by Joe Godfrey | Dec 18, 2021 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
“A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No, I am the one who knocks!” — Walter White. Sometimes I look at my airplane the way Skyler looks at Walt in that scene. On my recent annual it was a crack in the flange of the muffler...
by Mike Busch | Dec 1, 2021 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
Chasing down an elusive charging system gremlin Intermittent problems are the worst! They always seem to happen at the worst possible time, like when you’re in the middle of nowhere away from home base. They never seem to happen when you want them to happen, like when...
by Joe Godfrey | Nov 13, 2021 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
Would you know the symptoms of a broken valve spring in your engine data? We’re pretty good at spotting clogged injectors and fouled plugs from their distinctive patterns. We even developed our FEVA scan for detecting burned valves. Broken valve springs can be,...
by Mike Busch | Nov 1, 2021 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
How often does your propeller REALLY need to get overhauled? “Your prop is due for overhaul,” says your IA who you hired to do your annual inspection. “It’s been six years.” If your airplane has a constant-speed prop, overhauling it is going to set you back about...
by Joe Godfrey | Oct 15, 2021 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
In our last episode, we looked at events that seem to happen randomly, versus something that breaks and stays broken. Let’s call them hiccups. I had too many for one Puzzler, so this is Hiccups Part 2. The annoying thing about hiccups is there’s no...
by Mike Busch | Oct 1, 2021 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
What to do about uncomfortably high CHT For decades now, I’ve been preaching that the two keys to piston aircraft engine longevity are avoiding extended periods of disuse and managing CHT. If you allow your engine to sit unflown for weeks at a time, you risk internal...
by Joe Godfrey | Sep 16, 2021 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
Hold your nose and drink a glass of water. Take a deep breath and hold it. Have someone scare you. There are lots of “cures” for the human hiccups. Don’t try these when your airplane hiccups. If you could choose, would you rather deal with something...
by Joe Godfrey | Aug 20, 2021 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
Pilots think of ground effect as the reduced aerodynamic drag that happens under the wing to cushion a landing or help with a short-field takeoff. Analysts, who are also all pilots by the way, think of it as what happens when a poor ground connection for an engine...
by Mike Busch | Aug 1, 2021 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
This cutting-edge technology could revolutionize GA maintenance. The exhaust valve is the most likely component of a piston aircraft engine to fail catastrophically. When one fails, combustion ceases in the cylinder, the engine loses power and starts running rough....
by Mike Busch | Aug 1, 2021 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
If your A&P seems over-cautious and self-protective, there’s good reason. By Mike Busch Mechanics have always been subject to FAA sanctions: certificate suspension or revocation, fines, warning notices, letters of correction, and remedial training. But enforcement...
