Under the Cowling “BREAKING UP” with your Radio? Not so fast…your antenna might be the real problem! Aircraft owners typically invest a lot of money in avionics equipment for their planes, and other than an engine overhaul,...

Under the Cowling Aircraft Carburetors 101: Basic Carb Functionality and the 3 Things mostly likely to Mess it up! Engines need fuel to provide the energy needed to produce power. Most planes in the general aviation fleet employ...

Under the Cowling Airplane Cable Tensions and Control Surface Rigging The flight control system in most airplanes consists of a series of bellcranks and rods that connect the flight control surface (aileron, rudder, or elevator)...

Under the Cowling 7 Tried & True Tips to Remove Stubborn Screws and Rusted Bolts Sometimes the most difficult task involved in the replacement of a part or component is the removal of the old part: Screws that are stuck due...

Under the Cowling The Birds, the Bees and other Basics 5 Key Component Checks & Pre-flight Provisions to get a Long-Idle Airplane Back in the Air Everyone is busy these days and almost all of us are guilty of neglecting our...

Under the Cowling Valve Clearances and Hydraulic Lifters Generally, most engine problems arise from incorrect amounts of fuel getting to the cylinders or lack of a hot spark from the ignition system at the proper time. These...

Under the C0wling After the Annual “Insurance” Don’t Discount the Double-check! A few years ago, a Cessna 421 went to a busy repair shop for what should’ve been a simple oil change. After the procedure was supposedly “done,”...

Under the Cowling 10 Quick-and-Dirty Tips to Enhanced Oil System Maintenance Oil cleans, cools, and reduces friction as it circulates through an engine. Oil also coats internal engine parts, helping to prevent corrosion. In...

Under the Cowling Electrical Troubleshooting Recently, a customer had an ongoing issue with his Garmin GPS intermittently failing in flight. He had an avionics shop near his home airport repeatedly check the unit, but even after...

Under the Cowling How to Pinpoint Pitot-Static System Problems On October 2, 1996, Aeroperu’ Flight 603 departed from Miami with Santiago Chile as its final destination. After the final stop in Lima, Peru, the passengers were...

Under the Cowling 6 Simple Strategies to get your Plane in Ship-shape for Spring For most folks, the warmer temperatures of spring bring a longing to get outdoors and enjoy activities that have been neglected during the cold...

Under the Cowling Sticky Valve Salvation How to Diagnose and Treat a Suspect Valve Rough running engines are difficult to troubleshoot at times, especially if the malfunction is intermittent. Most problems are ignition or fuel...