Keeping an airplane in airworthy condition requires an ongoing program of maintenance, but that doesn’t mean the required procedures are always difficult and mysterious. Light airplanes are basically simple in layout, even though their ancillary systems can acquire some complexity. Taking time to become familiar with your aircraft’s service and repair requirements can be rewarding, in terms of satisfaction and instructional opportunity.
As explained in "The Final Authority" (see sidebar), the owner of the aircraft can perform certain routine, preventive maintenance actions, limited to simple tasks that mostly require common sense and the ability to follow instructions. These abilities do not extend to pilots who rent the airplanes they fly—but your students still should learn as much as they can about the airplanes they fly; that knowledge will serve them well over time.
Even an untrained owner could be trusted to apply a screwdriver to the head of a fastener to tighten or replace it, thereby preventing loss of the cover. Replacing a burned-out light is only slightly more challenging, usually requiring removal of a few screws to gain access to the bulb. You can change the aircraft’s oil yourself, if you don’t mind the mess, and servicing or replacing the battery is within your ability.
Owner-performed maintenance is not only feasible, it’s desirable. Knowing what things look like inside the tailcone or under the cowling bonds the owner to his or her machine in a most intimate way. When you’ve seen your airplane standing in its underwear, you can claim a certain familiarity. I know that I must keep my Skyhawk’s sometimes-balky rear baggage compartment bulkhead securely fastened, to avoid letting a tow bar fall into the tailcone’s control cables during climbout.
I was flying a Cessna Turbo Centurion over Iowa when I heard a loud bang, accompanied by a sudden change in the engine’s sound. I landed at the next airport and applied the fuel tester’s screwdriver tip to the upper cowling’s fasteners. Removing the cowl allowed me to verify that a spring had broken at a valve in the cabin heater duct, creating the commotion. Reassured, I buttoned up and headed home. I knew how and where to look because I had uncowled the airplane before, just to get acquainted with its inner workings.
Use restraint when exercising the privileges of owner maintenance. Not all of us, me included, are mechanically inclined. I will take three times as long to accomplish a simple task as an experienced A&P. I only attempt things I’m sure I can handle, and I’m always willing to quit and seek assistance. I’ve learned to use the right tool, and install only the right parts, using the methods established by the manufacturer and time-honored best practices.
Most mechanics would rather not interrupt their busy shop schedule to do an oil change, add air to a tire, or scrub an accumulation of bugs from the leading edges. It takes an hour or so of time they can put to more productive use on an annual inspection, so use that opportunity to teach your students how to perform routine preventive maintenance and they'll benefit greatly.
Early on, I was fortunate to have the benefit of a maintenance shop that allowed owner-assisted inspections, so when it was time for my airplane to go in for its periodic undressing, I was the one who removed the cowling screws, took off fairings, opened the inspection covers, and laid on the creeper to wipe solvent over the belly grime. I got grease under my fingernails—but I also got up close and personal with my airplane, learning how things worked, and when it was time to button it up I did it with care, because I was the one who was going to fly it home.
Sadly, few of today’s maintenance facilities can allow owners to help, in this enlightened age of liability exposure and regulatory scrutiny. A mechanic must attest to the work done by putting his or her signature in the maintenance records, and if owner maintenence goes beyond the limitations, it may compromise the shop’s certification. That’s the reason owners are usually asked to come back later to pick up the airplane.
If you do elect to teach preventive maintenance, know your limits and do it right. Keep track of how to disassemble and reassemble the bits and pieces. Buy the service manual and/or parts manual applicable to your aircraft, which will contain valuable drawings showing where parts go, in what order. In my case, I don’t cut safety wire because I don’t trust my ability to do a good job of replacing it. So, if the task requires a safety, I leave it to the shop. I can remove a wheel to change a tire, but when it’s back together I’ll carry it over to the shop to let an A&P torque the through-bolts to the proper value, because I don’t have a calibrated torque wrench.
As the owner, you can and should become involved in your airplane’s welfare. Know how to remove the cowling to inspect the engine’s plumbing, learn how to replenish fluids, and be sure to keep a list of items you’d like your mechanic to look at during the next inspection.
