Demystifying Detonation Your Magnetic Compass Has Needs - DESTINATION: A TRIP TO MAYBERRY p.53 - Cessna Flyer Association
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DESTINATION: A TRIP TO MAYBERRY p.53
March 2022 • cessnaflyer.org
p.38
Demystifying Your Magnetic
Detonation Compass Has Needs
p.30 p.48
2 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022
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Vol. 19 • Issue 3 • March 2022
The Official Magazine of
The Cessna Flyer Association
PRESIDENT
Jennifer Dellenbusch
LIST YOUR AIRCRAFT jen@aviationgroupltd.com
VICE PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR OF SALES
FOR SALE Kent Dellenbusch
kent@aviationgroupltd.com
$
49
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Pierre Kotze
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Scott Kinney
Troy Whistman
for as low as EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION
ASSISTANT
Diana Hart
Jill Waterston
Used Aircraft Welcome!
Since 1978, Aviator Hot Line® has been a leader CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Marketplace
in bringing aircraft buyers and sellers together.
Our mission is to bring you the best selection
of used aircraft at the best market price.
Mike Berry
Throughout this section, you’ll find quality
aircraft, all priced to sell. Enjoy shopping
Steve Ells
Aviator Hot Line®’s Used Aircraft Marketplace! Kevin Garrison
Michael Leighton
John Ruley
1978 ROCKWELL / COMMANDER 690B-10 • N20MA 2005 THUNDER MUSTANG • N451KC Dale Smith
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Right Engine: 2562.0 Hrs, 2298 Cycles SMOH, 61.1 Hrs. SHSI, Annual Due:
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1969 PIPER CHEROKEE 6/300 • N8950N 1946 PIPER J-3 CUB/PA-11 • N71081 Cessna Flyer is the official publication of the Cessna Flyer Association.
Cessna Flyer is published monthly by Aviation Group Limited, 1042
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www.aircraftforsale.com 15
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4 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022
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March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 5
March 2022 • Volume 19 • Issue 3
…there are about Prop & Cowling
a million strange 8 THE VIEW FROM HERE •
and unreal Jennifer Dellenbusch
things that 8 LETTERS to the EDITOR
moviemakers 10 CESSNA FLYER EVENTS
are guilty of
when it comes 14 THE HIGH and the WRITEY •
Kevin Garrison
to aviation in
movies
20 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS • Steve Ells
Cockpit & Fuselage
26 A MEMORABLE SUNRISE FLIGHT • Glynn Dennis
30 DEMYSTIFYING DETONATION • Bill Ross
38 MAKING MEMORIES • Steve Ells
48 YOUR MAGNETIC COMPASS HAS NEEDS • Kevin Garrison
52 DESTINATION: A TRIP TO MAYBERRY • Mike Davis
Tail & Rudder
60 NEWS
72 ADVERTISER INDEX
74 FBO OF THE MONTH
COVER: Cessna TR182 Turbo Skylane RG.
Photo Nathan Wolfe.
6 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022
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The View From Here Letters to the Editor
By JENNIFER DELLENBUSCH Send your letters to
editor@cessnaflyer.org
Online Account Setup
and Back Issue Access
Cessna Flyer Staff,
I am a subscriber and thoroughly
enjoy Cessna Flyer magazine. I have
learned a great deal and look forward to
reading it for years to come. I would like
to read online, but do not recall setting
up an online account when I initially
And We’re Off…
subscribed. Does the online edition come
with the print subscription?
If so, please let me know how to pro-
ceed. Please keep up the great work.
David C. Griffin
WE ARE OFFICIALLY INTO the aviation show season. In fact, by the time you
read this, CFA will have attended two shows, with Steve Ells representing us at Hi David,
the Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show in Puyallup, Washington, Thank you very much for the compli-
and Kent Dellenbusch manning the booth at the Copperstate Fly-in in Buckeye, ment. It is much appreciated.
