170 – Eddie’s Jabiru Cylinder Compression: From 0/80 to 70/80!
Mar 06, 2021
Show notes
I had a surprise call this morning… my friend Eddie called and wondered if he could borrow a borescope. One of the cylinders in his Sonex’s Jabiru engine had zero compression, and he wanted to take a look inside the cylinder, especially at the exhaust valve.
Since I’m always looking for a good story, it didn’t take me long to say, “This sounds interesting… I’ll grab my borescope and drive right over to the airport.”
We got the borescope set up and quickly noticed the exhaust valve appeared to be open a tiny bit when it should have been fully closed. There was just enough leakage past the valve to keep the compression at zero.
We’re still not totally sure about that area at about the 8 o’clock position, but we didn’t see anything alarming when we looked at the valve edge with it open.
Thankfully, Eddie had done some research online and quickly got some feedback about the importance of regularly adjusting the valves in the Jabiru engine.
Sure enough, the exhaust valve had no clearance between the valve stem and the rocker arm (it should be .010)
After adjusting both valves on that cylinder, Eddie did another compression test, and we were pleasantly surprised… 70/80! And it was even a cold compression test!
It’s always great when there’s a simple solution!
Well done Eddie! And thanks for the good story we can all learn from!
In this week’s episode, we also talk about Lycoming SI 1418, a rarely used procedure for cleaning cylinders on the engine using some special equipment and ground up walnut shells.
Listen to this concept and let me know your thoughts… hit that button over to the right and tell me if you think it’s a crazy idea, or a great idea… I’m curious about it.
Reminder: I offer a service to evaluate your borescope photos. If you are not sure what your pictures mean, send them to me and I’ll evaluate them and send you a report within two days.
Then email me your borescope photos, and I’ll send you a report.
dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com
Thanks everyone, and have a great week!
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169 – Transformed Interiors with Autumn Elizabeth Design
Feb 19, 2021
Show notes
Our guest for today’s episode is Autumn Duntz, an aviation interior designer and refurbishment expert… welcome Autumn!
After observing some poor quality elements in a newly refurbished Beechcraft A36 Bonanza interior, I wondered how this type of thing could be avoided. After a little online research, I found Autumn’s website, AutumnElizabethDesign.com. I quickly realized she would be a great guest for the podcast.
I was curious about what airplane owners can do to avoid typical pitfalls and make the whole interior refurbishment process more fun and less stressful, while also achieving the desired results.
Autumn Duntz stands out in the industry, providing a refreshing and very personalized alternative to the big companies you might typically think of when it comes to airplane interiors.
Here are some samples of Autumn’s design work:
Although Autumn mostly works with larger airplanes and business jets, she has a wealth of wisdom to share with us that also applies to small airplanes.
In this episode, we covered topics from maintenance friendly designs, to regulations, to taking care of leather… and my favorite tip: “Provide maintenance covers for the seats and interior of your airplane when you take it to the shop!” I loved that tip.
If you need some help with designing YOUR airplane’s interior, I highly recommend having a conversation with Autumn to see if you’d like to work with her.
I’m confident if you choose to work with Autumn in designing an interior, or a paint scheme, you’ll experience the following results:
She will be easy to work with and make the process much less stressful.
There will be excellent communication throughout the process.
You’ll love the results, both of the work, and of working with her.
Here’s how you can learn more about Autumn’s services, and get in touch with her:
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168 – Things I Found on an A36 Bonanza
Feb 12, 2021
Show notes
Does your airplane have emergency exit windows?
If so, would your passengers know how to operate them?
Here’s an emergency exit window where the instructions were hardly readable:
Thankfully, the lettering was etched into the panels, and a fine point Sharpie did the trick:
Imagine trying to remove that window if you were completely unfamiliar… these placards are important!
Find out in today’s episode why the placards were unreadable, and also hear about the other squawks that were discovered on an A36 Bonanza during annual inspection.
If you have a crazy story of something you discovered after a new interior was installed in your airplane, please let me know… I may do an episode in the future about airplane interiors, and things to be aware of.
