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contracts. All of this leads to what can be a significant drop in pressure within the first 24 hours of a tire change.
The last thing I’ll say about taking care of your tires is this – every tire manual I’ve ever read has at least one note, usually in several places, telling people to not stick sharp objects into cuts of INFLATED tires in order to see if the cord is visible. At the risk of being repetitive and getting my- self reported to The Department of Redundancy Department, I’d like to stress the fact that you shouldn’t do that. If you think a cut is severe enough to warrant probing, just assume that you need a new tire or at least a second opinion from a technician.
Speaking of new tires, I’ve known of many people over the past few years who have grounded their airplanes due to worn tires where no replace- ments were available. Attempted tire orders have been met with lead times of 6 to 12 months. These weren’t people who operate some obscure air- plane either. They were Citation and
Falcon operators f lying airplanes cur- rently in production.
All that is to say, if you own an air- plane, you might consider keep- ing at least one full set of tires, O- rings, tubes, and whatever else is associated with a tire change on hand. I understand that not every- one has the luxury of keeping their airplane in their own hangar with a built-in tire rack along the wall, but I think it’s worth the effort to find a spot to keep a full set of rubber. The worst-case scenario is that you’ll have to use your “extra” set of tires while your order for new tires is delayed. Best case scenario is you’ll always have a new set of tires in your way.
Tubes, tires and O-rings are easy to store because they usually don’t have a shelf life as long as they’re stored properly. Keeping your tires and tubes out of direct sunlight and fluorescent light is the best thing you can do for them. Light deteriorates rubber faster than almost anything else. They don’t even have to be kept
in a climate-controlled environment, although that wouldn’t hurt. When you stack your tires, don’t stack them horizontally, meaning, don’t lay them sidewall-down on the concrete. Stand your tires vertically, just like they’d be installed on your airplane. Laying a tire sideways on the floor will deform the sidewall over time, and that’s not a part of the tire you want to weaken.
With a bit of care and forethought, you can get the maximum life and safest operation possible out of your tires. If you keep a close eye on them, keep them properly inf lated, and don’t go sticking pointy things into them, they’ll serve you well for many flights.
Elliott Cox is a pilot and the Director of Maintenance for a Part 91 Corpo- rate Flight Department in the South- east. You can reach him at his website TheWritingFlyer.com or by email at elliott@thewritingflyer.com.
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January 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 19