Search results

Checking and adjusting system voltages in an airplane is ideally done with a calibrated meter. A cheap meter from Harbor Freight isn't going to cut it.

He implies in his first post that all the CHTs were running high. This thing needs addressing before further flight. Something like a slipped mixture control cable could lean the mix to the point the engine runs hot. I'd want to know that there is no reason for it to run so hot, then I'd be...

Bad engine grounding between the crankcase and/or alternator case and firewall. Alternator output will find other paths to the airframe, and via temperature sensors is a common one. That little bit of extra current drives the indications higher.

Nope. Not even close. I worked on many flight training 172s, including some from the 1960s, and never encountered a rebuilt one. This is a myth similar to the old "all 180s and 185s have been groundlooped at some time." That isn't true, either. That damage is very expensive to repair. The OP...

That there. It's right in the service manual's inspection checklists: The "7" refers to the 500-hour line in the notes at the end of the checksheets. Generator brush inspections are a 200-hour item, IIRC. But how many are getting ANY inspections? Too many stories on POA of alternator and...

The factory NDIs everything being reused. Everything. They use magnaflux, zyglo, eddy current, dye-penetrant, and other methods to detect tiny cracks that will sooner or later turn into big problems. They then measure everything, and I mean everything. The Lycoming Direct Drive Overhaul manual...

Same thing everywhere. Most are guessing at what failed without knowing the systems or structure or anything else about the airplane. That there, with the key phrase being "I don’t think it’s a bad thing for subject matter experts to lend insight into possible failure modes." How many subject...

The pilot can hear the starter spin if the Bendix is stuck. All the OP heard was a click. The only effective way to clean that Bendix is to take the starter apart. Been there, done that several times. Mechanics or owners using oil of any sort on the drive are the problem. Only dry silicone...

It sure can be a bad thing. For instance, there is a constant stream of stories about electrical system problems on owner's airplanes, and the armchair quarterbacks reveal their lack of knowledge of the systems by guessing that the battery is probably bad and needs replacing. The truth is that...

If it was a really weak battery, the contactor would chatter. That's caused by the starter's low resistance causing enough of a voltage drop that the contactor falls open, disconnecting the starter and letting the voltage rise again, and then the contactor closes again. Over and over, at maybe...

That says that the contactor's plunger is moving, but the lack of action implies either worn-out contacts in the contactor, or the starter has a bad spot on its commutator. Weak battery or dirty or loose cables will usually make the starter weak, not suddenly completely dead.

Drilling out the holes weakens the prop tremendously. There is as much as 40 tons pulling outward on each blade, plus eight other forces. The prop is the most highly stressed component on the whole airplane. Corrosion pits are often responsible for starting cracks. The prop manufacturers take...

More than it's worth. The original part was forged and machined. Forging is expensive, especially for tiny production runs, and most attempts would involve machining the whole thing from a billet. That would require extensive design and testing to make sure a machined part was at least as strong...

AK means Accessory Kit.

Nope. If it's not in the engine's parts catalog, or listed on an STC that applies to that engine, it's not legal. Homebuilts are an exception.

It would take some doing to get a propstrike on a trike, but some actually achieve it. The nosegear is usually bent or broken, though, in such cases.

Spring tabs: https://simpleflying.com/how-are-flight-controls-moved/ Halfway down the page.

Propeller mass via direct drive takes longer to stop. The geared Rotax uses a smaller engine with less rotating mass and runs it faster to make the HP, and the propeller's inertial force is reduced by that gearing so it stops sooner.

Nick.

Getting a look at the camshaft requires the removal of at least one cylinder, and that only lets you look at half the length of the cam. Borescope the cylinders. If they aren't pitted, remove a magneto. Are the gears in there rusty? If not, cut open the oil filter. Is there metal in it? If not...