Dean Showalter พอดคาสต์

In the beginning of this week’s podcast episode, I want to give a big congratulations to my friend, Chris Wieczorek, who recently got his A&P certificate! Listen to the audio to find out how Chris pursued getting his A&P in the midst of being a full time attorney and engineer with a wife and 4 kids! Chris, you are an inspiration! Well done! This we…

I inspected another A36 Bonanza recently, and one of the cylinder compressions was too low… lower than the minimum prescribed by Continental using the master orifice tool. I had two options: Option One: Remove the cylinder for repair or replacement. Option Two: Make the exhaust valve seal better and improve the compression result in hopes of saving…

Maui is simply amazing! Maria and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip, and here are some highlights. (And for the aviation maintenance portion of the trip, see the last episode, 220.) So many indescribably beautiful beaches to see: Maria and her new friend, Firmiana, at the Upcountry Farmers Market… the most amazing farmer’s market I’ve ever seen! Maria …

We arrived on Maui the evening of March 27 and were greeted by our friends, John and Leslie Caubble, with a “lei greeting” which is a warm welcome with a beautiful ring of fresh flowers around your neck. We were there to do several things: Connect with our friends, the Caubbles. Work on the flight school airplanes. Enjoy a wonderful vacation. See a…

It took some significant detective work and deciphering to solve this mystery. The brake caliper at the top of the photo was the wrong part number for the A36 Bonanza I was working on. The one at the bottom of the photo is a serviceable one we found on eBay. It was the correct one, and the 1/8 inch extra depth at the edges of the caliper made all t…

Not long ago, there was an oil leak on the right engine of a Cessna 414. The leak was significant enough to come out the louvers on the top cowling in flight. There was oil all over the rear inboard area of the engine, so the big question was, “Where is the oil leak coming from,” or “Where is the source?” With so many possibilities, it was difficul…

I recently removed a magneto from a Piper Cherokee, and my curiosity about why the magneto had failed got the best of me. I took the mag home, sat down at the kitchen table, put my grandson Spencer on my lap, and took the magneto apart! It was great fun having him help me Before long, we had the case apart, and it quickly became obvious why the mag…

Here’s the short answer: Worn and contaminated brushes inside the alternator. Check it out: My theory is that the excessive amount of carbon dust from brush wear was causing a short circuit situation between the brushes, and not allowing the field circuit in the alternator rotor to be properly energized for normal operation. Here’s a comparison of …

Clark and his family came to Virginia to visit his mom recently, and on the way up from Florida, the right vacuum pump quit working… as often happens when a vacuum pump quits, the drive shaft had sheared off, saving the engine from catastrophic damage. In times like these, a good question to ask is, “What does this make possible?” In this case, it …

This is a good looking exhaust valve with a nice concentric appearance. However, the compression was very low at 8/80. I lapped the valve, hoping it would improve the compression test result… it only came up to 10/80, and that was after running the engine again and getting it nice and hot. Although the valve face showed a healthy appearance, the se…

Where are you RIGHT NOW in your aviation journey? Have you started flight training, but stalled out along the way? Did you finish that instrument rating? How about the commercial certificate, or CFI, or even CFII? Ever dream about getting your A&P? Have you wanted to be an airline pilot for years and years? Did you give up along the way when you ra…

How long should the battery last in a small, piston-powered airplane? That’s a great question, and we are talking about it in this week’s podcast episode. Tune in to hear the story behind this 24 volt battery in the photo, as well as the story of another battery, a 12 volt one in a Citabria owned by our good friends, Leon and Wynne Johenning. (Find…

I had an opportunity to fly in an Aerostar the other day… it was going to be a fairly long trip to the destination, with one fuel stop along the way. As we climbed out of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia toward the mountains to the West, we discovered the combustion heater for keeping the cabin warm was not working. After a brief conversation abou…

Here are the highlights you’ll find in this podcast episode: My latest assignment at Classic Aviation – Installing the freshly overhauled engine in a Cessna 172 that is almost complete after an extensive rebuild process. Some emails I’ve received from listeners with fun feedback of multiple types. Some listener thoughts about home simulator systems…

But first… My friend and podcast listener, Chris Wieczorek, flew into SHD recently and we ate burgers for lunch. It was a win-win. I provided the ground transportation, and he bought lunch! https://oldschoolburgerbus.com/ The conversation was very inspiring to me, and Chris was kind enough to send more feedback later in an email, with some thoughts…

Happy new year friends! In today’s podcast episode, you’ll hear about the following: The airplane I’m currently working on. My recent King Air trip to JFK, and the interesting approach we got that day. A couple listener emails. Thanks for listening… see you in the next episode!โดย Podcast Episodes – Airplane Owner Maintenance

Recently, Seth and I spent part of a weekend at a remote mountain cabin location, and we decided it would be a great time to record a conversation about the career changes both of us have made. I love this conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as well. I’m so proud of my son and the things he’s doing at 23 years old. How about you? Is it time for a…

