FAA CFR Part 91 is an interesting combination of rules for the owner/operator. In the past I saw these only as a list of burdens placed on the owner/operators by the FAA. With just a slight change in viewpoint, Part 91 Subpart E Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance,...
(The following articles were written by our friend, Ceri Bartlett. Ceri and her husband, Garth, live in Australia and have been involved in the aviation industry for many years. We recently had the privilege to visit with them and discovered that Ceri contributes to...
As an advocate for RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance), I believe if there is evidence to confirm that something should be left as it is, then one should leave well enough alone. This should not be confused with, nor is it the same as, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix...
Textron published SEL-57-06 and SEL-57-07 on June 26, 2019, to address the possible failure of the carry through spar that’s mounted in the overhead area of the cabin on cantilever wing Cessna 210 and 177 series aircraft. This is an important issue that should be...
A Short Story A few years ago, I was presenting a CPA Systems & Procedures course at Sporty’s in Batavia, OH. A major hurricane had pounded the Gulf coast then began a trek across the South and northward into the Ohio Valley. The winds were ferocious even as far...
Fire around anything in aviation is one of my greatest fears. I’ve had some experience in this area, so I’m always on my soap box speaking out to anything relating to preventing fires in places where they shouldn’t be. If one isn’t aware of these areas of concern and...
Lately, we’ve been performing a higher number of various engine upgrades. There are several reasons for this, but one airframe modification common to these engine upgrades is the installation of the Summit Aviation six-point engine mount STC. This isn’t a new STC, by...
Most of the new design high performance piston singles are based on the Continental tuned induction 550 series engine. Whether normally aspirated, turbo normalized or fully turbocharged, they are all rated at 310 horsepower. The previous generation of high performance...
Technical items that get my attention as fodder for articles are usually those that I anticipate a fair number of readers may experience. Sometimes the subject matter is very uncommon but has some interesting component that appeals to the aviation geek inside me. In...
When I speak at various events, one of my favorite show and tell items is a magneto with an impulse coupling attached. It’s a great visual aid which allows for a very useful demonstration of an ignition system during engine start. More importantly, it demonstrates why...
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