Maintenance

Ive been covering the aviation piston fuel story intensely for four years now and off and on for a lot longer than that. And honestly, the more we bump along toward an eventual replacement for 100LL, the more confusing and confounding the process appears to be. Not that Im discouraged, for there will be a […]

What will it take to stimulate a flat avionics retrofit market? There are buyers, bythe way. Its just that fewer of them are willing to slap $40,000 on the counter at the avionics shop like they did 10 years ago. Today, $20,000 is the new sweet spot for a modest up- grade. For many, thats […]

With the average age of the light aircraft fleet north of 40 years, it’s a challenge to keep older aircraft maintained. In this video, Cub owner Paul Bertorelli shows how the shop uses a borescope to see deep inside the aircraft to detect any issues before they become serious. view on YouTube

It used to be self-fueling just referred to the aircraft owner who brought mogas to her airplane in five-gallon cans and upset the airport manager or FBO because of lost fuel sales. While thats still the case, over the last decade, its also come to mean putting avgas into your airplane from a self-service pump. […]

Piper’s Twin Comanche–affectionately known as the Twinkie by many owners–is one of the most efficient twin-engine aircraft ever manufactured, eclipsed only Diamond’s diesel-powered DA42. The Twin Comanche is a popular refurb platform because the airframe performs well and is reasonably priced on the used market. For this month’s refurb of the month, we’ve picked Ron […]

The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) Wednesday joined the NTSB, AOPA, EAA, the National Air Transportation Association and others in requesting that the FAA reconsider proposed rulemaking regarding ECi cylinders used in Continental engines. ARSA wrote in electronic comments submitted to the FAA that the agency disregarded the most basic requirements for promulgating a regulation, […]

Shells announcement of an unleaded replacement for 100LL last week has drawn lots of attention, deservedly. At this weeks ASTM meeting in Tampa, I spent time buttonholing the worlds fuel experts about what this means for the world of GA. The fuel guys are mostly curious-intensely so-about what formulation Shell has cooked up, but the […]

If you do your own airplane maintenance, that work will include checking spark plugs. Tempest says checks should include resistance measurements and they’ve developed a little gadget to do that. view on YouTube

There will be owners who say they have aircraft batteries that are five or more years old and it still cranks just fine. Chances are they live in a warm climate, dont ever worry about having an alternator failure and have some good luck. Some use proper aviation battery chargers, but probably not. Hopefully, these […]

In the admittedly dwindling universe of aircraft owners, there is some small percentage of people who are not ethically or morally qualified to own airplanes. Im probably deluding myself by saying it is a tiny fraction of owners, but it may very well be growing. Im referring to the deadbeats, the hustlers, the malcontents and […]