Airplane Owner Maintenance - By Dean Showalter

This replica of the original Wright Flyer is displayed in the lobby at Dare County Regional Airport on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.               This Waco is used for air rides at the Outer Banks… it’s a “flying convertible!”             If you’re interested […]

Hello from the Outer Banks of North Carolina! Yesterday, I stood on the end of runway 2 and took a picture at the First Flight Airport on the Outer Banks… if you stick with me today, I’ll share with you some of my personal aviation memories from the Outer Banks. My family is on vacation here […]

Spark plug servicing… it’s one of the FAA-approved tasks that airplane owners can perform and sign off on their own airplanes. It’s really not a complicated process, but one that deserves some careful attention to detail to make sure the work is done properly. This is not a training course… it’s just information that hopefully […]

Episode #030… thanks Cliff Ravenscraft for all the excellent instruction in the course Podcasting A to Z!  That’s how I was even able to get this thing off the ground! And, if YOU have a reason to start a podcast, check out Cliff’s course… it is top-notch!  For more information, check out PodcastingAtoZ.com In today’s […]

Last Friday, I had an opportunity to do some flying with John Trissel at Eagles Nest Airport, in Waynesboro, Virginia.  John is the airport manager at Eagles Nest. Check out this unique little airport here: http://www.eaglesnest.aero/               AND, if you want to see what it’s like to land at […]

What is flight control rigging? Flight control rigging, involves checking and making any necessary adjustments IAW the MM instructions, to make sure all cable tensions, control positions and movements, and travel stops are set within the MM specifications.  When done properly, this ensures that the airplane will perform at it’s optimal capability, fly straight and […]

In episode #26, I mentioned briefly the importance of flight control surface balancing. Then, the other day, I got an email requesting more information about flight control balancing and rigging. Thank you, Ashley Blythe, for sending that in! In this episode, we discuss paint jobs, how to tell the good ones from the not-so-good ones, […]

That depends! Today, I share a story about a pair of ailerons that were damaged when a Piper Cherokee was backed into the T-hangar a little too far.  We talk about the repair options for a scenario like this.             Are any cracks or repairs allowed on Piper flight control […]

Do you own an airplane?  If so, have you ever changed the oil on your  engine? The engine oil change is one of the FAA approved maintenance tasks that owners can perform on their own airplanes.  Just make sure you are familiar with the process, and have the proper tools and equipment. Listen to today’s […]

Yesterday, I traveled to another airport to take a look at a Bonanza that had not flown in over a year due to an engine problem.  Specifically, it would not idle. Continental fuel injected engines must be set up properly per SID 97-3G, in order to achieve optimal performance. You can find this information here […]

Thanks to my wife, Maria, for joining us on the last episode! Now, today she is back to ask me some questions about some of my pet peeves related to airplane maintenance. Here is my pet peeve list that we talk about in this episode: When maintenance shops will not allow owner-assisted annual inspections. When […]

This week I’d like to introduce my wife, Maria. It’s a great time to have her on the podcast, since we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on May 18, 2016.               After we were married in 1991, we moved to Tennessee, where Maria worked as a home health […]

Engine Oil Leaks In airplane maintenance, engine oil leaks are a common thing to deal with. Today,  we talk about how to discover where the oil leaks are coming from,  and what may need to be done to fix them. In today’s episode,  I mentioned some good friends, Bill and Colleen Whiteford.   To read […]

April 15, 2016 As an airplane owner, have you ever tried to troubleshoot and fix a landing light or nav light yourself? If not, why not give it a shot?  In most cases, the process is fairly simple. Today, we talk about some simple steps to take when you have a landing light or nav […]

April 1, 2016 When it comes to starting airplane engines, there are lots of opinions.  It might be worth taking a new look at your technique. Whatever your procedure is, your engine should be treated with as much care as possible. How about asking these 4 questions:  Why not try starting your airplane engine with […]