Mike Busch's "Manifesto" Book

[timwinters]

Going full rich is going to shock cool the cylinders. Suuuurrre. Much better to test the mixture control in the middle of a go around.

I didn't realize his book was a parody.

Mike Busch is parody and that's just one more fine example.

Remember he's also the guy who told someone that they didn't need to worry much about their oil not getting up to operating temperature in the winter because air doesn't hold much moisture in the wintertime when it's cold and therefore doesn't need to be "boiled out" of the oil like it does in the summer.

If he's an aviation expert then we're in deep ****.

 

[azure]

I've never seen more than -25dF after going full rich on the descent, and that's only in some pretty cold winter conditions. More often it's -10 to -15. I've already reduced throttle quite a bit, so I can't see that going full rich is going to have a huge additional effect, even if you believe that shock cooling is real.

I do it only on short final or upon reaching the MAP, along with pushing the prop forward, and the reason is to reduce workload in case of a go-around or missed approach. In my plane there's gear and cowl flaps to manage as well as the engine controls. Also, when the decision comes to abort, I'd rather be in a position to initiate climb immediately, instead of having to perform two other operations first.

 

[tmyers]

I read an article a couple years ago about IO-360 and cracked heads from cold fuel that is injected into the cylinders when you go full rich. Can't remember it it was the angled valve or parralal valve variety. It didn't change the way I operate though

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

 

[Silvaire]

...For example, he maintains that compression is not a good measurement tool to determine the state of engine wear and tear. Many will tell you that's the main measurement. But read the book to find out why....

Compression test is the preliminary inspection method and will tell you a lot about the state of engine wear. Busch professes that you can tell more earlier with a borescope but that's not true.

So yea, I disagree.

 

[NoHeat]

At the front of the book, there is reference to follow-on "volumes to this set".

Does anyone know if that ever happened? A point-out to where they are available?

Maybe it is too early. I don't doubt that he can mine more magazine columns and webinars into another volume.

 

[Rcmutz]

Compression test is the preliminary inspection method and will tell you a lot about the state of engine wear. Busch professes that you can tell more earlier with a borescope but that's not true.

So yea, I disagree.

Well, compression test tells you certain things, and a boroscope I spectoon will tell you other things and/or confirm what you are seeing and hearing from the compression test. So in the end you need them both, along with cutting your filter, watching your full throttle static RPM, and perhaps oil analysis, in order to run your engine on condition past TBO. Anything short of this and you are only reading half the book.

 

[Silvaire]

The fact is that in most all of these discussions we are not talking about an actual fifteen thousand dollar borescope but a cheap video probe with a five inch 200x320 resolution screen. There's a vast difference there.

So the question always boils down to this - if you have a compression test result of 72/80 and a guy poking a twenty dollar Chinese USB dental camera in the spark hole says he thinks he sees some discoloration on your exhaust valve are you gonna pull that cylinder off?

A compression test is always going to reveal a problem long before you can see anything.

 

[EdFred]

The fact is that in most all of these discussions we are not talking about an actual fifteen thousand dollar borescope but a cheap video probe with a five inch 200x320 resolution screen. There's a vast difference there.

So the question always boils down to this - if you have a compression test result of 72/80 and a guy poking a twenty dollar Chinese USB dental camera in the spark hole says he thinks he sees some discoloration on your exhaust valve are you gonna pull that cylinder off?

A compression test is always going to reveal a problem long before you can see anything.

Except in my case where the compressions were fine and it looked like someone took a file to the cylinder walls.

 

[Mark57]

Mike writes the book as an owner who happens to have gotten an A&P over the years. He does not write it as a professional mechanic who is now an aircraft owner. While I agree that his points are ones to consider, the reality lies somewhere in the middle. Like other commentators here, I don't know anyone who hits the magic 2000 hour mark and rips out the perfectly running engine unless they are operating 135 and have no choice. Typically, they run until the engines start to cost money.

I seriously disagree with him about magnetos. A failing mag can cross fire and effectively kill most all thrust until you shut off the defective mag, something you may or may not have had time to do if you are close to the ground when it happens. I won't fly them until they fail.

I think that Mike offers a good service for some owners. However, if I was doing an annual for one of his customers, I would certainly be billing the client for the time I had to spend on the phone talking to Mike about what I see and what he thinks about what I see.

I'm not clear what you disagree with about magnetos. Mike recommends getting them IRAN'd at 500 hrs, not running them to failure. As to overhaul vs IRAN, I'd talk to the specialty shop to find out what's included in each. For example, I learned from an SDR report that Continental's magneto overhaul instructions do not specify replacement of the nylon distributor gear at overhaul. With some types of engine/lightweight composite prop combos, owners are now specifying gear replacement at IRAN as a precautionary measure.

Re your stated concern, I recently experienced the type of magneto failure you alluded to. Upon inspection, we found 23 teeth missing from the right magneto's distributor gear. The mag will still fire but your engine will likely be extremely rough at full power. In my case, it threw off the timing of spark from that mag. It affected one cylinder more than the others. This was not crossfire - you're probably thinking of either (1) high altitude misfire, or (2) spark jumping inside the magneto.

Re your last point, Mike's procedure is something any owner can do. Use e-mail to get itemized quotes in writing, and put in writing what you authorize and what you decline. If you used Mike's service, they'd set up a ticket system on their web page. It functions the same as an e-mail thread. It's a little more cumbersome going through the ticket system, because you're going though an intermediary.

Full disclosure: I use Mike's service on a consulting basis, and deal directly with the A&Ps via e-mail as to authorizing work and cost estimates. A telephone call is rarely necessary, and then only to get an explanation when I don't understand a recommendation.

 

[RoscoeT]

A compression test is always going to reveal a problem long before you can see anything.

