The two most common questions that I still get are: 1. What oil should I use in my aircraft engine? And 2. Are different brands and grades of oils compatible? In this column I will limit the discussion to certified engines, such as Continental, Lycoming, radials and older certified aircraft engines. For these engines there […]
Visser's Voice
A Q&A with Lycoming’s top man
After Oshkosh, I sent an email to Michael Kraft, Lycoming’s senior vice president and general manager. Due to this busy travel schedule, he was just able to get his answers to me. To honor his request, I agreed to run this in a Q&A format. Q: Is Lycoming working on or considering development of a […]
How to prevent cam and lifter wear
Reader Dave Fletcher recently sent an email concerning the failure of the camshaft in his Lycoming IO-360 engine. He was concerned about pre-oilers, Ney Nozzles, CamGuard and other oil additives. This is a subject that both engines expert Paul McBride and I have addressed before, but I thought I would try to add a little […]
A reality check on the future of 100LL
The future of avgas has been a hot topic for almost 20 years. I recently reviewed some of my past columns and found that I was not too far off in some of my past predictions, but I thought I would try to update them with a touch of reality. The recent Super Bowl reminded […]
To lean or not to lean, that is the question
I’ve recently received several emails regarding whether to operate lean of peak (LOP) or to stay on the rich side. Let’s start with a short review of the chemistry and physics of combustion. Liquid avgas will not burn — it must be mixed with air. The chemically correct or stoichiometric ratio of air to fuel […]
Blue skies ahead for Cessna’s diesel 182
One of the interesting technical stories from this summer’s AirVenture in Oshkosh was that Cessna has completed certification and introduced into the market a diesel cycle 182 aircraft, known as the Turbo Skylane JT-A. The engine, produced by SMA, a division of the French company Safran, is an opposed, 4-cylinder air cooled engine laid out […]
More tips on breaking in your engine
In the past few months, my friend Paul McBride has written several very interesting and informative articles on “breaking in” an aircraft engine, including “How to break-in your engine”. I recommend that you read them when or if you have a new or rebuilt engine to install on your aircraft. There is a lot of […]
Why does 100LL cost so much?
Recently, we received a number of emails concerning the cost of 100LL at various locations, as well as the cost of 100LL vs. Jet A. Obviously, there is still a lot of confusion about this, so I thought I would try to shed some light on the issue. When crude oil arrives at the refinery, […]
Technically speaking…
The quest to find some answers at Oshkosh In my last post, I had the gall to be less than positive about things at the Oshkosh airshow. I was surprised at the positive feedback about similar experiences. However, our publisher, Ben Sclair commented that to see Oshkosh through the eyes of a new aviation enthusiast […]