A Man and His Airplane

I obtained quotes from several shops, including a couple of the more well-known ones. Preston, the shop manager at Snohomish Flying Service, obtained a quote from his preferred shop. He was confident that it would be a better price than I would get anywhere else. Well, it would appear he was correct. And, not only is the quoted price the best of all of them, the projected lead time is the best as well. Assuming all goes well, I could be back in the air a good month and a half earlier than I would with another shop. Currently, the world of piston general aviation is experiencing a dramatic shortage of new cylinders. The shops I got quotes from all stated that they did not have any new cylinders and that they would only be able to use overhauled cylinders. While overhauled cylinders are always an option, and the engine should be just fine if they were used, every recommendation I've heard or read is to use new cylinders if possible. I've been truly fortunate in that, without goin...

After the last oil change which we did at about 13 hours, the oil analysis showed that the amount of iron had decreased further and it was looking like it was a "one and done" incident. Per my mechanic's recommendation, I flew it for 25 hours before the next oil change. That oil change was just performed... and the news is not good at all. This time, a considerable amount of metal was found in the suction filter screen and the oil filter. There was enough there that my mechanic grounded the plane. The decision has been made: the engine is coming off and will likely need to be overhauled. While it is possible that the engine only has to be repaired (e.g. if the metal is from the camshaft and everything else, like the bearings, looks good), I'm acting on the assumption that an overhaul will happen. My emotional state with respect to this development is complex. On one hand, I feel kind of sick to my stomach when I contemplate the cost I'm about to pay both in money ...