Arizona. Next up is SUN ’n FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, from April Yes, the digital editions come with
5th to 10th. Kent will be attending that show, but we won’t have a booth. your membership. Once logged in, you
We are also gearing up for our 18th Annual Gathering at Waupaca, our annual have access to the Cessna Flyer forums
member event. This takes place the weekend prior to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and back issues of the magazine.
2022 (July 23-24, 2022) at Waupaca Municipal Airport (KPCZ) and the Par 4 I’ve created an online profile for you.
Resort in Waupaca, Wisconsin. You can change your password once
The event includes a Saturday evening welcome reception, a full slate of you're logged in and in your profile area.
informative seminars on Sunday, and a Sunday evening banquet at the Par 4 If you need help, I can walk you through
Resort. Attendees enjoy an air-conditioned motorcoach to AirVenture on Monday, the process over the phone.
Tuesday, and Wednesday, with an optional night bus on Wednesday to accommo- Kent Dellenbusch
date viewing the night airshow.
You can register and get more information at thegatheringatwaupaca. Hi Kent,
simpletix.com or call (626) 844-0125 to talk to Kent. Your prompt response was much
We sure hope to see you at the Gathering or at another show this year! appreciated. I have logged in thanks
Blue skies, to you, and am learning a great deal
from the back issues and forums. I also
subscribe to Flying, Plane & Pilot, and
Flight. I find Cessna Flyer to be the best
magazine on flying and Cessnas avail-
able. Keep up the great work. Wishing
you continued success.
David Griffin
PILOTS HAVE OPINIONS:
LET'S HEAR YOURS.
Send your letters to
editor@cessnaflyer.org
8 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022
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By KEVIN GARRISON
Movie Myths
A few pet peeves about Hollywood’s portrayal of aviation.
Y
ou are watching the most exciting part of an action/ henchmen who have been flying their evil helicopters their
spy movie. Our hero has managed to shoot dozens entire careers.
of evil henchmen and henchwomen without getting In one recent movie, Bond jumped into a Douglas DC-3 and
so much as a minor scratch on himself even though there suddenly knew how to fly a large tail-dragging twin that he had
are about a hundred baddies left, and they are all shooting never seen before. It was sitting out there fully fueled and ready
machine guns at him. to go for some reason.
The bad guys are about to catch our hero when he comes He dodged missiles and bullets while performing flawless
upon an airplane. He jumps in, starts it, and without so aerobatics in it and ran the usual pursuers into cliff walls until
much as a checklist, takes off with a phalanx of bad guy cars, the bad guys finally shot him down with a missile that took what
motorcycles, jet skis, and all-terrain vehicles in hot pursuit. seemed like 20 minutes to eventually hit his airplane. Then, of
Wow—it is good that our hero knows how to start and fly that course, Bond and the heroine did a dramatic parachute jump
airplane! He caught a lucky break, too. It wasn’t locked, tied into a cave.
down, or chocked.
All movies require what my “Theater 101” professor in Free falling
college called a “suspension of disbelief.” I know that they are Heroes frequently get shot down. How come every airplane
fictional depictions of this snarl of reality that we call life, but in which a movie character flies conveniently has parachutes
there are about a million strange and unreal things that movie- available? I have flown four decades, and the only parachutes I
makers are guilty of when it comes to aviation in movies. have found in airplanes were in warbirds, when I was planning
to fly aerobatics, or when I was flying skydivers.
Every plane in the movie world, including transport jets,
has parachutes in a closet somewhere onboard. I am talking to
Heroes always know how to fly any you, the movie “Air Force One.” Really? You not only had dozens
of parachutes on AF-1 for the passengers, but you also had a
flying machine they encounter presidential escape pod?
Every action-movie parachute scene is one parachute short.
during their adventure. Our hero jumps without a parachute and always manages to
glom onto someone else’s, usually a bad guy’s, to float to earth.
Sometimes the hero jumps out with a parachute to save some-
body who exited the airplane bereft of a chute.
