Ya know, you are right. They can be a lot to own especially if it had a lot of deferred maintenance when you bought it. After owning this airplane since 2014, I’ve kind of discovered that there isn’t really a middle ground….either they are gems or train wrecks. It took us eight months to find this one, and we still put a lot of money into it. BUT!, flying this fuel injected GAMI equipped 260 is the smoothest thing I have experienced. When she’s idling on the ground, it’s hard to tell if the engine is even on if you plug your ears, she’s just so smooth and fast too! I’m really glad you’re able to learn something! That’s great!
You say you are not a mechanic, but I feel if you were, you would be a good one! Excellent video. I’ve been flying complex aircraft for 20 years, but I picked up some good ideas from you. Also, your video could apply to any plane, so I’m sure everyone who flies could benefit from it. Never too old to learn! Thank you sir.
Heck yea! That’s an honor to have someone so experienced still find value in that video. This year I did an owner assisted annual and although there wasn’t much that we found, going thru the experience help me understand more about what to look for during a pre flight. I never touched on the picture in my thumbnail. There was a birds nest under the cowling that I found during a preflight. I parked it in transient at Mammoth lakes airport (KMMH). That was an easy one to find but if the cowls didn’t open, like a lot of planes out there, it may have caused a few issues.
This guy is 100% spot on, all pilots should do exactly what he says. kinda put your hands on everything, and think critically. A sloppy pre-flight can get you killed.
Hey Jeff! Thanks for the comment and the support. I joke about being a “professional VFR pilot” but I’m the only person who has flown my Comanche in 500 hrs and I still do the same inspection and walk-around. When I put my wife and kids in that plane, I can’t have a doubt about my diligence. Fly safe!!!!
Bradford is such a good guy! He’s been taking care of our Comanche for about 8 years even though we moved to Northern California. He has always been fair and has been such a pleasure to work with. We all need to do a fly-in at his new hanger house!
Your Comanche and mine were made around the same time haha I have 48P! lol It's cool knowing that I do the same things during my preflight. Fly safe my friend!
Heck yea! Glad it helped. I just got done doing an owner assisted annual. It’s my first time doing one since we’ve owned the air plane (8 years already). It was a great opportunity to learn more.
@@sugebzzy2038 I’m really not sure about that. Every year for the last 4 years I have flown down to SoCal to do the annual to keep the owner/mechanic continuity and trust going. I’m just not sure about anyone in LA. I think mike bush at Savvy aviation has a list of shops that they have had good experience dealing with. That might be a good start.
Great stuff, nicely done! Just one ? regarding that Cylinder 5 overheat you found - the baffling hole that you plugged to cure it is beside Cylinder 6 (rear right). I know airflow does strange things around engine compartments, but seems a little odd that the leak was on the other side to Cylinder 5.......
The key to learning a complex system such as an engine is break it down slowly. Be satisfied today that you know it's an engine. Tomorrow learn that it uses air. The next day learn that it the air needs to go through a filter. The next day learn that it the air goes into the engine and has to come out. Everyday (or whatever timeframe), learn something new. Learn what it is, what it does, why it's there, how long it should last, and why the "idiot" who designed it 20-30 years ago used that material (because that was the best available at the time, or planned to fail, or the designer was an idiot..) Somewhere along the way you'll realize you know a crapload about a complex system. What's cool is that when you think you know it all you can find another rabbit hole to go down and learn something else. Moral of this story - You can learn if you're willing to, and you should always be learning.
Well said! Thanks for the comment. Safety is the main concern and one big way is to keep learning about the engine that keeps you alive and how to spot pending issues!
