I lean my Cessna on the ground. But be careful! If you don’t lean aggressively enough and forget to go full rich again prior to takeoff, your engine can experience pre-ignition or detonation and could destroy itself in seconds. I think that’s why flight schools don’t teach it. If you lean on the ground, you need to lean aggressively to the extent the engine will cough or sputter or quit when the throttle is advanced to takeoff power, which will alert you to the lean condition BEFORE takeoff. Be careful!
Cold starts: I live in very Northern Michigan. Fall, Winter, and Spring are all cold starts. Heck, even “Summer” here in the morning could be a cold start! Always pull the prop through a few times (be sure the MAGS are OFF!!) If you can’t preheat the engine, let it warm up at idle. Don’t taxi, don’t do a run-up. You want as little stress on that engine until you’ve got heat in it.
When I was in primary flight training, we never leaned the mixture. Never. Never on the ground, never in flight. When I questioned why, the CFI’s answer was, “you rent wet, why bother”. I now realize they did me a disservice by not explaining and showing me how and why. Yes, for decades now, I know how and why, and practice it religiously.
As a CFI and A&P I can attest to this. Most students at the student pilot or even some at private pilot level are not ready to absorb all of this information about how specifically to run your engine to maximize longevity. And honestly, flight schools will hit that 2000hr TBO fairly quickly, after a couple years of slam and goes and beating the shit out of it, the engine gets rebuilt anyways, so who cares if it fouled a plug or two or had a few cold starts. As an owner your priorities change, and the planes usage is totally different. I tailor my training to the student. If they're struggling with the aircraft systems section of our ground lessons, I'm not gonna overload them with all this info about metallurgy, oil analysis, and CHT's that they won't be tested on. A student/owner or a commercial student is a different story. That said, best practices are absolutely built into our checklists and SOP's, I just might not give an in depth explanation as to why we lean on the ground if I already see their eyes glazing over trying to copy down the ATIS while we wait for oil temps to come up.
Teddy...well said. I might add that flying, and the learning process that takes place the longer someone stays in the field is always changing. That's why early on many are told this is a license to learn. I have been flying since 1985 and what I can say is that no matter what we will never know everything and that's ok. As long as we strive to stay proficient and surround ourselves with others equally committed to keeping things safe, there's a good chance everything will turn out ok.
The more I watch these types of videos the more I’m very thankful the flight school I went to cared so much about me and my future. It was a flight school/ shop so if I ever had any questions about engines or what things looked like under the cowling me and my cfi would go out to an airplane being worked on and actually be able to look at it. They also made me learn the airplane inside and out, how to change the oil how to properly inspect certain parts you usually don’t check. My first lesson they taught me how to read the engine monitor in the plane and why it was important to understand it and also explained the whole leaning the mixture on ground and actually showed me the difference between Fowled and clean spark plugs and the performance difference it caused. We even had a mini lesson about the costs and extra responsibility of owning your your own airplane.
I love this topic. Flight schools should spend some time with students so they can understand some things that have a impact on engine health and how to treat an airplane like you own it. maybe a short discussion on ramp etiquette as well (but less important imo)
Great video! It shocked me that some schools aren’t discussing leaning on the ground. At my school, it’s heavily emphasized throughout training, on checklists, and generally it’s treated as a required step. Seems like thats one of the things that needs to become more universal.
I’ve had three inflight partial power loss events in three different aircraft. All three were the cumulative result of improper leaning over time. It’s amazing how pervasive this issue has been and still is to some extent. Great video.
This is exactly why I bought into a club before starting my training. Everyone you fly with owns the aircraft and everyone feels the pain when maintenance comes up.
There's nothing wrong with monitoring your engine but in most cases it turns into a question of "And then what?" Usually all you're going to do is continue monitoring it. Nine times out of ten you're not going to start tearing the engine apart to investigate, most owners couldn't afford it. I also disagree with always leaning while on the ground and avoiding starting your engine without a pre heat below freezing. Maybe your particular carb idle mixture is the issue and there's nothing wrong with occasional starting your engine cold if you know what you're doing.
I see a lot of the commenters are saying they need to lean at idle. If you have to lean at idle, have your mechanic adjust your idle mixture on your carb, that's why they have them.
Great Job and info Charlie, I think all schools should as a secondary advise, add these recommendations in engine management and treating every flight like you do own the airplane.
Easy to say you were not comprehensively trained. As a one time flight instructor, now a 20k hour airline Captain also operating my own light aircraft I can tell you that some pupils struggle to grasp even the most basic aspects of every aspect of aviation, let alone some of the niceties of engine management you mention here. There are compromises in everything, and an instructor’s time with a student is limited. The more important point is to encourage new pilots to operate safely, within their limitations and to go out there and learn, learn, learn, just as you are clearly doing 😀👍 It is beholden upon us all to ensure we are as knowledgeable, skilled and current as possible, not only to reduce our costs but to ensure safety for ourselves and others.
On the one hand it seems my flight school is often running up the tab with another ground session. But then on the other, at least I did get all of these topics covered on both the checklists and the lessons. I have the book but no plane yet. I'll start reading soon.
I've had this same discussion with my flying buddies over the years. You learn to fly first and then start all over again when you're paying the bills. We don't get the cold temperatures here generally in Australia but the heat is most definitely a factor. My wallet has learnt the hard way over the years. I agree about the flight instructors generally not really understanding what is happening inside the aircraft unless they are owners as well. Experience is a hard earned commodity. It's an interesting topic, especially as to how to 'fix' the problem. It's easy to say 'just tack some extra training in there', however I'm not sure if that will work in the real world. A lot depends on the individual's life experience. People who have fiddled with mechanical objects all of their lives do far better than those who don't own a screw driver. It certainly needs to be talked about though.
Yes, this is an excellent topic. As a new PPL, but not an aircraft owner (yet!) I found that my knowledge of the care of an aircraft was lacking. But what jolted me to learn more was actually my DPE. During my PPL checkride, he indicated a lot of habits I had that would be detrimental to owning an aircraft. Thankfully, I was taught to lean during taxi; but I was using too much power to taxi and I rode my brakes way too much on the taxiway. Also, my DPE explained that I was not utilizing the information from the EGT/CHT display properly. Again, not a fail--but those kinds of tidbits of information got me really thinking about what else I don't know. Also, dead-on on digital engine gauge installation. As I look for planes on controller and trade-a-plane, I look for engine monitoring, not so much glass cockpit. If and when I find the perfect plane, if it doesn't have digital monitoring, it'd be the first upgrade I'm doing. As for that book, I think I need to read it now--no less than 5 experienced pilots have told me to read it knowing I intend to be an airplane owner. :) Keep up the content!
good thoughts, thanks for sharing. yes, definitely pick up a copy of the book! It's fantastic. It's intimidating to start but honestly it reads pretty quick and you'll learn a ton.
Thanks Robert! That was a fun event. The best part was seeing families and little kids get up close to (and inside) a small airplane for the first time. We need more of that.
My school actually does have lean for taxi in the checklist. However, they didn't tell me why. Now I know. As well... I'm learning in Canada. All of our aircraft have block heaters and get plugged in on the apron.
