Airplane Owner Maintenance - By Dean Showalter

Does your airplane have emergency exit windows? If so, would your passengers know how to operate them? Here’s an emergency exit window where the instructions were hardly readable: Thankfully, the lettering was etched into the panels, and a fine point Sharpie did the trick: Imagine trying to remove that window if you were completely unfamiliar… […]

In a previous episode, I shared the story about how I accidentally left a shop towel in an engine… I got some great feedback from that episode, including the picture above… a flight student found a shop towel during preflight… in a place you would not expect. It’s one more reminder to be extra-diligent during […]

Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) James Cox, a member of the Navy’s Blue Angels Team, is our guest today on the podcast! He exceeded my expectations in so many ways in our conversation, and I’m thrilled to share this interview with you. You’ll definitely want to listen to this one! Although the Blue Angels do a lot […]

Hi Friends! I have a story for you today that I wish I didn’t have. But it’s true, so we might as well learn from it. Thankfully, everything turned out well on this one. At Moody Aviation where I went to school years ago, we had a concept called “SYE.” It stood for “Share Your […]

Bob Shenk (right) is a huge fan of Luscombes… this beautifully restored aircraft was among the airplanes I got to see when I visited Bob’s place a week ago… what a pleasure that visit was! Donnie Simmons (left) is a good friend of Bob’s, and often spends his Fridays at Bob’s place, both helping with […]

I recently did an annual inspection on a Rockwell Commander, and the gear warning light was not working. Before we tell that story, I want to thank our sponsor, PilotWorkshops.com This week’s “Tip of the Week” was about emergency checklist memorization… a very interesting lesson by Sarah Fritts, a West Point graduate and Army combat […]

Without Jonathan Brush, this podcast might not exist! I’m super-thankful for his part in pushing me to launch this whole thing. I think you’ll enjoy the conversation with him today. At the end of the podcast, I asked Jonathan to talk a little about the organization he leads, called Unbound. If you’re curious after hearing […]

Our sponsor for this episode is PilotWorkshops.com Be sure to sign up for the “Tip of the Week” and you’ll receive a short, but valuable tip to make you a better pilot… it’s a fun way to learn! Click here for details. PilotWorkshops also has an excellent resource for learning about engines… it’s called “Airplane […]

Jessica is our special guest on the podcast today. She and her husband Mark, along with their 5 kids, are serving with a mission organization in Cameroon, Africa. Mark flies helicopters, and Jessica works in the maintenance shop, with plans to get her A&P certificate. I think you’ll enjoy her story! Instagram: Spanglers_in_Cameroon Check out […]

I’m so glad I got talked into this one! (Thanks Kenneth!) It turned out to be a definite highlight of the week… you can hear more about the details in the podcast audio. I want to thank PilotWorkshops.com for sponsoring the podcast. The book, “Airplane Engines: A Pilot Friendly Manual” is a resource you’ll love. […]

I installed this starter and starter adapter on a Beechcraft Debonair IO-470 engine last week… the starter adapters (or sometimes called a clutch, or starter drive,) sometimes begin to slip, and when that happens, it’s time for overhaul. It’s also recommended to overhaul the starter at the same time, or install a new one. There […]

Valve lapping is sometimes a great option for improving cylinder compression and extending the life of an exhaust valve. We’ll talk about it in today’s episode. Pilot Workshops.com is our sponsor for this episode, and I wholeheartedly recommend their resources. Be sure to sign up for the “Tip of the Week,” and receive a short, […]

Although a shop vac might not pull as much vacuum as an engine driven vacuum pump, it can still be useful for some parts of the troubleshooting process. This was just one thing we did on the path to solving a very strange vacuum problem. Listen to the story in today’s podcast episode. Our sponsor […]

This is what Josh discovered recently in his Beechcraft Debonair while getting some training in his airplane with an instructor as part of the Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program (BPPP.) The gear motor was the culprit. Josh’s story is the main feature in today’s episode, but first I want to thank PilotWorkshops for sponsoring the podcast. […]

A good friend from another airport recently bought this Piper Archer, and I’ve had the opportunity to do a little maintenance on it and take a look around. This is one of three airplanes I’ve had an opportunity to look at recently… all three were in annual inspection, but I noticed a few things that […]

Josh recently purchased his 1963 Beechcraft Debonair and needed some help, so I flew to his airport and spent the good part of a day with him. We replaced a broken exhaust support angle on the right exhaust tailpipe, and then we took a good look around the airplane. It surprised me when we discovered […]

This was Jim’s story when he brought his airplane in for the annual inspection. Listen to today’s episode to find out what we did with Jim’s door latching system… he did most of the work on that issue, and I think his wife will fly with him now! Other items of interest in this episode: […]

I’ve known Tom for a long time, and what a fantastic experience it was, working with him on his annual inspection! Tom is the president of our local EAA chapter, and he’s given me numerous opportunities to speak to the group about maintenance topics. Thank you Tom, for serving our local general aviation community so […]

In today’s episode, we get to hear how John and Leslie got into aviation, and their move from Arkansas to Maui. It’s a real adventure, and I’m sure you’ll be inspired listening to their story! Be sure to also listen to their latest episode of the Fly Maui Podcast, “Don’t Let Setbacks Define You.” What […]

In today’s episode, I’m super excited to introduce John and Leslie Caubble to you! They’ve become good friends of mine in the last couple years, and they have a really inspiring aviation journey. We put together some Cessna 172 maintenance related questions, and I thought it would be a lot more fun to have them […]