Aircraft Analysis

It happens all the time. We invest in all this fancy hardware and top it off with that new autopilot that does everything for us except close the flightplan. We like using that stuff because its easy, precise and, well, kind of cool. However, reliance on the automation can go too far and actually cause the very trouble were trying to avoid. A good coupled autopilot is a wonderful thing. It frees us from much of the mind-numbing concentration of keeping the airplane right side up to allow us to focus on bigger things like setting up for the approach or even just relaxing a bit at cruise. Add a GPS and you can program everything but your initial departure vectors and the vectors to final. The airplane can fly your entire flight plan while you pay attention to more important things like fuel management or the weather. Or not, and thats one of the problems.

Some time ago there was an Internet debate on running a tank dry. Each side had some valid arguments and thought the opposing view was absurd. Debates are like that. One side was convinced airplanes would be falling out of the sky if pilots starting running tanks dry, then switching to one with fuel in it. The other side felt that airplanes would be falling out of the sky if pilots didnt run a tank dry, if for no other reason than to verify capacity. As such arguments go, both sides were right. And wrong. But both sides agreed on a central point: Theres no substitute for thorough knowledge and understanding of your airplanes fuel system. With that goal in mind, lets set aside the other arguments for a moment, take a look at what goes into fuel systems and what we as pilots should know about them.

If you fly a turbocharged airplane, you know a different reality than the poor slugs who have to muddle along in the weather gasping for manifold pressure above 12,000 feet. Pilots with boost climb faster, fly higher and have more options in making altitude-related weather decisions. Nothing is for free, however, especially if you own an airplane with one or a pair of turbochargers. Youll pay more for overhauls and routine maintenance, and you may burn bit more fuel. You also know-or should know-a different reality with regard to potential system failures. Although theyre as simple as a bag of rocks, turbochargers are like any other mechanical device, so they occasionally fail, presenting sometimes perplexing symptoms you wont see from a normally aspirated engine. Lets consider some possibilities.

It seems that since Leonardo de Vinci first placed his mental concept of a flying machine on paper we aviators have had a hard time separating fact from fiction. Aviation, not unlike most other human endeavors, has its share of commonly stated “truths” the scientific data doesnt support. Lets call them aviation myths. Why then, do they continue? One reality is that we are all busy in our daily lives and digging through reams of material to verify what someone else says is just too time consuming not to mention boring.

Why do reciprocating aircraft engines have independent dual ignition systems? At first glance, the answer seems obvious: for a safety backup. Most pilots will agree that if one system fails, the other will provide enough spark to keep the engine running. Keeping the combustion going is only one reason for the dual-magneto system.

How you fly the first few hours after installing new cylinders can mean the difference between a reliable engine and another top-end job.

If you think your airplane has enough back-up systems to make single-component failures a non-event, you could be wrong. Redundant systems often arent.

Even airframes certified for 6 G can stand only so much. The saga of the T-34 reveals what pilots dont know about how airplanes endure high-G flight.

Some basic planning and a few bucks means redundancy in a single doesnt have to be an oxymoron. Here are some tips on making it so.

The Piper Malibu series has a checkered history and a rabid fan base. What its safety record can teach the rest of us