Search for Mike Bush on RUclips. Check out his video on Lean of Peak (LOP) operations. It’s an hour and a half long or so, but absolutely fantastic on all the reasons why you should lean an engine out, and how to do so properly. Watch at least the first 15 minutes or so a couple times and then practice it when you’re flying. You won’t hurt the engine if it runs too lean. He explains that in the videos. Go check him out!
Great topic! The reason most (young) instructors don't teach these things are because they don't know these things, and they aren't there to teach you this anyhow....that's on you to learn after the license
I was the one teaching proper engine LOP operations to my instructors based on Mike Bush’s RUclips presentations. He has to be one of the most articulate and knowledgeable A&P’s about piston engines out there. I even tried to convince the flight school that it was in their best interest to start incorporating these principles as part of the curriculum to save tens of thousands of dollars a year on their own planes, but they just see it as “too complicated” to teach new students. As if it’s more complicated than using an analog VOR 🙄
Something like 20 years ago, I failed my CFI checkride.... Partly because it was 2500 foot ceilings, snowing, and IFR conditions, and for some reason, they still wanted to go; partly because it was THEY who rode with me for some reason; and partly because really, I never learned much about aircraft systems, and they (rightly) didn't let me pass without doing a redo on systems and systems safety. When I got into maintaining my own classic Land Rovers, I started to learn how important it was to know the basics of this stuff so that you don't ruin things! -- but ruining things in the air can be fatal! I totally agree -- flight schools don't do enough on maintenance. If I were teaching students again, I'd insist on them spending time working in a shop. You're 100% right on all of this in this video.
But that's the problem isn't it? They are flight schools, not AP schools. You are there to learn to fly not to work on engines or air frames. I admit they could do a bit more teaching on power plant with out adding to much time. Maybe FAA could add/require more power plant in ground school. Part of this carries over to all piston aircraft but as I said in a reply above, YOU bought a plane. It really is on you to know or research your plane.
on my 172 in summer, if you don't lean after startup and during taxi, you get a rough engine that needs clearing on the runup tests. I guess I learned that the hard way. Now I am leaning out the moment the engine runs smooth after startup. The other hint, that I just recently got, its that your engine should start right up without manipulating the throttle or cranking the starter a long time. If it doesn't, you are doing something wrong, like not leaving the throttle open enough or not properly priming.
could you do a video on engine maintenance and specifically overhauls? I am wondering how expensive it is to overhaul. Whats the cheapest way to safely overhaul it? Thanks for all the uploads!
Look at savvy aviation for more in depth infos. I’m doing an overhaul for our o470 at the moment. Prices have skyrocketed, the quote for everything is about 50 aviation units :(
I highly recommend picking up his "Engines" book. He does a deep dive on a lot of this. Can google around for estimated prices on overhauls depending on your engine, but yeah an O-470 is probably in the $40-50k range.
I fly helicopters, so it's really hard to correctly lean the mixture on the ground and it's impossible to aggressively lean it and impossible to lean at all during flight, but i still teach my students what i learned from mechanics and have them lean it out on shut down during the cool down period Good tios
Charlie, this is probably one of your most insightful videos, exposing a subject that I would say at least 75% of pilots don't seem to have a very good grasp on. I was extremely fortunate that I've become infatuated with the world record endurance flight, set in 1959. The engine ran non-stop for almost 65 days while they picked up supplies and fuel from a truck that would drive at the same speed out in the southern deserts of Arizona. The ultimate reason they had to end the flight was due to carbon fouling. In earnest, I plan on beating this record. I've done a TON of research about the flight itself and how to mitigate the issues they had as much as possible in order to beat the record. In doing so I discovered Mike Bush's RUclips seminars on proper Lean of Peak operations and how/why the engine works the way it does when considering performance and longevity. Of all the material I've digested, his has been the most informative and easiest to understand while still not watering down the concepts and providing case studies and research to support his claims. I wasn't aware that he put out a book, which I will certainly be buying and reading now. I also wasn't aware that cold starting aircraft engines could cause that much damage. Is there some reason that piston aircraft engines incur so much more damage than a typical car engine when cold starting below freezing?
@@garyowen9044 I really appreciate the well wishes! I’ve already done a ton of research, including talking to Bob Timm’s son. Bob Timm was the lead pilot and A&P of the record breaking flight. I’ve learned a lot of things that I believe will enable a record attempt to be successful and safer! It’ll be a few years before I can focus on it. I’ve got to finish up college and my rotary certifications!
I'm not sure about this, but I suspect that the reason why starting car engines below freezing is less of an issue is that the pistons and engine block are made out of the same type of metal. For aircraft, because weight is a concern, the block is made out of a different metal than the pistons and so they expand and contract at different rates, making extremes problematic. I'm not 100% sure though - I'm definitely not a mechanic.
I was fortunate enough to have been taught most of these during training... because the owner of the flight school was the mechanic, so he knew if the students were tearing up his planes and would give the instructors a taking to!
Few decades of renting I never really cared. When I became an owner several years ago I learned those things through trial and error and taking the initiative to stay ahead of any problems. You're doing an excellent job by preparing future owners. They'll have a head start in minimizing problems.
Oh boy. He brought up mike bush. Lol. I wouldn’t take all his advice lol. However I do agree with a lot of what he talks about. You have taken some of the absolute best take aways from that book and put it in a video. Nice job!
Charlie - You do a great job on your channel. I thoroughly enjoy your content. It was helpful before getting my plane and it continues to be relevant now that I have it. Thank you for the hard work. By the way, either you’re extremely likable or you fake it really well on camera. If I lived in Dallas we would be friends. 👊🏻
I’m a retired Navy pilot returning to private flying after many years out of the cockpit. I’m a bit surprised at the amount of stuff that isn’t being taught or at least mentioned. I recognize there is a focus on teaching mainly the requirements and that money is a factor driving training content. In the military we gained an in-depth understanding of the aircraft systems and why certain things are done, or not done and I believe this made us better pilots. I pepper my FI with lots of questions with the goal of maintaining my good record of number of takeoffs which equals landings! Thanks for the good video.
Fantastic video, I think you explained all of these points very well. I don’t think a lot of people realize how much fuel they needlessly burn when running rich when not necessarily required, I didn’t start paying attention to that until I started flying planes outside of schools where I pay for maintenance and fuel now haha.
I am glad that I didn't go to Monarch if they didn't teach you about the topics you just covered. I even had this stuff come up in my check ride. Maybe thats just learning at a high DA though. Good info!
