Flying The Big Engine

By the time a typical aircraft has a few years under its belt, its been modified from what rolled out of the factory. It might be additional or replacement avionics, a climb prop, vortex generators, auxiliary fuel tanks or a more powerful engine. It might be something relatively simple, like a ski tube or an external power port. For example, both my Beech Debonair and the Aeronca Champ Im a partner in have seen performance-enhancing mods since they were new.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Monday, August 12, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Aircraft frequently undergo modifications, such as engine upgrades, which can significantly alter performance and increase fuel consumption, but documentation for these changes, especially for older aircraft, can be informal, incomplete, or missing.
A fatal accident was caused by fuel exhaustion, stemming from the pilot's improper fuel planning and failure to account for the increased fuel burn of a higher-horsepower engine that had replaced the original.
The NTSB highlights fuel exhaustion as a major cause of aviation accidents, urging pilots to actively manage fuel by knowing their aircraft's specific consumption rates (especially after modifications), visually confirming fuel quantity, and ensuring sufficient reserves for every flight.

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By the time a typical aircraft has a few years under its belt, it’s been modified from what rolled out of the factory. It might be additional or replacement avionics, a climb prop, vortex generators, auxiliary fuel tanks or a more powerful engine. It might be something relatively simple, like a ski tube or an external power port. For example, both my Beech Debonair and the Aeronca Champ I’m a partner in have seen performance-enhancing mods since they were new.

Of course, any changes to the original aircraft need to be documented, certified and experimental alike. Among the documentation should be some discussion of what impact the modification has on the aircraft’s performance. If there isn’t any change to performance, the documentation should say that, also, along with adjusted weight and balance data if necessary. The thing is, that doesn’t always happen.