Ownership

I know I’ve got a bad reputation, and it isn’t just talk, talk, talk …” So says Freedy Johnston, one of those wonderfully quirky songwriters who’s way too good to ever reach the mainstream. His music oozed into my head the day a friend of mine called to ask about my experiences flying a Mooney […]

What a great day to be flying! The sun is shining and — with the exception of the low-level gusty winds that a clear, cold, winter day can provide — it is invigorating to be in the air. You and your neighbor, who has been bugging you to take him flying, are really enjoying your […]

The differential compression check has been a mainstay of piston aircraft engine maintenance for the last 70 years, give or take. Like anything else in aviation that’s been around for a long time, various Old Wives’ Tales (OWTs) have evolved about the procedure, passed on from journeyman mechanic to apprentice, and later taught in A&P […]

Many years ago, I was training for my multiengine flight-instructor rating. I had been flying my Cessna 310 from the right seat, and the instructor prepping me for my checkride was in the left seat. I’d just completed a series of right-seat touch-and-go landings, and we were about to make a full-stop landing to break […]

First permit me a program note. Starting this month, I’ll be taking over as editor-in-chief of Kitplanes, a marvelous magazine for the homebuilt-aircraft enthusiast. In that capacity, I’ll be getting more hands-on time with experimental engines than I ever thought possible, and will endeavor to report back here with the highlights of my travels. Generally, […]

It all started when my friend and longtime AVweb columnist Rick Durden emailed me that he was going to be in the Bay Area for a few days, and suggested that we try to get together while he was on the Left Coast. (Rick is based in Grand Rapids, Mich., so I don’t often get […]

Aircraft problems are never fun, but they’re 10 times more frustrating when they occur while you’re on a trip, far from the security of your mechanic, toolbox and hangar. That goes double if you use your airplane for serious business transportation the way I do. I’ve flown at least several transcontinental trips a year in […]

Yes, I know that by now Oshkosh — er, the EAA Air Venture 2004 — is desperately old news, what with the kids back in school and some of us actually settling down to get some work done after the summer holidays. But I have to tell you that I’m still excited by what I […]

Recently I read an interesting account by a Bonanza owner who encountered an engine problem 11 hours after his aircraft came out of annual. The pilot had crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains VFR at 12,500 feet westbound en route to the Bay Area, and was descending through 11,000 feet when he felt a bit of […]

Why are so many aircraft owners and A&P mechanics “spring-loaded to the overhaul position”? I think the word “overhaul” might be the most overused and misunderstood word in the lexicon of aircraft maintenance.Last week, I was talking to a friend who had just put his airplane in the shop for its annual inspection. I asked […]