I will start my comment by apologizing for it being so long, but I think this too is important: Charlie, your Tip #5 mentions Cold Starts and how the different types of metal will expand at different rates, especially during cold weather times. You also mentioned it isn’t just about heating up the oil in the engine during cold starts. That is very true, but it doesn’t end there. When starting a piston engine on a cold day, or any day actually, how many times will the oil pressure indicator show an increase AND a decrease? Most, if not all, pilots have been taught that in colder weather to check the oil pressure gauge to insure that oil pressure is STARTING to increase within 30 seconds of the engine being started. Unfortunately, that is where many pilots stop paying attention to the oil pressure. The engine oil pressure should rise and fall a total of FOUR times (two increases and two decreases) during warm-up of the engine. Shortly after the engine is started the oil pressure should “start” to increase, that is the FIRST INCREASE. After the oil pressure has risen that initial time, it should start to decrease. This decrease is due to the oil warming up and becoming slightly thinner, which reduces the amount of “pressure” needed to circulate it. That is the FIRST DECREASE. As the oil that is in the engine heats up, from the rise in the engine’s temperature, a valve on the oil cooler will open to allow the heated oil to enter the cooler to help regulate the oil’s temperature and the engine’s temperature. When the valve on the oil cooler opens, it allows the hot oil to flow into the oil cooler. Up to this time, the oil that is inside of the cooler is still cold, and as such is still thicker. When this colder, thicker, oil is allowed to start circulating throughout the engine, the oil pressure will rise again, because it takes more pressure to move the thicker oil. This is the SECOND INCREASE in the indicated oil pressure.) As the colder oil from the cooler is heated, the oil will again begin to get thinner, causing the oil pressure to fall again. That is the SECOND DECREASE in the indicated oil pressure. To sum all that up: If, after the FIRST INCREASE in indicated oil pressure the pressure does not decrease, that could indicate the oil is not circulating properly. If the indicated oil pressure does decrease after the initial increase in indicated oil pressure, that could be an indication that there is an issue with the oil cooler, possibly the valve to the cooler not opening and allowing “cooler” oil to circulate within the engine. This means that colder, thicker oil is not flowing out of the oil cooler and there would not be a SECOND INCREASE in the oil pressure indicated on the pressure gauge. After the SECOND INCREASE in oil pressure, if the indicated oil pressure does not DECREASE for the SECOND time, that could indicate that the oil from the cooler is not circulating oil through the engine.
For anyone interested that book manifesto is available on audible. So is the p-hak and so is the airplane flying handbook and other good resources. I listen to the far aim podcast as well those guys are great.
Great info! As a wannabe pilot only, but a 25 year AP/IA, I guess I just assumed that this was taught in flight schools...no wonder their airplanes never make it to TBO! They should really teach this, if nothing else to get more flights ($$$) out of their engines....
One add-on is about 'Tie Down'. Let the weight of the airplane absorb the stress of being on the ramp. Do not ratchet down your airplane. First, the stress of ratcheting down will break your tie-down mount and that is very expensive to replace. Second, ratcheting down your airplane will affect the strength of the wings, the pressure of the tires increasing and decreasing will alone flex the wings when ratcheted down. Third, if possible keep the airplane full of fuel. This will help prevent corrosion inside the fuel tanks and adds weight to help keep your airplane on the ground without ratcheting down the straps.
Good thought thanks for sharing! A lot of people don't know how to tie down an airplane either since the flight lessons usually start on the ramp and end on the ramp but don't get tied down. So CFIs should try to make a point to show them this stuff if the student hasn't gotten a chance to learn.
Mike Busch has written some very good books about aircraft. I don't own an airplane but I use Blackstone Labs to track all of my oil changes that I do on my 2000 Landccruiser. It's worth the trouble and added cost.
Charlie....! Great advertisement for the book! This is stuff we learned at ground school before we learned how to lock the primer in!! You shouldn’t be trying to teach egt or carb heat dude! Appreciate you as always, but noddy knows big ears!
Looks like I’m still a few years out, but will be nearby you soon (Royse City). Finances will be there soon and I’ll be ready for that next stage. Maybe that’ll correspond to you getting your CFI.
I’d like to see a more detailed version of this video. Great information but it was pretty vague. I now know that flight school didn’t teach me about cold starts, but I’m still left not understanding them.
Re: cold starts, basically if it's below freezing outside the airplane needs to be warmed up (preferably by being in a heated hangar overnight or by using an engine pre-heater for a few hours minimum) before starting, since the metals in the engine expand and contract at different rates. In Mike Busch's engines book he describes this in great detail with a lot of visuals. Basically the allowable spaces between metals in certain parts of the engine (notably the pistons and cylinders, made of different types of metals) can be exceeded as the engine heats up after starting... some metals expand faster than others and you can end up with metal to metal contact which can cause a ton of wear very quickly. Sorry if you thought it was vague, I wasn't trying to be.
Nice video. I really enjoy watching your content. One question, if you don’t mind. How do you preheat the engine? I am asking because I’m in the middle of flight school and owning an aircraft afterwards is definitely not only a dream. But I live in the alps in Switzerland. And a lot of the hangar options are more tent like. So in the winter it’s usually far below freezing level.
Different ways. Some aircraft have an engine block heater installed that warms the entire engine and you literally just plug in an extension cord into the front of the cowling. The new cirrus comes with those installed stock which is pretty cool, but you can also get in installed after-market. For me, I cover the cowling with insulating blankets and use a pre-heater that is a blower specifically designed for airplanes and try to hit that overnight before a sub-freezing start the next morning. I plug the front of the cowling and blow warm air (it's not hot, just warm) upward through the cowl flaps. You just want to make sure to heat the entire engine, not just the oil pan.
@@AirplaneAcademy thank you very much for your answer. Although it sounds a bit complicated, it’s definitely a good information. I guess I’ll ask around a little bit how the other pilots in my area are doing that. Again, thanks heaps!
I am not aAP but Luckily i have rebuilt maybe 10 Diesel engines and numerous old small and big block Chevrolets in my life. So I keep a very close on my engine oil. Oil analysis is a perfect way to keep up with your engine. But never underestimate your eyes and your nose when checking your oil. If that oil is getting black extremely quick you are getting some carbon blow by either from a worn out cylinder head with scratches in the cylinder wall or rings or like here in Texas getting them too hot and getting carbon blow by
Hi there - it was a lot of fun! It was IFR getting there and back but it made for some fun flying. I think more airplanes would have attended if it was VFR, but there were several hundred people there (they estimated about 500) from the community checking out the airport. They had the farmers market, food trucks, the SWAT team with their vehicles on display, a medivac helicopter, and more. It was cool!
Thanks Charlie! Many of these are more critical when you upgrade to a 6cyl. I think “stage cooling” and “shock cooling” should be on this list, too, as they are often overlooked when training on well-cooled 4 cyl aircraft. This is the first I have heard of cold start hazards, thanks for the heads-up! I fly a few days per year at temps down to -10c and never gave it a second thought beyond monitoring oil temp/press and warming up slowly.
Thanks Sean. I highly recommend reading the book - it had plenty of lightbulb moments for me, including the cold starts. In Texas we never briefed those other than just using the "cold start" checklist.... ha!
Engine reliability is obviously a huge safety issue. This is more of a question for Mike, but does the combination of engine monitoring, oil analysis and analysis of engine data make for a significant improvement in engine reliability and thus safety? (And might insurers factor in stuff like this?)
I think his argument was that yeah if you are doing all of those preventative things and getting good analyses done on your oil and engine and flying it regularly, that's mostly all you can do in terms of safety, reliability and longevity. He didn't touch on insurance stuff as I don't think it impacts that directly (though I'm sure if 100% of the market took as good care of their airlines as Mike does the loss ratio might be lower and bring down rates some, but that's a different discussion).
