Airplane Owner Maintenance - By Dean Showalter

Airplane Owner Maintenance - By Dean Showalter episodes:

• 04.13.2024

  239 – When Your “Perfect” Airplane Gets a Prebuy

  Note: Scroll down to see who I unexpectedly met in Florida this past week! Now for the Prebuy… it was some months ago, and I did a prebuy inspection on a nice airplane on behalf of the buyer. I also...

  
• 04.05.2024

  238 – Check Ride Thoughts & Piper Door Stop Repair

  This podcast episode includes the following: Here’s a photo of the Piper Cherokee door stop I repaired by installing a new spring, P/N 65730-00. Now the door stop snaps nicely into the open detent, instead of closing on you while...

  
• 03.05.2024

  237 – Checkride Butterflies!

  My CFII checkride is in three days! Yikes! I’m excited, and I have a few butterflies as well… I just hope they are friendly butterflies

  
• 02.02.2024

  236 – Spare Parts and Tools to Carry in Your Airplane

  Check out this spare parts case my friend Bill created! Although you might not want to carry that much extra stuff in YOUR airplane, it still might be worth thinking about some items to have in case of emergencies. This...

  
• 10.12.2023

  235 – Ugly Propellers and What to Do About Them

  The paint was eroding on the King Air 350 prop blades. After a lot of research for paint and new Hartzell decals, I was ready to begin. Here’s where I bought the prop paint and new Hartzell decals: aerotouchups It...

  
• 09.23.2023

  234 – Why the Airplane’s Heater Didn’t Light Last Winter

  I’ll get right to it… I think it was because one of the brushes in the heater combustion fan motor was severely worn, and when the motor / combustion fan did not run, the heater did not light. Here’s a...

  
• 09.08.2023

  233 – Mike’s Owner Assisted Annual on His F33A Bonanza

  Mike Garcia has become a good friend over the past year or so. Recently we completed his annual inspection together, and he really enjoyed working on his airplane while learning more about what’s under the surface! Mike was my guest...

  
• 08.30.2023

  232 – A Piper, A Pineapple, and a Motorcycle

  Be sure to scroll down to see how my Maui Gold Pineapple plant turned out! (It’s been growing in a pot here at our house for a very long time

  
• 07.31.2023

  231 – Piper Comanche Weird Electrical Problem and Seeping Oil Drain Valve

  In this week’s podcast episode, you’ll hear about: King Air flying. Listener feedback from the last episode on “Phantom Cylinder Cracks.” The latest annual inspection I’m involved in. … and a few other things! I’m in the midst of an...

  
• 07.17.2023

  230 “Phantom Cracks” in Airplane Engine Cylinders

  Do you think these really are cracks between the spark plug bosses and the fuel injector bosses? (Cirrus SR22 Continental engine.) The owner of a Cirrus SR22 was told by a service center he had 4 cracked cylinders on his...

  
• 07.08.2023

  229 – Cessna 206 Alternator Not Working

  The charging system was not working, but why? There was normal voltage at the alternator field terminal. The field circuit resistance seemed normal as well. But the alternator was not producing the normal 28 volts during operation. Occasionally, it would...

  
• 07.01.2023

  228 – Saving a Cylinder on Dan & Jeanne’s Bonanza

  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...

  
• 06.25.2023

  227 – Electrical Chaos When the Landing Light was Turned On

  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...

  
• 06.17.2023

  226 – Piper Lance Lands at SHD After In-Flight Electrical Failure

  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...

  
• 06.09.2023

  225 – Obscure ATC Intersection Mystery Solved (It’s UDIYU!)

  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...

  
• 06.02.2023

  224 – Jim’s Exhaust Valve Rescue on his Cessna 182 Engine

  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...

  
• 05.26.2023

  223 – Piper Cherokee Annual and Other Maintenance Adventures

  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...

  
• 05.13.2023

  222 – How an Engine Cylinder Went From 25/80 to 75/80!

  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....

  
• 04.21.2023

  221 – Maui Adventures in the Air and on the Ground!

  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...

  
• 04.16.2023

  220 – An Epic Working Vacation to Maui!

  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...

  
• 03.24.2023

  219 – I Installed New Brake Linings and the Wheel Would Not Turn!

  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...

  
• 03.17.2023

  218 – Engine Oil was Seeping Out of the Top Cowling

  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...

  
• 03.10.2023

  217 – Does Your Magneto Have Any Broken Teeth?

  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...

  
• 03.03.2023

  216 – WHY is the alternator not working?!

  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...

  
• 02.24.2023

  215 – Vacuum Pump Adventure with Clark, my Airline Captain Friend

  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...

  
• 02.17.2023

  214 – An Unacceptably Low Cylinder Compression

  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...

  
• 02.10.2023

  213 – Stellar Advice for YOUR Aviation Career

  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...

  
• 02.03.2023

  212 – Is Your Airplane’s Battery Too Old?

  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,...

  
• 01.27.2023

  211 – A Cold Flight in an Aerostar!

  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...

  
• 01.20.2023

  210 – Cessna 172 Engine Install / Good ATC Talk

  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...

