Maintenance

Annual report draws on more than 600 responses from shops and operators nationwide.

The thoughts are succinct and paragraphs short in a conversation about some of the basic truths of staying alive, happy and well when flying. Okay, there might be a few opinions mixed in. Pushing It The weather is not going to get better in another five miles. If you are trying to scud-run, the weather […]

A federal watchdog report has found that the FAA failed to fully address long-standing maintenance oversight issues at SkyWest Airlines.

On Wednesday, a coalition of airlines, maintenance providers and manufacturers released a report aimed at preventing unapproved parts from entering the aviation supply chain in the future. The Aviation Supply Chain Integrity Coalition, co-chaired by former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt and former U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John D. Porcari, includes industry stakeholders […]

Bruce Gullingsrud represents a legion of unsung heroes in aviation—he’s a career maintenance technician. His life’s work recently received recognition from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), which awarded Gullingsrud one of nine Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Awards for 2023. “I’m sneaking up on a half century of doing this kind of work,” […]

During routine inspections, good technicians dig deep into the airframe looking for structural cracks. And if you’re doing even a causal preflight walkaround it’s not uncommon to find cracks around cowlings, windows and fairings. None of them should be ignored. Surface cracking doesn’t usually mean a cowling or control surface will come apart, but it’s […]

When you present yourself to a designated pilot examiner (DPE) or an FAA employee for a checkride to add a new certificate or rating, both you and the aircraft are subject to closer inspection than you may be accustomed. Pilots aren’t expected to know the dry torque specification for an engine’s cylinder studs, but they […]

If you’re doing your own routine maintenance—and if you’re not, why not?—you’re going to need a means to open your canister oil filter after every oil change. There are choices on the market, and each design seems to follow a slightly different philosophy, even if the desired result is much the same: Cut the base […]

The backup rechargeable batteries used in current-gen EFIS models have gotten better over the years. But they still require routine inspections, might have mandatory replacement intervals and are intolerant of extreme storage conditions. Don’t underestimate the costs associated with replacing them, either. Fortunately there are some things you and your mechanics can do to ensure […]

A typical pilot is concerned with aircraft maintenance only to a limited degree. He or she often lacks any ability to perform or approve maintenance at the same time they’re responsible for pre-flight inspections and ensuring the paperwork demonstrates airworthiness. And although the FARs make the owner/operator responsible for ensuring inspections and maintenance have been […]