There are so many aviation movie myths and legends that My favorite parachute jump movie thing occurs in superhero
it may take two months to cover most of them. I’ll run down a action films. The hero jumps without a parachute and manages
few this month, and I am counting on you writing to us, so that to fall 10,000 feet, landing safely in a hay pile or through the roof
in our follow-up we can add the myths/legends that bug you to of a shed.
distraction. (Send us an email at editor@cessnaflyer.org with the They are always OK after doing this. Meanwhile, if I fall
subject line “Aviation Movie Myths.” —Ed.) from the lower rung of a step ladder, I need immediate medical
You do not have to be a pilot to be irritated by most of these, attention, $5,000 worth of physical therapy, and I limp for at
but it doesn’t hurt. I rely on good old Double-Oh-Seven for many least two months.
of my examples. Bond is easy to pick on, and most action movie
heroes copy what he does. Let’s get the dead pilot out of here
Here, in random order, is my list of flying movie myths: If you are a pilot in a film, you have a short time to live.
Pilots, especially helicopter pilots, always seem to get shot in the
I’ve got this! head right away and then lean on the controls, causing a steep
Heroes always know how to fly any flying machine they en- dive. Our hero, usually after a fistfight or gunfight with the bad
counter during their adventure. When James Bond comes upon people in the aircraft, pulls the pilot out of the seat and some-
a helicopter, he immediately knows how to fly it and can pilot times throws them out of the plane so that the hero can take
it well enough to beat a group of helicopters flown by expert over and save the day.
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March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 15…there are about a million Pilots are non-people
strange and unreal things that I like how movie characters can whistle up a plane any
old time they like. They might be in the Amazon rainforest
moviemakers are guilty of when it and suddenly feel the need to fly to Monte Carlo. No prob-
lem, they charter a jet or jump on the conveniently available
comes to aviation in movies. government or crime syndicate aircraft, and they are on
their way.
In the movies, pilots are non-beings who are always standing
My question is this: Why is the soon-to-be-dead pilot never by at jungle airstrips on the off chance that they will get a 20-
wearing a seat belt or safety harness? The hero never has a hour flight-time, one-way transoceanic charter into a dangerous
problem getting the pilot out of the seat and out the door while airport. The flight is being paid for by a rumpled British spy
in flight; meanwhile, it takes me a half-hour to get my grandson who is bleeding from his head. He has not taken a shower in
out of his car seat and into preschool. He is very lightweight, not the past three days (or gone to the bathroom, either, for that
airborne, and nobody is shooting at me. matter) and is paying with a stolen credit card that has bullet
When I fly my Cessna 140, it takes me fully 10 minutes to holes in it.
unbuckle my belt and shoulder harness to contort my way out Who caters these flights? They always have caviar and
of the cockpit, and as far as I know, I have not been shot in the Champagne on them even though they had no idea they were
head, so it should be easier than the dead movie pilot’s egress. going anywhere just a few minutes ago.
Rubber Band Man Airplanes are very quiet inside
They never unplug the poor dead pilot’s headset before Many pilots cannot hear themselves think in the airplanes
they hurl him out. The pilot would be rubber-banded back they fly. Aircraft are so noisy that we use noise-canceling
into the cockpit by their headset wires in the real world. I headsets. Once you are in an airplane in the movies, it is quiet
know this from the hundreds of times in my flying career enough to hold a whispered conversation.
when I was headed from the cockpit to the back of the plane Every communication radio in the movies is on the proper
for a quick potty break, only to come to the abrupt end of my frequency, is easy to understand, and never has another pilot
headset “leash.” speaking on it. ATC controllers in movies only talk and work
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March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 17with one airplane at a time unless there are two aircraft, and Flying from the big screen to the little
one of them is a bad guy trying to ram or shoot down the Any television program that says it is a reality show is lying
good guy. to you, because none of them are within screaming distance of
being real. Pilots like a drama-free life. If I worked for one of the
Planes all have secret trap doors and tons of room companies shown in these aviation “reality” shows and ran into
Every under-the-airplane cargo compartment I have ever even 1/10th of the animosity and idiocy they deal with, I would
seen or been in during my career was filthy, covered with quit.
