Maintenance

A charged aircraft battery lasts longer but automotive chargers can trash the plates with too much current. Smart chargers are a better idea.

An FAA AD proposes to replace thousands of ECI connecting rods. Yet engine shops say Lycoming rods show identical benign in-use wear patterns.

An FAA AD proposes to replace thousands of ECI connecting rods. Yet engine shops say Lycoming rods show identical benign in-use wear patterns.

If you have a wet vacuum pump, you’ll need one but otherwise, tune up the breather system first. Of the two major brands, our pick is the Airwolf.

The up again, down again saga of T-34 spar cracks has given owners fits. But the long term payoff may one day save the Bonanza fleet.

There’s more information than ever about aircraft engine oils but still more heat than light. Heres what the people who make the stuff have to say.

Which shops offer the best overhauls? Owners say top shops earn loyalty not by building better engines but by standing behind the work after the sale.

Think of Fast Fix as AAA for airplanes, sans the free towing and TripTiks. But is on-call phone advice and help worth $600 to $1200 a year?

In a novel approach, it uses a piston instead of carbon vanes.

When a gyro rolls over and dies, should you fix it or buy a new one? Making sense of repair, overhaul and replacement options.

After years of looking the other way, Lycoming is getting tough on core charges for factory overhauls. Read the fine print before buying.

If you cant find hangar space, is going straight up an option? The economics pencil out favorably.