Ask the A&Ps

Experts Mike Busch, Paul New, and Colleen Sterling answer your toughest aviation maintenance questions. Submit questions to podcasts@aopa.org. New episodes are released the first and fifteenth of every month.

Leisure
Education
How To
1
"This guy is on his own, he's a test pilot"
The best plugs, advice for a Van's customer, and is carb heat necessary?
63 min
2
"Let us know how the exorcism goes"
Ridding an engine of it's demons
57 min
3
"The breather is a slobber pot"
An engine that won't quit, oil temps, tuned exhausts, and ELT batteries
53 min
4
"Think of the prop control as a gear shift"
Valve lapping, oversquare, and the basics of leaning
50 min
5
"Major and minor is in the eye of the beholder"
Can you make your own electronic components? The experts discuss.
59 min
6
"It's not good form to jam the throttle forward"
How to use a borescope, best throttle practices, and keeping water out of the tanks
58 min
7
"We call it an Italian tune-up"
Valve clatter, damage history that isn't, why POH numbers change, and more
54 min
8
"Use whatever time runs the slowest"
When the tachometers don't agree, which one do you pick?
55 min
9
"You can't fully pickle it"
A curiously rough running engine, another that's cursed, and one that needs to be preserved are on the agenda.
65 min
10
"Cleaning injectors causes more problems than i...
55 min
11
"Why don't you just fix the problem?"
Cold-weather flying, radio issues, and how to become an A&P
61 min
12
"It's not the mechanic's job to make flying che...
A wonky compass, lean of peak advice, and liabilities of being a mechanic
55 min
13
"Inspections are an imperfect process"
46 min
14
"Don't attack anything with tools"
How to hot start, a faulty tach, and unnecessary cylinder removals
51 min
15
Live from Airventure 2023
Mike, Paul, and Colleen take live questions from this year's Oshkosh
48 min
16
"My airplane is so clean you can eat off it"
Washing during annual, turbocharging problems, how to start an airplane, and more
59 min
17
"The only that thing that can cause CHT to rise...
Engines are blowing up all over in this latest epiosde
60 min
18
"I'm a total turbocharging bigot"
Turbocharging versus non, engine stumbles, improper fuel levels and more
73 min
19
"Pop that cowling off and squirt away"
New engines, prop stops, and warbirds
64 min
20
"This is a classic infant mortality failure"
Digging deep into two new important ADs, engine monitors, and more
70 min
21
"The airplane looks like it's having brain surg...
55 min
22
"You may have to go to a different shop"
Convincing an owner not to euthanize his engine, super cold cylinders, and fun with oxygen
50 min
23
"There are critters living in there"
58 min
24
"You have two options and a top overhaul isn't ...
Morning sickness, slow Skyhawks, supply chain problems, and more
61 min
25
"All engines deserve an engine monitor in their...
51 min