Page 38 - Volume 21 Number 11

36 • TWIN & TURBINE November 2017
Fuel Leaks
I once had a slow drip from a wing- tank. The fuel bladder quick-drain eventually gave way and the entire right system leaked out. Only the crossfeed kept the motor running.
Metal in an Oil Filter
We found three bad lifters and cam lobes on the right motor. Repairs were made.
Brake Discs and Pads
A fellow Duke owner’s brakes failed and he went off the end of the runway.
Flight Controls with Corrosion
Haven’t seen this one yet, but I did have an autopilot trim issue because the tension on the elevator cable was wrong.
Worn Fluid Hoses
A very small engine-oil leak eventually (two years) exposed itself when the fitting became loose enough to cause a large drop in oil pressure. I shut it down and landed single engine to LPV minimums.
focus
What started as a deferred maintenance issue – a small oil leak – on Kevin Dingman’s Beechcraft Duke led to a drop in oil pressure. This required an inflight engine shutdown and landing to LPV minimums in rain.
Overhaul of Old or High- Time Props
My left prop once went into feather on landing roll.
Overhaul of Prop Governors
No experience with this one yet but we don’t want the prop to run away on us.
Low Compression on Cylinders (can’t we go another year?)
Guilty as charged. I pushed my last set of motors 300 hours past TBO by replacing cylinders as necessary. But this technique could allow a catastrophic failure of one cylinder to trash the rest of the motor.
It’s Not Whimsical Spending
Like me, you may have asked your shop to defer some items. Let’s do our AMT’s and ourselves a favor by limiting DMI’s and by keeping up with AD’s, SB’s and recommended TBO’s. Don’t blow a gasket over the expense or downtime. It’s not whimsical spending; we can pay no•w, or pay more later. Besides, no one wants an anxious AMT, an unresolved AD/SB or to watch “I Dream Of Jeannie” on a black-and- white display. T&T
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Kevin Dingman has been flying for more than 40 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 23,000 hours in his logbook. A retired Air Force major, he flew the F-16 and later performed as an USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer. He flies volunteer missions for the Christian organization Wings of Mercy, is employed by a major airline, and owns and operates a Beechcraft Duke. Contact Kevin at dinger10d@ gmail.com.