Any licenses are basically a license to learn , especially a private. Most instructors in recent decades are just building time towards a much better paying job, they have turbine in their longer range vision, not pistons going up and down. Mike Busch is one of the most experienced mechanic around, but his experiences are mainly on the classical air cooled aircraft engines , which we are often stuck with due to unweilding regulations that are behind the times. Automotive engines are far more advanced engines and more efficient, I doubt Busch have enough experiences with those, and no I do not play with the mixture.Aviation can be shockingly behind the times . The Canadian PT-6, they only had FADEC and one button engine start a few years ago, comp[are with jets which had it standard for what must be 2 decades. Am I inclined to read this 500 pages, not anymore than I am inclined to read books about care and feeding of 1970s car engines. My last 2 cars was a 95 Sidekick and a 98 Corolla, and they lasted 20 and 18 years. The Suzuki had 1/4 million miles and the Corolla had 180,000 miles on it. The FAA are stuck with a bunch of dead wood who is just putting in time till they can retire. They will not tolerate any changes or risk their retirement, that is why the 100LL replacement been dragging on for 2 decades. Automotive did it in about 3,4 years .
Nobody teaches the student pilot about aircraft ownership because it's not on the ACS. The goal of flight school is to get you pass the check ride. This is no different than learning to how to drive as a teenager. You learn the rules of the road, and parallel parking. But unless your parents teach you about car maintenance, you just don't know until you run out of oil and the mechanic told you about it. I know people who don't know that they need to change oil because nobody told them of this important fact.
Problem is, the instructors at flight schools have also never owned aircraft, so they can’t teach their students the ins and outs of operating and aircraft as an owner. And yes, an engine monitor is essential!
Wow and most airplanes have run over 35 years without A digital engine monitor and a good mechanic can tell you everything will a good 100 inspection without A fancy super digital engine gauge
How the heck are you gonna "preheat" a frosty engine? Short of having a heater fan blowing over it all night and even then it would have to be in your own hanger.......
This isn't really a flight school error or problem. They didn't sell you an airplane. It's up to you as an aircraft owner to research the proper care of YOUR plane. You mention cars. You change your oil at X number miles. Have you regularly checked trans fluid level? How about the gear oil if it's a RWD? Or a 4X4? Depending on type when was the last time you changed your coolant? Now I admit when your car does it's not usually the same oh shit situation as your planes engine but it IS knowing your equipment and proper maintenance there of. Again, this is on you. Not a flight school or in the case of a vehicle the dealer.
Señor, you can warm up your engine with a blow torch, all that is required is an OxyAcetylene set. And move to the tropics and avoid cold ❄ temperatures. So easy, and you are making life too difficult
Engine temps, data download, more accurate fuel flow (can also help you trouble shoot fuel system issues if you have inadequate fuel flow), carb temp monitor, etc.
@@AirplaneAcademy of course you are right. Nice presentation. I was just being facetious. I learn to fly in 1987. That’s what I was taught in my archer.
The good flight schools will tell you the reason; that the wear to the engine from the few worst students outweighs the downsides of the entire fleet running full rich all the time. The even better (IMO) ones will mitigate the leaning issues with more nuance. This is not the only video on this topic, so apparently some places pass on their house rules as ubiquitous, I guess.
Picked up some of these lessons during flight training ONLY because it took me 20+ yrs; it literally forced me to train with like 5-6 different CFIs over decades in CA, NV, and WA. I am SURE most “quick” students hear NONE of these.
A pilot’s job extends to more than merely flying the plane ✈️ by holding the pilot 👨✈️ door open until takeoff: It also gives psycho jimmy a chance to high Jack the airplane ✈️ after that psycho jimmy has to fly all the way to the next airport before he has another chance.
If you live or fly in Wyoming Montana Dakotas upper Midwest, Canada Alaska cold starts is going to be a reality. Unless less your hanger queen stays on the ground for eight months of the year. Get real.!!!
i think what they wont tell you is the pilot should be as light as possible as to get better range, the bears i see flying is scarry as i know if they crash 350 pound whale will kill me
Charlie first off, I do like your channel and find your topics interesting. However, a problem you may not be aware of has developed, and since you promote this company, I think you should know. After watching one of your videos addressing flight training, you spoke highly about flash cards for IFR training. Given the positive promotion by you, I purchased a set on September 15, 2022. Here we are today, November 17, 2022 with no cards received, nor any response from the company after 3 emails. I'm not faulting you for the poor service, but alerting you of this so other viewers don't make the same mistake
Shawn, thanks for the note. I'll personally reach out to the owner and bring this to his attention. I know that many people have received and really liked them so I'm sorry to hear about your experience.
My flight school did not teach me any of the information that Charlie presented here. The title is accurate. As Charlie mentioned, Flight schools teach us to fly an airplane, not prepare us for airplane ownership, which this video addresses.
Sorry you felt that it was clickbait. I feel that I deliver on the premise of the titles and thumbnails therefore it is not "bait". It's just interesting. In this video, in fact I was making years of mistakes (thumbnail) and my flight school did not teach me this info (title). Nothing misleading about that.
Mike bush on engines is one of my favorite books. Everyone flying or fixing piston engines should read it.
I lean my Cessna on the ground. But be careful! If you don’t lean aggressively enough and forget to go full rich again prior to takeoff, your engine can experience pre-ignition or detonation and could destroy itself in seconds. I think that’s why flight schools don’t teach it. If you lean on the ground, you need to lean aggressively to the extent the engine will cough or sputter or quit when the throttle is advanced to takeoff power, which will alert you to the lean condition BEFORE takeoff. Be careful!
Cold starts:
I live in very Northern Michigan. Fall, Winter, and Spring are all cold starts. Heck, even “Summer” here in the morning could be a cold start! Always pull the prop through a few times (be sure the MAGS are OFF!!) If you can’t preheat the engine, let it warm up at idle. Don’t taxi, don’t do a run-up. You want as little stress on that engine until you’ve got heat in it.
When I was in primary flight training, we never leaned the mixture. Never. Never on the ground, never in flight. When I questioned why, the CFI’s answer was, “you rent wet, why bother”. I now realize they did me a disservice by not explaining and showing me how and why.
Yes, for decades now, I know how and why, and practice it religiously.
As a CFI and A&P I can attest to this. Most students at the student pilot or even some at private pilot level are not ready to absorb all of this information about how specifically to run your engine to maximize longevity. And honestly, flight schools will hit that 2000hr TBO fairly quickly, after a couple years of slam and goes and beating the shit out of it, the engine gets rebuilt anyways, so who cares if it fouled a plug or two or had a few cold starts. As an owner your priorities change, and the planes usage is totally different. I tailor my training to the student. If they're struggling with the aircraft systems section of our ground lessons, I'm not gonna overload them with all this info about metallurgy, oil analysis, and CHT's that they won't be tested on. A student/owner or a commercial student is a different story. That said, best practices are absolutely built into our checklists and SOP's, I just might not give an in depth explanation as to why we lean on the ground if I already see their eyes glazing over trying to copy down the ATIS while we wait for oil temps to come up.
Teddy...well said. I might add that flying, and the learning process that takes place the longer someone stays in the field is always changing. That's why early on many are told this is a license to learn. I have been flying since 1985 and what I can say is that no matter what we will never know everything and that's ok. As long as we strive to stay proficient and surround ourselves with others equally committed to keeping things safe, there's a good chance everything will turn out ok.