The four bolts securing the air box to the servo are too short and the safety wire job looks questionable. There is an improved baffle seal material that is very slick on one side and that is the side that contacts the cowling. It reduces the level of vibration that gets transmitted from the engine to the cockpit. I had a customer with a Cherokee that said it made a fair amount of difference. The wire insulation discoloring is just the age process, coupled with the heat inside the cowl after you shut down on a hot day. You want to look for cracks in the insulation as the plastic hardens due to age. The wires are not getting hot from carrying normal 12 volt current. They have a relatively short distance to run anyway. The alternator output wire is the one to watch. I had one short due to the rubber part of an Adel clamp failing. It was under the 1&3 cylinder and hard to spot. The alternator mount bracket is notorious for breaking and/or the bolt holes wearing. Some heat shrink tubing of the right size might stiffen up that static wick. You said you wash the plane a lot. The aileron rod end bearing you showed looked dry. They will last longer if you put a drop of oil on them occasionally instead of waiting until the annual. I recommend looking up in the tail pipe with a flash light to see if there is any distortion of the metal where the heat muffs are installed. And while you are looking over the exhaust system, check the pipe flanges at the cylinder head for any brown dust deposits and any dark line indicating a crack from between the fins around the spark plugs. Also check the nose gear steering stops (if they are still there and not knocked off already.) It doesn't take much for a line guy to damage them with a tug. If the brake bleed fitting came loose it was not tight enough to begin with. Lastly, I recommend some kind of CO detector. Lightspeed has a new headset with a built in detector, how cool is that? I was in a PA39 headed from PA to Nashville once and I could tell CO was coming from the Janitrol heater in the nose. Back at the base we found someone had welded a crack in the burner can. That is not allowed either. BTW, my background is 42 years in the business (now retired) A&P, I.A. D.O.M.
Hey IR, thanks for taking the time to respond with that much detail! I’ll have those fuel servo bolts looked at. They do look short. I never noticed that! Thanks for the valuable info! I feel like I own you a beer! Thanks again.
@@askmehowiknow3571 I don't consume any alcohol, never did, because I figured I ought to have all my brain cells functional for the task of maintaining airplanes and engines. Never smoked either for that matter. Happy to help, just remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it. BTW, the reason those bolts are too short is because the original injector servo didn't have that thick of a bottom flange as the on there now. The next time you are drinking a few brews with your buds, offer a toast to all retired A&Ps and we'll call it even.
Aircraft: "They are Heaven in the air. But, Hell on earth."....I own a Comanche. You taught me a lot.
Ya know, you are right. They can be a lot to own especially if it had a lot of deferred maintenance when you bought it. After owning this airplane since 2014, I’ve kind of discovered that there isn’t really a middle ground….either they are gems or train wrecks. It took us eight months to find this one, and we still put a lot of money into it.
BUT!, flying this fuel injected GAMI equipped 260 is the smoothest thing I have experienced. When she’s idling on the ground, it’s hard to tell if the engine is even on if you plug your ears, she’s just so smooth and fast too!
I’m really glad you’re able to learn something! That’s great!
Fantastic video... I'm awaiting delivery and closing on a 260. This is so valuable..thank you!
Thanks for the great video….will definitely help me improve my preflight moving forward!
You say you are not a mechanic, but I feel if you were, you would be a good one! Excellent video. I’ve been flying complex aircraft for 20 years, but I picked up some good ideas from you. Also, your video could apply to any plane, so I’m sure everyone who flies could benefit from it. Never too old to learn! Thank you sir.
Heck yea! That’s an honor to have someone so experienced still find value in that video. This year I did an owner assisted annual and although there wasn’t much that we found, going thru the experience help me understand more about what to look for during a pre flight.
I never touched on the picture in my thumbnail. There was a birds nest under the cowling that I found during a preflight. I parked it in transient at Mammoth lakes airport (KMMH). That was an easy one to find but if the cowls didn’t open, like a lot of planes out there, it may have caused a few issues.
Great video, point being check yor plane completely at least monthly.
This guy is 100% spot on, all pilots should do exactly what he says. kinda put your hands on everything, and think critically. A sloppy pre-flight can get you killed.
Hey Jeff! Thanks for the comment and the support. I joke about being a “professional VFR pilot” but I’m the only person who has flown my Comanche in 500 hrs and I still do the same inspection and walk-around. When I put my wife and kids in that plane, I can’t have a doubt about my diligence. Fly safe!!!!
Excellent video. I’ll be sharing this with my Comanche-flying friends. Something all aircraft owners could learn from.
Thanks so much! Glad you found it helpful! I tend to over analyze a lot of things.
Thanks so much. As a newer Comanche owner I appreciated this. Also based at F70 and have Bradford taking care of the plane!
Bradford is such a good guy! He’s been taking care of our Comanche for about 8 years even though we moved to Northern California. He has always been fair and has been such a pleasure to work with. We all need to do a fly-in at his new hanger house!
Your Comanche and mine were made around the same time haha I have 48P! lol
It's cool knowing that I do the same things during my preflight. Fly safe my friend!
Very informative, thanks!!
This was a great video. I have a 260B myself so this helped me rethink my pre-flight.