  
• 01.13.2023

  209 – Responses from Airline Pilots, and Finishing a Bonanza Annual

  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,...

  
• 01.05.2023

  208 – Back in the Maintenance Shop and Off to JFK!

  Happy new year friends! In today’s podcast episode, you’ll hear about the following: The airplane I’m currently working on. My recent King Air trip to JFK, and the interesting approach we got that day. A couple listener emails. Thanks for...

  
• 12.17.2022

  207 – A Fantastic Conversation With My Son Seth!

  Recently, Seth and I spent part of a weekend at a remote mountain cabin location, and we decided it would be a great time to record a conversation about the career changes both of us have made. I love this...

  
• 11.24.2022

  206 – Thanksgiving, Deer Hunting, and Discount Codes

  Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’ve been deer hunting with my daughter McKenzie this week, and so far, she got a button buck, and I got a doe… she’s trying to get a good supply of venison in her freezer for the...

  
• 11.02.2022

  205 – My First Landing at Hannah Field in a Cessna 150

  A week and a half ago, I flew a Cessna 150 from KSHD to Hannah Field near Monterey, Virginia in Highland County. It was a Saturday morning coffee-and-donuts fly-in hosted by the owners of the private airstrip, along with our...

  
• 10.15.2022

  204 – FlyRight King Air 350 Simulator Training was Awesome!

  In this podcast episode, I’m sharing my experience of going through the training course for a Type Rating in the King Air 350. FlyRight in Concord, North Carolina was definitely the best choice for this training! Home Page FlyRight is...

  
• 09.05.2022

  203 – Dean’s Midlife Aviation Transition!

  Listen to the audio for this episode to hear what Dean’s been up to recently, and why there have not been many podcast episodes in recent weeks. I’m transitioning out of the maintenance shop and into a flying job, and...

  
• 06.15.2022

  202 – Pax River Navy Test Pilot: Trace Bowen

  Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to visit NAS Pax River, a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay. My friend, Trace Bowen, picked me up in his Cessna 310, flew me...

  
• 05.14.2022

  201 – SureFly Ignition Installation

  Have you ever seen one of these? It’s a SureFly Ignition Module, or “SIM” for short: I recently had an opportunity to install one on an E33A Bonanza, so I thought I’d do a podcast episode about it. Hopefully you’ll...

  
• 04.09.2022

  200 – My Recent Flight Review and Other Adventures

  You guys know I love out-of-the-ordinary things, and my recent flight review definitely qualifies as one of those! First, my good friend and excellent flight instructor worked me over in the ground portion of the flight review. Here are some...

  
• 03.12.2022

  199 – A Bulging Exhaust – Change it, or not?

  I recently inspected a Piper Saratoga, and I found the following condition on the right exhaust collector: Earlier this week, I sent this photo to my email subscribers and asked if they would change this piece of exhaust if it...

  
• 02.25.2022

  198 – Be Careful About In-flight Troubleshooting!

  Chris Saindon, a podcast listener and owner of a Cessna 172G, contacted me with a different, and important perspective that I had completely overlooked. I recently told of a landing gear light in a Piper Seminole, and how the pilots...

  
• 02.19.2022

  197 – When He Put the Gear Up the Right Alternator Quit

  This was what happened recently in a Piper Seneca… and in this episode, we discuss why the alternator quit… it was something I totally was not expecting. After verifying the field connections (power and ground) were good, and the brushes...

  
• 01.23.2022

  196 – Joe’s #5 Cylinder Mystery

  This fuel injector line must have only been attached finger tight when the fuel injectors were reinstalled after cleaning. The engine ran fine at first, but all of a sudden during one engine run, the #5 EGT took a nose...

  
• 12.31.2021

  195 – Is it Time to Tear That Engine Apart?

  When an airplane engine is making a small amount of ferrous metal, but the evidence is not totally conclusive, the decision to tear it apart, or not, can be gut-wrenching. Such was the case for the O-540 engine in a...

  
• 12.10.2021

  194 – All About Airplane Prebuys with Adam Sipe

  This episode is a good one! If you’re thinking about buying an airplane, stop right now and listen to this episode, because Adam Sipe can absolutely save you lots of time, money and needless frustration in the process of buying...

  
• 12.04.2021

  193 – How Did this Starter housing Break?

  That’s a good question, and although I don’t have the full story, we will toss around some possibilities in this episode. Thanks to all of you who responded with some really good guesses about the cause. I received responses from...

  
• 11.20.2021

  192 – We Always Knew He Had A Screw Loose!

  My good friend, Clark Trobaugh, flew into KSHD this past week, and while he was visiting with his family, I walked over to his airplane on the ramp and noted a few things that needed attention… Here’s the one that...

  
• 11.14.2021

  191 – A Tale of Two Exhaust Valves

  In this episode, we are talking about two different exhaust valves, both of which showed signs of burning when we looked at them with the borescope. One valve was in the beginning stages of burning, and the other was too...

  
• 10.21.2021

  190 – The Cessna 172 is Flying Again!

  It’s been a long and in-depth annual inspection, along with the extensive list of squawk repairs. But it’s a great airplane, and I’d love to fly it if I had the opportunity! In today’s podcast, we cover the remaining squawks...