As an airplane owner, you are probably at least somewhat familiar with the task of cutting open the oil filter at an oil change. It’s a routine part of airplane oil change. But what should you look for, and how do you know when to be concerned? In today’s episode, we discuss an issue that […]

As an airplane owner, you ARE approved by the FAA to change tires. But be careful, because airplane tires can be bombs, if not handled properly. ALWAYS get some one-on-one training before changing tires yourself. And even after you’ve changed many tires, it’s so important to be extra vigilant and aware, and never allow yourself […]

Today is a little different . Instead of me just sharing things with you that I hope will be helpful, I’m asking for your help here. But first, in today’s episode, I clarified something that I talked about in a previous episode… the one about the simple alternator inspection. And then, for today, find out […]

As an airplane owner, do you have your airplane moved around the airport by ground personnel, using power tug equipment? If so, make sure it’s being done properly, safely, and competently. And after listening to today’s episode, you may find yourself wanting to avoid power tugs on your airplane as much as possible. After all, […]

Electrical power… you need it in your airplane, especially for night flying and for IFR. In light of this, you want to avoid surprise electrical problems, if at all possible. So here is one simple inspection that you, as an airplane owner, can do yourself, to help verify […]

This is not the actual airplane that had the oil leak, but it was similar to this one.       Oil leaks. They’re aggravating. They’re frustrating. And sometimes, they’re hard to figure out. But as an airplane owner, you will probably deal with an oil leak at some point in your flying […]

Thanks! Thanks to all of you who have contacted me in some way recently. Aviation is great, and airplanes are great. But without the PEOPLE, there really wouldn’t be much to it. I am grateful for all the fascinating people I’ve had the privilege of meeting, because of aviation, and podcasting. Here are a few […]

I had an opportunity to fly this C-172RG the other day, and something out of the ordinary happened.  I’m sure you’ve guessed it, by the title of today’s episode.  To find out how it all turned out, listen to today’s podcast.   The area that ended up needing attention was a wiring plug behind that […]

I recently did an annual inspection on a Mooney M20J, and when I checked the brake fluid level, the reservoir was empty.               In this airplane, the brake fluid reservoir is inside a panel on the left side of the airplane, behind the left wing.         […]

Any idea what that red switch is?  This airplane is a Diamond DA-40 with a Garmin G-1000 system.  The red switch is for activating the emergency battery power for the attitude indicator to the right of the airspeed indicator.           The battery pack is mounted behind the copilot’s instrument panel, […]