Is Your Checklist Actually Protecting Your Engine?

Is Your Checklist Actually Protecting Your Engine?

Send us questions by commenting below or emailing John & Jeff at: Podcast@SignatureEngines.com Is Your Checklist Actually Protecting Your Engine? Following your aircraft checklist isn't optional — and skipping a single step like mixture full rich on takeoff can send cylinder head temperatures past 400° before you've leveled off. John and Jeff walk through the checklist habits that actually protect your piston engine. In this episode, John Buckles and Jeff Schanbel talk through the operating checklist the way two mechanics see it from the shop floor — not as paperwork, but as the difference between a healthy engine and a damaged one. They cover why leaning the mixture during taxi keeps spark plugs from carbon fouling, why pushing the mixture full rich before takeoff is the step pilots forget most often, and what high CHT on climb is really telling you. They also get into engine startup discipline, why running up to high RPM right after start beats up the engine, and why turbocharged airplanes need cooldown time at idle before shutdown — not a quick mag check and mixture cut. The bigger theme: most of the engine problems they see trace back to pilots being in a hurry. Move controls slowly, monitor the engine the same way you monitor your flight instruments, and if temperatures or pressures start climbing on takeoff, level off and troubleshoot before pressing on to altitude. You don't have to declare an emergency to tell ATC you need to stay low and sort something out. In this episode, we cover: - Why mixture full rich is the checklist item pilots most often miss before takeoff - How a missed mixture step can push CHT over 400° in a fast climb - Why leaning during taxi reduces spark plug fouling and carbon buildup - What to do when CHT or oil pressure starts climbing during initial climb - How to talk to ATC about leveling off without declaring an emergency - Why high-RPM operation right after startup damages the engine - Why turbocharged engines need idle time before shutdown - The checklist habits that prevent gear-up landings and engine damage alike This one is for owners and pilots who want their engine to make TBO — and who know that the checklist hanging in the cockpit is the cheapest maintenance tool they own. TIMECODES 00:00 The checklist step pilots skip most often 00:32 What to review before you start the engine 01:16 Why mixture full rich before takeoff matters 01:52 How fast CHT climbs past 400° when you forget 02:14 Don't assume you know the checklist — read it every time 02:40 Why rushing the shutdown damages your engine 03:35 Gear-up landings, GUMPS, and why checklists exist 03:53 Move engine controls slowly, every time 04:14 Turbocharger cooldown before shutdown 04:49 If temps rise on climb, level off and assess 05:20 Monitor the engine like you monitor your instruments 06:03 Telling ATC you need to level off without declaring an emergency Get in touch! Web - SignatureEngines.com Email - Podcast@SignatureEngines.com YouTube - youtube.com/@SignatureEnginesInc

How to Keep a Post-Flight Discrepancy Log

Send us questions by commenting below or emailing John & Jeff at: Podcast@SignatureEngines.com How to Keep a Post-Flight Discrepancy Log Most engine problems don't show up overnight — they trend. Keeping a simple post-flight discrepancy log is how you catch them before they ground you, or worse. John and Jeff walk through the habit they wish every owner and pilot would adopt: at the end of every flight, write down what you noticed. A new noise, a vibration, a temperature that ran a little higher than normal — or nothing at all. Even "none noted" with the date and your initials is worth writing, because it gives the next pilot and your mechanic a baseline to compare against. The guys explain why this matters most on aircraft with multiple pilots, where nobody wants to be the one to "make it a thing," and how that silence lets small issues turn into expensive ones. Jeff shares a real example: a young pilot who heard a popping sound out of the left engine for about two months and brushed it off — until they pulled the cowling and found an exhaust stack hanging an inch and a half loose. Hot exhaust gases that close to a wiring harness can melt insulation and kill power to the engine, and a stack that fully breaks loose becomes a hazard on the ground. The fix, caught early, would have taken minutes. By the time it was found, it was a near miss. The episode is about building the awareness and the paper trail that catches problems while they're still cheap. In this episode, we cover: - Why a written post-flight squawk log beats relying on memory - What to write when nothing went wrong (and why "none noted" matters) - How trending small symptoms reveals real engine problems - The communication gap on multi-pilot aircraft, and how to close it - A real-world case: a popping sound that was a hanging exhaust stack - What can go wrong when an exhaust stack hangs near a wiring harness - Why looping in your mechanic — or another mechanic — pays off - How to give your A&P the history they need to actually diagnose an issue If you fly behind a piston engine, this is one of the cheapest habits you can build to keep your airplane airworthy and yourself safe. TIMECODES 00:00 The post-flight habit nobody wants to do 00:27 Why "I think I felt this 3 months ago" is too late 01:18 What to write down — even when nothing happened 02:08 The multi-pilot communication problem 03:23 The popping sound that was a hanging exhaust stack 05:16 What a loose exhaust stack can actually do to your engine 06:00 Call your mechanic — or another mechanic Get in touch! Web - SignatureEngines.com Email - Podcast@SignatureEngines.com YouTube - youtube.com/@SignatureEnginesInc

