New Plane Owner Checklist

    1. Safety 1st.
    Whether you’re a first time plane owner or have owned several and whether your plane is brand new or several years old, familiarity with your new plane is first priority.  It has been said that it takes up to 50 hours of flight time in a new plane to become intimately at home behind the yoke.  We will be happy to inform you about the mechanical workings of your aircraft and help you determine what is normal and what may be a potential problem.  NO question is too small; so if there is anything you are not quite sure about or a noise or vibration that doesn’t seem right, let us help you.

    2. Oil Consumption.
    How much oil should your aircraft engine use in normal operations?  Ask this to three different mechanics and you are liable to get three different answers!  

    Your aircraft engine is air cooled and does not have a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system like your automobile does.  Therefore it ventilates excess combustion pressures overboard through an open vent tube.  Unfortunately this type of system also vents some of your engine oil out onto the belly of your airplane! The amount of oil that is “vented” out of your engine is dependent on how full you keep your oil level and how good the compression on your cylinders is.  As your cylinders wear, more combustion pressure is allowed to pass by the rings and enter your crankcase, this in turn can force more oil out of your engine.

    The general rule is to keep your oil level about one quart below the full level.  This top quart of oil is generally blown out on the belly of most aircraft.  Our recommendation to you is to first keep the level full and experiment with your aircraft as to how much oil it consumes and how messy the belly of your plane becomes.  It is also recommended to always start long cross country trips with the oil level topped off.

    We would be happy to discuss this further with you if you feel that your aircraft is using too much oil.  We are also happy to sell you your aircraft oil by the quart or by the case!

    3. STC's...What's That?

    Your aircraft was delivered from the factory with a TCD which stands for type certificate data sheet.  This TCD describes every detail of your plane and any modifications from this criterion would make your plane legally un-airworthy!  UNLESS  the modification is accompanied by an STC which stands for supplemental type certificate, which is approved for your particular plane.

    There are almost always STC’s available for your plane that can make it safer, more dependable, more useful, or just plane more fun to fly!

    Legacy Air can help you find and install any number of certified modifications to your plane.  A few popular ones are:

    Speed brakes (these allow you to descend rapidly without excess airspeed or engine shock cooling)
    GAMI injectors (these precisely balance out each cylinder for better performance)
    Wing Tip Tanks (these add fuel and an increase in useful load on some models
    Multi Cylinder Engine Monitors (this allows you to see how each cylinder is doing and can give early alert to a pending problem)
    Strobe Kits (these give your aircraft much greater visibility to other aircraft at night and daytime)

    MANY MORE…

    4. Weight & Balance.

    Unless your airplane is brand new, it is very likely that your weight & balance records are not accurate.  As an aircraft ages, it collects dirt, oils, and possibly modifications to airframe or avionics that are not properly calculated into the weight & balance records.  

    We recommend having your airplane weighed every 5 years so that you KNOW exactly what your limitations are!

    Legacy Air can weigh your plane and give you a new and accurate weight and balance document.

    5. Tires...are mine leaking?

    Aircraft tires are almost always tube type tires and they are almost always made of natural rubber which means they leak air constantly from their tiny pores!  It is crucial to the safety of you and your passengers that you regularly monitor your tires’ air pressure.  

    Improperly inflated tires will wear prematurely, will cause longer take off rolls, and can have adverse effects on crosswind landings.

    Legacy Air can install newer generation inner tubes that are not as susceptible to leaking. We will also balance your tire and wheel assembly afterwards for that smooth take off and landing roll that we all want to give our passengers!

    6. Engine Preheating.

    Is engine preheating necessary or helpful to your aircraft engine?  Our answer to that is a resounding YES.

    If the outside temperature is below freezing there are two areas of concern when starting your engine.  First of all it has been determined that excess cylinder wear occurs when temperatures are below freezing.  Secondly, aircraft oil is thicker in nature than your automotive oil; this means that it can take several seconds up to a minute or two to get good oil pressure to all the moving parts of your aircraft engine after a cold start.

    Legacy Air can sell you and install an engine preheat system.   These systems are thermostatically controlled and can be left plugged in during the cold winter months so that your plane is ready to go when you are!  It is easier on your battery and starter as well as very comforting to see that oil pressure immediately rise after start up.

    Another method of preheating your engine is through the use of a hot air, gas powered external heater.  Most FBO’s have these available and will preheat your plane for a minimal fee.  Legacy Air does have one available and can come to your hangar or tie down in the event that you need this service.