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How to gain maintenance skills

M

mbuto

Member
Hello,

I have a 9A, a hangar, some tools, some ability. I never grew up working on cars (or airplanes) so it's not 2nd nature to me. I HAD a guy who was able to look after the entire annual process, but no longer. I need to come up with a plan for ongoing maintenance.

I've taken part in some annual inspection activities on my plane, but not enough to do the entire job. It would be great to take a proper course and spend some time, hands on, building skill and confidence. Any suggestions? I'm in Canada, but could travel into the US. Any thought on the 2 day light sport repairman inspection course (without the post course paperwork).

Thanks,

Mike
 
mbuto said:
Hello,

I have a 9A, a hangar, some tools, some ability. I never grew up working on cars (or airplanes) so it's not 2nd nature to me. I HAD a guy who was able to look after the entire annual process, but no longer. I need to come up with a plan for ongoing maintenance.

I've taken part in some annual inspection activities on my plane, but not enough to do the entire job. It would be great to take a proper course and spend some time, hands on, building skill and confidence. Any suggestions? I'm in Canada, but could travel into the US. Any thought on the 2 day light sport repairman inspection course (without the post course paperwork).

Thanks,

Mike
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I've been thinking about the light sport repairman course as well as the lycoming rebuilding class. maybe both.
 
If you want to start off easing into specific topics, there are some really good books and videos. EAA has a whole bunch of Hints for Homebuilders videos. Kitplanes has a series of maintenance videos that Paul Dye made that are excellent and easy to watch. Vic Syracuse is another excellent source who covers a lot of maintenance topics on his Baseleg Aviation YouTube channel. All of those are online and readily available. Vic also has several excellent books on RV maintenance that are available through the EAA or Aircraft Spruce (possibly others) at a reasonable cost. I think the repairman course would be helpful as well, but maybe someone with first-hand experience with them can chime in.
 
I second the references above, and would point out that the vast majority of us builders learned as we went. The lucky later ones, like myself, had the advantage of VAF and an entire internet worth of knowledge. I would start by picking a simple maintenance task, such as timing your magnetos, or cleaning and gapping your spark plugs. Start researching what you need to do it, and how it's done, and what tools and parts you will need. Watch some YouTube videos. Then, just get to it. RV's and lycomings are pretty simple things in the grand scheme of things, and there isn't much that you can't teach yourself to do. Sometimes, access to the right tools is the only limiting factor. Read up on some basic proper practices like safety wiring, proper bolt torque, etc, and you will find yourself down a very educational rabbit hole.

Chris
 
This might be helpful and will fit in the toolbox.
 

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I've already got Vic's book on order. My biggest concern is the jump from reading a book or watching a video to putting a screwdriver to metal for real. As an example, the one project I have done on my plane is upgrade the wingtip lights. I was terrified about taking off the wingtip. Of course, once I had someone with me it was fine, and I did the 2nd wingtip on my own without any issues. But that initial terror was real. You don't know what you don't know as the saying goes. The idea of having to ground the airplane because I found out IN THE MIDDLE of the job that I need a #2 widget, and I only have a #1 widget - UGH! Plane is sitting for 2 weeks until I get the right one! That's why I really would prefer to get some hands on experience before tackling my own aircraft.
 
Sounds like you have some solid advice. I'd also try to meet some other builders in the area, if possible. They can probably help you with strange tools, some missing #2 widgets, and of course hints and tips. You already have the main thing needed, and that's motivation to learn.
 
Buy a practice kit, tools, then an empennage kit and build a tail.
You will have a whole new appreciation for the guy that built your plane and have skills you need.
 
I have automotive wrenching skills but no experience with airplane mechanics....didn't need them since I've only owned or flown certified aircraft over the several decades I've been a pilot. I had/have absolutely zero interest in building an airplane, but now owning an Experimental, I did want to take on some of the maintenance. Internet surfing, hangar flying with the guys, Vic Syracuse's books, YouTube, and membership in three different EAA chapters were helpful in understanding concepts but not much use in practical application on an airplane that I was going to fly myself/family/friends in. My A&P did the maintenance with me helping, observing, and learning. I now have a reasonable grasp of rudimentary airplane maintenance, but I do very, very little of that on the airplane without him looking over the work that I've done and I do almost nothing with firewall forward and flight controls. I don't want to kill myself doing something to my airplane that I wasn't completely familiar with and I have accepted the fact that I'll never be an airplane mechanic. The need isn't there, nor is the burning interest. YMMV.
 