How to Preflight a Piston Engine the Right Way

Send us questions by commenting below or emailing John & Jeff at: Podcast@SignatureEngines.com How to Preflight a Piston Engine the Right Way A real preflight inspection is more than opening the oil door and checking the dipstick. John and Jeff walk through what they actually look for before every flight — and what most pilots miss. Vibration is the number one enemy of a piston aircraft. Motor mounts crack, components loosen, and parts break between flights. A magneto that ran fine yesterday can be dead today. You won't catch all of it on a walkaround, but you'll catch a lot more than you think if you slow down and know where to look. John and Jeff start under the aircraft — looking for fresh oil, fuel, or hydraulic leaks on the ramp or hangar floor — then work up through the cowl, the propeller, the intakes, and the belly. They talk through the bird nests and mud dauber nests that show up after the plane sits, why a piece of cardboard under the airplane is one of the cheapest diagnostic tools an owner can have, and why a constant-speed propeller deserves more than a glance. Then they move into the cockpit, where checking the throttle, mixture, and prop control for freedom of movement before start can flag a problem before you ever turn the key. In this episode, we cover: - Why looking under the aircraft is the first step, not the oil door - How to tell normal seepage from a developing leak using a piece of cardboard on the hangar floor - What mud daubers and birds get into — breather tubes, carb intakes, pitot — and how to spot the trail - Why you should open the cowl when you can, and what to look for when it's open - How to check a constant-speed propeller for leaks and security on preflight - Why the windscreen, nav lights, and landing lights matter even on a day VFR flight - What a sticky throttle, mixture, or prop control can tell you before engine start - Why a magneto can fail between flights and how the runup catches what the walkaround can't A thorough preflight inspection is the cheapest insurance an owner has — and the difference between catching a problem on the ramp or finding it in the air. TIMECODES 00:00 The preflight habits that separate good pilots from bad ones 00:36 Why most pilots only check the oil and stop there 01:02 Start under the aircraft: looking for oil, fuel, and gear leaks 01:21 Open the cowl when you can — what breaks between flights 02:12 Vibration, motor mounts, and why piston aircraft parts fail 02:31 Inspecting the propeller and checking the intakes for nests 03:00 Mud daubers, birds, and what shows up after the plane sits 04:11 Using cardboard under the aircraft to track leaks over time 04:54 Don't skip the windscreen, nav lights, and landing lights 05:28 In-cockpit preflight: throttle, mixture, and prop control freedom Get in touch! Web - SignatureEngines.com Email - Podcast@SignatureEngines.com YouTube - youtube.com/@SignatureEnginesInc

