Airplane Owner Maintenance - By Dean Showalter

Dan and Jeanne are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, so it’s always a privilege to work on their airplane. It was annual inspection time, and the compression test on cylinder #1 was 25/80. The borescope showed a corresponding reason for the low compression… the exhaust valve had an uneven appearance, indicating […]

This Bonanza had a problem in the landing light wiring circuit. All kinds of weird things were happening when the light was turned on in flight. You can listen to the podcast audio for more details on this squawk. I removed the induction filter cover and the landing light assembly and inspected the wiring. It […]

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning at KSHD, and we had the maintenance hangar door open with a good view of the runway. A nice, red and white Piper Lance made a perfect landing on runway 5. As the airplane taxied up to the ramp, I thought, “It would be nice to meet that guy, […]

And the winner is… Ben Moroze! Recently, in podcast episode #223, I asked for help in identifying an ATC intersection we flew over on our way into Dulles Airport, (KIAD) awhile back. I remembered it sounded something like “you-dee-ah” or something similar. Maybe something like “UDIYA” except that’s not it. Well, Ben emailed me after […]

Recently, I received an email from Jim Janaitus, owner of a Cessna 182. He told me the story of lapping an exhaust valve on his engine because the valve showed signs of burning even though the compression was still in the high 60’s. Take a look at the appearance of the valve before lapping: The […]

In the beginning of this week’s podcast episode, I want to give a big congratulations to my friend, Chris Wieczorek, who recently got his A&P certificate! Listen to the audio to find out how Chris pursued getting his A&P in the midst of being a full time attorney and engineer with a wife and 4 […]

I inspected another A36 Bonanza recently, and one of the cylinder compressions was too low… lower than the minimum prescribed by Continental using the master orifice tool. I had two options: Option One: Remove the cylinder for repair or replacement. Option Two: Make the exhaust valve seal better and improve the compression result in hopes […]

Maui is simply amazing! Maria and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip, and here are some highlights. (And for the aviation maintenance portion of the trip, see the last episode, 220.) So many indescribably beautiful beaches to see: Maria and her new friend, Firmiana, at the Upcountry Farmers Market… the most amazing farmer’s market I’ve ever […]

We arrived on Maui the evening of March 27 and were greeted by our friends, John and Leslie Caubble, with a “lei greeting” which is a warm welcome with a beautiful ring of fresh flowers around your neck. We were there to do several things: Connect with our friends, the Caubbles. Work on the flight […]

It took some significant detective work and deciphering to solve this mystery. The brake caliper at the top of the photo was the wrong part number for the A36 Bonanza I was working on. The one at the bottom of the photo is a serviceable one we found on eBay. It was the correct one, […]

Not long ago, there was an oil leak on the right engine of a Cessna 414. The leak was significant enough to come out the louvers on the top cowling in flight. There was oil all over the rear inboard area of the engine, so the big question was, “Where is the oil leak coming […]

I recently removed a magneto from a Piper Cherokee, and my curiosity about why the magneto had failed got the best of me. I took the mag home, sat down at the kitchen table, put my grandson Spencer on my lap, and took the magneto apart! It was great fun having him help me

Here’s the short answer: Worn and contaminated brushes inside the alternator. Check it out: My theory is that the excessive amount of carbon dust from brush wear was causing a short circuit situation between the brushes, and not allowing the field circuit in the alternator rotor to be properly energized for normal operation. Here’s a […]

Clark and his family came to Virginia to visit his mom recently, and on the way up from Florida, the right vacuum pump quit working… as often happens when a vacuum pump quits, the drive shaft had sheared off, saving the engine from catastrophic damage. In times like these, a good question to ask is, […]

This is a good looking exhaust valve with a nice concentric appearance. However, the compression was very low at 8/80. I lapped the valve, hoping it would improve the compression test result… it only came up to 10/80, and that was after running the engine again and getting it nice and hot. Although the valve […]

Where are you RIGHT NOW in your aviation journey? Have you started flight training, but stalled out along the way? Did you finish that instrument rating? How about the commercial certificate, or CFI, or even CFII? Ever dream about getting your A&P? Have you wanted to be an airline pilot for years and years? Did […]

How long should the battery last in a small, piston-powered airplane? That’s a great question, and we are talking about it in this week’s podcast episode. Tune in to hear the story behind this 24 volt battery in the photo, as well as the story of another battery, a 12 volt one in a Citabria […]

I had an opportunity to fly in an Aerostar the other day… it was going to be a fairly long trip to the destination, with one fuel stop along the way. As we climbed out of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia toward the mountains to the West, we discovered the combustion heater for keeping the […]

Here are the highlights you’ll find in this podcast episode: My latest assignment at Classic Aviation – Installing the freshly overhauled engine in a Cessna 172 that is almost complete after an extensive rebuild process. Some emails I’ve received from listeners with fun feedback of multiple types. Some listener thoughts about home simulator systems. Some […]

But first… My friend and podcast listener, Chris Wieczorek, flew into SHD recently and we ate burgers for lunch. It was a win-win. I provided the ground transportation, and he bought lunch! https://oldschoolburgerbus.com/ The conversation was very inspiring to me, and Chris was kind enough to send more feedback later in an email, with some […]