Ownership

In the mid-1980s, my father-in-law Harry became the proud owner of his first diesel-powered pickup truck. A Michigan camping enthusiast, he was certain his new engine would not only out-perform any engine he’d ever owned, but it would last him forever.Harry decided to use oil analysis to ensure he’d know about any potential problems in […]

This article appeared in the April, 2002 edition of Aviation Consumer and is reprinted here by permission. Any aircraft owner who expects the experience to be one slam dunk after another can be certain of only one thing: disappointment. Nothing about owning an airplane is a sure thing, least of all maintenance decisions.And topping the […]

I was 33 by the time I slid into the left seat of the 152 for my first lesson, and by the time we’d finished the run-up and were pointed down the runway, I’d had my first gnawing doubt about being able to do this. My instructor, Pamela, was handling the radio work and I […]

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Cessna Owner and Pipers Magazines. “It was apparent that a propeller was simply an aeroplane travelling in a spiral course. As we could calculate the effect of an aeroplane travelling in a straight course, why should we not be able to calculate the effect of one travelling in […]

This article originally appeared in the February 2001 issue of Light Plane Maintenance, and is reprinted here by permission. The day has come. It’s finally time to overhaul that engine. Or maybe it’s just a top overhaul. Either way, it’s a not-so-often event and there’s slight fear and a little anxiety.There is no shortage of […]

As mentioned in the May 2003 issue of Light Plane Maintenance, AVweb has obtained a PowerPoint presentation created by Advanced Pilot Seminars to describe the leaning procedure they teach in their classes.To view the presentation, click on the following link, and the presentation will either open in its own browser window, or you will be […]

This article originally appeared in the November 2001 issue of Light Plane Maintenance, and is reprinted here by permission. First, we want you to understand that timing magnetos doesn’t fall under the heading of “preventive maintenance.” For certificated aircraft, this is A&P country — especially if the magnetos are to be removed from the engine.However, […]

I‘ve been a fan of Garmin‘s GPSs ever since I spent several hundred hours teaching people how to fly the Cirrus SR20 and SR22, which have dual Garmin GPSs as standard equipment. But I learned early on that having a super-charged piece of avionics is not all peaches and cream. There’s a steep learning curve, […]

No doubt about it, pilots are a special breed.And after a day of reading accident reports — which I do without fail at least once a month — I sometimes suffer from the impression that they’re highly motivated, well-trained, steely-eyed idiots. I’ll concede that this is a cynical, over-the-top generalization but when you read about […]

This article originally appeared in the June 2002 issue of Light Plane Maintenance, and is reprinted here by permission. One of the biggest recurring headaches for the light aircraft owner and mechanic is that of exhaust manifold leaks. With the majority of aircraft in the general aviation fleet exceeding 30 years old, problems with exhaust […]