pierre smith

Well Known Member
My buddy just brought his Skyhawk home after an engine overhaul. The 160 HP Lyc went 3260 hours total, still had compressions in the mid-seventies and oil consumption was not bad either! Talk about reliability! One contributing factor though, is the fact that the airplane flies weekly in his photography business. Good old Lycs.

Regards,
Pierre
 
pierre smith said:
The 160 HP Lyc went 3260 hours total, still had compressions in the mid-seventies and oil consumption was not bad either! Pierre

So, why rebuilt it then??
 
Luck factor

I think an oil analysis prompted him. That and the fact that the "Luck Factor" was running out..... ;)

Pierre
 
insurance question

I've always been told by my insurance folks that on a "certificated" airplane, that if you don't abide by the TBO's recommended by the manufacturers, that your insurance probably would not pay claims if something happened. Any of you insurance guys out there know if that's true or just an old wives tale..
 
We 'underhaul' our tractor engines every 8-9000 hours (new rod and mains).
The top ends hold up pretty well but the concern is the crank or bearings being worn or eventually beat flat by the power stroke. With increased clearances the beating could cause a crank or rod failure,as in ...expensive.
I am not sure if this is a partial reason behind the TBO recommendations of piston engine manufacturers.
 
RV8iator said:
I've always been told by my insurance folks that on a "certificated" airplane, that if you don't abide by the TBO's recommended by the manufacturers, that your insurance probably would not pay claims if something happened. Any of you insurance guys out there know if that's true or just an old wives tale..

I attended a workshop at OSH this year about getting long life from engines. The speaker said no U.S. aviation insurance company will deny a claim based on exceeding TBO. The foundation of his talk was that TBO is just a number and the time for overhaul should be based on verified data - including inspection, oil analysis, compression, etc.
He had a great line (paraphrased) - We don't euthanize people just because they get to a specific age. Why do we euthanize aircraft engines based on an arbitrary number?
 
jsherblon said:
I attended a workshop at OSH this year about getting long life from engines. The speaker said no U.S. aviation insurance company will deny a claim based on exceeding TBO. The foundation of his talk was that TBO is just a number and the time for overhaul should be based on verified data - including inspection, oil analysis, compression, etc.
He had a great line (paraphrased) - We don't euthanize people just because they get to a specific age. Why do we euthanize aircraft engines based on an arbitrary number?

If anyone knows the answer to this on please chime in. I think there are only 2 underwriters? But plenty of people selling :)

The first year I was underwritten by AIG. The second year was Global. I don't know if it was Global or the agency but I was told by the agent that engine info that affected my policy premium was:

Engine TT/TTSMOH and number of years since new or OH
Engine certified or non certified or Auto conversion
Engine not bigger than specified by Van

Perhaps these items only change the price by a couple bucks I don't know.
 
Several years ago my Bonanza was past tbo (again) and was told by USAIG they would not renew my policy unless overhauled. Irony struck when I had an engine failure 70 hours into that overhaul.

D Lloyd
Charlotte, NC
 
dlloyd3 said:
Several years ago my Bonanza was past tbo (again) and was told by USAIG they would not renew my policy unless overhauled. Irony struck when I had an engine failure 70 hours into that overhaul.

D Lloyd
Charlotte, NC


Let me guess? Rod failure?
 
Nope, fuel pressure hose swivel nut came loose at bulkhead fitting. Result was same--landed shortly thereafter.