Has your Mechanic just cost you $10K and the Sale of your Aircraft?
Over the last several years I have seen many logbook entries from mechanics, some good, some bad and some just downright ugly. In the last several weeks I have been involved with a buyer looking for a used Flight Design CT ($70K - $90K). This has given me a unique opportunity to really look at logbook entries and documentation (or the lack of it) and see just how that might affect the ultimate selling price of the aircraft itself. Surprisingly, many poor entries have also come from A&P’s and not only RLSM-A’s from the logbook entries I have seen. These poor logbook entries and lack of documentation will cost the owner dearly when it comes time to sell. From what I have seen lately, it’s not hard to lose $5K-$10K in value due to lack of documentation. These are legal records and need to be treated as such. This is one of the only legal ways you can show either someone did something to your plane or did not. As important, log books showing compliance to not only the aircraft manufactures Service Bulletins for the airframe but also for its Rotax engine greatly increases the Aircrafts total value!
On The Fence About Coolant
Waterless or 50/50?
Picking a coolant for some can put you on that proverbial fence line and you’re just not sure which way to fall. You need your cooling fluid to prevent high pressure and air or vapor within the system. You need it to transfer heat away from the engine, but it also helps distribute temps more evenly too. Your choices for the most part are a waterless coolant or a mix like 50/50. The waterless coolant most often talked about is Evans NPG (NPG = non-aqueous propylene glycol) waterless coolant (Rotax recommended). Evans NPG is basically non toxic, non-corrosive and can operate at zero pressure. Its boiling point at zero pressure is 375F and the freeze point is -40F and was originally developed with the race car in mind.
Related Technical Article: 912/914 Cooling
In flight Engine Failure and what not to do!
It was one of those wonderful summer evenings you wished would last forever. The air was dead smooth and cooling as the sun moved towards the horizon and not a cloud could be found in the sky. My student and I had done our pre-flight walk around including topping up the fuel tanks in readiness for our one hour training flight. On my way to the airport I had hoped that the 25 gallon portable fuel tank we used to fill our aircraft would have enough fuel in it for our evening training flight. I was relieved to see that one of the other instructors had already filled that tank with a fresh batch of fuel/oil pre-mix as required for our Rotax 503 powered Aircraft. In this case this engine was a pre-mix model with no metering oil injection pump to do that job for you automatically.
This Happened to Me!
Engine Stumbles on Takeoff!
In my many years of flying I always like to think I’m prepared for a pilots worst nightmare, engine failure on take-off. Until it happens to you, one never knows just how prepared you really are! In this particular case, the engine came back and the pilot made a successful landing, but that momentary sputter really got his heart beating. The real question was, why did the engine stumble, then come back to life?
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Do I have enough Tension?
Let’s talk about the tension on your muffler exhaust springs. Too little?---Too much? Although there several types of exhaust and muffler setups out there, I’ll limit this article to the most common and that is where the exhaust spring holds the exhaust male outlet pipe into the female socket on top of the Rotax stock muffler. If you don’t have a stock Rotax muffler, but do use springs, then this article will still have significance for you.
What happens if there is not enough tension on our exhaust springs? The muffler will have excessive vibration and pulsation from the exhaust and cause the exhaust tube to hammer in its female socket. This will cause cracks, broken out pieces and the chaffing will eat away the edges of the exhaust pipe and socket and too little tension will cause hot exhaust gas leaks that might impinge on your hoses or wiring.
Oils: A Fluid Discussion
What each Rotax 912 owner should consider
New, Rotax 912 series engine owners invariably ask what oil should be used. There is no perfect oil and that can make this discussion an arbitrary topic. Many owners just ask their neighbor what oil to use, some call their aircraft Mfg., all should consult the Rotax Suitable Operating Fluid publication SI 912-016 (latest revision) as not all oils are created equal. In this article we will take a look at a few oil traits and additives.Related Videos: Fluctuating Oil Pressure | Purging of the Lubrication System | Oil change procedure
Evaluating a competent mechanic, and how do I recognize whether or not if I already have one?
This can be a dynamic topic, but there are certainly some markers to look for in finding yourself a good mechanic that you can really trust to keep you in the air, safe and happy. You probably already have a mechanic, but the important thing is in recognizing if he has more than just the basic skills, but that certain something that gives you the confidence to trust life and limb to him. Let’s examine what the traits are that define “a good mechanic” and steps you can take to find one.
