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 frequently encounters mechanical failures in his personal general aviation aircraft (e.g., vacuum pump, radios, hydraulics), highlighting ongoing reliability challenges for older planes.
He contrasts this with his professional airline experience, where major mechanical issues are rare on a per-flight basis, attributing this to robust maintenance protocols and Minimum Equipment Lists.
General aviation pilots bear the ultimate responsibility for maintaining airworthiness, diligently tracking and addressing frequent repairs, especially as aircraft accessories and systems age.
The article suggests that while older airframes are durable, their components and engines are prone to issues, leading to an average of only 25 flight hours between maintenance events for the author's aircraft.

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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.