The more I watch these types of videos the more I’m very thankful the flight school I went to cared so much about me and my future. It was a flight school/ shop so if I ever had any questions about engines or what things looked like under the cowling me and my cfi would go out to an airplane being worked on and actually be able to look at it. They also made me learn the airplane inside and out, how to change the oil how to properly inspect certain parts you usually don’t check. My first lesson they taught me how to read the engine monitor in the plane and why it was important to understand it and also explained the whole leaning the mixture on ground and actually showed me the difference between Fowled and clean spark plugs and the performance difference it caused. We even had a mini lesson about the costs and extra responsibility of owning your your own airplane.
I love this topic. Flight schools should spend some time with students so they can understand some things that have a impact on engine health and how to treat an airplane like you own it. maybe a short discussion on ramp etiquette as well (but less important imo)
It would benefit the schools as well
I agree wholeheartedly.
Great video! It shocked me that some schools aren’t discussing leaning on the ground. At my school, it’s heavily emphasized throughout training, on checklists, and generally it’s treated as a required step. Seems like thats one of the things that needs to become more universal.
Yeah we need to at my school as well. That being said our airport is at 5000+ ft so we must lean it to get optimum performance
This is why engines go to shit so soon.
I’ve had three inflight partial power loss events in three different aircraft. All three were the cumulative result of improper leaning over time. It’s amazing how pervasive this issue has been and still is to some extent. Great video.
Thanks for sharing - yeah I've had to relearn leaning all over again as an owner!
This is exactly why I bought into a club before starting my training. Everyone you fly with owns the aircraft and everyone feels the pain when maintenance comes up.
Awesome video! I'm glad to see you helping teach people some of the more advanced aspects of ownership. I'm studying Mike's work as well.
There's nothing wrong with monitoring your engine but in most cases it turns into a question of "And then what?" Usually all you're going to do is continue monitoring it. Nine times out of ten you're not going to start tearing the engine apart to investigate, most owners couldn't afford it.
I also disagree with always leaning while on the ground and avoiding starting your engine without a pre heat below freezing. Maybe your particular carb idle mixture is the issue and there's nothing wrong with occasional starting your engine cold if you know what you're doing.
Great content, Thank You
Very good information. Thanks.
I see a lot of the commenters are saying they need to lean at idle. If you have to lean at idle, have your mechanic adjust your idle mixture on your carb, that's why they have them.
Great Job and info Charlie, I think all schools should as a secondary advise, add these recommendations in engine management and treating every flight like you do own the airplane.
Excellent book that I’ve read cover to cover. Good video. Thanks for propagating facts instead of misinformation!
Easy to say you were not comprehensively trained. As a one time flight instructor, now a 20k hour airline Captain also operating my own light aircraft I can tell you that some pupils struggle to grasp even the most basic aspects of every aspect of aviation, let alone some of the niceties of engine management you mention here. There are compromises in everything, and an instructor’s time with a student is limited. The more important point is to encourage new pilots to operate safely, within their limitations and to go out there and learn, learn, learn, just as you are clearly doing 😀👍
It is beholden upon us all to ensure we are as knowledgeable, skilled and current as possible, not only to reduce our costs but to ensure safety for ourselves and others.
On the one hand it seems my flight school is often running up the tab with another ground session. But then on the other, at least I did get all of these topics covered on both the checklists and the lessons.
I have the book but no plane yet. I'll start reading soon.
I've had this same discussion with my flying buddies over the years. You learn to fly first and then start all over again when you're paying the bills. We don't get the cold temperatures here generally in Australia but the heat is most definitely a factor. My wallet has learnt the hard way over the years. I agree about the flight instructors generally not really understanding what is happening inside the aircraft unless they are owners as well. Experience is a hard earned commodity. It's an interesting topic, especially as to how to 'fix' the problem. It's easy to say 'just tack some extra training in there', however I'm not sure if that will work in the real world. A lot depends on the individual's life experience. People who have fiddled with mechanical objects all of their lives do far better than those who don't own a screw driver. It certainly needs to be talked about though.
Yes, this is an excellent topic.
As a new PPL, but not an aircraft owner (yet!) I found that my knowledge of the care of an aircraft was lacking. But what jolted me to learn more was actually my DPE. During my PPL checkride, he indicated a lot of habits I had that would be detrimental to owning an aircraft. Thankfully, I was taught to lean during taxi; but I was using too much power to taxi and I rode my brakes way too much on the taxiway. Also, my DPE explained that I was not utilizing the information from the EGT/CHT display properly. Again, not a fail--but those kinds of tidbits of information got me really thinking about what else I don't know.
Also, dead-on on digital engine gauge installation. As I look for planes on controller and trade-a-plane, I look for engine monitoring, not so much glass cockpit. If and when I find the perfect plane, if it doesn't have digital monitoring, it'd be the first upgrade I'm doing.
As for that book, I think I need to read it now--no less than 5 experienced pilots have told me to read it knowing I intend to be an airplane owner. :)
Keep up the content!
good thoughts, thanks for sharing. yes, definitely pick up a copy of the book! It's fantastic. It's intimidating to start but honestly it reads pretty quick and you'll learn a ton.
Great video!
Fantastic video my friend! Thanks for all the hard work you put into these short films. Hope to fly with you one day.
Thanks so much! Really appreciate it!
Nice summary of some important points! Good to see you in Athens last Saturday. Way to support the small town airport.
Thanks Robert! That was a fun event. The best part was seeing families and little kids get up close to (and inside) a small airplane for the first time. We need more of that.
excellent video
My school actually does have lean for taxi in the checklist. However, they didn't tell me why. Now I know.
As well... I'm learning in Canada. All of our aircraft have block heaters and get plugged in on the apron.
Search for Mike Bush on RUclips. Check out his video on Lean of Peak (LOP) operations. It’s an hour and a half long or so, but absolutely fantastic on all the reasons why you should lean an engine out, and how to do so properly. Watch at least the first 15 minutes or so a couple times and then practice it when you’re flying. You won’t hurt the engine if it runs too lean. He explains that in the videos. Go check him out!
Great topic! The reason most (young) instructors don't teach these things are because they don't know these things, and they aren't there to teach you this anyhow....that's on you to learn after the license
I was the one teaching proper engine LOP operations to my instructors based on Mike Bush’s RUclips presentations. He has to be one of the most articulate and knowledgeable A&P’s about piston engines out there.
I even tried to convince the flight school that it was in their best interest to start incorporating these principles as part of the curriculum to save tens of thousands of dollars a year on their own planes, but they just see it as “too complicated” to teach new students. As if it’s more complicated than using an analog VOR 🙄
Something like 20 years ago, I failed my CFI checkride.... Partly because it was 2500 foot ceilings, snowing, and IFR conditions, and for some reason, they still wanted to go; partly because it was THEY who rode with me for some reason; and partly because really, I never learned much about aircraft systems, and they (rightly) didn't let me pass without doing a redo on systems and systems safety. When I got into maintaining my own classic Land Rovers, I started to learn how important it was to know the basics of this stuff so that you don't ruin things! -- but ruining things in the air can be fatal! I totally agree -- flight schools don't do enough on maintenance. If I were teaching students again, I'd insist on them spending time working in a shop. You're 100% right on all of this in this video.
But that's the problem isn't it? They are flight schools, not AP schools. You are there to learn to fly not to work on engines or air frames. I admit they could do a bit more teaching on power plant with out adding to much time. Maybe FAA could add/require more power plant in ground school. Part of this carries over to all piston aircraft but as I said in a reply above, YOU bought a plane. It really is on you to know or research your plane.
