Maintenance

The glass in your bird is looking a little milky, there’s some crazing on the windshield and a little crack where the pebble hit. Is it time to replace the windows? How can you tell? What’s it going to cost? How can I make the glass last longer? First, it’s worth noting that what’s on […]

What if you’ve got visible metal bits in your oil? Since source identification is critical, the first question is what kind of metal is it that you’re looking at? There are two sources of filtration; one the suction screen, which has bigger screen holes to stop big parts from being passed to the oil pump […]

It’s a sad law of aviation that while we like to think of pilots as honest, upstanding citizens, when it comes to selling airplanes, an unpleasantly high proportion suddenly turn into snake-oil salesmen. I’ve seen way too many airplane-shaped piles of junk marketed by pilots piously claiming they are in perfect shape. Sadly, some of […]

Editor’s note: We wish to thank the folks at LP Aero Plastics, www.lpaeroplastics.com, phone (800) 957-2376 for much of the following information and recommendations on how to properly care for your aircraft windows. They have been around for many years and we suggest if you have any acrylic needs that you check them out. That […]

Since 1968, the Beech 36-series Bonanzas has steadily built a solid record for workmanship, performance, handling and comfort. Prices on the used market reflect the high regard for the airplanes. Easy entry to the rear seats and club seating made them popular with passengers as well as pilots, even though the aft CG limit can […]

Remember that great closing scene in The Bridges at Toko-Ri where admiral Tarrant, upon contemplating the loss of Brubaker, ruminates, “Where do we get such men?” For all the wrong reasons, I thought of that the other week when I was talking to Dave, one of the local IAs here. While I was fooling with […]

In our series on refurbishing airplanes we’ve covered what’s involved with updating all aspects of your airplane. As a wrap up, we’ll look at the situation where you like your airplane as it is, and you want to keep it in good shape so you can keep flying it happily and safely for the foreseeable […]

Mooney aficionados tend to be clustered in the end of the gene pool that has “I want a fast airplane” in the DNA. For years, they flocked to the marque that promised and delivered speed while sipping fuel. Starting with the single-seat Mite, they were willing to shoehorn themselves into tiny cabins in return for […]

The first time you start the engine on your airplane, you should be really close to completion. Not 90% done and 90% to-go close, but really, really close. This is because you will be removing the preservative measures that should have been in place all through the construction process, and you will now expose your […]

In May 2008 the FAA published five new SAIBs or Suggested Airworthiness Information Bulletins on propeller maintenance. While these bulletins do not carry the weight of an AD, they do come about as a result of discussions with field organizations such as aircraft type clubs as well as maintenance shops who identify problems they see […]