Essential Reference Material for Owner/Pilots

[old man emu]

It's been a while since I raised this topic and we have a lot of new members who are Owner/Pilots who may not have heard this message before, so I'm repeating it.

 

It you are interested enough to own an aircraft that meets the requirements of the RAA, then you must have a modicum of interest in knowing how things work.

 

I'll bet that you have a stack of well-thumbed aviation magazines stashed away somewhere and that you follow aviation news religiously. Most of the articles in those magazines relate to piloting. What about getting the most out of your airplane mechanically. Along with your aviation magazines and books, you library should include an smattering of technical books relating to how your aircraft is put together and stays together.

 

As starters, I strongly recommend these:

 

1. Mechanics Toolbox http://www.mechanicsupport.com/

 

This is probably the most comprehensive collection of aviation related maintenance there is. It is an outgrowth of John Schwarner's Engineering Manual which you can purchase through here http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/bvpages/skyranche.php , or from John direct.

 

2. Light Plane Maintenance http://www.lightplane-maintenance.com/

 

This is a monthly magazine that deals with a variety of aircraft problems that have come up in the field. It also contains subscribers' letters seeking answers to their problems. The subject aircraft tend to be GA, but there are always articles dealing with problems that beset the most basic of aircraft. Subscription details are on the site.

 

3. AC 43.13-2b

 

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentid/99861

 

If the manufacturer doesn't say how to do a repair, then this is the accepted way to do it. Download it now and burn it to a CD. It's free!

 

4. Old Man Emu's Blue Bible of Aviation Hardware.

 

This is a collection of information relating to the nuts, bolts, screws and other bits that keep our aircraft together. It contains explanatory notes on how to work out the descriptors of hardware so that you can send off an order to your supplier and know that you will get the correct thing back in the mail.

 

There's no link for this. It will be available from the Clear Prop shop when Ian burns a few copies. He's told me that the price for a copy should be about the price of a cappuccino.

 

You should always be on the lookout for aircraft maintenance books in places like 2nd hand book shops, markets etc. because the techniques for constructing aircraft from wood, tubing or sheet metal haven't really changed since Pontius was a pilot. It's the electronics that have gone ahead, but for Owner/Pilots at our end of the scale, the ole knowledge is still OK.

 

Old Man Emu

 

 

[Akromaster]

Awesome..thanks for posting.

 

Ak

 

 

[old man emu]

I hope that Ian doesn't pull my tail feathers for posting this but it is a link to the eBay site of one of our new members.

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/Collectables-/1/m.html?_ssn=kevdoncarder

 

While I was working for QED, we would lend this bloke some of our hard to get maintenance manuals and useful documents. He scanned them to disk and offers them for sale, allegedly to finance the restoration of a Tiger Moth. I suppose he must have sold a few CD's cause he's posting on this forum that he bought a project job.

 

His ulterior motives don't distract from the fact that the CDs provide good quality copies of hard-to-get material. I just can't get on with the job without my Wirraway maintenance manual on CD.

 

Old Man Emu

 

 

[Ultralights]

http://www.flybetter.com.au/

 

free books that sgould be part of the syllabus

 

 

[Yenn]

Also useful is

 

http://www.casa.gov.au/airworth/airwd/index.htm

 

this will keep you up to date with ADs, good for GA but there is some for RAAus on the site.

 

 

[eightyknots]

Good info in this thread! Thanks!!