What to Know BEFORE You Go Sponsored by AirMart, Inc. – www.AirMart.com HOW IMPORTANT is it for that Little Red Beacon Light to be Working? We’ve all had it happen. We’re ready to fly, but find that silly little red beacon light is inoperative. Now what? Is it really possible that a plane worth tens of thousands of dollars and in otherwise perfect working order is not … [Read more...]

What to Know BEFORE You Go Sponsored by AirMart, Inc. – www.AirMart.com Practical Preheating Options for the Cold Weather Pilot Winter flying can be really cool! Ok, sorry, that was an exceptionally bad pun. But seriously, it’s beautiful here in Lexington, KY, when there’s a fresh blanket of snow covering all the horse farms. Though this is a great time of the year to take … [Read more...]

What to Know BEFORE You Go Sponsored by AirMart, Inc. – www.AirMart.com Hey, it’s Not Rocket Science! 3 Simple Maintenance Tasks to Take on Yourself Several months ago, in my article titled “Owners: It’s Okay to Get Your Hands Dirty!” (May 2014), I encouraged new owners/pilots to get to know their planes better by breaking open their tool boxes and doing some of the … [Read more...]

What to Know BEFORE You Go Sponsored by AirMart, Inc. – www.AirMart.com Cylinder Compression Checks: Does that Continental Cylinder Really Need to Come Off? Recently, I had a discussion with a Cessna SkyMaster owner who was 100% convinced that his mechanic made him replace 12 “perfectly airworthy cylinders.” Fortunately, I was not the mechanic in the crosshairs and was … [Read more...]

What to Know BEFORE You Go Sponsored by AirMart, Inc. – www.AirMart.com “Cover your Six” with Maintenance, AD Compliance, and Secondary Seat Stops! I hate it when my seat slides back during takeoff. On two different occasions I’ve had my seat slide all the way back during the takeoff roll. The first time I was an IFR student in a ‘70s-model Cessna 172 with an instructor in … [Read more...]