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’ve been deer hunting with my daughter McKenzie this week, and so far, she got a button buck, and I got a doe… she’s trying to get a good supply of venison in her freezer for the winter. Last evening was one of the rare times we didn’t see any deer, but the sunset view sure was beautiful… check it out: I’ve been thinki…

A week and a half ago, I flew a Cessna 150 from KSHD to Hannah Field near Monterey, Virginia in Highland County. It was a Saturday morning coffee-and-donuts fly-in hosted by the owners of the private airstrip, along with our local EAA group. The Shenandoah Valley is full of all kinds of aviation enthusiasts! Thanks to Oren Heatwole and all the grea…

In this podcast episode, I’m sharing my experience of going through the training course for a Type Rating in the King Air 350. FlyRight in Concord, North Carolina was definitely the best choice for this training! Home Page FlyRight is a very professional training center with a family-type feel about it. They specialize in King Air, Caravan, and Das…

Listen to the audio for this episode to hear what Dean’s been up to recently, and why there have not been many podcast episodes in recent weeks. I’m transitioning out of the maintenance shop and into a flying job, and I’m very excited about the new season in front of me. Feel free to leave me a voice message by clicking the tab at the right side of…

Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to visit NAS Pax River, a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay. My friend, Trace Bowen, picked me up in his Cessna 310, flew me to St. Marys Airport, and drove me over to the base for a tour. Up until that day, I knew very little about Pax River, so it …

Have you ever seen one of these? It’s a SureFly Ignition Module, or “SIM” for short: I recently had an opportunity to install one on an E33A Bonanza, so I thought I’d do a podcast episode about it. Hopefully you’ll find this information helpful if you’re considering a SureFly, and for me, I find it helpful to document the process. For this installa…

You guys know I love out-of-the-ordinary things, and my recent flight review definitely qualifies as one of those! First, my good friend and excellent flight instructor worked me over in the ground portion of the flight review. Here are some things we covered: VFR sectional chart information and interpretation. Briefing an IFR approach plate. Worki…

I recently inspected a Piper Saratoga, and I found the following condition on the right exhaust collector: Earlier this week, I sent this photo to my email subscribers and asked if they would change this piece of exhaust if it was on their airplane. I received a huge response about this, with a large range of thoughts and opinions. Thanks to everyo…

Chris Saindon, a podcast listener and owner of a Cessna 172G, contacted me with a different, and important perspective that I had completely overlooked. I recently told of a landing gear light in a Piper Seminole, and how the pilots had done some in-flight troubleshooting when the right gear down light did not illuminate. I’ve often thought in-flig…

This was what happened recently in a Piper Seneca… and in this episode, we discuss why the alternator quit… it was something I totally was not expecting. After verifying the field connections (power and ground) were good, and the brushes were nearly perfect, I removed the alternator. And here is what I found… watch this video: It was two things, re…

This fuel injector line must have only been attached finger tight when the fuel injectors were reinstalled after cleaning. The engine ran fine at first, but all of a sudden during one engine run, the #5 EGT took a nose dive, and the #5 CHT immediately started dropping off as well. The above photo was taken AFTER we discovered what the problem was. …

When an airplane engine is making a small amount of ferrous metal, but the evidence is not totally conclusive, the decision to tear it apart, or not, can be gut-wrenching. Such was the case for the O-540 engine in a turbo Cessna 182RG I’ve been working on at Classic Aviation LLC. But after the owners decided to have it torn apart, and I got to see …

This episode is a good one! If you’re thinking about buying an airplane, stop right now and listen to this episode, because Adam Sipe can absolutely save you lots of time, money and needless frustration in the process of buying an airplane. He shared so much valuable wisdom in this episode, and I can’t wait to listen to the whole thing again myself…

That’s a good question, and although I don’t have the full story, we will toss around some possibilities in this episode. Thanks to all of you who responded with some really good guesses about the cause. I received responses from 33 people after I sent out that email recently! The prevailing guess about the cause had to do with improper magneto tim…

My good friend, Clark Trobaugh, flew into KSHD this past week, and while he was visiting with his family, I walked over to his airplane on the ramp and noted a few things that needed attention… Here’s the one that prompted Clark’s brother Scott to send me a text that said, “Thanks for looking out for him. We always knew he had a screw loose and I’m…

In this episode, we are talking about two different exhaust valves, both of which showed signs of burning when we looked at them with the borescope. One valve was in the beginning stages of burning, and the other was too far gone. Scroll down for more info and some photos. We also talk a bit in this episode about Arthur St. Clair and his P35 Bonanz…

It’s been a long and in-depth annual inspection, along with the extensive list of squawk repairs. But it’s a great airplane, and I’d love to fly it if I had the opportunity! In today’s podcast, we cover the remaining squawks on this airplane, concluding with scale weighing the aircraft, and sending it back out into the blue skies yesterday! I’m con…

