Line Maintenance

[Colonel]

Line maintenance doesn't get a lot of attention, but it's really important for pilots to
know how to do it, because they need to see that it gets done right.

Working the ramp doesn't get much glory, but there are some important lessons to
learn.

Refuelling, for example. Even with piston aircraft, you can screw it up. Ground strap?
Why do you need one? Where should it be connected? Supporting the nozzle? Breaking
the welds in the tank neck? Is the aircraft level? Did you get all the gas in that you could?
How about 100LL vs Jet-A? People somehow keep making that mistake.

Checking the oil level. What should it be? Full? Windage level? What kind of oil? Checking
the L39 can be FUN for example. Don't forget the SAFIR level.

Cleaning the windscreen. It's not good when pilots can't see, especially flying west into
the sun late in the day. What do you use to clean it, to avoid damaging it? Winter consideration:
what can you safely use, to remove ice from a Plexiglas windshield?

Tieing down. Can you tie a knot? How tight should the ropes be? How strong do the
anchors have to be, for different aircraft? Forget about lift spoilers, no one cares.

Moving an airplane. What parts can you push on? How many degrees can you rotate
the nose wheel before you bend hideously expensive steering parts?

Hell, just rotating an airplane. Why do you need to change the direction an aircraft
is pointing? How do you safely do that?

Tire pressure. How do you determine what the tire pressure should be? Does hot vs
cold make a difference? Do you know how to operate the air compressor? What's a
chuck? What do they do, when they get old and worn?

External battery power. Do you have a cart with batteries? Are they charged up?
Where it the external plug? Master on or off? How are you going to safely remove
it after the prop is spinning? Hand signals from the pilot?

When you hear that "zing!" from a Lycoming when the pilot cranks - but the prop
doesn't spin - what is happening? What is the really simple and legal way to fix it
without any disassembly?

Like I said, there's a lot to line maintenance, but you can learn it all in one day.

The most important thing about being on the ramp is probably this:

You can hear a spinning prop, but you can't see it. When you have two props
spinning, you can't hear anything, so stay behind the wings.

I won't talk about hand-propping. Lost art. Don't do it. No one left to teach it.

[Scudrunner]

Hand bombing a O-540 on a BN2 was fun.

[Nark]

I'm flabbergasted that pilot-owners don't know what they can do LEGALLY to their aircraft. $500 for an oil change is beyond retarded.
Although, if you don't know how to change your own oil, you deserve that bill. (yes, that's a real bill).

[Colonel]

Jesus. Was the oil filter included in the $500, or was that extra?

Note: Lots of noise about oil filters causing engine failures. External
adapters fail and pump all the oil overboard. Seen it myself.

I hate oil filters. Bill Lear was right.

[Colonel]

Once you've mastered line maintenance - which includes learning to open
and close cowls properly (what could go wrong, there?) ....

In the hangar, learn to remove and clean and re-install cowls. Learn to
safely clean an engine - what chemicals? - and inspect for anything obviously
going horribly wrong.

Is anything leaking? Grab stuff, and wiggle it. Is it loose? You would be
fucking amazed at the Big Stuff that I have found loose on an aircraft engine,
which was never, ever meant to be loose.

Learn to clean the landing gear. Do it carefully. Don't do it the four bar way,
with a 4000 PSI pressure washer. Learn to lubricate the landing gear to reduce
metal on metal. Keeping the landing gear working correctlty is really fucking
important. Those micro-switches control the landing gear lights. You like to
see three green?

Learn to look for and remove signs of animals. This is more of a problem with
private aircraft or aircraft that have been parked, but you would be amazed at
where you can find birds and mouse nests. Mice can do incredible fucking
damage to a vehicle. You need to keep them out. When it gets cold, that's
the time of year they move into the hangar.