Great video. I am going to bring up some of these topics with my CFI. I have not decided whether to talk about your piece about CFI traits to avoid.
That’s a good video thanks. All of those things do apply to airplane ownership good job
Good one, Charlie. As an airplane owner I thank you.
Sure thing!! Glad you enjoyed the video and that you found it helpful. :)
Yes, the best book on engines.
on my 172 in summer, if you don't lean after startup and during taxi, you get a rough engine that needs clearing on the runup tests. I guess I learned that the hard way. Now I am leaning out the moment the engine runs smooth after startup. The other hint, that I just recently got, its that your engine should start right up without manipulating the throttle or cranking the starter a long time. If it doesn't, you are doing something wrong, like not leaving the throttle open enough or not properly priming.
This guy deserves far more than 70k subscribers.
Great job I really enjoy the videos 👏 👍
Thanks so much! Really appreciate that!
You are an entirely agreeable chappie. Thank you for the helpful tips!
Thanks so much!!
I have his book and I listen to his podcasts as well as all his stuff on the Savy Aviation YT channel.
could you do a video on engine maintenance and specifically overhauls? I am wondering how expensive it is to overhaul. Whats the cheapest way to safely overhaul it? Thanks for all the uploads!
The safest way to overhaul an engine is to sell the plane 100 hours over the TBO.
Look at savvy aviation for more in depth infos. I’m doing an overhaul for our o470 at the moment. Prices have skyrocketed, the quote for everything is about 50 aviation units :(
@@Saml01 not sure if this is a joke or not
I highly recommend picking up his "Engines" book. He does a deep dive on a lot of this. Can google around for estimated prices on overhauls depending on your engine, but yeah an O-470 is probably in the $40-50k range.
@@AirplaneAcademy yeah the Engines book has been waiting patiently on my cupboard for the past few years ;-)
I fly helicopters, so it's really hard to correctly lean the mixture on the ground and it's impossible to aggressively lean it and impossible to lean at all during flight, but i still teach my students what i learned from mechanics and have them lean it out on shut down during the cool down period
Good tios
Charlie, this is probably one of your most insightful videos, exposing a subject that I would say at least 75% of pilots don't seem to have a very good grasp on.
I was extremely fortunate that I've become infatuated with the world record endurance flight, set in 1959. The engine ran non-stop for almost 65 days while they picked up supplies and fuel from a truck that would drive at the same speed out in the southern deserts of Arizona. The ultimate reason they had to end the flight was due to carbon fouling. In earnest, I plan on beating this record. I've done a TON of research about the flight itself and how to mitigate the issues they had as much as possible in order to beat the record.
In doing so I discovered Mike Bush's RUclips seminars on proper Lean of Peak operations and how/why the engine works the way it does when considering performance and longevity. Of all the material I've digested, his has been the most informative and easiest to understand while still not watering down the concepts and providing case studies and research to support his claims.
I wasn't aware that he put out a book, which I will certainly be buying and reading now. I also wasn't aware that cold starting aircraft engines could cause that much damage. Is there some reason that piston aircraft engines incur so much more damage than a typical car engine when cold starting below freezing?
Good luck, and God bless. Please do it safely, our community has had a couple boneheaded plays the last few months just to garner “likes”.
@@garyowen9044 I really appreciate the well wishes! I’ve already done a ton of research, including talking to Bob Timm’s son. Bob Timm was the lead pilot and A&P of the record breaking flight. I’ve learned a lot of things that I believe will enable a record attempt to be successful and safer! It’ll be a few years before I can focus on it. I’ve got to finish up college and my rotary certifications!
I'm not sure about this, but I suspect that the reason why starting car engines below freezing is less of an issue is that the pistons and engine block are made out of the same type of metal. For aircraft, because weight is a concern, the block is made out of a different metal than the pistons and so they expand and contract at different rates, making extremes problematic. I'm not 100% sure though - I'm definitely not a mechanic.
@@jeffcardillo That sounds like a pretty solid guess though!
This is a great vid! I don’t think anyone has covered this stuff. All good tips.
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed!
Another informative and enjoyable video! You are really cut out for this kind of work!
Thanks so much! Really appreciate you saying so.
I was fortunate enough to have been taught most of these during training... because the owner of the flight school was the mechanic, so he knew if the students were tearing up his planes and would give the instructors a taking to!
I also fly out of texas. Last time i departed Addison i was number 16 lol they are so busy out there!
Pretty much at the same stage as you are, looking forward to hearing about your experience with Savvy.
Few decades of renting I never really cared. When I became an owner several years ago I learned those things through trial and error and taking the initiative to stay ahead of any problems.
You're doing an excellent job by preparing future owners. They'll have a head start in minimizing problems.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate your kind words!
Oh boy. He brought up mike bush. Lol. I wouldn’t take all his advice lol. However I do agree with a lot of what he talks about. You have taken some of the absolute best take aways from that book and put it in a video. Nice job!
My part 141 school actually did a very good job on this, we spent quite a bit of time on engine operation before anything else.
Charlie - You do a great job on your channel. I thoroughly enjoy your content. It was helpful before getting my plane and it continues to be relevant now that I have it. Thank you for the hard work.
By the way, either you’re extremely likable or you fake it really well on camera. If I lived in Dallas we would be friends. 👊🏻
Thanks so much, Chad. And glad the content has been helpful! I'm not faking it so hopefully we'd still be friends :)
I’m a retired Navy pilot returning to private flying after many years out of the cockpit. I’m a bit surprised at the amount of stuff that isn’t being taught or at least mentioned. I recognize there is a focus on teaching mainly the requirements and that money is a factor driving training content. In the military we gained an in-depth understanding of the aircraft systems and why certain things are done, or not done and I believe this made us better pilots. I pepper my FI with lots of questions with the goal of maintaining my good record of number of takeoffs which equals landings! Thanks for the good video.
Completely agree. And THANK YOU for your service!
Ha! I’m leaning about expensive repairs right now. Three exhaust valves and 4 sets of rings on our O-360.
Everyone should watch mike Busch seminars on EAA or they are on RUclips
A video on most common plane issues and the possible causes could be amazing. How to test your planes “performance” and trouble shoot.
Good thought. I highly recommend picking up a copy of the "Engines" book - he addresses all of this in a lot of detail. It's fantastic.
Fantastic video, I think you explained all of these points very well. I don’t think a lot of people realize how much fuel they needlessly burn when running rich when not necessarily required, I didn’t start paying attention to that until I started flying planes outside of schools where I pay for maintenance and fuel now haha.
Thanks so much!!
I am glad that I didn't go to Monarch if they didn't teach you about the topics you just covered. I even had this stuff come up in my check ride. Maybe thats just learning at a high DA though. Good info!
I will start my comment by apologizing for it being so long, but I think this too is important:
Charlie, your Tip #5 mentions Cold Starts and how the different types of metal will expand at different rates, especially during cold weather times. You also mentioned it isn’t just about heating up the oil in the engine during cold starts. That is very true, but it doesn’t end there.
When starting a piston engine on a cold day, or any day actually, how many times will the oil pressure indicator show an increase AND a decrease?
