A 182 mysteriously losses power and the hosts struggle to explain why. Plus, basic engine temperature theory, confusing ADs, and why it's so hard to find good help these days.

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Full notes below:

Andrey was flying low and slow on autopilot for a mission when he noticed the airspeed dropping. He saw a drop in rpm, and an increase in manifold pressure. He also saw very low oil pressure. He added power, climbed, and returned to the airport. After landing, he checked the oil level and everything was fine. On a run-up check after talking to his mechanic, the engine stumbled. A new oil pressure sensor seemed to have fixed the issue, but he’s wondering if that’s really what was wrong. The hosts agree that it sounds like Andrey was having two issues because a drop in oil pressure shouldn’t impact engine performance. A big drop, or complete loss, will impact the prop governor, but not in the way Andrey experienced. After looking at the data they wonder if there was also something working through the oil pressure relief valve.

Willie has a Cessna 310T and is confused about the exhaust AD. He’s getting conflicting information from mechanics and 310 experts. Mike was involved in the fight surrounding this AD, which is so confusing that the FAA had to issue an SAIB after the AD to explain it further. Yet the community is still confused, with the top Twin Cessna shops divided on when the AD should be complied with. Mike said it’s his opinion that it happen at overhaul. Others believe it’s 12 years.

Andy is a maintenance manager and wants to know how to teach troubleshooting skills. Paul said in his experience techs can troubleshoot in their heads, do it via manuals and diagrams, or not do it at all. The process should not be, let’s go change this part and see what happens, he said. It should be, let’s go test something and see what we learn from the result. Relatively few mechanics are talented diagnosticians, Mike says. It requires a different skill set. Mike discusses Savvy Aviation’s new mechanic troubleshooting service they are working on.

Royce wants to know if power equals risk. For example, if you have a higher compression engine or a turbo engine that produces more heat, will that impact EGT? Are peaks different based on the engine? Mike said CHT is basically measuring how much heat is present during the power stroke, while the EGT is measuring how much energy is being wasted out the back door. Paul said you can see this with an in-flight mag check when EGT goes up and CHT goes down. Running on only one plug shows how it’s more wasteful. Compression ratio is the big determining factor in the level of peak EGT. A higher compression engine will waste less heat, and thus have lower EGTs.