How to Inspect an Aircraft Oil Filter the Right Way

Send us questions by commenting below or emailing John & Jeff at: Podcast@SignatureEngines.com Why Oil Analysis Alone Won't Save Your Engine Oil analysis is an indicator, not a verdict on airworthiness. John and Jeff break down why the report is just one tool, and what you have to do alongside it to actually know what's happening inside your engine. More owners and pilots are leaning on oil analysis like it's the final word on engine health. It isn't. Both Lycoming and Continental tell you to inspect the oil filter — cut it open, flush the media, run a magnet through it, and look at what your engine is actually shedding. John and Jeff walk through the full routine: how to take an oil sample correctly (always midstream, never the first or last of the drain), why letting the drained oil settle in a clean five-gallon bucket and filtering the last bit through a coffee filter tells you what's really sitting in the sump, and why pictures of every filter and screen inspection beat trying to remember what last quarter looked like. They cover the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous debris, why a high iron reading after a winter of sitting often just means corroded cylinder walls getting scraped clean, and the Lycoming brass bushing AD covering engines built between 2009 and 2015. They also get into the part most owners skip entirely — the finger screen — and why it catches the big chunks an oil filter never will. If your filter has a bypass valve and you're making metal between long oil changes, that material can route straight to your bearings without you knowing the bypass ever opened. In this episode, we cover: - Why oil analysis is an indicator, not an airworthiness determination - How to take an oil sample correctly — midstream of the drain, every time - Cutting open the oil filter, flushing the media, and running a magnet through the debris - Letting drained oil settle and filtering the last 5% through a coffee filter to see what's really in the sump - Why you need to photograph every filter and oil inspection, not rely on memory - Telling ferrous from non-ferrous debris and what each suggests - Why finger screens catch failures the oil filter will miss - The Lycoming brass bushing AD on engines built 2009–2015 and why you watch the oil for brass - How shorter oil change intervals reduce the risk of the filter bypass dumping debris into your bearings For piston aircraft owners who want to catch problems early instead of being surprised by them — this is how you actually read what your engine is telling you. TIMECODES 00:00 The oil sampling mistake that wrecks your data 00:38 Why oil analysis is an indicator, not airworthiness 01:35 How to inspect your oil filter the right way 02:28 Reading what's left in your drained oil 03:20 When elevated readings don't mean engine trouble 04:07 The catastrophic failure oil analysis missed 05:17 Taking samples midstream and staying consistent 05:55 High iron after winter — what it usually means 06:48 What chrome, nickel, aluminum, and molybdenum tell you 07:39 Lycoming and Continental limits on filter debris 08:12 Saving filter elements in baggies for comparison 08:51 Why finger screens still matter and why mechanics skip them 09:39 Filter, screen, or both — what to inspect and why 10:31 The Lycoming brass bushing AD (2009–2015 engines) 11:14 What the finger screen catches that the filter won't 11:37 Why the filter bypass valve is the hidden risk Get in touch! Web - SignatureEngines.com Email - Podcast@SignatureEngines.com YouTube - youtube.com/@SignatureEnginesInc

How Often Should You Change Aircraft Engine Oil?

Send us questions by commenting below or emailing John & Jeff at: Podcast@SignatureEngines.com How Often Should You Change Aircraft Engine Oil? The 50-hour aircraft engine oil change interval in your POH was written for flight schools flying constantly — not for the owner who flies a few hours a month and parks the plane. John and Jeff break down what the book actually says and what most owners miss. Aircraft engine oil isn't automotive oil. It's only about 6 to 7% additives compared to 13 to 16% in conventional auto oil, and those additives — the ones fighting moisture, acids, sludge, and carbon — start breaking down around 20 to 25 hours. After that, the oil still lubricates, but it's no longer protecting the inside of your engine from the corrosion cycle that runs every time the crankcase heats up and cools down. That's how camshaft and lifter pitting starts on Lycomings, and it's why John and Jeff see rust inside engines from owners who swear they fly regularly. The piece almost everyone overlooks is the calendar rule: change the oil every four months regardless of hours. Two hours on the engine in four months still means it's time. The hosts walk through why "regular use" isn't ten hours in one trip followed by three weeks parked, why active preservation only happens in the air at temperature, and why the difference between a 30-hour and 50-hour oil change is one extra change per 100 hours — cheap insurance against an engine teardown. In this episode, we cover: - Why the 50-hour interval was written for flight schools, not typical owners - The 4-month calendar rule in the POH and what it actually requires - How aircraft oil additives break down by 20 to 25 hours - Why aircraft oil is only 6 to 7% additives versus 13 to 16% in automotive oil - How condensation, acids, and the crankcase greenhouse effect cause internal rust - Why camshaft and lifter pitting hits both Lycoming and Continental engines - Why ground runs and taxiing don't count as active preservation - The 30 to 35 hour oil change recommendation and pulling the filter every 100 If you fly less than 200 hours a year, this episode helps you stop a corrosion problem before it turns into a top overhaul. TIMECODES 00:00 What the POH 4-month oil change rule actually says 00:30 Is the 50-hour oil change interval right for your flying? 01:33 Why aircraft oil only has 6 to 7% additives 02:42 How rust starts inside engines that "fly regularly" 04:18 Why 30-35 hour oil changes are cheap insurance 05:16 What "regular use" really means for piston engines 06:22 Humidity, condensation, and the crankcase greenhouse 07:16 Camshaft and lifter pitting on Lycoming vs Continental 08:11 Final recommendation: 30-35 hours, every third change pull the filter Get in touch! Web - SignatureEngines.com Email - Podcast@SignatureEngines.com YouTube - youtube.com/@SignatureEnginesInc