167 – Shop Towels in Wrong Places
Feb 06, 2021
Show notes
In a previous episode, I shared the story about how I accidentally left a shop towel in an engine…
I got some great feedback from that episode, including the picture above… a flight student found a shop towel during preflight… in a place you would not expect.
It’s one more reminder to be extra-diligent during maintenance, and to have another person look over your work before installing the cowling.
In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the feedback I got from the story of the shop towel in the engine. (If you missed that story, you can find it in episode 165.)
There are some really good lessons to be learned… I want to say a big “thank you” to everyone who sent me feedback and helpful stories.
I’ve been receiving messages from airplane owners who are performing borescope inspections on their engine cylinders and exhaust valves… I always love to hear those stories, because I’m convinced borescoping can make flying safer by detecting failing exhaust valves before they come apart in flight.
Do you have pictures of your exhaust valves, but you’re not sure what they mean?
I can help with that, for sure.
I offer a service to evaluate borescope pictures for airplane owners.
It’s very easy to work with me, and here’s the process:
Go to this link, and make the appropriate payment:
Send me an email with your borescope pictures (dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com)
Within 48 hours, I’ll send you a report with evaluations of your borescope pictures to help you understand what the pictures are saying, and things to be aware of.
166 – A Strong and Humble Blue Angels Pilot: Jim Cox
Jan 29, 2021
Show notes
Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) James Cox, a member of the Navy’s Blue Angels Team, is our guest today on the podcast! He exceeded my expectations in so many ways in our conversation, and I’m thrilled to share this interview with you. You’ll definitely want to listen to this one!
Although the Blue Angels do a lot of traveling, Jim is also a dedicated family man, and we talked about how he stays connected with his wife and kids while serving with the Blue Angels. Jim said, “Communication is key.” That’s a good word for all of us, in all kinds of life situations!
Throughout our conversation, Jim was quick to say, “This is not about me. This is about the team, and I’m grateful to be a part of it. As a team, we have the great privilege and responsibility to serve and inspire people and communities all over the country with a message of teamwork, professionalism, and excellence, in order to motivate individuals to reach their greatest potential in life.” (My paraphrase.)
Here’s the team:
In our conversation, Jim said so many things worth remembering, and here are a few noteworthy quotes:
“I always had an eye for the sky.”
“I’m proof that hard work alone can get you anywhere.”
“The flying is utterly amazing, but the community outreach portion of what we do is definitely the highlight.”
“I couldn’t be where I am today without my mom and dad.”
“The best thing you can absolutely do as a 16 year old in high school is to be the BEST 16 year old you can possibly be.”
“You start with the end in mind, but the PROCESS is so important!”
“The only way that we can fly the way we do is because of trust.”
“Everything we do is predicated on safety. Safety is absolutely first and foremost number one in everything.”
You can learn more about the Blue Angels at the website: BlueAngels.Navy.Mil
Jim, I am absolutely grateful for the opportunity to speak with you. Thank you Sir, and your family, and the whole Blue Angels team, for representing our country so well. We appreciate you!
165 – A Shop Towel in the Engine! Don’t Do What I Did!
Jan 22, 2021
Show notes
Hi Friends!
I have a story for you today that I wish I didn’t have. But it’s true, so we might as well learn from it. Thankfully, everything turned out well on this one.
At Moody Aviation where I went to school years ago, we had a concept called “SYE.” It stood for “Share Your Experience.”
It was a concept to encourage us to take our mistakes and make a learning opportunity from them.
Listen to today’s podcast for the story of how I accidentally left a red shop towel inside an airplane engine… I hope I never do that again! Definitely an opportunity to learn “what not to do!”
Ok… it’s time to ‘fess up I know I’m not the only one out here who’s done a dumb thing or two in airplane maintenance… so, if you’re willing to share your story, leave me a message here on the website, or shoot me an email dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com
I’ll assume it’s ok to share the stories, without names (unless you ask me to share your name.) Thanks!
