by Mike Busch | Aug 1, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
If you ask FAA lawyers what a regulation means, the answer might surprise you We’ve all studied the regs. If you’re a pilot, you’ve spent hours poring over Part 61 (pilot certification, ratings, currency) and Part 91 (operating rulese, owner responsibilities), both of...
by Mike Busch | Jul 1, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
How reliable and valid is the almighty compression test? Each annual inspection begins with a moment of terror when the IA removes the top spark plugs and takes a compression reading of each cylinder. We hold our breath awaiting the verdict. If the numbers are good,...
by Mike Busch | Jun 1, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
When it comes to maintenance problems, the FAA might be able help you but only in very limited ways. My April column, titled “Booted Out of Annual,” related a true story of a Bonanza owner who put his plane in the shop for its annual inspection, got into a...
by Mike Busch | May 5, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
THERE ARE NO LONGER ENOUGH A&PS TO MAINTAIN OUR GA AIRPLANES “The annual I scheduled more than a year ago got cancelled on a five-week notice,” read a recent post to the Beechcraft Bonanza Owners Facebook group. The unhappy owner went on to say that it was going...
by Mike Busch | Apr 1, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
This unfortunate aircraft owner was placed in an untenable position by an unreasonable maintenance manager Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I’m going to change the names—I’ll call the aircraft owner “Oliver” and the A&P/IA “Isaac” and the shop...
