The maintenance manual says every 50 hours, but most of my pilot friends say that interval is too long. As a result, conversation in the hangar community revolves around how often you change yours and what that number says about you as a pilot—or so it seems.

• Cessna 172 Offers Opportunity for Intro to Aircraft Maintenance

A careful check of the logbook showed I was just short of 40 hours since the last oil change during the pre-buy and annual inspection late last year. That was more than I expected. I’ll try to hold it to 35 next time.

The oil change itself was a bit daunting. While I have completed the procedure dozens of times with cars and motorcycles, it feels more significant with the airplane. Indeed, there is more at stake. No one is checking the logs on my ancient Suzuki, and if it starts leaking because I failed to tighten the oil filter properly, I can coast to the curb and take corrective action. You get the picture. During the next long flight with my wife, I spent too much time watching and listening for hints of trouble and sniffing for the scent of oil dripping on a hot exhaust pipe.

• READ MORE: Finding Your Ideal Aircraft That’s An Aluminum-Clad Time Machine

All was well, though. We had a lovely trip. I had followed the instructions and triple-checked my work. I also knew the FAA trusted me to do the job, or at least implied this through 14 CFR Part 43 Appendix A Subpart C. This is the part of the regulations that covers preventive maintenance tasks that certificated private pilots can perform on their own aircraft. Like the annual NOTAMs for EAA AirVenture, it is a must-read that packs more information than you might expect.

Sure, you can change light bulbs and batteries, but you also can adjust air and oil pressure or replace elastic shock absorber cords on landing gear, change tires, service wheel bearings, and patch fabric covering as long as there is no rib stitching or removal of structural parts involved. Balloon pilots can make certain patch repairs to their envelopes and refinish baskets.

Small projects like these bring pilots closer to their aircraft, making them more familiar with their workings and less tentative about taking a wrench to them. With each new maintenance job, you are likely to become more confident and comfortable around your airplane. Those of us who consider ourselves handy should be careful about going too far, though. Stick to the FAA’s list and don’t forget to make logbook entries for everything you do. If you want to get into more serious work, ask your mechanic about owner-assisted annual inspections.

I like to think my mechanic will be pleased that I am willing and able to work on my own airplane, and that I have yet to call on him to fix something I have broken in the process. I’m also sure he will say my safety-wiring technique needs work.

The post Maintaining Your Ideal Aircraft: What Can a Pilot Do? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Upgrades for aircraft can be expensive and can also mean downtime for your airplane. An important question to answer is, what do you want to have done? 

If you had unlimited funds, you could call the factory, book a slot and start prepping for the shiny new gadgets they install. Cessna will schedule your aftermarket upgrades with Textron Aviation Service Centers and make all your dreams come true.  

Here’s how common folk manage both scope and budget.

Project Management Tools

You don’t have to be a project manager to successfully upgrade your aircraft, although there are some excellent resources you can borrow from the profession to assist the process. Gantt charts are cool and colorful, but are they essential? The short answer is yes; we use them in engine maintenance to manage multi-million dollar projects. And while this may be a bit much for maintaining a Cessna 172, there are project management principles that can assist in planning, executing, and closing out your aircraft upgrade.

When planning maintenance, there are a few parameters to address before laying wrenches on bolt heads. One tool to help is the project management Iron Triangle. 

Each point of the triangle focuses on an aspect of the project:

Time

• Lead time for parts
• Downtime for maintenance
• Schedule of MRO doing the job

Scope

• Facilities
• Tooling, new and old
• Technical publications
• Instructions for continued airworthiness

Cost

• Part cost and availability
• Labor internal and external
• Hangar rent

Each one of these points affects the other.

• READ MORE: Cessna 172 Annual Maintenance and What It Will Cost You

Taking a project management perspective allows an owner or operator a chance to map out aircraft upgrades and build a realistic action plan to deliver positive results. For larger entities, this may include approval levels, multiple team members, and hours of meetings. 

As the sole stakeholder in his aircraft, the approval process for upgrades to his Cessna 172 is simple for Corey Sampson. 

