A few months ago I spent an evening with some friends I had not seen for a while. After a few bottles of a fine Merlot, we discussed most of the world’s most pressing problems.

The conversation covered many points, including the accident in a commercial jet liner when an engine exploded and a piece of the engine hit the fuselage, killing a passenger in a window seat.

My take on the accident was of course sadness for the loss of the passenger, but also great admiration and respect for the pilot who controlled the aircraft and saved all of the other passengers and crew. A true hero.

The other people in the conversation were all trained professional people, but their take on the incident was that the accident was entirely the fault of the airline. And that the airline and aircraft manufacturer were liable for the accident and will need to pay her family a lot of money.

Their reasoning was that the only cause for failure would be lack of or improper maintenance. [Read more…]

When I got out of college in 1967 and started work, most companies were run by technical people who supported research and development.

In the lab we were allowed a lot of latitude to work on related projects that may not have an immediate payout.

This lasted for a few years, but with the change in economy, many companies started to shift more and more to the “Business School” model. If it had settled to a happy medium that would be good, but that did not happen. The business-types took over more and more companies. This resulted in the near failure of several car companies and others.

Some companies have shifted back, but the general rule in the business world today is that the bottom line is the only concern. This has hit the general aviation world in many ways. [Read more…]

Lately, I have received numerous questions about grease. The general theme of most of them is “why can’t I use synthetic grease from the local parts store in my aircraft?”

Synthetic lubricants are one of the present “now” or “buzz” words. If a lubricant is synthetic, people believe it will last forever and lubricate anything.

Synthetic-based oils do offer some advantages, especially in extreme high or low temperatures. But they are not the end-all, cure-all that people are hoping for. [Read more…]

Many years ago, I received some great advice from several friends at Continental Motors. They told me that the way to deal with the FAA was as follows:

First, find the right person to deal with. You need to find someone who has dealt with similar types of approvals. Do your homework and do not just start with your local FAA office. [Read more…]

After a review of the notes I received last year, the number 1 area of interest again was octane and engine knock.

The latest question was about blending octane number. For example, if you blend a 100/130 (commonly referred to as 100LL) fuel with a 90 octane mogas, will a 50/50 mix give you a 95 octane fuel? The answer is possibly, but probably not.

I know that this is kind of a trick question, but the answer can be useful. [Read more…]

In a past column I gave some background on what happens during break-in of a new or overhauled aircraft engine. Since then I have received numerous questions about why leaded fuel is needed during break-in. [Read more…]

In a recent email, a pilot related a problem he had with his aircraft: He needed to drain the fuel tanks so that he could repair the wing.

He drained the 100LL out of the tanks into two plastic drums. The fuel sat in his hangar for several weeks and then outside in the sun for several more.

When the repairs were done, he started to return the fuel to the aircraft and noticed that in one drum the fuel color had changed from blue to tan. He tried the other drum and it was still blue. But when he got down to the last few gallons, that fuel was also tan.

He drained the last few gallons through a filter, and it left a tan coating on the filter.

He asked what happened and what should he do. [Read more…]