Comments on: Act like an owner

By: T R Scott

T R Scott — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:03:44 +0000

I am lucky!!! My CFI is an A+P. Having an A+P teaching gives really deep understanding as to what is happening. Mind you I’ve installed, maintained and taught how to use high end xray equipment like cardiac cath labs and worked in the oil fields and grew up in a farm town and it makes me crazy when folks don’t know why water comes straight out of a curled up garden hose or can’t merge on a highway. Not to mention the forgotten scouting code of leave it better than you found it. My EAA club is real demanding on how we take care of our plane. It didn’t take long to understand when everyone is doing it. Maybe the CFIs could start teaching it.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:05:09 +0000

DO NOT leave the radio at the highest possible volume! You may be almost deaf but please remember to turn down the volume and not scare the daylight out of the next poor pilot and passengers!

By: Allan ORTH

Allan ORTH — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:42:54 +0000

As with Grant and Brian, I’d be only too glad to exercise your Cessna 150, 152, 172, Piper Cherokee 140, Cub at Fallbrook, Oceanside, Palomar, French Valley.
I drive by those airports and see the planes parked there yearning to take to the sky.
My email: lual6784@att.net

By: Dean K

Dean K — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:42:22 +0000

And one more thing – Avionics OFF before shutting the master. Sheesh!

By: Dean K

Dean K — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:40:09 +0000

Preheat the aircraft when the temperature is below freezing. In cold weather – let the engine run on idle for a while before jockeying it around. Non-owners don’t care about the life of the engine, so they’ll attempt to start it in these conditions and get going right away because hobbs is money. If the owner tells you, he replaced a cylinder – No touch and goes folks!

In Piper Aircraft, stop breaking the plastic spacer between the throttle and the mixture control! Don’t rest your hand there and put weight on it. Easy on the door! Don’t force open the handle and/or lock (people have broken it off). If you have enough runway, let the aircraft roll (don’t stomp on the brakes! next taxiway!)

And if your landings are starting to register on the Richter scale, get some refresher instruction!

By: Respect

Respect — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:38:41 +0000

I agree with Nick Santo 1000%. Whether renting, owning, or operating for hire, we should treat all aircraft equally and with respect. Treating any airplane “like a rental” only raises the rental cost, increases down time, and could put a future renter in a bad situation. I’m not sure what happened over the last 25 years, but respect for our equipment definitely seems to have become something our modern pilots don’t consider. Why caring for the machine only becomes apparent after buying one is completely beyond me, and Nick is right, finding an instructor who thinks about the plane properly is getting harder and harder to come by.

By: Jill Tallman

Jill Tallman — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:16:36 +0000

Thanks everyone for weighing in! You’ve included some great tips, many more than I had hoped for. Dolphin: I have not posted on the buying experience yet, because that will likely be the focus of an article for one or the other of the magazines. I will say that, like you, I read a lot, talked to a LOT of other pilots including more than one owner, and it still seems like I didn’t get beyond the tip of the iceberg.

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:23:17 +0000

I like Grants Idea about flying for gas, I want in on that one too

One tip I could offer is to clean the stick/yoke/wheel after use. Ever notice the slime left by hand lotion? YUK.

By: James Carlson

James Carlson — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 17:50:46 +0000

Another tip from my mechanic here at KLWM: wipe down the exposed part of the nose strut with a rag to avoid having dirt break the seal. A common cause of nose strut collapse after a period of disuse is crud breaking the seal. It’s easy to recharge with N2, but easier still to prevent the problem.

By: C Fred Crawmer

C Fred Crawmer — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 13:01:59 +0000

Jill, I know you’re lovin it. Recently sold our 64 Cherokee 140 & was a bittersweet day. Couldn’t justify the cost if not flying it over 100 hours per year & the thought an engine overhaul/replacement (@ the worth of the airplane) scared me…I’m a chicken. Good gouge on perventative maintenance in the previous comments. Changed oil n had it analyzed every 25 hours, greased struts with a Shell synethic grease frequently & made up window sunshades with insulated Mylar sheet material available from Lowe’s (or your favorite hardware store) @ a very reasonable cost. As am sure your aware there’s a bunch of owner doable PM, do it, if you can’t or pay a buck & learn how to from n AMT…it’ll pay dividends. Happy flying.