Detailed syllabus

Syllabus, Day One

Getting Great Maintenance (Without Going Broke)
We'll discuss what to look for when choosing a maintenance shop or A&P mechanic, and then how to work most effectively with that shop or mechanic to obtain top-notch yet cost-efficient maintenance. Maintaining an aircraft is a lot like raising a child: You can throw money at it, but you'll get much better results by getting personally involved. We'll talk about how owners can best work with their mechanics to achieve the desired results, how best to stay "in the loop" and participate in maintenance decisions, and how to resolve owner/mechanic disagreements or disputes before they get out of hand. It's not unusual for an owner to feel that an A&P or shop "has them over a barrel" and we'll cover how an owner should deal with such situations. We'll discuss why it's so important for owners to learn all they can about the mechanical aspects of their aircraft, and review some of the many resources available for of doing that.

Coping With the High Cost of Parts
One of the biggest obstacles to keeping our aging GA fleet flying is the ridiculously high price of most aircraft parts. You'll learn how an owner can often save hundreds or thousands of dollars on the cost of repair parts by doing some homework, surfing the Internet, and/or making a few phone calls. We'll talk about where to find new parts at discount prices, when to consider overhauled or "continued-time" parts rather than new ones, buying used but serviceable parts from salvage yards, when to repair instead of replace, and the little-known provisions of the FARs that permits an owner to produce his own replacement parts (and exactly what they do and don't allow). This segment alone will probably repay your seminar tuition many times over.

LUNCH BREAK

The Rules of the Game
Most pilots are fairly well versed in the Federal Aviation Regulations that relate to their flying, but most owners are blissfully ignorant of what their non-flying responsibilities are under the regs, or the regulations that govern A&Ps and IAs (and owners when they perform owner-performed maintenance). We'll review the various FARs that establish owner responsibility for airworthiness, maintenance, recordkeeping, and so forth. We'll talk about what the term "airworthy" actually means (most owners can't define it, although the FAA says they're responsible for it), why owners should keep tight control over maintenance of their aircraft and never abdicate that responsibility to any shop or mechanic.

Do-It-Yourself Maintenance
We'll start by discussing the many "preventive maintenance" tasks that an owner/pilot is permitted to do without any requirement for A&P involvement. Most owners are astonished to learn just how liberal the regulations are when it comes to such owner-performed maintenance, and the wide variety of routine maintenance tasks they're allowed to do themselves. For mechanically inclined owners who want to go even further, we'll review the rules relating to A&P supervision of maintenance performed by non-A&Ps, and discuss how best to approach an A&P about supervising owner-performed work. If handled correctly, there is really no limit to the scope of work an owner may do on his own aircraft.

Dealing With Mechanicals On The Road
What do you do when your airplane develops a problem on Saturday in Sheepdip, Nebraska? In this segment, we discuss what information, tools and spares to carry to help assure that you can get back in the air with minimum delay, trauma and expense.

Resolving Owner/Mechanic Disputes
It's extraordinarily uncomfortable for an aircraft owner to get into a disagreement with a mechanic over what maintenance needs to be done, particularly when the aircraft is undergoing an annual inspection. Most owners believe that they have no choice but to do things the mechanic's way or risk never getting the annual signed off. We talk about how to avoid ever getting into this situation, and then how to handle things if you do. Hint: You don't have to do things the mechanic's way, and you don't have to re-do the annual!

Syllabus, Day Two

Where to Go at TBO
Perhaps the most significant maintenance decision you'll ever need to make as an aircraft owner is what to do when your engine gets to TBO. We'll talk about what the TBO figures published by the engine manufacturer really mean (and what they don't), how to determine when it's time to overhaul, whether it's better to overhaul "on condition" or at a specified number of hours, and the pros and cons of custom field overhauls versus factory-rebuilt engines. For owners who opt for a field overhaul, we'll discuss how to choose and work with an overhaul shop. We'll look at engine warranties and how to deal with warranty issues if something goes wrong.

Navigating the Jug Jungle
Cylinder replacement is a major expense item, and today's owner is faced with a bewildering array of choices. We'll discuss when it is and is not appropriate to "pull a jug" (it's astonishing how often this is done needlessly) and when a full-blown "top overhaul" is indicated. We'll talk about when it makes sense to use reconditioned or "continued-time" cylinders versus new ones, and review the various new-cylinder options (factory, Superior Millennium, ECi Titan, etc.) We'll discuss when it makes sense to change cylinders on high-time engines vs. doing a major overhaul. We'll also review how best to break in one or more newly installed cylinders.

The Art and Science of Troubleshooting
We'll review the two key phases in the resolution of aircraft problems: troubleshooting and repair. In medicine, these two phases are called diagnosis and treatment -- and the person best equipped to diagnose a medical problem is not always the person best equipped to treat it. Likewise, the A&P is often not the person best equipped to troubleshoot a problem with an aircraft; frequently, that person is the owner. This is particularly true of problems that occur only in-flight and ones that are intermittent. If the mechanic can't reproduce the problem in his maintenance hangar, it's usually difficult or impossible for him to troubleshoot it -- and then his only recourse is to resort to the "shotgun" approach, which is inefficient and often quite hard on the owner's wallet. We'll examine an organized methodology for troubleshooting aimed at aircraft owners who aren't A&Ps. The emphasis will be on how to gather data about the nature of the problem, to enumerate possible causes, and to rule out causes systematically until there are only one or two possibilities left. Even in cases where the problem is too complicated for an owner to troubleshoot definitively, this approach will help you assemble the data that your A&P needs to formulate an enlightened diagnosis. This segment is packed with real-world examples of airplane problems and the steps required to diagnose what's wrong.

LUNCH BREAK

Troubleshooting Powerplant Problems
We'll review the most common problems encountered with piston aircraft engines, including missing, rough running, high oil and cylinder head temperatures, and hard starting. We'll go over a logical and systematic method of isolating powerplant faults, reducing the need for unnecessary labor and parts replacement. This segment also includes a detailed discussion of modern electronic probe-per-cylinder engine instrumentation and how to use it to help identify powerplant problems.

Troubleshooting Electrical Problems
We'll cover the most common problems encountered with aircraft electrical systems, with emphasis on alternators, regulators, batteries, and other charging system components. We'll offer a logical and systematic method of isolating electrical system faults, reducing the need for unnecessary labor and parts replacement. Many otherwise-excellent A&P mechanics are weak in troubleshooting electrical problems, so it's particularly important for owners to verify that such problems have been diagnosed correctly before approving repair labor or parts replacement.

Savvy Owner's Checklist
After reviewing what we've covered throughout the weekend, we discuss possible next steps along the path to savvy ownership: building your maintenance library, learning more about your aircraft systems, starting to do your own oil changes, scheduling an owner-assisted annual, etc.

Final Q&A Session
In this final segment, Mike will answer any remaining questions, and you'll have a chance to chat with him informally about any additional subjects of interest to the group.