Going to Sebring, Florida-based Lockwood Aero’s Rotax engine school for a week—eight full hours per day with homework that begins weeks before you get there—seems daunting. For me that effort was worth it to extensively learn about the popular Rotax 912 ULS and 912 iS aircraft engines, and how to maintain and operate them. If […]
In the bad old days of supporting analog autopilots, there weren’t software updates to dial in their performance and flying characteristics. All that has changed with Garmin’s GSA 28 line of smart digital servos that work with the GFC 500 and GFC 500X (experimental) autopilots. Learning from the service history, Garmin has been incrementally tweaking […]
In a world of pulling mags at 500 hours and turbos that last 1000, fuel pumps are a breath of reliability fresh air. So reliable, in fact, that it’s much more common for a pilot to have an engine stoppage because the pilot does not know the aircraft’s fuel system or misuses the boost/aux pump […]
The little zero-time Rotax 912, pictured lower left, is eventually going on our Van’s RV-12 E-LSA. And while it’s been stored (for five years) in its original shipping crate and its insides haven’t been exposed to outside air, it’s we’ll past its storage shelf life and certainly outside of the Rotax factory warranty. For others […]
It happens. Engines—new and used—end up sitting for longer periods than we want them to. That’s not a good plan for longevity, especially in harsh climates with wide swings in temperature and humidity. And so is the case with our still-in-the-crate Rotax 912 ULS—sleeping in an unheated hangar as the rest of the Van’s kit […]
At press time, the service bulletin that grounded a chunk of new Cirrus SR22s progressed to an expected FAA AD (2023-04-08). Continental already has a means for compliance, with tech data in Continental’s Mandatory Service Bulletin MSB23-01. Cirrus voluntarily grounded some of its Continental-equipped low-time SR models even before the engine maker announced that the […]
They’re smaller than your thumb, inject a metered amount of fuel into each cylinder of your fuel-injected engine and rarely cause problems, but their maintenance needs should be understood as part of knowing the whys of your engine’s operation. Fuel injection was developed to overcome some of the disadvantages of carburetors, notably unequal distribution of […]
You seen them when the cowling is off, but perhaps pay little attention to the condition of the baffle seals on your engine. These are the strips of rubber that sit under the cowling lip, directing airflow through the engine cooling fins. They start out soft and flexible, conforming to the shape of the cowling, […]
Technicians hate dealing with the required FAR pitot-static and altimeter tests as much as aircraft owners hate paying for them. And that means the potential for system neglect and ultimate failure of otherwise reliable solid-state instruments. But you can make the dreaded biennial trip to the avionics shop for the IFR inspection more manageable by […]
If you’ve dealt with a failure of the alternator drive coupling on a Continental engine, you now understand the importance of the coupling inspection. Massachusetts-based Approach Aviation initially came out with a tool kit (ADCKIT1) designed for the proper removal, testing and installation of the alternator drive couplings found on Continental IO-520/550 series engines. Now […]
During routine inspections, good technicians dig deep into the airframe looking for structural cracks. And if you’re doing even a causal preflight walkaround it’s not uncommon to find cracks around cowlings, windows and fairings. None of them should be ignored. Surface cracking doesn’t usually mean a cowling or control surface will come apart, but it’s […]
Emergency battery power for primary EFIS is the belt-and-suspender backup for total electrical system failure, but not for some Garmin G5 models that sit for long periods of time. That’s why Garmin has issued a mandatory Service Bulletin (22013 Rev. A) to prevent the problem of total backup battery discharge if the aircraft electrical power […]
