There are many who look for an aircraft engine on the open market. While there is nothing wrong with this approach to acquiring a needed power plant, it sometimes results in an unfortunate choice. Perhaps a little information on the possible pitfalls may help to reduce the number of bad choices. Individuals working on home-built aircraft may be particularly susceptible to this type of error. At...

Reading the “Aircraft for Sale” advertisements can be interesting and misleading. As aviation-oriented people, we are conditioned to look for certain bits of information which we believe will allow us to evaluate the product offered for sale. In the case of airplanes, this information can generally be segregated into three categories – airframe, avionics and engine. For purposes of this article...

Most people seem to operate on the philosophy that they can best get their money’s worth from any mechanical device by treating it with great care. This is probably true, but in many cases, it is necessary to interpret what great care really means. This is particularly applicable when considering the break-in of a modern, reciprocating aircraft engine. Aircraft owners frequently ask about the...

Revision “D” to Service Instruction No. 1094 supersedes all previous recommendations and should be used for engine leaning during normal flight operations. All leaning recommendations are based on calibrated instrumentation. Lycoming strongly recommends that all engine instrumentation be calibrated annually. All instrumentation for manifold pressure, engine RPM, oil temperature, cylinder head...

A note that came in the mail from a Flyer reader included a suggestion that went something like this, “How about an article dealing more extensively with the cold-start problem?” This suggestion was a good one as it provided an opportunity to share information about a variety of cold-weather considerations to help get the engine started and to keep it operating during cold-weather conditions...

The fatal crash of a light twin in which a flight instructor and an applicant for a multiengine rating were killed prompted the NTSB to issue an urgent warning to all pilots simulating an engine-out condition on multiengine airplanes. The Board’s investigation revealed that some flight instructors do use the fuel selector or the mixture control to shut down an engine to test a multiengine...

An important part of the engine-starting procedure is the priming technique. Of course, the Pilot’s Operating Handbook will specify the steps in starting a specific model engine. However, some of the pilot handbooks may not explain why certain procedures are used in the starting process. Priming can be best accomplished with an engine priming system, as opposed to use of the throttle. The primer...

Sudden cooling is detrimental to the good health of the piston aircraft engine. Lycoming Service Instruction 1094D recommends a maximum temperature change of 50˚ F per minute to avoid shock cooling of the cylinders. Operations that tend to induce rapid engine cooldown are often associated with a fast letdown and return to the field after dropping parachutists or a glider tow. There are occasions...