Ask the A&Ps

Did Paul give us the definitive guide on how to hot start an airplane? Try his technique and see what you think. Also, unnecessary cylinder removals, a faulty tach, and a letter writer and guest who question if burping is safe. Send your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Walt has a Seneca and has had to replace three cylinders in the last five years....

Live from EAA Airventure 2023, check out our second in-person show. The questions come fast, and everything from proper leaning to oil leaks is covered. Can Oshkosh-goers stump Mike, Paul, and Colleen? Full notes below: The first question has Colleen in stitches. Can you widen the gap on your spark plugs to get more horsepower from an engine? Short answer? No! Don’t do it, the hosts agree. Even Co...

How to start an airplane, whether or not to wash an airplane for an annual, flying through smoke, and high TITs are all on tap for this grab bag of an episode, as Mike, Paul, and Colleen take your toughest questions. Write to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Tony owns a turbo Twin Comanche with 300 hours on the engines. He burns about 14 gallons per hour on takeoff, but he thinks...

In two separate but similar incidents, owners want to know whether their cracked spark plug insulators caused pre-ignition or if detonation ruined their plugs. Mike, Paul, and Colleen tackle those questions, and many more. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Mitch has a Mooney that developed a strong engine vibration a few minutes into a flight. He quickly di...

Paul and Colleen broadcast from Dayton, Ohio, for Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, and together with Mike, do their best to help owners suffering with engine problems, mysterious cold air leaks, improper fuel indications, and more. Send your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Jim has a heavily modified Twin Comanche that blows cold air on the back...

A grab bag of unique questions come at Mike, Paul, and Colleen this month, including whether to buy new or overhaul, how prop stops work, what happens when you reduce from wide open throttle, and avoiding tiedowns. Submit your question to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Dale has a Seneca and he’s looking to the future and having to overhaul two engines. He’s won...

With two important airworthiness directives recently issued for Continental engines and Cessna Cardinals and 210s, Mike, Paul, and Colleen dig deep on the surrounding capacity and safety issues. Then they take calls on the limitations of engine monitors, and how normal can look anything but. Submit your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Michael has a...

Mike, Paul, and Colleen debate the difference between a bribe and incentive pricing, discuss how much carbon in the oil filter is too much, counsel an owner how to keep his alternator belt on, and reveal what's in their go-bags. Email podcast@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Jim is finding a significant amount of carbon in his oil filter after oil changes on his Cessna 1...

This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen give an owner the ammo he needs to not overhaul his engine prematurely, help console an owner with super hot cylinders--maybe, console another with super cold cylinders, and give cover to a pilot who wants to refill his own oxygen. Send your comments and questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Full show notes below: Pat’s Diamond has one s...

Did you know things live in jet fuel? These are the fun things you learn being a mechanic. Mike, Paul, and Colleen enlighten us on this strange fact, and tackle questions on leaning, burned exhausts, puddles of oil, and how not to set your airplane on fire when preheating. Email podcasts@aopa.org with your question for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Chris owns a Piper Comanche with...

Adam flies a Piper Warrior owned by his friend. On a recent flight he experienced some morning sickness that he was able to resolve. On a subsequent flight the owner had morning sickness as well. The owner is considering a top overhaul. Mike said he has two options, and a top overhaul isn’t one of them. The first is to do a wobble test and the second is to skip the test and go straight to reaming...

Engines are the focus this month as Mike, Paul, and Colleen talk about valve failures, valve springs, burned valves, and more. And of course we had to have a leaning question. Send your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Marius owns a Cessna 172XP that routinely has a rough mag check on run-up. His mechanic is recommending fine-wire spark plugs after f...

Making new parts, protecting parts, replacing parts, and identifying bad parts is the theme of this month's episode. Plus, a spirited discussion on fuel selectors. Send your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full details below: Greg is building an RV-10, and he’s wondering if he should prime all the skins while he builds to ensure there’s good protection inside and out...

Because it's impossible to make it through an episode without discussing leaning, Mike, Paul, and Colleen hit it from two sides this month. A debate about inoperative equipment, and why mechanics reach for the pressurization cart first. Submit your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Jay flies a Lycoming IO-540 on an experimental with one cylinder that...

This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen take questions from owners with round engines, fabric, fire-breathing aerobats, and more. Send your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below.... Bruce has an a Continental O-300 and recently replaced all six cylinders. Number four is still running hot, and number six used to run hot. He played with the baffling to reduce th...

Introducing our first live show from EAA Airventure 2022! Join along as Mike, Paul, and Colleen handle questions on the spot from the audience at the AOPA Program Pavilion.

Is shock cooling myth or reality? Can you run lean of peak with a carbureted engine? These questions and many more come at Mike, Paul, and Colleen in this month's episode. Send your questions to podcasts@aopa.org Full notes below: Jerry has an RV-4 with a new battery but the original alternator. When he starts the engine and then turns on the alternator, he sees a big amperage spike. He tested tur...

Oil all over the nose, cylinders that are too clean, and bush propeller repairs. Mike, Paul, and Colleen handle it all this month. Submit your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Adam wonders what to do after a prop overhaul left him with a huge puddle of oil and some shaken nerves. His plan is to remove the newly overhauled prop and send it to the manufacturer. Paul que...

From the seemingly benign--what tire ply to use--to the extreme--hitting 500 degrees on a cylinder--Mike, Paul, and Colleen face it all this month. And we mean all, like Ron's 172 that produces a loud bang exactly two minutes after shutting down. Submit your questions to podcasts@aopa.org Full notes below: Larry has a turbonormalized Beechcraft Bonanza. When it came time to replace his tires he de...

This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen tackle questions about inexpensively improving aircraft paint, cylinders that are too cool, low compression readings, and a magic floatplane that burns less fuel with its floats fitted. Plus, the ultimate stumper, an airplane that can't turn left. Submit your questions to podcasts@aopa.org Full notes below: Eric has a Pitts with an unusual problem. When he turns...

You may think an annual inspection includes a verification of the accuracy of your fuel gauges, but you'd be wrong. Nor does the IA check the accuracy of your tach or any other number of instruments. This information comes to a pilot undergoing a first annual. Mike, Paul, and Colleen also tackle oil loss and temperature issues, why we stop our engines with the mixture, and the difference between a...

This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen talk fluids. Danny has an oil leak, Steve has a fuel leak, and Jeff is puzzled by guidance on which oil to use. Plus, a question from a maintenance newbie, looking ahead to overhaul, seeing double on batteries, and a pesky propeller governor problem. Submit your question to podcast@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Dash has a T-34 and is...

Mysterious metal in the filter, reporting an owner to the FAA, when to change ELT batteries, and the elusive perfect hot start. This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen handle some of the toughest questions in aircraft ownership. Submit yours to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full episode notes: Brian asks how one is to know when the ELT battery runs for more than an hour or has reach...

Ever wonder what you're looking for when you preflight a Cessna with those small oil doors? So did our caller this month. Mike, Paul, and Colleen also field questions about a burned valve, winterizing for cold-weather ops, how to do an in-flight magneto check, and whether you'd really run out of fuel before oil with a leak in the gauge line. Submit your questions to podcasts@aopa.org

This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen dive into questions about valve failures, tracking engine times, aging engine accessories, and worrying cylinder head temperatures. Plus, a question that could only come from an instructor.