Another item we discussed in this episode is a Cessna 172 that would not start. It turned out to be a problem with the left magneto, but in the process of troubleshooting, we discovered the spark plugs had gone far too long without being cleaned.
Take a look:
And here’s the loose distributor electrode inside the magneto:
Other items we discussed in this episode:
An oil leak on a Twin Cessna (you might have seen the email I sent out about this.)
The items we used to fix that oil leak: Aviation Permatex, Continental silk thread P/N 641543 (If you only need a small amount, check with Fresno Airparts… they sell it for 20 cents per foot) and the third item used was Loctite 515. These 3 components, used properly, make an excellent seal for the oil pump cover.
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164 – Airplanes, Motorcycles, and Bob’s Grass Runway
Dec 18, 2020
Show notes
Bob Shenk (right) is a huge fan of Luscombes… this beautifully restored aircraft was among the airplanes I got to see when I visited Bob’s place a week ago… what a pleasure that visit was!
Donnie Simmons (left) is a good friend of Bob’s, and often spends his Fridays at Bob’s place, both helping with Bob’s projects, as well as some of his own.
In addition to airplanes, Bob also likes motorcycles…
He owned a Honda dealership years ago, and has some pretty cool two-wheeled machines… and can you guess what that airplane in the background is?
That is an Acroduster… one more fascinating airplane!
Another Luscombe, and an Aeronca Champ:
Here’s the runway, as viewed from the approach end:
I’d been wanting to visit Bob’s place for awhile, and one reason was to show Bob my borescope, and how it works.
He liked it, and I think he might buy one.
We didn’t see anything startling in Bob’s engines.
Donnie’s Piper Cub engine, however, was a different story…
The cub was over in another building, so we took the borescope over there to take a look.
Donnie purchased the Piper Cub project after it was in a landing incident more than a year ago:
It startled both of us when we saw the terrible rust on the cylinder walls:
I hated to see what had happened to Donnie’s cylinders, but he took quick action after consulting an engine guy. He removed all four cylinders the next day, hoping they could be salvaged by honing them.
The visit to Bob’s place was fantastic! I came away with some thoughts. Here are two:
If you have a local aviation friend you’ve wanted to go visit, do it! It will probably make your day, and theirs as well!
If you have an inactive engine, find a way to preserve it.
Thanks Bob and Donnie, for showing me around… you are both a real inspiration!
163 – Gear Warning Light Mystery
Dec 06, 2020
Show notes
I recently did an annual inspection on a Rockwell Commander, and the gear warning light was not working.
Before we tell that story, I want to thank our sponsor, PilotWorkshops.com
This week’s “Tip of the Week” was about emergency checklist memorization… a very interesting lesson by Sarah Fritts, a West Point graduate and Army combat aviator.
These short, practical, free tips are sent out every Wednesday, and are totally worthwhile. Click here to sign up.
I also discovered Sarah Fritts has a website with fantastic training resources at ThinkAviation.net
She writes on topics that pilots really want to know about… topics you often hear debated among pilots, like which medical certificate you need and how long it’s good for, and many more.
Now back to the gear warning light… after some troubleshooting, I discovered there was proper voltage at the light assembly and the ground connection was good, so it had to be the bulbs.
Sure enough, those little mini bulbs with soldered wire strands were the culprit… there are two of them.
I was super excited to find a batch of 7 or so of these on eBay, only to discover they were not working… how frustrating! Back to the drawing board.
I finally found some appropriate bulbs from another source, soldered them in the light socket, and they worked perfectly!
Another mystery with this Commander 114 landing gear system was solved a couple years ago after the owner had a huge yaw in flight… it turned out the landing gear was extending during flight. Since the gear is hydraulic, the one with least resistance came down first, and created a yaw effect.
It turned out the emergency extension valve was leaking internally past a worn o-ring, and causing the gear to extend.
Here’s the knob near the pilot’s right knee… the knob is connected to a hydraulic valve.
This issue was perhaps more difficult to troubleshoot since the gear warning light was also not working.
Now, both squawks have been fixed, (the valve was replaced a couple years ago, and the light was fixed during the most recent annual inspection.) Now, hopefully the system will operate normally for a long time.
