by Mike Busch | Aug 1, 2014 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
If your mechanic seems over-cautious and self-protective in his approach to maintaining your airplane, he has good reason. Mechanics have always been subject to FAA sanctions: certificate suspension or revocation, fines, warning notices, letters of correction, and...
by Mike Busch | Jul 1, 2014 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
How does an IA deal with a situation like this? The maintenance officer of a small flying club asked if my company would be willing to manage the maintenance of the club’s 1976 Cessna 172M. The airplane had been flying about 200 hours a year, and had faced a number of...
by Mike Busch | Jun 1, 2014 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
It is nearly impossible to install a cylinder properly when the engine is on the airplane. Here’s why. I suppose it comes as no surprise to readers of this column that I’m not exactly a fan of top overhauls. I never like to see any cylinder removed from any piston...
by Mike Busch | May 1, 2014 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
Why a thorough, independent prebuy examination is so essential, even for a simple 172. The prospective buyer was looking for a Lycoming-powered Cessna 172 Skyhawk, and had a budget of $35,000. He searched online and found one being offered with an asking price in the...
by Mike Busch | Apr 1, 2014 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles, Uncategorized
If your aircraft isn’t airworthy but you need to fly it anyway, here’s how. As every pilot knows, it’s strictly against the rules to fly an unairworthy aircraft: §91.7 Civil aircraft airworthiness. (a) No person may operate a civil aircraft unless it...
by Mike Busch | Mar 1, 2014 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
There’s a lot more to engine bearings than meets the eye. According to Miriam-Webster, a bearing is “a machine part in which another part turns.” Most aircraft have lots of them. Wheels spin on their axles with the help of tapered roller bearings. Magnetos,...
by Mike Busch | Feb 1, 2014 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
Don’t do anything rash until you’re sure where the oil is going. Figure 1—The Cessna T210’s oil consumption had suddenly increased and the owner’s mechanic recommended a $14,000 top overhaul. A fellow named Ted phoned me to say that his 1984 Cessna T210 was in the...
by Mike Busch | Jan 1, 2014 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
All airplanes occasionally get sick. Even mine. Figure 1—I bought my T310R in 1987, and have owned, flown and maintained it for 25 years. Every year, I take my airplane on a big summer trip around the U.S., speaking at various aviation events and culminating with a...
by Mike Busch | Dec 1, 2013 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles, Uncategorized
The term “damage history” is not well-defined. Here are some thoughts on the subject. One of my clients just had a fancy digital engine monitor installed in his airplane. During the installation, the shop hired to do the work drilled a half-inch hole in a...
by Mike Busch | Nov 1, 2013 | EAA Sport Aviation Magazine, Magazine Articles
Yikes! It’s far worse than I expected, and it must be stopped. By Mike Busch I must be losing my touch. When I last wrote about this subject 9 months ago—in the February 2013 issue of EAA Sport Aviation—I reported that in 2009 the FAA effectively legislated out of...
