Catching Up

By the time you read this, Ill be getting my Debonair out of its annual inspection. Its been a lengthy one, in part because of some items I had deferred from previous inspections and in part because the airplane was new to the shop doing the work. Basically, I decided it was time to catch up on a few wear-and-tear items that pop up with any kind of machine, from a Roomba vacuum cleaner to a personal airplane.

Editorial Staff

Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The author's Debonair is undergoing a lengthy annual inspection to address various issues, including missing ADS-B altitude data, worn brakes, nuisance items like an intermittent strobe and fuel leaks, and propeller repairs.
A significant upcoming expense involves the engine, as an Airworthiness Directive on its cylinders necessitates an eventual full overhaul or replacement, despite the engine currently running without trouble.
The article highlights the continuous and often substantial financial commitment and maintenance challenges inherent in personal airplane ownership.

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By the time you read this, I’ll be getting my Debonair out of its annual inspection. It’s been a lengthy one, in part because of some items I had deferred from previous inspections and in part because the airplane was new to the shop doing the work. Basically, I decided it was time to catch up on a few wear-and-tear items that pop up with any kind of machine, from a Roomba vacuum cleaner to a personal airplane.

One squawk involved missing altitude information on a recent ADS-B Performance Monitor report I requested after a controller mentioned it wasn’t up to snuff. The shop presumed it was either a configuration error or a bad encoder. I’ll be interested in learning about the fix. It was time for brake pads, too, and I decided to replace what I’m pretty sure are the original brake rotors as a while-we’re-there-we-might-as-well thing.