Well, I’m finally living the dream! Last month I briefly mentioned that I had an offer from Klarenbach Aviation in Springbank. I accepted the offer and have now been working there for one month!

Klarenbach is a small company specializing in light aircraft maintenance. They are also a Diamond Aircraft Service Center. They recently purchased Canadian Avionics and can now offer avionics servicing and installations. Since starting there, I’ve worked on everything from a vintage, year one Cessna 172 to a King Air C90. I usually work under the supervision of another AME, but they haven’t been shy to assign me some very interesting tasks and let me work independently on them.

Needless to say, I’m loving it. There have been some comments that I’m loving it too much, but it’s all in jest (I hope…).

In addition to working on aircraft at work, I’ve also been working on the Christavia’s annual inspection and 406 ELT installation. I’ve obviously started it just in time as on the last flight, the trim knob came off in my hand. This wasn’t a big deal as it was quickly fixed with my Leatherman (recently won in the CRUFC Raffle). A dab of Locktite and a lock washer will prevent this from occurring in the future.

The other thing I noticed was that the alternator pivot bolt was loose. This is a real mystery as the bolt was tightened and cotter pinned when I tightened the belt last annual. It’s a metal-on-metal contact so nothing should have shrunk in there. Fortunately, there’s no chance of it causing any issues as the adjustment bolt was tight. But it is curious. It just goes to show that you have to be vigilant in both your annual and pre-flight inspections. Also, it’s not just good enough to look at stuff, use your fingers to ensure the fasteners are tight.

While I’m on the subject of annual inspections, I thought I’d pass along a few tips. First, be sure that when you’re doing your inspection that you do so in a comfortable environment. Doing an annual inspection in February in an unheated hanger with only a single 60W bulb for light would not be very conducive to a thorough inspection. If you’re cold or tired, chances are you’ll rush the job and miss things. Since my hanger is not heated, I’ve timed my inspection for June. Since I generally spend several evenings doing it, it’s nice to be able to open up the hanger door and get the full force of the evening sun on the plane as I work. You can usually be assured of warmer temperatures in June (this weekend’s weather notwithstanding) making for a comfortable work environment.

The first thing I generally do is the engine. I do this for two reasons. First, the oil drains out much easier when it’s hot. Second, you’ll get a more accurate compression reading when the engine is warm. By the way, if you get a low reading on a cylinder, it’s not necessarily time for a replacement. On occasion you’ll get a piece of carbon or lead stuck on a valve or ring causing a leak. Simply put the plugs back in and run it up again including a leaned out, high power run to clear out the junk and retest the cylinder. I usually do the compression before draining the oil to allow for a second run if needed.

There’s one last point I’d like to make about the compression check. Never do the check on your own. 80 PSI in a typical cylinder can generate over 1500 pounds of force on the piston. This can result in about 150 lbs of force when holding the prop 30” from the hub. Having a helper to hold the prop at top dead center (TDC) is definitely advisable. Be sure to keep your body out of the prop arc and if the person holding the prop lets it slip off of TDC, just let it go and get clear of it. Don’t try and stop it.

One other check that’s definitely worth doing is a timing check. As the engine ages, the gaps for the points in your magnetos will increase due to erosion. This will result in a change of your ignition timing.

Please keep sending in the articles and pictures as they are greatly appreciated. Hope to see you all on Thursday for the meeting.