by Joe Godfrey | Oct 19, 2019 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
Last month I said I would write about this so let’s end the suspense. I’ve been saving data for well over a year. I noticed this pattern before that, but started saving examples in mid 2018. So what is it? In the spirit of good Puzzling, I’ll provide...
by Mike Busch | Oct 1, 2019 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
What may you do to your aircraft without A&P involvement? More than you might think. The FAA defines who may perform maintenance on certificated aircraft in FAR 43.3. This rule lists all the usual certificated suspects: mechanics, repair stations, air carriers,...
by Joe Godfrey | Sep 16, 2019 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
It’s that time in the baseball season when teams calculate their magic number – the combination of their wins and losses by others that will clinch the pennant. Computer programmers use the term for something unrelated to baseball. Either way, it seems...
by Mike Busch | Sep 1, 2019 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
The Friendlies are remarkably friendly to Part 91 folks Aircraft owners and pilots love to bash the FAA. We grumble and whine about all the labyrinthine regulations and requirements the Agency burdens us with, and how much it increases our complexity and cost of...
by Joe Godfrey | Aug 17, 2019 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
When it comes to troubleshooting issues with an aircraft engine, it’s probably safe to say that any engine data is better than no data at all. Data from cruise flights can tell us about the airplane’s normal operations, and when we have enough data from an...
by Mike Busch | Aug 1, 2019 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
Why aren’t A&Ps trained as well as pilots are? I never really wanted to become an A&P. All I really wanted was to be able to maintain my own airplane without adult supervision. Heck, I’d been doing virtually all the maintenance of my 1979 Cessna Turbo...
by Joe Godfrey | Jul 13, 2019 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
I have written about this before, but not in two years, and with lots of new clients and a couple of new Savvy services in that time, it seemed like a good time for a biennial review. The comedians are fond of saying, “Timing is everything.” I think the quality of the...
by Mike Busch | Jul 1, 2019 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
When things go awry in the sky, litigation isn’t necessarily the best remedy. My email inbox contained a message with the subject “Legal Question – Advice Needed.” That didn’t surprise me because although I’m not a lawyer, I do regularly participate in aviation...
by Joe Godfrey | Jun 15, 2019 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
The US stock market volatility index is sometimes called the fear index. Usually when the VIX is spiking to new highs, investors are bailing out and other indexes are tumbling. We had one of these events last last year – after a jittery October and November,...
by Mike Busch | Jun 1, 2019 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
Understanding aircraft insurance If you own an aircraft, you probably have aircraft insurance. Whether it’s the right amount of the right coverages is worth exploring. Here’s what I’ve learned in my 50+ years of aircraft ownership plus extensive discussions with...