In episode 188, we covered the first 30 squawks on a Cessna 172 that’s in the shop for an annual inspection and a bunch of repairs. In this episode, we are tackling another chunk of the squawks and repairs. Here’s a sampling: Under the pilot instrument panel, some wiring was tied to one of the fuel primer lines… a bad idea. I secured the wiring awa…

It certainly looked like a crusty old engine when we removed the cowling for the annual inspection. The exterior is one thing… but perhaps even more importantly, I wondered about the internal condition of the engine. Surprisingly, the borescope showed the cylinders to be in amazingly good condition on the inside. Perhaps this was partially due to l…

In today’s podcast episode, I talked about this specific SR22, and some maintenance I was involved in… scroll down for some related photos. But first, I just wanted to say the SR22 is a great airplane! Here are some of the “wonders” of an SR22, as I see it: It’s a beautiful aircraft! It feels so natural, sitting in the pilot seat. It has a parachut…

From left: Arthur, Dave, Mervin, Dean (I got to work with these guys last Monday at Classic Aviation., when Dave had me lap the exhaust valves in cylinders 3 and 5.) Scroll down for more info about this valve lapping adventure. Diamond DA40 annual inspection – here are some squawks we discuss in this episode: Electroair ignition leads. Nose gear is…

I’ve just completed the installation for a B&C Specialties standby alternator system on an E33A Bonanza. It’s a fantastic system, and I talked about it in today’s podcast episode. Be sure to listen for a caution about the right magneto when installing a new oil seal in the drive adapter for the standby alternator. Here are some other items mentione…

AirVenture was a fantastic experience once again! In addition to the audio podcast for this episode, I also made a video using some of my favorite photos… here’s the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/VlErN8RQNrQ Don’t forget to click the “Store” tab above and check out the resources there. If you have any questions, click the button that says “Send Vo…

Here’s a sampling of items I’m planning to use for one of my presentations at Oshkosh this year. It’s called “Lapping Valves & Saving Cylinders.” Click here for more info I’d love to see you there if you’re attending Airventure this year. It’s on Thursday afternoon, July 29, from 4-5:15 pm in Workshop Classroom C. We’ll be lapping the exhaust valve…

Note: I’m offering a 30% discount on the new shock strut servicing video course from now until Monday night, July 12 at midnight Eastern Daylight time. Use the code “STRUT” for a 30% discount and pay only $67 instead of the normal price of $97. Click here to check out the course Now for the engine failure story: They got stopped about 35 yards befo…

We had a great webinar last evening! Thanks to all who showed up on the call. If you were not able to join us, but would like to see the replay, here’s the link: Click here to watch the shock strut webinar replay The webinar replay will be available for the next 7 days. Additionally, the much more detailed training is now available in our newly cre…

It’s almost time to make the journey to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for Airventure 2021! I hope to see you there… I’m super excited to give 2 presentations this year: Here’s the first one: Lapping Valves & Saving Cylinders Thursday, July 29 · 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM in Workshop Classroom C. And the second presentation: Borescope Your Own Exhaust Valves Saturday, …

Listen to the podcast episode to hear how Jeff bailed me out on this one! (The gasket between the halves of the turbo broke as I was trying to rotate the halves to reseal an oil fitting.) We also talked in this episode about two upcoming opportunities: I’ll be presenting a Zoom webinar on Friday, July 2. The topic is “Best tips for servicing an air…

We’ll talk about these photos in this week’s podcast episode, and how they explain the problem Aram was having with his propeller. (Photos courtesy of Dave Pasquale of Pasquale Aviation LLC.) Dave is removing the prop to be sent out for repair, and will reinstall it when the repair is finished. But first, I want to introduce a podcast listener in G…

He departed KSHD yesterday in his super-nice P35 Bonanza, headed for his home airport in Pennsylvania. The ground runup was normal, and things were looking good as he approached his cruising altitude of 7000 feet. But as he leveled off, Aram discovered he could not control his propeller / engine RPM… it was overspeeding regardless of the position o…

A nice airplane deserves a high-quality owner, and that’s exactly what this amazing P35 Bonanza has. Aram takes meticulously good care of it. In today’s episode, you’ll hear why I think Aram is the best kind of airplane owner, and some lessons you might want to consider for maintaining your airplane as well. lf you haven’t listened to episode 147, …

Does your airplane’s shock strut need fluid? Does it need nitrogen? … or air? And more importantly, could you service the strut safely? If you’ve ever had a low strut, you know it can be very frustrating. Sometimes it can be challenging to sort through all the maintenance manual information, your POH information, your local A&P’s instructions, and …

I received an email recently from Spence, the owner of an S35 Bonanza with a Turbo-Normalized IO-520 engine. He included a picture of his #2 cylinder exhaust valve. Here’s what it looked like: At first glance, my reaction was something like, “Oooh, that’s ugly!” The most concerning area is the spot at the 10 o’clock position. There’s also a little …