One last item for today… check out an exhaust valve I recently lapped in a TSIO-550 cylinder for an owner… it showed very early signs of burning, but was still in good condition:
We lapped the valve and installed a new rotator, hopefully extending the life of this cylinder.
162 – Giving Thanks for my Good Friend Jonathan Brush
Nov 26, 2020
Show notes
Without Jonathan Brush, this podcast might not exist! I’m super-thankful for his part in pushing me to launch this whole thing. I think you’ll enjoy the conversation with him today.
At the end of the podcast, I asked Jonathan to talk a little about the organization he leads, called Unbound.
If you’re curious after hearing about it, or if you have high school age or young adult kids, check out BeUnbound.us for more info.
The phone number is on the top left corner of the website, and if you call, you’ll be able to speak with a real person!
In this episode, I also listed all the guests who have been on the podcast up to this point. Here they are in order:
Morgan Showalter (my daughter) episode 002
Maria Showalter (my wife) episode 022
Mike Busch episode 054
Bret Chilcott 055
Paul New 061
Brian Holmes 076
Cindy Ferek 125
Drew Wright 131
Carl Valeri 135
Joe Godfrey 144
Aram Basmadjian 147
Jim Weir 148
John and Leslie Caubble 149, 150
Jessica Spangler 160
Thanks so much to each of you for the great conversations!
Today, I’m offering a Thanksgiving special price on my “Safety Wire Like A Pro” video tutorial course. Today through midnight Eastern Standard Time on December 3rd, you can get the course at a 20% discount.
The normal price is $97, but for the next week, you pay only $77 when you enter the code “thanksgiving2020“
Try it out… it’s risk-free.
If you’re not completely satisfied, there’s a 30 day money back guarantee… no questions, and no problem.
Why safety wire like an amateur, when you can “Safety Wire Like A Pro?!”
The course has 15 videos, covering topics like safety wiring an oil filter, a brake caliper, fixing backwards safety wire, good and bad safety wire, how far you can twist safety wire until it breaks, and much more.
Be sure to sign up for the “Tip of the Week” and you’ll receive a short, but valuable tip to make you a better pilot… it’s a fun way to learn! Click here for details.
PilotWorkshops also has an excellent resource for learning about engines… it’s called “Airplane Engines – A Pilot Friendly Manual.” Click here to check it out.
This week, I have a little request… my daughter just launched a new podcast called “Play Piano by Ear.” Please help me surprise her by subscribing and/or sharing it with anyone who might be interested:
You can also find her on Instagram: search “music minute with morgan.”
In today’s episode, I’m sharing some noteworthy items we discovered on Tobin’s Cherokee Six:
Prop control rod end bolt loose… check out the video:
An oil leak at one of the top crankcase bolts:
Sealing exhaust leaks by cleaning flanges, installing 4 new studs, and installing 4 new gaskets:
Tightening the TruTrak autopilot roll servo cable… the video shows how loose it was:
Fixing stabilator trim issues…
Broken pulley, worn spacer, and worn bolt:
Replacing a frayed trim cable:
This cable often frays in the area that goes around the pulleys on the electric trim servo:
Worn grommets at yoke shaft wiring:
Replacing a vacuum regulator filter that had not been installed properly the last time:
There you go… a sampling of the squawks we fixed for Tobin.
I was totally impressed with the way Tobin takes care of his airplane… and I was just as fascinated with the business he’s in…
Tobin told me, “We are like the wedding planner for office moves.”
Isn’t that great?!
If you need to move an office space, be sure to check out ReloStrategy.com They take care of ALL the details, not only moving and designing the layout, but also tending to details like the wifi connections and the water for the coffee pot!
Note especially the “About” page and read about Tobin and his wife!
One last friendly request: Please help me surprise my daughter by subscribing to Morgan’s new podcast or share it with someone… thank you so much!
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I know I’m not the only one out here who’s done a dumb thing or two in airplane maintenance… so, if you’re willing to share your story, leave me a message here on the website, or shoot me an email dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com
