Maintenance

(This article originally appeared in the April 2016 issue ofKitplanesmagazine. Ed.)This month our ongoing introduction to engine technology begins an examination of the lubrication system by considering the stuff it pumps: oil. Lubrication is a background concern to the average pilot, but it is a must-have because without it, metal-to-metal wear soon reduces any engine […]

From the time I started learning to fly, I’ve watched the odd dance aircraft owners and maintenance technicians do when it comes to fixing a broken airplane. The owner brings in the airplane, mutters something along the lines of “it ain’t right” or writes up a squawk in as few words as possible and departs […]

A bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate last week would provide $5 million each year from 2019 through 2023 to expand programs and apprenticeships that would train workers for careers in aviation maintenance. “Our aviation industry needs skilled workers, and the aviation-maintenance industry provides high-paying, high-skilled jobs across the country,”said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., one […]

Ford Motor Company recently advertised their new line of truck frames as being made of military-grade aluminum. It’s a new twist on the old hype: made of aircraft-grade aluminum. I suppose the salespeople figure: What could be better than aircraft-grade (or military-grade) aluminum, right? After all, you wouldn’t want a truck frame made of beer-can […]

FBOs and local airports across Canada have been affected by a quarantine of avgas following a quality control problem at the only refinery that makes 100LL in Canada. Imperial Oil’s Strathcona refinery in Edmonton issued a directive Wednesday to its wholesale customers saying any avgas they obtained from the refinery from Dec. 28, 2017, shouldn’t […]

The FAA appears to be ramping up its promotion of ADS-B equipage now that the clock is really ticking on getting the gear. With less than two years to go until the Jan. 1, 2020, mandate, the agency is appealing to pilots’ safety sense to encourage them to get it done. The following video, featuring […]

Perhaps another sign that it’s a buyer’s market for aircraft insurance, New Jersey-based insurer Global Aerospace is offering policyholders a breakdown assistance program as standard for piston-powered singles and twins. It’s called the Global Aircraft Breakdown Assistance program, partnering with Savvy Aircraft Maintenance. According to Global Aerospace, the program is the same one offered by […]

The FAA has proposed an AD involving 14,653 U.S. Cessna 172, 182, 206 and 210 models after cracks were found in the lower area of the forward cabin doorpost bulkhead. That’s where the wing strut attaches and the AD requires repetitive inspections of the area. After one owner reported finding cracks, more inspections revealed them […]

Last week, just as I was girding to launch into the savage hinterlands of central Florida where Sebring is situated, I got a note from Sebastien Heintz, of Zenith Aircraft. At the Sport Aviation Expo, he wanted me to build a rudder from one of the company’s new match-hole kits because he wished to make […]

At the Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, AVweb saw a new aircraft tiedown called theBig Screw EZ Tiedown. Greg Palmer gave us the sales pitch. view on YouTube