Why Airplane Reliability Matters More Than You Think

Another month-long excursion with mechanical issues rears its head.

Les Abend

Friday, February 20, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The author summarizes maintenance on his Piper Arrow in an Excel spreadsheet with the date and airframe time. [Credit: Les Abend]

Key Takeaways:

The author recounts frequent and varied in-flight mechanical failures experienced with his personal general aviation aircraft, including a vacuum pump, radios, and hydraulics.
He contrasts this with his professional airline career, where significant mechanical issues affecting flight reliability were rare due to comprehensive maintenance and regulatory protocols.
General aviation pilots are solely responsible for determining airworthiness, and the author's 53-year-old plane frequently requires unscheduled maintenance, leading him to question its overall reliability despite the airframe's longevity.

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As we descended through the dingy, gray cumulus, a glance at the standby attitude indicator revealed a familiar problem. The instrument was beginning to show a pronounced bank despite the wings-level status displayed on the Aspen electronic PFD.

Cringing, I forced myself to look at the far-right side of the instrument panel. Yup, the suction gauge needle indicated almost zero, occasionally jumping to the right in an attempt to display momentary signs of life. We were losing the vacuum pump that powered the standby attitude indicator.