Engine overhaul

[AuntPeggy]

Good comments one and all, can't argue with them.

My $.02 worth is if you can afford it now, and can find a real bargan (shops are looking for work to stay busy) this may be the best time to do it. The peace of mind you'll have is worth it IMHO if you are flying 100 - 200 hours a year.


What ever you decide I'm confident it will be the right decision based on sound decision making.


Let us know what you decide so we can criticize it!

Vicarious pleasures from spending other peoples money? I do enjoy it.

Peg it's your plane. The only real criterion is that you are comfortable. Please do not compromise, what matter is that you are safe, nothing else. Like she said, let us know what you decide.

Jow

Well, Hubby and mechanic won out. Hubby has ordered the overhaul from Penn Yan without the chrome or nickel plating and without the tuned exhaust. They will deliver it in time for the annual in May and we'll return our core. We will also be getting the warning light for low vacuum.

One of the "best buys" for an IFR airplane is a prominent warning light for low vacuum. Precise Flight sells one for about $80 and the installation shouldn't take more than a couple hours of shop time.

www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/vacuumwarning.php

It's not all that difficult to fly a plane with "needle ball and airspeed" but it can be rather difficult to recover from an unusual attitude on partial panel especially when near the ground. One common scenario when the pump fails is for the horizon gyro to slowly (over a minute or so) roll over to one side with an increasing error in pitch as well. At about the same time the DG is likely to begin precessing (rotating) and it's been shown that pilots often will follow that horizon into a fairly steep bank before realizing that something is amiss. Having a bright red light next to the horizon that comes on when the pump fails (and a few minutes before the gyros start to die) can make the difference between attempting an upset recovery with partial panel and simply keeping the wings level while covering up the soon to be misleading Ai and DG. I strongly recommend anyone flying behind steam gauges to find a way to add this inexpensive device. IMO it's far more benificial than a backup vacuum pump.

OK, I'm braced for criticism.

 

[Geico266]

OMG! What were you thinking! (kidding)

Good move, IMHO. You'll sleep netter at night.

 

[AuntPeggy]

Vicarious pleasures from spending other peoples money? I do enjoy it.

Peg it's your plane. The only real criterion is that you are comfortable. Please do not compromise, what matter is that you are safe, nothing else. Like she said, let us know what you decide.

Jow

Time for an update. We took the plane in for its annual on the last day of May. It had 2003 hours on the engine. We were flying Young Eagles right up til the time to go. Dropped the plane off at the mechanic's for an expected 2 weeks and a rebuilt engine, new seat rails and little else. Well, it took over 3 weeks for the engine to arrive even though they didn't need to wait for the core. sigh...

Anyway, the seat rails are in and the engine has arrived and it is July. Now the annual is pushed back 2 months -- into the summer -- grr. And I haven't flown for a month of beautiful weather. grr.

Mechanic was out sick yesterday. Today found out he has pneumonia. No telling when he will be well.

We thought we might have the plane back and fly off the break-in by going to Tulsa for the 4th of July with some of the kids. Not gonna happen. We are still hoping to go to Oshkosh this year after being forced to miss the last three years for various reasons. We will still have to break in the engine before getting to Oshkosh because of the 90 kt restriction on the approach. We still hope to join the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh mass arrival.

I WANT TO FLY.

 

[EdFred]

Always do major maintenance between Nov 15 and March 15.

 

[ScottM]

Always do major maintenance between Nov 15 and March 15.

How true.

When I bought my plane the annuals were on a May schedule. I moved those back a month each year I have owned it and not February is annual month. that is a time the WX usually keeps me grounded as well as my travel schedule.

 

[gismo]

How true.

When I bought my plane the annuals were on a May schedule. I moved those back a month each year I have owned it and not February is annual month. that is a time the WX usually keeps me grounded as well as my travel schedule.

I did the opposite. My annuals were originally due in Sept and Nov and I did the 13 month annual thing enough times that both now come up in May or June. I'm either gonna have to do some 11 month ones or try to push on through to next October.

 

[kmead]

1 month into my Malibu annual I just don't know when I will have time for it. It,s all torn up, the wings and gear are done and the engine hasn't been looked at yet. My airplanes get done after everyone else. I really need to get it done before the end of July.

Kevin