graffiti, and filled to the brim with luggage and cargo. These One of my favorites was “Airplane Repo.” They snuck up
spaces are unlit when the door is shut, because people are not on an airplane that was about to be repossessed. It was a very
supposed to be in them during flight. high-tension situation, and they had to be very stealthy to pull
In airplane movies, the cargo hold beneath the passen- the repo off properly.
ger compartment is a wonderland of roomy spaces with My question is, didn’t the camera, lighting, and sound
blinking lights, whirring computers, and secret doors. Our crew make a lot of noise? Who set up, attached, and ran all
hero always somehow finds a way to communicate with of those GoPro-like cameras that suddenly appeared on the
other good guys through some clandestine radio thing they repossessed aircraft?
find down there.
More heroes can secretly be loaded onto the airborne air- Your turn
craft through a trap door at the bottom of the plane that leads By now, you must have a million examples of things that avi-
into this area, which is tall enough to play basketball in and is ation movies and TV do that bug you. Take a moment to write
brightly enough lit to perform brain surgery. us, and we’ll run some of them in our movie sequel, “Movie
Of course, at least one person must be killed during the Tropes Part Two: The Pilot Menace.”
exchange from one airplane into the other, but that is what
extras are for. KEVIN GARRISON’S aviation career began at age 15 as
You can do all sorts of stuff in these huge movie a lineboy in Lakeland, Florida. He came up through General
airplane cargo holds, including shutting down engines, Aviation, retired as a 767 captain in 2006, and retired from
cutting off fuel, and arming or disarming various bombs instructing airline pilots in 2017. Garrison’s professional
and biological weapons. writing career has spanned three decades. Send questions
or comments to editor@cessnaflyer.org.
LOOKING FOR Parts?
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Email kent@aviationgroupltd.com
or call 626-844-0125 to speak
to Kent Dellenbusch
We do not sell or warranty parts. Know your FAR/AIM
and check with your mechanic before starting any work.
18 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 19
Questions & Answers
By STEVE ELLS
Reducing Gross Weight, Cabin Vents,
Carb Boot Repair
Q Has anyone pursued lowering the gross weight on a
Cessna 414 to be able to fly it with BasicMed?
Steve
to answer the question, since, as far as I know, it’s never been
asked before.
If you want to pursue your quest, I suggest you start with
Textron. One gateway is their Customer Portal listed in the
A
A first! An owner wanting to carry less in his twin-engine Resources at the end of this article.
Cessna. Just joking. The other BasicMed requirements (besides the 6,000-
I have never heard of the possibility of lowering the pound MTOW) are that it not be certified to carry more than
published gross weight (now called maximum takeoff weight, or six total occupants (five passengers plus yourself as PIC), not
MTOW) of a certified airplane. be operated above 18,000 feet msl, and not exceed 250 knots.
MTOW is a number that’s part of the airplane's Type A pilot flying under BasicMed also cannot fly for compensation
Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS). The TCDS is a FAA-approved or hire.
document that outlines the limits, powerplants, weights, and in I wish I could help you further.
some cases, the equipment that the airplane was built with. Happy flying,
I doubt that anyone at Cessna (now Textron) would be able Steve
André Du-pont via Wikimedia
20 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 21
Questions & Answers
Q I recently purchased my first airplane. It’s a Cessna 170A
and I love it. I have always liked the look of the 170 and
have always wanted a taildragger. The 170 fits my needs
exactly and I’ve had a great time polishing and shining it up. It’s
The Velcro strips will provide
sufficient friction to hold the cans
the cleanest airplane on my airport. But I have one gripe—the
vents up in the left and right corners of the windshield. They
where you want them, and the
won’t stay in.
These look like juice cans with a plastic knob on one end.
Velcro won’t absorb water like the
One has the outside air temperature gauge. They are extremely
loose, so when I push either one or both of them in, they stay
felt strips did.
for a while, but then when I get up and trimmed out for cruise
flight, they back themselves out. It’s not a real problem in the
summer, but when I’m flying in rain or when it’s cold, the rain Go down to the local hobby store (Michaels is a big one
and cold air make flying miserable. around here) and buy enough self-adhesive Velcro to put at
Is there a solution? least two wraps around each can. As you know, Velcro tapes
Jerry consist of “hooks” (the harsh side) and “eyes” (the soft side).
