By Howard Deevers
A “newly minted” pilot called me for some information recently. The pilot had purchased an RV6A in Florida after passing his checkride in Florida. He had flown the plane and was proficient in it. He flew it from Florida to Tucson, with appropriate stops. I flew with the pilot in that plane and was pleased with his performance being so new a pilot. His call was to ask if I know a mechanic in Tucson that can do an oil change on his plane. After about 50 hours, he thought it was a good idea to change the oil.
I agreed that changing the oil at about 50 hours was good practice. Then suggested that he do his own oil change and offered to assist and show him how. The plane has a Lycoming 0-320 engine, very similar to the engine in my Piper. I told him where he could buy the oil and get a new oil filter.
He was surprised that he could do his own oil changes! He thought that all maintenance must be done by a certified mechanic. Then I told him about FAR Part 43, Owner Performed Maintenance, and that there are about 30 items listed there that owners can perform and log in their airplane records.
I don't remember any questions on the Private Pilot Knowledge test about maintenance, and during the oral part of the checkride, I don't know if the DPE is required to ask questions about maintenance, other than “who is responsible for knowing that the aircraft is airworthy?” My instructors from years ago, taught me about oil changes, and many other small airplane maintenance issues. Naturally, I was interested in all things related to airplanes, and I learned a lot from them. Then, when I purchased my first used airplane, the education really began.
There are books written for just about everything you can fix, work on, or need to understand on small aircraft. Over the years I have read many such books, including engine overhaul books, and have done much more work on my planes than I care to list in this short article.
Now, I must say that not all aircraft owners want to do their own maintenance. That is OK if you can afford to hire a good mechanic, and these days, can find one that will fit you in, then go ahead and job out your required work, including oil changes. I also suggested that the pilot join the EAA chapter and learn more about his airplane.
Also, I should mention that not all pilots have the talent to do mechanical work. It does take some knowledge and ability to even change the oil, or remove a tire for replacement, or do service on the brakes. If you don't have that ability, then ask for help. With the shortage of mechanics, they just don't have the time to instruct you in your own maintenance, but your local EAA chapter is full of owner/operators, with many that have built their own airplanes, and they will be happy to share their knowledge and talents.
Airplanes can be intimidating even if you did work on your car before owning an airplane. The work on an airplane may take different tools and should be completed with more care or attention to detail than working on a car. For example, just jacking up an airplane to change a tire is much different than jacking up a car. If you don't do it right, it could result in more damage than you want to deal with. The plane slipping off the jack could do major damage to a wing or other structural part of the airplane. When in doubt, ask for help. Also, some items need to be “safety wired” after installation. Knowing how to properly safety wire an oil filter, or other critical bolts or fittings, is important. If you don't know how to properly safety wire, then ask your EAA Chapter for help.
Other parts require certain torque specs after installation. If you don't have a torque wrench or don't know how to use one, again ask your EAA Chapter for help.
A good set of tools is a big help. Over the years I have added so many new tools to my toolbox that it is hard to pick up. Some of those tools may only be needed once a year, but when you don't have that one special tool and really need it, you may spend extra time looking for one. I'm sure that I don't have every tool that I could use, but I’m pretty close by now.
The old saying is “practice makes perfect.” After the first time of doing some maintenance on your plane it will get easier. I can still remember taking the main landing wheels off my plane to change the tires and to clean and repack the bearings. Now the job seems more routine. Oil changes, too. The first oil change took me half a day, but I can change the oil in my plane much quicker now, and I feel better about doing it.
Want to learn more about maintaining your airplane? Come to an ARIZONA PILOTS ASSOCIATION safety seminar. They are presented all over the State and are free, and the seminars count for the WINGS Program. Check the website for a location near you. And don't forget to “Bring our wingman.”
Comments
However, it is true that being allowed to perform maintenance does not mean competent to perform maintenance.
RSS feed for comments to this post