Airplane Owner Maintenance - By Dean Showalter

An outstanding pilot gave me a ride in his RV7 this week, but before we get to that, here are a few things we’re talking about in this episode: A crazy wiring situation in a Cessna 180. Check out the wiring pieces I saved after installing a new wire under the instrument panel… 2. Replacing […]

I saw something not long ago while changing an aircraft tire, and it startled me for a bit, until one of my co-workers helped me remove the danger. Here’s what I saw: The picture above might look fairly normal, until you notice the bulge up near the brake disc. Take a closer look in the […]

Is there ever a good reason to fire an A&P? I think so… and in today’s episode, we’ll talk about some evidence for one of those times. Scroll down for the appalling pictures I took recently! But before that, I want to share some inspiring information related to the amazing Stinson family of airplanes. And… […]

Note: The Exhaust Valve Borescoping and Lapping Presentation at Oshkosh was so much fun, and I met some fantastic people. If you’re buying the borescope I recommended, go to AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com/119 and click the links for the borescope of your choice. Use the code “Dean” for a 10% discount. Now for the trip to Oshkosh: The […]

Scroll down to check out Dean’s favorite borescope. I have three kids, and those are my two oldest… from many years ago

Sometimes small, general aviation airplanes get too much maintenance, and sometimes they get too little. We talk about that in today’s episode along with some real life examples. But first, I want to give a shout out to two people I have absolutely loved learning from recently because they are both excellent teachers. Chris Palmer: […]

Four things for this episode: An announcement about Oshkosh. An Aeronca Champ that landed at SHD recently. My new friend, Brad Flickinger. Brad is a podcast listener from Pennsylvania who stopped in to see me at SHD recently. A flap problem on a Cirrus SR22. 1.Oshkosh Announcement: I’ve never been to the EAA Airventure Oshkosh […]

Here are some recent happenings, straight from the shop at Classic Aviation, LLC: Birds in the cowling! It’s bird nest season, and they are driving airplane owners crazy by building nests on top of engines. Listen to today’s episode to hear about a Bonanza owner with 2 nests on his engine after a short stay […]

This is a question many airplane owners, A&P’s, and IA’s ask when getting started with borescoping piston engine cylinders. If you want to look at the exhaust valves (and other things,) in an airplane engine’s cylinders, this borescope is the one I confidently recommend: The Vividia VA-400. Here are my best reasons: It has a […]

Free Training: airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves Here are two of the many pictures of exhaust valves that are in the free training guide I’m offering to you, “Exhaust Valve Borescope Inspections.” Would you know what to do if you saw this? Get the free training guide and read about what’s going on with this exhaust valve from a […]

It’s annual inspection time, and your airplane is going in the shop. Are you confident?  Are you prepared?  Will you be involved, and maybe even get your hands dirty? For an airplane owner, annual inspection time can be frustrating and nerve-wracking, or it can be educational, positive, and hopefully, an efficient experience.  A significant part […]

A little pesky fuel leak can be aggravating. Especially when you’ve already had it “fixed” in the past, but it’s still leaking.  That was the case recently on an airplane that arrived at Classic Aviation for a fuel leak repair. It turns out the inboard fuel quantity probe in this aircraft is about six feet […]

Have you ever experienced an electrical failure in flight? If not, I’m sure you’ve wondered what it would be like, and at the same time, probably hoped it would never happen to you.  Unfortunately, it does happen.  There are however, some things you can do to help ensure your electrical system is performing reliably.  Listen […]

Classic Aviation needs one or two more experienced A&P / IA’s! If you know of any good possibilities, contact our manager, Yev Bondarev: 540-234-0226 or classicaviationshd@gmail.com Classic Aviation is a great place to get a well-rounded general aviation maintenance experience. Website:  https://www.classicaviationshd.com/ Now for today’s episode: Today is actually March 2, 2019, but I recorded the […]

How do you Lap an exhaust valve on an airplane engine?  That’s a good question, and this is the topic in today’s episode. If you’ve owned an airplane for very long, there’s a good chance you’ve had a “low compression” at some point during one of your annual inspections.  What is perhaps not so common, […]