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Keeping an airplane in airworthy condition requires an ongoing program of maintenance, but that doesn’t mean the required procedures are always difficult and mysterious. Light airplanes are basically simple in layout, even though their ancillary systems can acquire some complexity. Taking time to become familiar with your aircraft’s service and repair requirements can be rewarding, in terms of satisfaction and instructional opportunity.
As explained in "The Final Authority" (see sidebar), the owner of the aircraft can perform certain routine, preventive maintenance actions, limited to simple tasks that mostly require common sense and the ability to follow instructions. These abilities do not extend to pilots who rent the airplanes they fly—but your students still should learn as much as they can about the airplanes they fly; that knowledge will serve them well over time.
Even an untrained owner could be trusted to apply a screwdriver to the head of a fastener to tighten or replace it, thereby preventing loss of the cover. Replacing a burned-out light is only slightly more challenging, usually requiring removal of a few screws to gain access to the bulb. You can change the aircraft’s oil yourself, if you don’t mind the mess, and servicing or replacing the battery is within your ability.
Owner-performed maintenance is not only feasible, it’s desirable. Knowing what things look like inside the tailcone or under the cowling bonds the owner to his or her machine in a most intimate way. When you’ve seen your airplane standing in its underwear, you can claim a certain familiarity. I know that I must keep my Skyhawk’s sometimes-balky rear baggage compartment bulkhead securely fastened, to avoid letting a tow bar fall into the tailcone’s control cables during climbout.
I was flying a Cessna Turbo Centurion over Iowa when I heard a loud bang, accompanied by a sudden change in the engine’s sound. I landed at the next airport and applied the fuel tester’s screwdriver tip to the upper cowling’s fasteners. Removing the cowl allowed me to verify that a spring had broken at a valve in the cabin heater duct, creating the commotion. Reassured, I buttoned up and headed home. I knew how and where to look because I had uncowled the airplane before, just to get acquainted with its inner workings.
Use restraint when exercising the privileges of owner maintenance. Not all of us, me included, are mechanically inclined. I will take three times as long to accomplish a simple task as an experienced A&P. I only attempt things I’m sure I can handle, and I’m always willing to quit and seek assistance. I’ve learned to use the right tool, and install only the right parts, using the methods established by the manufacturer and time-honored best practices.
Most mechanics would rather not interrupt their busy shop schedule to do an oil change, add air to a tire, or scrub an accumulation of bugs from the leading edges. It takes an hour or so of time they can put to more productive use on an annual inspection, so use that opportunity to teach your students how to perform routine preventive maintenance and they'll benefit greatly.
Early on, I was fortunate to have the benefit of a maintenance shop that allowed owner-assisted inspections, so when it was time for my airplane to go in for its periodic undressing, I was the one who removed the cowling screws, took off fairings, opened the inspection covers, and laid on the creeper to wipe solvent over the belly grime. I got grease under my fingernails—but I also got up close and personal with my airplane, learning how things worked, and when it was time to button it up I did it with care, because I was the one who was going to fly it home.
Sadly, few of today’s maintenance facilities can allow owners to help, in this enlightened age of liability exposure and regulatory scrutiny. A mechanic must attest to the work done by putting his or her signature in the maintenance records, and if owner maintenence goes beyond the limitations, it may compromise the shop’s certification. That’s the reason owners are usually asked to come back later to pick up the airplane.
If you do elect to teach preventive maintenance, know your limits and do it right. Keep track of how to disassemble and reassemble the bits and pieces. Buy the service manual and/or parts manual applicable to your aircraft, which will contain valuable drawings showing where parts go, in what order. In my case, I don’t cut safety wire because I don’t trust my ability to do a good job of replacing it. So, if the task requires a safety, I leave it to the shop. I can remove a wheel to change a tire, but when it’s back together I’ll carry it over to the shop to let an A&P torque the through-bolts to the proper value, because I don’t have a calibrated torque wrench.
As the owner, you can and should become involved in your airplane’s welfare. Know how to remove the cowling to inspect the engine’s plumbing, learn how to replenish fluids, and be sure to keep a list of items you’d like your mechanic to look at during the next inspection.
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