O-300 Oil Filter Adapter

Earlier last month, we highlighted that Sampson’s O-300-D Continental engine was not equipped with a spin-on filter—it had a screen. After some discussion, we thought, why not retrofit the aircraft to accept a spin-on oil filter? 

Referring to the project management Iron Triangle, what must we accomplish first? For starters, we need the adapter, the installation gaskets, and a spin-on oil filter. We cracked into the Tempest cross-reference site and looked up the adapter for Corey’s 1966 Cessna 172H. The correct part is SKU: CO-300, allowing the engine to accept oil filter part number AA48108-2. The CO-300 kit comes complete with a filter and the gaskets included. 

• READ MORE: Cessna 172 Offers Opportunity for Intro to Aircraft Maintenance

We completed the research, ordered and received the part, and reviewed the certifications to ensure compliance. The adapter has a supplemental type certificate (STC), and the oil filter is FAA-PMA approved. Next, it was time to carve out some time and schedule the maintenance.

Instrument Panel Upgrade

There is something about a factory original instrument panel. Don’t get me wrong, old-school steam gauges are great for warbirds, rare out-of-production aircraft, and museum pieces, but there is just something about a sleek new flat panel. 

Long-time readers of my column know I am a big fan of stay-in-your-lane, especially regarding avionics. I know where the cannon plug goes, and I can tell which end is up, but that limits my expertise. Always have someone you can call.

In this case, Corey called Oasis Aviation Maintenance and discussed the Garmin GNX 375. The GNX 375 has a WAAS-capable GPS for RNAV (including LPV) approaches and an ADS-B In/out transponder built in (traffic and weather show on display). Add a GNC 255A comm/nav, and you’ll have GPS, Comm/Nav, and Transponder for very close to the price of a GTN 650.

In keeping with the PM Iron Triangle, Corey asked Oasis to quote the system parts as stand-alone parts or an installed system. At press time, he was still undecided.

Interior Upholstery and Trim

When considering interior upgrades, special consideration must be made for “floor plan changes can be done by purchasing an existing STC or possibly filing FAA Form 337 field approval,” according to Meghan Welch, director of paint and interior sales at Elliott Aviation, who wrote about what to expect during an aircraft interior refurbishment. 

Corey may work through an MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul), buy a turnkey package, or do the work himself. With an A&P (airframe and/or powerplant) rating, he can plan and perform his aircraft maintenance.

Aircraft maintenance planning can be a fruitful and rewarding experience, but only if done correctly. No plan is bulletproof, and Murphy still hangs out in the hangar, but you can save yourself a headache by putting a plan in place.

Important note: Before beginning any maintenance, consider certifications and airworthiness standards for CFR aircraft operations.

The post Cessna 172 Maintenance Planning appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

There are many schools of thought concerning aircraft maintenance. Because perception is reality, all of them are true for the most part. Here is how I break it down.  

• Preventive maintenance = fixed costs
• Scheduled maintenance = fixed/variable costs
• Unscheduled maintenance = variable costs

Preventive Maintenance

An owner/operator changes the oil of their aircraft engine. Because his application has an oil screen instead of a spin-on filter, Cessna 172 owner Corey Sampson changes his oil every 25 hours. His logbook reflects the intervals by which this maintenance needs to occur. A case of Phillips 66 X/C 20W50 runs about $93, there is no filter to buy, and he saved labor dollars by doing the work himself. There will be a few quarts left over for next time. Right now, Corey is on track to fly 400 hours this year. That is a lot of oil changes.

• READ MORE: Cessna 172 Offers Opportunity for Intro to Aircraft Maintenance

For perspective, an AA48108-2 spin-on oil filter for this model costs about $35, and mechanic labor would cost another $100.

Scheduled maintenance comes with a fixed cost but can also have variable cost factors. During my stint in corporate aviation, I supported Southern Company Services and their fleet of King Air 200s. Their maintenance team religiously performed scheduled brush changes on their starter generators. They also pulled them for exchange at the time between overhaul (TBO) recommendations.

