There is another alternative for long-term engine storage.

[Read more...]

How important is it to bring up oil temperature before takeoff? So asks Larry Lowenkron, who uses a multi-viscosity oil.

[Read more...]

I recently received a note from a gentleman who read my column on how to dispose of fuel that was a mixture of 100LL and auto fuel containing ethanol (What if my plane is filled with the wrong fuel? Nov. 3 issue). His suggestion was to “”just use it in your leaf blower or any other two-cycle-powered yard equipment.”"

[Read more...]

“”How do you ground a composite aircraft during fueling?”" asks Russell Green.

[Read more...]

A few issues back, I wrote about what steps to take to winterize your aircraft (A chill is in the air: What does that mean for aircraft owners? Oct. 6 issue). Since that time several people have asked me the age-old question, “”what oil should I use in the winter to best protect my aircraft?”"

[Read more...]

Ray Woodmansee from Porterville, Calif., has a problem. His Cessna 195 was accidentally fueled with a mixture of 100LL and ethanol-containing auto gas. He has drained all of the fuel out of the aircraft and was wondering what he could do with it.

[Read more...]

Each fall I get asked the same question: What should I do to my aircraft before I put it away for the winter?

[Read more...]

One of the great things about living in a small town is the number of characters you meet. One of the characters in our area is a man who always has a foolproof way of beating the system. His latest scheme was to buy extra diesel fuel each year and put it in storage in case the price went way up or there was a shortage. He started this about 10 years ago and had several thousand gallons in storage when the price went up this year.

[Read more...]

Reader Edward Zeigler has some questions about pre-oilers. “”We see statements like “”70% of engine wear happens on start up.? So will a $3,000 pre-oiler pay for itself, and is it worth carrying around the extra weight of the system? Are there any scientific test results comparing engines with and without pre-oilers? And do the anti-scuff additives in Exxon and Shell multi-grade oils provide significant protection upon start up??

[Read more...]

I recently got a letter from Verl Thompson, who is restoring a 1960s Piper TriPacer. He points out that one of the weak points of this aircraft is the jack screw in the tail that controls the elevator trim. The jack screw is about 8 inches long and a half inch in diameter. There is a pulley that runs up and down on the shaft, which is turned via a cable and crank above the pilot’s head. Unfortunately, everything has to be properly adjusted or the cable can slip while in the air since the normal slip stream of air does resist the movement of the elevator.

[Read more...]