Ownership

This article originally appeared in Light Plane Maintenance, Dec. 2005. Aircraft starting batteries have a tough life; much more so than their automotive counterparts. They are left idle for days or even weeks at a time, then asked to start a 500 cubic-inch engine in cold weather with three gallons of oil the consistency of […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Consumer magazine, Oct. 2007. The emerging Light Sport Aircraft market has ignited new interest in airplanes at the $100,000 price point and below. Most of these airplanes are composites, but buyers not interested in spending that much are looking hard at older LSA-compliant taildraggers — Cubs and Champs, for […]

Of the many tasks that we have to perform as pilots, leaning the engine is one of the simplest. Leaning is vastly easier than shooting a circling approach in low IMC, picking the smoothest route through a cold front or deciding when to overhaul the engine. Yet no subject I know seems to trigger more […]

During the century since the Wright Brothers first flew, the predominant perpetrator in aircraft accidents has shifted dramatically from machine to human. Today, human error is responsible for 90 percent of aircraft accidents and incidents. It’s not that people have become more careless, forgetful, inattentive or reckless. It’s that aircraft and aircraft components have become […]

This article originally appeared in Light Plane Maintenance, Apr. 2005. Attitudes about annual inspections vary widely. Some like to get right in there and do the owner-assist thing. (We hope most LPM readers fall into this category.) Others either won’t or can’t participate in their annual, and instead hand over the keys and maybe a […]

I‘d been working with an aircraft owner in Memphis for several weeks helping him chase down a problem with his Lycoming engine. The owner initially reported that the engine had exhibited several episodes of rough running after startup, but that the engine seemed to run smoothly once it warmed up.The owner emailed me a data […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Consumer magazine, Nov. 2006. It’s never a good time for an inflight fire. Stoked by fuel or an electrical short, this nasty brand of emergency is near the top of most pilots’ list of nightmares. But a cabin fire’s consequences can be mitigated by using a smoke hood, which […]

I last wrote about this subject about 18 months ago (Savvy Aviator #37), but it seems as if jugs are still coming off needlessly, so perhaps it’s time to revisit the subject. Each week, I receive dozens of emails from aircraft owners seeking advice on maintenance. I really enjoy helping fellow aircraft owners, but I […]

When the co-owner of a 1976 Cessna 172M contacted me, she had just come from talking to her mechanic and was clearly in a state of sticker shock: “Where can I locate a used battery box for my Skyhawk without having to rob a bank? Our Gill battery (that has constantly leaked from shortly after […]

This article originally appeared in Light Plane Maintenance, Jul. 2005. The following article is done in a question-and-answer format to cover some of the most common questions and misunderstandings concerning aircraft and lubrication. This represents only but a few of the many questions I am asked about when I meet people and they find out […]