- Joined
- Oct 31, 1996
- Posts
- 1,120
- Type aircraft owned
- Carbon Cub FX-3
- Base airport
- KFCI
- Ratings
- COMM, IFR, MEL, SEL
I've avoided maintenance for as long as I can, I hear bad about them, I fear Maintenance Induced Failures (MIF), and my first condition inspection in 2022 for my Carbon Cub FX-3 was beyond disappointing. As I have my repairman certificate I do my own each year but I certainly would love to find someone I can trust and know of one in Kentucky that I'll get to one year but this year, especially with my coil pack issues, was not one I could make it.
Each year my condition inspections get better and more thorough, although not knowing what I don't know is the concern. I do more than most that I hear of from lifting top tank covers and inspecting for leaks, every other year check behind the left interior panel for fuel selector leaks, this year was a more involved brake inspection and cleaning, and in that process I noticed one of my Beringer master cylinder reservoirs had a loose screw on the top which isn't critical but something I never check. I pulled all pulley covers, including top of wing for lubrication, etc. But I digress...point is I try to be thorough and am proud of it.
I recently bought a borescope tool and did my own borescope but my untrained eye disqualifies it but it was something to learn and certainly something to do each year, it wasn't done by my A&P/IA on my 2022 inspection! I also do my own compression tests but wasn't happy with the result, I didn't believe the 80/80 numbers. And it was time to get my transponder cert done so I signed up for that, compression tests, and a borescope.
I have to say I really enjoyed meeting the local maintenance folks, I feel much better about the shop, the people, and the process. They were outstanding at Dominion Aviation here at KFCI. Super friendly and educated me on each thing that was done such as the borescope, etc. The compression tests showed 76/80, I still don't believe that's a perfect science but obviously an indicator to a problem rather than a report card. As reported in my other post, the transponder test was interesting and glad it was done.
In summary, it was very good to learn the local maintenance shop procedure, people, and feel good about going there when I need help with something as I'm a new "first time" aircraft owner, learning a ton, but safety has always been a top concern and top priority having a dedicated maintenance squadron and crew chief in the Air Force where I had full trust in my plane. Now it's all in my hands and that's frightening.
I enjoy learning new things, this has certainly be a big opportunity of learning and so much more to learn. This is why I like this website to help with the info share as closed loop discussions such as texting with fellow owners prevents others from learning too.
Each year my condition inspections get better and more thorough, although not knowing what I don't know is the concern. I do more than most that I hear of from lifting top tank covers and inspecting for leaks, every other year check behind the left interior panel for fuel selector leaks, this year was a more involved brake inspection and cleaning, and in that process I noticed one of my Beringer master cylinder reservoirs had a loose screw on the top which isn't critical but something I never check. I pulled all pulley covers, including top of wing for lubrication, etc. But I digress...point is I try to be thorough and am proud of it.
I recently bought a borescope tool and did my own borescope but my untrained eye disqualifies it but it was something to learn and certainly something to do each year, it wasn't done by my A&P/IA on my 2022 inspection! I also do my own compression tests but wasn't happy with the result, I didn't believe the 80/80 numbers. And it was time to get my transponder cert done so I signed up for that, compression tests, and a borescope.
I have to say I really enjoyed meeting the local maintenance folks, I feel much better about the shop, the people, and the process. They were outstanding at Dominion Aviation here at KFCI. Super friendly and educated me on each thing that was done such as the borescope, etc. The compression tests showed 76/80, I still don't believe that's a perfect science but obviously an indicator to a problem rather than a report card. As reported in my other post, the transponder test was interesting and glad it was done.
In summary, it was very good to learn the local maintenance shop procedure, people, and feel good about going there when I need help with something as I'm a new "first time" aircraft owner, learning a ton, but safety has always been a top concern and top priority having a dedicated maintenance squadron and crew chief in the Air Force where I had full trust in my plane. Now it's all in my hands and that's frightening.
I enjoy learning new things, this has certainly be a big opportunity of learning and so much more to learn. This is why I like this website to help with the info share as closed loop discussions such as texting with fellow owners prevents others from learning too.
