paul Dye, KITPLANES® Editor at Large, retired as a Lead Flight Director for NASA’s Human Space Flight program, with 40 years of aerospace experience on everything from Cubs to the Space Shuttle. An avid homebuilder, he began flying and working on airplanes as a teen, and has experience with a wide range of construction techniques and materials. He flies an RV-8 that he built, an RV-3 that he built with his pilot wife, as well as a Dream Tundra they completed. Currently, they are building a Xenos motorglider. A commercially licensed pilot, he has logged over 5000 hours in many different types of aircraft and is an A&P, EAA Tech Counselor and Flight Advisor, as well as a former member of the Homebuilder’s Council. He consults and collaborates in aerospace operations and flight-testing projects across the country.