The International Cessna 170 Association

The AvWeb story makes me wonder: Could they have been buttoning that job up and couldn’t come up with the right gasket? Could some well meaning person (avionics or maintenance) have put the vacuum cover plate on the engine so it wouldn’t get lost? We’ll finish the job when gasket comes in. Then they...

Avionics technicians involved in aircraft maintenance including repairs, installation, and alterations should work under supervision of a certificated repair station with specific authorizations for work performed. A repair station should have expertise and procedures in place to ensure any task is ...

Years ago, my wife was a clerk in a Supermarket and one day a customer approached her and mentioned she heard her husband (me) was a pilot, maybe in the FAA. My wife responded yes to both and this woman became emotional and begged for help. It seemed that Granpa was still flying his airplane with no...

When I was with the FAA, this and similar scenarios came up from time to time. Pilots losing their medical sometimes continue to fly. Airplanes flying without annuals are not uncommon. Rarely, there is a pilot who just never bothered to get a certificate. There was a legend down near Bakersfield of ...

My engine overhaul happened a long time ago and I could be mistaken that he changed the engine number in the maintenance records. I do remember him telling me it came out as an O-300. Maybe others know how that could happen or what the actual differences are.

The original C-145 engine in my old 1950 Cessna 170A was overhauled about 20 years ago by a reputable California repair station that specialized in engine work. The original cases were saved but nearly everything else was new (Cylinders, Crank, Camshaft, etc.) I recall the shop manager telling me th...

I agree with Bruce that, given the engine is properly documented as original, this is a total non issue. There is no reason to get the FAA involved and it is highly unlikely that a FSDO would bless this engine in writing. Why? Because it is already justified based on valid aircraft records. Why look...

The early Cessna singles that have 40 degree flap settings really do come down like an elevator, but I think we should keep adequate margin above stall speed. As an instructor, I don’t like to hear the stall warning come on any where in the pattern before the airplane is really close to the runway a...

The picture reveals the accident took place on an airport, but not where on the airport. There are no reports of witnesses so it’s not clear whether takeoff or landing is a factor. If the airplane was equipped with ADS-B, the investigators will probably get an accurate picture of its flight path pre...

Excessive lead fouling, in my experience, is best fixed by removing the plugs and cleaning out chunks of lead followed by proper sand blasting. But lead deposits usually take time to accumulate and your engine is low time. Oil fouling typically burns off with normal engine operations unless oil cont...

Your difference in drop between the 2 mags seems to be a bit more than the limitations I have always followed (approx 75/100 rpm drop from either mag and 50/75 difference). Maybe someone else knows actual mag drop limits for Continental O300. If the mag drop is immediate/rough, that usually means fo...

When an IA certifies completion of an annual inspection, he/she is verifying compliance with type certificate data, proper alteration ( if any), and in condition for safe operation. This would include verification of current empty weight and center of gravity. The existence of that data is required ...

“Tonight in cruise flight, the generator indicator light on my panel turned red, indicating the generator was not working at cruise power which is usual. However, my ammeter was still showing a positive deflection with most of my electrical system/lights on—this gave me conflicting messages. I deci...

No worries George. Ancient history. Some are sensitive to our reputations, that’s all.

Never was POI for Flight Options and don’t recall giving anyone hell while I was with FAA. In fact, my recollections are of pilots and operators giving me hell. For a short time I was a POI for an operator in Bakersfield that had a HS125. I remember they did their simulator training somewhere in Tex...