Heck yea! Glad it helped. I just got done doing an owner assisted annual. It’s my first time doing one since we’ve owned the air plane (8 years already). It was a great opportunity to learn more.
@@askmehowiknow3571 I am planning on doing my annual that way as well. If you have a good IA recommendation in the LA area please share.
@@sugebzzy2038 I’m really not sure about that. Every year for the last 4 years I have flown down to SoCal to do the annual to keep the owner/mechanic continuity and trust going. I’m just not sure about anyone in LA. I think mike bush at Savvy aviation has a list of shops that they have had good experience dealing with. That might be a good start.
Great stuff, nicely done! Just one ? regarding that Cylinder 5 overheat you found - the baffling hole that you plugged to cure it is beside Cylinder 6 (rear right). I know airflow does strange things around engine compartments, but seems a little odd that the leak was on the other side to Cylinder 5.......
Good call! That’s not the first time I have mixed them up. Thanks for watching! Fly safe!
Thank u so much bro
Do you use your cowling support rods? Oh, I guess you did at the end of video. Nice clean engine compartment. Mine is 9233P.
The key to learning a complex system such as an engine is break it down slowly. Be satisfied today that you know it's an engine. Tomorrow learn that it uses air. The next day learn that it the air needs to go through a filter. The next day learn that it the air goes into the engine and has to come out. Everyday (or whatever timeframe), learn something new. Learn what it is, what it does, why it's there, how long it should last, and why the "idiot" who designed it 20-30 years ago used that material (because that was the best available at the time, or planned to fail, or the designer was an idiot..) Somewhere along the way you'll realize you know a crapload about a complex system. What's cool is that when you think you know it all you can find another rabbit hole to go down and learn something else. Moral of this story - You can learn if you're willing to, and you should always be learning.
Well said! Thanks for the comment. Safety is the main concern and one big way is to keep learning about the engine that keeps you alive and how to spot pending issues!
The four bolts securing the air box to the servo are too short and the safety wire job looks questionable. There is an improved baffle seal material that is very slick on one side and that is the side that contacts the cowling. It reduces the level of vibration that gets transmitted from the engine to the cockpit. I had a customer with a Cherokee that said it made a fair amount of difference. The wire insulation discoloring is just the age process, coupled with the heat inside the cowl after you shut down on a hot day. You want to look for cracks in the insulation as the plastic hardens due to age. The wires are not getting hot from carrying normal 12 volt current. They have a relatively short distance to run anyway. The alternator output wire is the one to watch. I had one short due to the rubber part of an Adel clamp failing. It was under the 1&3 cylinder and hard to spot. The alternator mount bracket is notorious for breaking and/or the bolt holes wearing. Some heat shrink tubing of the right size might stiffen up that static wick. You said you wash the plane a lot. The aileron rod end bearing you showed looked dry. They will last longer if you put a drop of oil on them occasionally instead of waiting until the annual. I recommend looking up in the tail pipe with a flash light to see if there is any distortion of the metal where the heat muffs are installed. And while you are looking over the exhaust system, check the pipe flanges at the cylinder head for any brown dust deposits and any dark line indicating a crack from between the fins around the spark plugs. Also check the nose gear steering stops (if they are still there and not knocked off already.) It doesn't take much for a line guy to damage them with a tug. If the brake bleed fitting came loose it was not tight enough to begin with. Lastly, I recommend some kind of CO detector. Lightspeed has a new headset with a built in detector, how cool is that? I was in a PA39 headed from PA to Nashville once and I could tell CO was coming from the Janitrol heater in the nose. Back at the base we found someone had welded a crack in the burner can. That is not allowed either.
BTW, my background is 42 years in the business (now retired) A&P, I.A. D.O.M.
Hey IR, thanks for taking the time to respond with that much detail! I’ll have those fuel servo bolts looked at. They do look short. I never noticed that!
Thanks for the valuable info! I feel like I own you a beer! Thanks again.
@@askmehowiknow3571 I don't consume any alcohol, never did, because I figured I ought to have all my brain cells functional for the task of maintaining airplanes and engines. Never smoked either for that matter. Happy to help, just remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it. BTW, the reason those bolts are too short is because the original injector servo didn't have that thick of a bottom flange as the on there now. The next time you are drinking a few brews with your buds, offer a toast to all retired A&Ps and we'll call it even.
This is not really a pre flight check but more like a 100 hrs or annual.
Does your aircraft have the correct airbox on it ? Why does it have carb heat?