Because of this action plan, they never had a starter generator failure in service. Finance knew that at X number of flight hours, they would spend Y number of dollars. If the mechanics find damage during the generator’s removal and replacement (R&R), such repair is unscheduled maintenance with a variable cost based on condition.

The annual inspection is one of the most significant cost drivers for Cessna 172 owners. Because one needs an A&P/IA, the labor cost is a tick higher than standard maintenance. Based on my experience, you can expect to spend around $1,700.00 for the inspection. The amount is just the inspection fee and is a fixed cost. Findings are extra and are a variable cost. 

Unscheduled maintenance is just that, something stopped working correctly, and you need to figure it out. Once, a twin Cessna taxied up to my client Savannah Aviation. The pilot required a bulb to be replaced on the instrument panel. A review of the log showed the engines were due for oil changes. That’s odd; this oil filter is full of metal. Have you ever read “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?”    

Engine Overhaul Cost

There comes a time in every airplane owner’s life—a reckoning, if you will—when the TBO sands of life dwindle to the last few grains in the hourglass. I am talking about that pivotal moment in aircraft maintenance; a major engine overhaul.

I called Pinnacle Aircraft Engines and asked how much it costs to overhaul a Cessna 172 engine. The reply (and you should have seen this coming): “It depends.” 

Let’s break it down. Corey has a 1966 model 172 equipped with an O-300-D, a six-cylinder Continental powerplant. Pinnacle’s base price estimate is $38,000. I pulled an estimate from 2014 at my engine shop, and this same engine was $28,500. The later 172 models cost $32,000 for the O-320-E2D and $33,500 for the IO-360-L2A.

Included in the overhaul estimate:

• New Champion ignition kit
• New Superior cylinders
• New lightweight starter
• Overhauled carburetor/fuel system
• Other accessories, like a vacuum pump, incur an extra charge

Other factors to consider are the factory cylinder option, engine baffling, new oil/fuel hoses, motor mounts, propeller, air ducting, and a reworked firewall.

Cessna 172 Supply Chain

The economics of aircraft maintenance boils down to three factors: location, labor, and parts. 

When it comes to location, please stick to the maintenance plan to avoid getting stuck in a remote airport in the outer rim. This is where they get you. Labor is what it is. Work with someone you can trust, even if they are a bit pricer than Slippery Pete’s Air Service.  

Replacement spare parts can affect your total annual aircraft maintenance spend.

Cessna will direct you to their parts portal. Go there if you must, but know you are paying top dollar. No one gets a deal at the factory.

Finding the right part for your type-certificated aircraft is mission-critical. For Corey’s O-300, the IPC is X30014. You can access this manual by visiting Continental Motors. 

• READ MORE: The Evolution of the Illustrated Parts Catalog

Aircraft cylinders are a maintenance constant and can be pricey to repair. New PMA options are available, and the price is negotiable if you have a good relationship.

Here are some examples:

• Aircraft Specialties Services Millennium Cylinder — SA10200-A20P MSRP: $1,318.91 FBO PRICE: $1,160.63 — You save $158.28
• Air Power, Inc. Superior Air Parts Aircraft Products Part Number: SA10200-A20P $1,155. Continental Aircraft Engine Parts Part Number: 658319A2 $2,069

Overhauled cylinders run around $1,200, so you are better off buying new ones.

There are other options for airframe parts, consumables, and accessories also.

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty has a section for Cessna 172 parts. 

New Surplus parts can save money, but be careful on places like eBay. Things are only sometimes as they seem. Make sure you have a mechanic check them out.

Here are some better options:

• Preferred Airparts, LLC has a great selection at surplus prices.
• KRN Aviation Services carries quite a few 172 parts, and they have a knowledgeable sales team.   
• Atlanta Air Exchange started as a salvage company and became a parts dealer. They still do recovery work and have decades of knowledge to help you.

I hope you have a clearer picture not only of the cost but the value of aircraft maintenance. 

The post Cessna 172 Annual Maintenance and What It Will Cost You appeared first on FLYING Magazine.