wktaylor
Well-Known Member
Kitplanes article on retorting Engines that have NOT been run for a long time due to neglect.
https://www.kitplanes.com/reigniting-the-spark/
“For Sale: Lost medical. Looks rough but flew great. Full IFR, 9877 TTAF. Engine replaced on the last annual (10/2009) only 7 TTSN. My loss is your gain. Will sacrifice all for the value of the engine. $37,000.” Mower not included.
It can happen to anyone, but maybe more so with age. We don’t, or can’t, get up as much. Health issues arise. Other interests consume our energy. Maybe it’s not as exciting anymore or the effort to maintain the relationship becomes too much. The longer we remain inactive, the longer we remain inactive. Inertia, you see, works both ways. However, when the day does come to restore the spark—a day of excitement and apprehension—it should be done thoughtfully. Engines, you see, need frequent activity. When they sit, they corrode.
I’ve been parking engines for Wisconsin’s long, salty winters for decades. When I know a vehicle will sit unused—I mention, again, with great pain, Wisconsin’s long winters and salty streets—I take steps to preserve its engine. But hobby vehicles can go unused, often without warning, for long periods simply…because. What is a “long” period? RAM Aircraft states, “If your airplane is not flown every seven days…every source we found agrees that your airplane is, at best, in ‘flyable storage.’” Translated: The engine is corroding. How long does it take for engine corrosion to begin? Lycoming says in as little as two days or up to “several weeks.” Think on that while I grab a snack.
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https://www.kitplanes.com/reigniting-the-spark/
“For Sale: Lost medical. Looks rough but flew great. Full IFR, 9877 TTAF. Engine replaced on the last annual (10/2009) only 7 TTSN. My loss is your gain. Will sacrifice all for the value of the engine. $37,000.” Mower not included.
It can happen to anyone, but maybe more so with age. We don’t, or can’t, get up as much. Health issues arise. Other interests consume our energy. Maybe it’s not as exciting anymore or the effort to maintain the relationship becomes too much. The longer we remain inactive, the longer we remain inactive. Inertia, you see, works both ways. However, when the day does come to restore the spark—a day of excitement and apprehension—it should be done thoughtfully. Engines, you see, need frequent activity. When they sit, they corrode.
I’ve been parking engines for Wisconsin’s long, salty winters for decades. When I know a vehicle will sit unused—I mention, again, with great pain, Wisconsin’s long winters and salty streets—I take steps to preserve its engine. But hobby vehicles can go unused, often without warning, for long periods simply…because. What is a “long” period? RAM Aircraft states, “If your airplane is not flown every seven days…every source we found agrees that your airplane is, at best, in ‘flyable storage.’” Translated: The engine is corroding. How long does it take for engine corrosion to begin? Lycoming says in as little as two days or up to “several weeks.” Think on that while I grab a snack.
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