by Mike Busch | Sep 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
When your engine finally needs to be overhauled, the most likely cause will be corrosion-induced distress to the cam lobes. I recently received an email from a Skylane owner in Miami, Florida who was understandably upset after receiving bad news from his IA, and...
by Mike Busch | Aug 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
The decision whether or not to tear down an aircraft engine is among the most difficult and agonizing ones we make. My company manages the maintenance of many hundreds of piston-powered GA airplanes, so we frequently deal with all manner of engine problems. Our...
by Mike Busch | Aug 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
We’re seeing an epidemic of Champion spark plug problems. Champion insists its plugs are fine and the problems are self-inflicted. The truth may be a bit more complicated. By Mike Busch Premature failures of Champion-brand aviation spark plugs first showed up on my...
by Mike Busch | Jul 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
During every annual inspection, there’s a particular point in time when you and your IA need to sit down and make decisions. Regular readers of this column know how strongly I feel about aircraft owners taking charge of their maintenance and managing the mechanics and...
by Mike Busch | Jun 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
Before you approve any costly or invasive repair to your aircraft, make sure the discrepancy is real. Arguably the worst part of being an aircraft owner is the annual ordeal of putting your plane in the shop every 12 calendar months and then bracing yourself for bad...
by Mike Busch | May 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
A mechanical problem away from home is every aircraft owner’s worst nightmare. Here are some thoughts about how best to deal with one. As a tech rep for the three largest airplane type clubs in the world (ABS, CPA, COPA) and as the founder and CEO of the world’s...
by Mike Busch | Apr 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
Running out of fuel only happens to the other guy, right? I usually don’t write about experimental aircraft because my 45 years of aviation experience has been almost exclusively with certificated normal-category airplanes. However, I’m making an exception this month....
by Mike Busch | Mar 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
Under the FARs, an annual inspection is a pass-fail test. Sometimes failing is the best course of action. Of the nearly 200 rules in Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, far and away the most expensive for most aircraft owners is this one:...
by Mike Busch | Feb 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
How do you decide when it’s time to overhaul your engine? If not at TBO, then when? Regular readers of this column know that I’m not a big fan of the idea of overhauling engines at TBO. I consider engine TBO to be a thoroughly discredited concept that has cost...
by Mike Busch | Jan 1, 2012 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
The best way to diagnose an engine problem is usually in the air. “My engine started running rough about halfway home yesterday,” my client reported, “so I dropped it off at the service center. Could you please work with my mechanic to troubleshoot this problem?”...
