by Mike Busch | Nov 1, 2017 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
Can a mechanic hold an aircraft hostage? Or just part of it? The mechanic who phoned me sounded agitated. He explained that he’d been an A&P for quite a while, but had earned his IA recently and was relatively new to the business of doing annual inspections. An...
by Mike Busch | Oct 1, 2017 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
Thanks to teamwork, tens of thousands of aircraft owners dodged a devastating bullet As I write this, the aviation blogosphere and Twitterverse are abuzz over the near-disaster at San Francisco International Airport, when an arriving Air Canada A320 on a night visual...
by Mike Busch | Sep 1, 2017 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
Must manufacturer’s maintenance guidance be followed? Have you ever had your mechanic tell you something like this: “It has been six years since your propeller was last overhauled, so we’re going to have to overhaul it this year as required by Hartzell.” “Your...
by Mike Busch | Aug 1, 2017 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
The first flight after maintenance is special. My client wanted to buy a Bonanza A36, and narrowed his search to two promising candidates. One had recently suffered a “forgot to remove the tow bar” prop strike, necessitating an engine teardown inspection and prop...
by Mike Busch | Jul 1, 2017 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
What “stuff” do you carry in your airplane? It’s a well-known fact: Most mechanical problems occur between Friday night and Sunday afternoon when you’re hundreds of miles from home base. The difference between a minor annoyance and a major travel...