mbuto said:
I've already got Vic's book on order. My biggest concern is the jump from reading a book or watching a video to putting a screwdriver to metal for real. As an example, the one project I have done on my plane is upgrade the wingtip lights. I was terrified about taking off the wingtip. Of course, once I had someone with me it was fine, and I did the 2nd wingtip on my own without any issues. But that initial terror was real. You don't know what you don't know as the saying goes. The idea of having to ground the airplane because I found out IN THE MIDDLE of the job that I need a #2 widget, and I only have a #1 widget - UGH! Plane is sitting for 2 weeks until I get the right one! That's why I really would prefer to get some hands on experience before tackling my own aircraft.
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I think that you already have the most important attribute for safe maintenance down pat - caution about doing things when you don’t know how to do them. Even an A&P can’t do things that they haven’t done before without supervision. Reading, watching, getting educated are all excellent ways to start and prep yourself, but there is little that can compare to have a mentor to tutor showing you the basics so that you can then expand your repertoire. My vote would be to find a local group of owners - preferably an EAA chapter if you have one - and make friends with the folks who do their own maintenance. Have them work with you on the basics - oil changes, plug cleaning, etc. - and that will give you confidence in the fundamentals of wrenching and inspecting. If you don;t have resources like that nearby, then make friends with the mechanic you use, and get them to let you help (under their supervision). Just so you know, I have been working on airplanes for over fifty years and am still learning, and still occasionally get stumped or make a mistake….its all part of the process, so don’t let it snow you.

FInd somone to watch over your shoulder, and eventually you’ll be comfortable solo!
 
Don’t be afraid to tackle something just because you haven’t done it before. There are so many resources available today via the internet (yes, you need to filter some of them) that you could get a pretty good handle on the necessary tools, parts, and potential pitfalls prior to starting any work yourself. You can’t fly it all the time, and one of the most enjoyable parts of owning an amateur-built aircraft is the ability to work on them. Remember, the original concept was for education. 😀. You might be surprised at what you can accomplish just by getting started.
One piece of advice: try to start the project, at least the disassembly portion, on a Thursday or Friday. That way if you break something or discover you need some extra parts, you could get them ordered and potentially delivered for the weekend. I get so frustrated when I start a maintenance task on Saturday morning and end up losing the whole weekend because I missed something.

Vic
 
I was talking with an airport buddy just yesterday. He's in the middle of his CI on his RV. He was a B52 pilot in military days and then retired from flying for UPS. Has built two planes. He told me he came across something in the Vic's maintenance book he didn't know regarding plugs. (I didn't know either). The washer between the plugs and cylinders has a flat and rounded side. The flat side goes towards the plug. We're always learning.
Both Paul and Vic said all you need to know regarding getting into your maintenance. Watch others, read, ask questions, get supervision, online videos, your confidence will follow. Something that helped me a lot was to write down everything I did and the why's. I learned the hard way that next year I won't remember it so well.
 
I got my A&P rating after I finished building my RV, I am a Blackhawk Helicopter Mechanic by day which is how I was able to get my A&P rating. I hadn't really planned on using my rating to do work on the side, mainly because I really had no desire to work on other types of planes. I was very familiar with my RV since I built it. A couple friends ended up buying their RV's and was in need of an A&P mech. to do their condition inspection, so I agree to do them but only if they wanted to work with me and learn to do owner assisted condition inspections. This worked out great for both them and me. The first time we would do a task, I would do it and show them how and why I did it the way that I did. They all wanted to learn and do and I wanted to have help to get the areas completed that they could do once I showed them how and checked to make sure it was being done correctly. I truly believe that if your going to own a airplane you should know the mechanics of it. So my suggestion is to find a builder / A&P that is willing to have you learn and help with your condition inspection, it is the best way to learn how to work on your plane and understand how and why it works the way that it does.
 
bhester said:
I got my A&P rating after I finished building my RV, I am a Blackhawk Helicopter Mechanic by day which is how I was able to get my A&P rating. I hadn't really planned on using my rating to do work on the side, mainly because I really had no desire to work on other types of planes. I was very familiar with my RV since I built it. A couple friends ended up buying their RV's and was in need of an A&P mech. to do their condition inspection, so I agree to do them but only if they wanted to work with me and learn to do owner assisted condition inspections. This worked out great for both them and me. The first time we would do a task, I would do it and show them how and why I did it the way that I did. They all wanted to learn and do and I wanted to have help to get the areas completed that they could do once I showed them how and checked to make sure it was being done correctly. I truly believe that if your going to own a airplane you should know the mechanics of it. So my suggestion is to find a builder / A&P that is willing to have you learn and help with your condition inspection, it is the best way to learn how to work on your plane and understand how and why it works the way that it does.
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i just want to say that there is none better than my great friend Bobby Hester. Bobby is very good at what he does and I am honored to work with him on my RV7. I have learned many things working with him and my other A&P IA who moved to Washington State.

Darren Kerns
RV7 N599DT
KFRH
 
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