Most, if not all, pilots have been taught that in colder weather to check the oil pressure gauge to insure that oil pressure is STARTING to increase within 30 seconds of the engine being started. Unfortunately, that is where many pilots stop paying attention to the oil pressure. The engine oil pressure should rise and fall a total of FOUR times (two increases and two decreases) during warm-up of the engine.
Shortly after the engine is started the oil pressure should “start” to increase, that is the FIRST INCREASE.
After the oil pressure has risen that initial time, it should start to decrease. This decrease is due to the oil warming up and becoming slightly thinner, which reduces the amount of “pressure” needed to circulate it. That is the FIRST DECREASE.
As the oil that is in the engine heats up, from the rise in the engine’s temperature, a valve on the oil cooler will open to allow the heated oil to enter the cooler to help regulate the oil’s temperature and the engine’s temperature. When the valve on the oil cooler opens, it allows the hot oil to flow into the oil cooler. Up to this time, the oil that is inside of the cooler is still cold, and as such is still thicker. When this colder, thicker, oil is allowed to start circulating throughout the engine, the oil pressure will rise again, because it takes more pressure to move the thicker oil. This is the SECOND INCREASE in the indicated oil pressure.)
As the colder oil from the cooler is heated, the oil will again begin to get thinner, causing the oil pressure to fall again. That is the SECOND DECREASE in the indicated oil pressure.
To sum all that up:
If, after the FIRST INCREASE in indicated oil pressure the pressure does not decrease, that could indicate the oil is not circulating properly. If the indicated oil pressure does decrease after the initial increase in indicated oil pressure, that could be an indication that there is an issue with the oil cooler, possibly the valve to the cooler not opening and allowing “cooler” oil to circulate within the engine. This means that colder, thicker oil is not flowing out of the oil cooler and there would not be a SECOND INCREASE in the oil pressure indicated on the pressure gauge.
After the SECOND INCREASE in oil pressure, if the indicated oil pressure does not DECREASE for the SECOND time, that could indicate that the oil from the cooler is not circulating oil through the engine.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a thoughtful and insightful comment. I appreciate it! Good intel here.
For anyone interested that book manifesto is available on audible. So is the p-hak and so is the airplane flying handbook and other good resources. I listen to the far aim podcast as well those guys are great.
Great info! As a wannabe pilot only, but a 25 year AP/IA, I guess I just assumed that this was taught in flight schools...no wonder their airplanes never make it to TBO! They should really teach this, if nothing else to get more flights ($$$) out of their engines....
One add-on is about 'Tie Down'. Let the weight of the airplane absorb the stress of being on the ramp. Do not ratchet down your airplane. First, the stress of ratcheting down will break your tie-down mount and that is very expensive to replace. Second, ratcheting down your airplane will affect the strength of the wings, the pressure of the tires increasing and decreasing will alone flex the wings when ratcheted down. Third, if possible keep the airplane full of fuel. This will help prevent corrosion inside the fuel tanks and adds weight to help keep your airplane on the ground without ratcheting down the straps.
Good thought thanks for sharing! A lot of people don't know how to tie down an airplane either since the flight lessons usually start on the ramp and end on the ramp but don't get tied down. So CFIs should try to make a point to show them this stuff if the student hasn't gotten a chance to learn.
I would still be flying if I ran into folks like you in the aviation community. Really like your videos.
Thanks so much!! Glad you enjoy the channel!
Mike Busch has written some very good books about aircraft. I don't own an airplane but I use Blackstone Labs to track all of my oil changes that I do on my 2000 Landccruiser. It's worth the trouble and added cost.
Blackstone Labs is great
Charlie....! Great advertisement for the book! This is stuff we learned at ground school before we learned how to lock the primer in!! You shouldn’t be trying to teach egt or carb heat dude! Appreciate you as always, but noddy knows big ears!
Looks like I’m still a few years out, but will be nearby you soon (Royse City). Finances will be there soon and I’ll be ready for that next stage. Maybe that’ll correspond to you getting your CFI.
You sound just like mike bush 😂. I read that book recently and I now fly my flight school planes in Houston a ton different.
This also teaches you that manufacture TBO is asinine and makes no sense! Doing your homework on your engine will give you plenty of flight time.
I’d like to see a more detailed version of this video. Great information but it was pretty vague. I now know that flight school didn’t teach me about cold starts, but I’m still left not understanding them.
Re: cold starts, basically if it's below freezing outside the airplane needs to be warmed up (preferably by being in a heated hangar overnight or by using an engine pre-heater for a few hours minimum) before starting, since the metals in the engine expand and contract at different rates. In Mike Busch's engines book he describes this in great detail with a lot of visuals. Basically the allowable spaces between metals in certain parts of the engine (notably the pistons and cylinders, made of different types of metals) can be exceeded as the engine heats up after starting... some metals expand faster than others and you can end up with metal to metal contact which can cause a ton of wear very quickly. Sorry if you thought it was vague, I wasn't trying to be.
It’s not a giant leap from uploading engine data every once in a while to auto uploads every flight and even live monitoring.
Nice video. I really enjoy watching your content.
One question, if you don’t mind.
How do you preheat the engine?
I am asking because I’m in the middle of flight school and owning an aircraft afterwards is definitely not only a dream.
But I live in the alps in Switzerland.
And a lot of the hangar options are more tent like. So in the winter it’s usually far below freezing level.
Different ways. Some aircraft have an engine block heater installed that warms the entire engine and you literally just plug in an extension cord into the front of the cowling. The new cirrus comes with those installed stock which is pretty cool, but you can also get in installed after-market. For me, I cover the cowling with insulating blankets and use a pre-heater that is a blower specifically designed for airplanes and try to hit that overnight before a sub-freezing start the next morning. I plug the front of the cowling and blow warm air (it's not hot, just warm) upward through the cowl flaps. You just want to make sure to heat the entire engine, not just the oil pan.
@@AirplaneAcademy thank you very much for your answer. Although it sounds a bit complicated, it’s definitely a good information.
I guess I’ll ask around a little bit how the other pilots in my area are doing that.
Again, thanks heaps!
I am not aAP but Luckily i have rebuilt maybe 10 Diesel engines and numerous old small and big block Chevrolets in my life. So I keep a very close on my engine oil. Oil analysis is a perfect way to keep up with your engine. But never underestimate your eyes and your nose when checking your oil. If that oil is getting black extremely quick you are getting some carbon blow by either from a worn out cylinder head with scratches in the cylinder wall or rings or like here in Texas getting them too hot and getting carbon blow by
Thanks for your input! Agreed. The book addresses a lot of this and it was largely new info to me.
One thing i'm failing to understand is the helpfulness of leaning mixture on the ground. Lean mixture is bad for pistons 🤔
apart from oil analize, non of those advice does not work for FADEC controlled planes like Diamond da40
Hey Charlie! How was the Athens Fly-in? The weather looked questionable, so I’m curious how it went.
Hi there - it was a lot of fun! It was IFR getting there and back but it made for some fun flying. I think more airplanes would have attended if it was VFR, but there were several hundred people there (they estimated about 500) from the community checking out the airport. They had the farmers market, food trucks, the SWAT team with their vehicles on display, a medivac helicopter, and more. It was cool!
