by Mike Busch | Dec 9, 2025 | Savvy Stories
A true story of smart maintenance management. When aircraft owner “David” brought his Cirrus SR22 in for its annual inspection at a large maintenance facility, he braced himself for a hefty bill. The shop’s initial estimate totaled over $54,000, citing numerous...
by Mike Busch | Dec 9, 2025 | Savvy Stories
A true story of smart maintenance management. When aircraft owner Mark received an oil analysis showing elevated iron levels, he feared the worst. His maintenance shop recommended an engine teardown to inspect the camshaft and lifters—work that could have cost...
by Mike Busch | Nov 13, 2025 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
In the early 1940s as World War II was raging, the distinguished British biologist ConradHal (C.H.) Waddington Ph.D. had his academic career temporarily interrupted when he became involved in operations research for the Royal Air Force Coastal Command. The...
by Mike Busch | Oct 15, 2025 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
I got my first car when I was 17 years old. It was a green 1947 Plymouth sedan, a hand-me-down from my parents that they used as an excuse to buy a brand new 1961 Chrysler.I remember back then that the gasoline was heavily leaded, the engine oils were refined from...
by Mike Busch | Sep 15, 2025 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
In my column in the June 2025 issue of AOPA Pilot (“Borescope Initiative”), I reported on the initiative we launched on January 1, 2024 to promote and improve the use of borescopes as the gold standard for assessing cylinder condition for piston aircraft...
