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 details frequent mechanical failures with his personal general aviation aircraft, including an in-flight vacuum pump failure, prompting him to question its overall reliability.
This experience is contrasted with his extensive professional airline career, where critical in-flight mechanical emergencies were rare occurrences.
The article emphasizes the general aviation pilot's ultimate responsibility for ensuring their aircraft's airworthiness and managing maintenance.
Ultimately, the author suggests that aircraft reliability, especially with aging systems and accessories, may be subjective and "in the eyes of the beholder."

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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.