What will it cost me in the long run ?
in General Tech Discussion
13 years ago
Parts and Maint. problems:
The aircraft owners that have certified Rotax engines or an SLSA in the US have very very few engine issues when maint. is done by a trained Rotax mechanic and on adhered to time intervals. The biggest majority of the owners that have ever had issues has come from the experimental side, no Rotax training, mechanic not trained, not reading or having the manuals, and not following what the Rotax manuals tell them as far as inspections and time limits. The first thing I did when I became a certified Rotax mechanic was print all the manuals and read them cover to cover. Then if I didn't remember something at least I knew it existed and where to find it. This habit came from 30 years as a firefighter, paramedic and HazMat Tech. The time to learn is not when the problem is at hand, but before.
My quote has always been:
"The worst thing that ever happened to a Rotax engine was its owner". :huh:
Engine's are mechanical things and they do break from time to time, but it is far between when they are maintained properly. Rotax has a solid product that has been time tested over 21 years (912 series since late 1989). I would encourage every Rotax engine owner to take a Rotax class. All the Rotax manuals are free on line here on this website, all the SB's are here, print all of them that apply to your engine, follow them, replace parts when it says to and do the inspections on time (i.e. 100 hr and annual condition inspections)
No one said flying was cheap and sometimes cutting corners, trying to save a buck or just listening to your neighbor can cost you more than you can afford down the road.
I didn't mean to climb up on my soapbox today and especially this early, but many maint. issues can usually be avoided when things are done right.
If your pocketbook isn't deep enough now for a part, how will it ever be deep enough when it fails and cost 2-100 times more? I hope my soapbox saves someone some money in the future.
This box got so high I'm going to have to jump down. :silly:
The aircraft owners that have certified Rotax engines or an SLSA in the US have very very few engine issues when maint. is done by a trained Rotax mechanic and on adhered to time intervals. The biggest majority of the owners that have ever had issues has come from the experimental side, no Rotax training, mechanic not trained, not reading or having the manuals, and not following what the Rotax manuals tell them as far as inspections and time limits. The first thing I did when I became a certified Rotax mechanic was print all the manuals and read them cover to cover. Then if I didn't remember something at least I knew it existed and where to find it. This habit came from 30 years as a firefighter, paramedic and HazMat Tech. The time to learn is not when the problem is at hand, but before.
My quote has always been:
"The worst thing that ever happened to a Rotax engine was its owner". :huh:
Engine's are mechanical things and they do break from time to time, but it is far between when they are maintained properly. Rotax has a solid product that has been time tested over 21 years (912 series since late 1989). I would encourage every Rotax engine owner to take a Rotax class. All the Rotax manuals are free on line here on this website, all the SB's are here, print all of them that apply to your engine, follow them, replace parts when it says to and do the inspections on time (i.e. 100 hr and annual condition inspections)
No one said flying was cheap and sometimes cutting corners, trying to save a buck or just listening to your neighbor can cost you more than you can afford down the road.
I didn't mean to climb up on my soapbox today and especially this early, but many maint. issues can usually be avoided when things are done right.
If your pocketbook isn't deep enough now for a part, how will it ever be deep enough when it fails and cost 2-100 times more? I hope my soapbox saves someone some money in the future.
This box got so high I'm going to have to jump down. :silly:
Roger Lee
LSRM-A & Rotax Instructor & Rotax IRC
Tucson, AZ Ryan Airfield (KRYN)
520-349-7056 Cell