Thanks Charlie! Many of these are more critical when you upgrade to a 6cyl. I think “stage cooling” and “shock cooling” should be on this list, too, as they are often overlooked when training on well-cooled 4 cyl aircraft. This is the first I have heard of cold start hazards, thanks for the heads-up! I fly a few days per year at temps down to -10c and never gave it a second thought beyond monitoring oil temp/press and warming up slowly.
Thanks Sean. I highly recommend reading the book - it had plenty of lightbulb moments for me, including the cold starts. In Texas we never briefed those other than just using the "cold start" checklist.... ha!
Why do these engines not have automatic mixture control?
Captain Charlie ,what you said here is nothing but the bare true,,,Im a mechanical engineer
How to preheat the engine?
Engine reliability is obviously a huge safety issue. This is more of a question for Mike, but does the combination of engine monitoring, oil analysis and analysis of engine data make for a significant improvement in engine reliability and thus safety? (And might insurers factor in stuff like this?)
I think his argument was that yeah if you are doing all of those preventative things and getting good analyses done on your oil and engine and flying it regularly, that's mostly all you can do in terms of safety, reliability and longevity. He didn't touch on insurance stuff as I don't think it impacts that directly (though I'm sure if 100% of the market took as good care of their airlines as Mike does the loss ratio might be lower and bring down rates some, but that's a different discussion).
Any licenses are basically a license to learn , especially a private. Most instructors in recent decades are just building time towards a much better paying job, they have turbine in their longer range vision, not pistons going up and down. Mike Busch is one of the most experienced mechanic around, but his experiences are mainly on the classical air cooled aircraft engines , which we are often stuck with due to unweilding regulations that are behind the times. Automotive engines are far more advanced engines and more efficient, I doubt Busch have enough experiences with those, and no I do not play with the mixture.Aviation can be shockingly behind the times . The Canadian PT-6, they only had FADEC and one button engine start a few years ago, comp[are with jets which had it standard for what must be 2 decades. Am I inclined to read this 500 pages, not anymore than I am inclined to read books about care and feeding of 1970s car engines. My last 2 cars was a 95 Sidekick and a 98 Corolla, and they lasted 20 and 18 years. The Suzuki had 1/4 million miles and the Corolla had 180,000 miles on it. The FAA are stuck with a bunch of dead wood who is just putting in time till they can retire. They will not tolerate any changes or risk their retirement, that is why the 100LL replacement been dragging on for 2 decades. Automotive did it in about 3,4 years .
Nobody teaches the student pilot about aircraft ownership because it's not on the ACS. The goal of flight school is to get you pass the check ride. This is no different than learning to how to drive as a teenager. You learn the rules of the road, and parallel parking. But unless your parents teach you about car maintenance, you just don't know until you run out of oil and the mechanic told you about it. I know people who don't know that they need to change oil because nobody told them of this important fact.
Problem is, the instructors at flight schools have also never owned aircraft, so they can’t teach their students the ins and outs of operating and aircraft as an owner. And yes, an engine monitor is essential!
Wow and most airplanes have run over 35 years without A digital engine monitor and a good mechanic can tell you everything will a good 100 inspection without A fancy super digital engine gauge
Paul New pointed me in the direction of Savvy Aviation RUclips page. It was eye opening!!!!!!!!!! basically the opposite of everything ever
👍
How the heck are you gonna "preheat" a frosty engine? Short of having a heater fan blowing over it all night and even then it would have to be in your own hanger.......
Am I the only one that makes a note in my journey log when I add a qt of oil
You invested in a pilot license. You should invest in am A&P license. Save you a lot of money.
This isn't really a flight school error or problem. They didn't sell you an airplane. It's up to you as an aircraft owner to research the proper care of YOUR plane. You mention cars. You change your oil at X number miles. Have you regularly checked trans fluid level? How about the gear oil if it's a RWD? Or a 4X4? Depending on type when was the last time you changed your coolant? Now I admit when your car does it's not usually the same oh shit situation as your planes engine but it IS knowing your equipment and proper maintenance there of. Again, this is on you. Not a flight school or in the case of a vehicle the dealer.
Number 9 at KADS?!?!? LOL! Thats nothing.. N190ME hold short 35 number 15 in sequence!
Señor, you can warm up your engine with a blow torch, all that is required is an OxyAcetylene set.
And move to the tropics and avoid cold ❄ temperatures.
So easy, and you are making life too difficult
Heck yea 420 degrees 😏
Why get an engine monitor? They told me to full rich below 5000 ft.
Engine temps, data download, more accurate fuel flow (can also help you trouble shoot fuel system issues if you have inadequate fuel flow), carb temp monitor, etc.
@@AirplaneAcademy of course you are right. Nice presentation. I was just being facetious. I learn to fly in 1987. That’s what I was taught in my archer.
The good flight schools will tell you the reason; that the wear to the engine from the few worst students outweighs the downsides of the entire fleet running full rich all the time. The even better (IMO) ones will mitigate the leaning issues with more nuance.
This is not the only video on this topic, so apparently some places pass on their house rules as ubiquitous, I guess.
Thanks for stressing cold starts. A single cold start could add years to your engine. Could save pilots tens of thousands in early overhauls.
This guy definitely has a traeger
Picked up some of these lessons during flight training ONLY because it took me 20+ yrs; it literally forced me to train with like 5-6 different CFIs over decades in CA, NV, and WA.
I am SURE most “quick” students hear NONE of these.
What flight school doesn’t train to lean on the ground? :/
A pilot’s job extends to more than merely flying the plane ✈️ by holding the pilot 👨✈️ door open until takeoff: It also gives psycho jimmy a chance to high Jack the airplane ✈️ after that psycho jimmy has to fly all the way to the next airport before he has another chance.
Airplane engines are hysterically unreliable compared to car engines.hysterically funny, Isn’t it?
If you live or fly in Wyoming Montana Dakotas upper Midwest, Canada Alaska cold starts is going to be a reality. Unless less your hanger queen stays on the ground for eight months of the year. Get real.!!!
i think what they wont tell you is the pilot should be as light as possible as to get better range, the bears i see flying is scarry as i know if they crash 350 pound whale will kill me
Charlie first off, I do like your channel and find your topics interesting. However, a problem you may not be aware of has developed, and since you promote this company, I think you should know. After watching one of your videos addressing flight training, you spoke highly about flash cards for IFR training. Given the positive promotion by you, I purchased a set on September 15, 2022. Here we are today, November 17, 2022 with no cards received, nor any response from the company after 3 emails. I'm not faulting you for the poor service, but alerting you of this so other viewers don't make the same mistake
Shawn, thanks for the note. I'll personally reach out to the owner and bring this to his attention. I know that many people have received and really liked them so I'm sorry to hear about your experience.
Certificate
Your are great and so are your videos but PLEASE STOP WITH THE CLICKBAIT TITLES
PLEASE
Why so nasty? There is nothing ‘clickbait’ about the title of this video. Maybe you should just fly with fouled plugs etc? Happy now?
My flight school did not teach me any of the information that Charlie presented here. The title is accurate.
As Charlie mentioned, Flight schools teach us to fly an airplane, not prepare us for airplane ownership, which this video addresses.
Sorry you felt that it was clickbait. I feel that I deliver on the premise of the titles and thumbnails therefore it is not "bait". It's just interesting. In this video, in fact I was making years of mistakes (thumbnail) and my flight school did not teach me this info (title). Nothing misleading about that.