Airplane Owner Maintenance - By Dean Showalter

When you check the cylinder compressions on an airplane engine, it’s important to “Hold That Prop!”  And on a twin engine airplane with 6 cylinder Continental engines and 3 bladed props, the prop blades will be positioned in one of two ways, depending on how the prop is installed on the engine. Here’s a Cessna […]

Today’s episode is about those times when you notice something on an airplane that doesn’t seem quite right, but you’re not sure what’s going on, and it might take some real digging to get to the bottom of the issue. But before we dig into those stories, I want to acknowledge that I’m super grateful […]

I’m back!  I know it’s been a while since I’ve produces a new episode for the podcast, and it’s good to be back. Today, we are talking about an engine failure in a Piper Arrow, that caused an off-airport crash landing in a farm field.  Thankfully, in this case, no one was injured. The reason […]

A couple weeks ago, a Beechcraft Baron owner requested Classic Aviation to take a look at his airplane.   He had flown through some severe turbulence, and then the left engine almost quit.  Finally, he discovered that if he pulled the left mixture control about half way back, the engine would run. A ground run confirmed […]

During the engine change, it’s a great time to take care of some other items that are much easier to access when the engine is not in the way. Before we get to that, I want to thank Brad Schmidt for his recent iTunes review.  Brad is a friend of Bret Chilcott and he, like […]

Ignition system issues and a couple other strange scenarios… that’s what we’ve got for today. Also, if you have not seen Dean’s safety wiring tutorial course, be sure to check out the details here: Click Here for full details. In today’s episode, we talk about three different airplanes, and the issues each one had with their […]

Today, we’re talking about Piper Arrow landing gear.  Specifically, an airplane that landed at SHD recently and the nose gear light did not illuminate.  Listen to this episode to find out why the light did not come on, and some troubleshooting tips to think about. We also cover several other fun things right in the […]

Can you safety wire your airplane’s oil filter?  How about the fuel strainer?  If not, here’s a resource that can help you: It’s the new online video course to learn how to perform safety wiring… Click here and read all about it. Retractable landing gear is a truly amazing thing.  But if it’s not rigged […]

Cable tensions are a really important part of an airplane’s flight control system.   In today’s podcast, we’ll talk about the situation I faced recently on a V-tail Bonanza. I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to those who have purchased the “Safety Wire Like A Pro!” video tutorial course. And for those who are […]

Yep, you heard me right. But don’t worry, it’s not for some weird, fear-driven reason. This is for a good reason… I want you to question the safety of your airplane, so that you will go on a search to find anything that might need some attention.  You might be able to do that search […]

Good news:  The “Safety Wire Like A Pro” video tutorial course is now available!  You can read about it here: Build Your Safety Wiring Skills with Dean Or, just click the picture in the right sidebar that says, “Learn to safety wire with Dean.” Regardless of your current skill level with preventive maintenance, I’m confident […]

When it comes to airplane interiors, an important detail that can be totally overlooked, is how the interior installation will affect future maintenance operations.  I highly recommend you give it some thought if you’re considering having new interior installed in your airplane. Before we get into that, here are some highlights of today’s episode: Audio […]

I had a situation last week at Classic Aviation that made me think about this topic… cable tensions and how easy it is for confusion to creep in around this topic.  Listen to today’s episode to hear about a situation on a Piper Saratoga that took some digging to get to the bottom of it. […]

Do you know where the name “Citabria came from?  Check this out:  The name “Citabria” is actually “Airbatic” spelled backwards.  Interesting trivia. Today, we cover a quick review of the annual inspection checklist for the Citabria.  Thank you to Dan Frankel for requesting this topic. Also, I’d like to thank Brian Schober for his kind […]

This is the final episode for 2017!  Thank you everyone, for all your emails, messages, ideas, and encouragement.  You all mean so much to me! A recent email I received, included this link for an article that is worth reading, about exhaust system issues, and carbon monoxide.  There are also a couple videos worth watching […]