Pretty bold. I don't know any mechanics who would bank on that.

 

[Silvaire]

Let's go back just a few years - prior to the advent of cheap video scopes and Chinese dental cams. How many A&P mechanics do you know that own an actual borescope?

 

[RoscoeT]

Let's go back just a few years - prior to the advent of cheap video scopes and Chinese dental cams. How many A&P mechanics do you know that own an actual borescope?

I was commenting on your statement, "A compression test is always going to reveal a problem long before you can see anything."

Do you honestly believe that? I don't know any professional mechanics who do. Are you one?

 

[Silvaire]

I do believe that. You tell me, what exactly is it that you think you are going to see inside a cylinder that has perfectly good compression?

And I'm not dismissing EdFred's statement about cylinder walls that looked like "someone had taken a file to them" but that's clearly an unusual case, not something that normally happens so something else was going on there.

 

[RoscoeT]

I do believe that. You tell me, what exactly is it that you think you are going to see inside a cylinder that has perfectly good compression?

What do you mean "perfectly good"? 80/80? There is a huge range of acceptable cylinder compressions according to Lycoming and TCM. Compression could be lowered by an impending valve failure, or just plain blow-by, which is not a flight safety issue. Compression testing doesn't tell you anything specific. You could take your airplane in for compression testing to three different mechanics on the same day and get varied results. So you think that means if a compression reading changes, that there is something going wrong with the cylinder?

Have a read here -

http://www.avweb.com/news/savvyaviator/188758-1.html

 

[Silvaire]

...So you think that means if a compression reading changes, that there is something going wrong with the cylinder?...

Nope, I said that if something is going wrong you will see it in the compression test results before you see anything visual with a twenty dollar Chinese dental camera or even a genuine ten thousand dollar borescope for that matter.

"Perfectly good" compression means it passes in accordance with Lycoming or Continental service documents which both spell it out pretty clearly so I'm not sure why Savvy has a bug about it

TCM SB03-3

 

[tyndall]

What do you mean "perfectly good"? 80/80? There is a huge range of acceptable cylinder compressions according to Lycoming and TCM. Compression could be lowered by an impending valve failure, or just plain blow-by, which is not a flight safety issue. Compression testing doesn't tell you anything specific. You could take your airplane in for compression testing to three different mechanics on the same day and get varied results. So you think that means if a compression reading changes, that there is something going wrong with the cylinder?

Let's say your compressions are 72/71/70 and a visibly cracked cylinder is 20. You replace that one with new and 5 hours later the new compression is 68. It's close to the others and within minimum spec. Does that mean it's ok even if it is not what it should be? What are you going to see in a new cylinder with a borescope? Do you run it with your fingers crossed for another 10/20/30 hours hoping it just hasn't broken in yet? Only the compression test will tell you if its leaking past the rings or valves.

 

[Dav8or]

Compression tests, bore scopes and oil analysis just gives owners something to worry about and stay awake at night. Only metal in the filter gets them to take things apart. I say cutting the filter is the most important inspection.

A scored cylinder wall is a bummer. A broken ring is a bummer. A burned valve is a bummer. These things usually let you know well before an emergency. High oil consumption, rough running, dirty plugs. So these can lead to "wait and see".

A filter with metal in it actually calls you to action rather than just speculation and "wait and see".

 

[Tarheelpilot]

I'll have to say that Mike Busch has been very successful at making money by stating the obvious and making it sound like a new idea. Most of what he writes however is based on a fantasy world where A&P mechanics force you to do things you don't need to do. I've been involved in aviation maintenance in both the GA and commercial realms for about twice as long as Mike and honestly I don't know ANYBODY in the General Aviation world who overhauls their engine just because it has reached TBO, nor do I know anyone who replaces alternators or other components based on time. The vast majority of owners do in fact largely ignore mandatory service bulletins unless they are associated with an AD.

I have nothing against Mike Busch outside of his mantra that aviation maintenance folks are out to screw you and that you need his guiding hand to lead you through the minefield. Yes, there are incompetent A&P mechanics and downright crooks but no more so than in any other profession. Certainly less than in the automotive maintenance fields. His followers often exhibit traits of being disciples and can get unreasonably upset anytime you try to be critical of his works. But come on - words like "Manifesto" and "Revolution", are they really necessary?

You broke the code. I have never been impressed by him. Nothing wrong with him but he isn't anything special either.

 

[Tarheelpilot]

I have read it, listened to all of his videos, and have to disagree with the statement above that he "states the obvious". That's just not true. For example, he maintains that compression is not a good measurement tool to determine the state of engine wear and tear. Many will tell you that's the main measurement. But read the book to find out why.

Another myth: You should land on full rich or near it. His take: This can cause engine shock cooling and is not good for the engine. He recommends leaving the engine lean all the way down and raising the mixture on go around if needed by getting in the habit of spreading out your hand on the throttle.

So agree or disagree, but he's definitely not stating the obvious.

I happen to agree with him, so his company manages my maintenance (http://www.savvyaviator.com/). They also handled my pre-buy, which saved me thousands more than the fee I paid them.

Be careful with the mixture advice. I had a customer that experienced a dual engine failure on short final in a g58 baron because he read an article somewhere giving the same advice for the same reasons (Don't remember who wrote it). He was close enough to touch down that it was not an issue but if a go around was necessary it would have been difficult to execute. Not enriching the mixture during the approach to landing phase can be a real bad idea depending on the circumstances.

This is one of my big problems with Mike. He hands out advice like the mixture crap as if it is some kind of revelation that will save you money on MX. Fixing the airplane after an off airport landing because the engine stops running could cost a whole lot of money. Just be careful Make sure you take the time to educate yourself and reading Mikes articles does not qualify as a compete education. Some of his ideas are spot on, others are total BS.