Ask the A&Ps

This episode Mike, Paul, and Colleen tell a flight school owner not to throw away a perfectly good engine. Plus, the origins of the annual inspection, safety wire, and poor engine monitor guidance. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes below: Mike has a Cessna 150 with a bunch of advanced avionics, including...

This episode a perspective owner wonders about the cost of tying down outside. Plus fuel pump problems, major versus minor, and more. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes below: Steve’s primer in his Saratoga sat for a long time and was pumping air when he came back to fly it. He had to track a fitting to ge...

Is there a limit to how much oil consumption is too much? This episode, Mike, Paul, and Colleen answer this important question. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes below: Jim has a Cardinal with 3,000 hours on the engine. Everything looks good, except that the oil consumption has increased substantially. T...

Can you fly a turbocharged airplane lean of peak? Absolutely! This episode, Mike, Paul, and Colleen describe how to do it. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes below. Mike flies a turbo 206 and a 421 and is trying to fly lean of peak but the airplanes are running a bit rough. He wonders if there are tricks...

A light oil mist on his windscreen has one caller concerned he needs to split the case. Plus, Mike, Paul, and Colleen tackle cold cabins, tire changes, and horsepower calculations. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes below: Grant has a Mooney M20F and he’s seeing a light mist of oil on the windscreen after...

A Vans customer wonders what to do next, and a 172 pilot asks if carb heat is really necessary all the way to the ground. Plus, the best spark plugs, and a vexing gear issue are on tap for Mike, Paul, and Collen this time. Email podcasts@aopa.org to be on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes below: Greg has a kit from Vans on order and he’s wondering wh...

This episode Mike, Paul, and Colleen help an owner with an engine that randomly dies after 2100 rpm. Plus, the role of avgas as a lubricant, prop governor issues, and getting back into maintenance. Email your question to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes below: Dennis has a Cardinal RG with a prop governor issu...

Mike, Paul, and Colleen help an owner raise his oil temperatures, explain the rules around ELT battery replacements, debate the merits of a tuned exhaust, and help an owner whose airplane won't quit. Email podcasts@aopa.org for your chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at www.aopa.org/join Full notes below: Chris has a Super Decathlon with CHTs as low as 270 degre...

This episode Mike, Paul, and Colleen debunk myths, describe valves that are eligible for lapping, and cover the basics of the red box and leaning. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes below: Maciej is a new private pilot who is questioning some operational procedures he was taught. He was taught not to put...

With everything going electronic in the cockpit, will owner-produced parts become a thing of the past? Plus, Mike, Paul, and Colleen talk about their least favorite magnetos, deferring maintenance, and more. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Join the world's largest community of aviators at aopa.org/join Full notes below: Justin owns a Columbia 400 and he’s wondering if he ca...

Why you shouldn't jam the throttle forward launches this episode. Also, Mike, Paul, and Colleen help an owner with high oil temperature, advise a builder on engine modifications, help ease the mind of an owner with water in his tanks, and discuss how best to use a borescope. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full n...

Mike, Paul, and Colleen help an owner with a bad lifter that shows itself after oil changes, guide an owner through a change his maintenance schedule, discuss what constitutes damage history, and take a guess at why POH numbers change over model years. Send your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full notes be...

Prop hubs that were nearly scrapped, how to properly measure the oil level, semi-synthetic oils, and tachs that don't agree are on tap for this episode. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community today at www.aopa.org/join Full notes below: Bill has a Cessna 182 with a prop that hadn’t been overhauled for about 7 years and 600 hours. This p...

This episode is all about engines--how to fix one that runs rough, how to save money when buying one, why one went bad so quickly, and how to preserve one during a build. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Brendan’s friend has a Taylorcraft with a tricky engine issue. It started with low rpms in flight, and has since been repeated on the ground. The mags hav...

How far can you go with preventative maintenance? The hosts discuss this, plus oil-soaked plugs, a strange fuel smell, morning sickness, and more. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Lamberto has a 152 with oil soaked plugs, and is having to clean them every 25 hours. He wants to fix the problem, not simply deal with it. His mechanic suggests a harsh chemical...

How cold is too cold the fly? Mike, Paul, and Colleen answer this question, and help an owner solve radio problems, advise an owner to fix his probes, and describe the process to become an A&P in the latest episode. Send your questions and comments to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Chad has a Cirrus and he’s looking for some cold-weather guidance. A mechanic to...

A compass that works on the ground but not in the air leads to a fun debate between Mike, Paul, and Colleen. Plus, the basics of lean of peak (again), jailbreaking a Rotax, and the liabilities of being a mechanic. Send your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Blake flies a Mooney that has a compass with a mind of its own. On the ground it works well, bu...

While one owner has too much of a good thing and lots of shops to choose from, another is second-guessing if the massive check to the cylinder shop was necessary. In this, our first crack at twice-monthly episodes, Mike, Paul, and Colleen spend more time as therapists and counselors than technicians. Submit your questions to podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Chris...

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...