You want to put strips of “eyes” on the cans. Once installed,
the Velcro strips will provide sufficient friction to hold the
cans where you want them, and the Velcro won’t absorb water
like the felt strips did.
The second solution is a set of Precise-Flow vents. The
Precise-Flow vents replace the old cans, thereby eliminat-
ing leaks and unwanted openings. If you look closely at any
of the Cessna singles produced after 1996, you’ll see a set of
these vents. Each vent can be rotated to direct the airflow
and has what’s called a Wemac valve that gives the pilot or
passenger precise control over the amount of air flowing. A
set of these vents is more expensive than a couple of strips
of Velcro, but they do dress up the cabin and they work
every time. Sporty’s Pilot Shop sells them. See Resources
for a link.
Happy flying,
Steve
Q I need to repair the carb air boot in the lower cowl of a
Cessna 182F Skylane with a Continental O-470 engine.
Any recommendations?
Mel
A
I am sure that there are some owners that have tried to
repair these, but I don’t know of a patch-type repair I
would trust. If the patch comes unglued during operation,
it could block off the carburetor throat, with would lead to loss
A
There are a couple of things you can do. One just requires of power, or worse.
a little time and a few materials, and the other replaces I have replaced more than a few of these boots, and recom-
the entire vent system with a much more efficient and mend that you replace instead of trying to patch the one on
controllable system. your airplane.
The low-budget fix requires you to remove the vent cans There is an Airworthiness Directive on the boot frame gas-
from the vent tube. Sometimes these can be pulled out by kets that often gets missed. It’s AD 77-04-05 (see Resources),
giving a good yank; sometimes a small plastic ball must which addresses the flexible seals that are attached to the
be depressed. Once you have the can(s) out, you’ll see that metal flange.
Cessna wrapped a band of felt around the cans. The felt did These boots (Part No. 0752016-14) retail new for approxi-
two things. It sealed the can in the tube, and it provided fric- mately $2,035. However, you may be able to get a good hole-free
tion between the can and tube to prevent exactly what you’re used one from salvage yards such as Wentworth, Preferred
experiencing. You are experiencing the results of worn, Airparts, or Dodson. As a Cessna Flyer member you have
compressed, and ragged felt. However, instead of replacing access to free parts locating assistance online at cessnaflyer.
the bands with felt, I’ve had good luck replacing them with org/members/parts-locating.html (log-in to view) or by emailing
strips of Velcro. Kent@aviationgroupltd.com.
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March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 23Questions & Answers
I have never patched one, nor can I give you a recommenda- PREFERRED AIRPARTS
tion that I am 100% confident would work. preferredairparts.com
Happy flying,
Steve SPORTY’S PILOT SHOP (PRECISE-FLOW VENTS)
sportys.com/precise-flow-air-vent-kit.html
IMPORTANT: This article describes work that may
need to be performed/supervised by a certificated WENTWORTH AIRCRAFT INC.
aviation maintenance technician. Know your FAR/ wentworthaircraft.com
AIM and check with your mechanic before starting
any work. OTHER
STEVE ELLS has been an A&P/IA for 45 years. He is TEXTRON AVIATION INC. (CUSTOMER SERVICE PORTAL)
a commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine txtav.com/en/service/customer-portal
ratings and loves utility and bush-style airplanes and
operations. Ells was a tech rep and editor for Cessna ADDITIONAL READING
Pilots Association and associate editor for AOPA Pilot. He
owns Ells Aviation and lives in Templeton, California. Send AD 77-44-05
questions and comments to editor@cessnaflyer.org. tinyurl.com/AD77-44-05
RESOURCES When buying from one of our advertisers,
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March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 25Early morning flying can offer cool, crisp air, increased
performance, and occasionally, an amazing surprise.
By Glynn Dennis
26 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022s I write these words,
it’s early Fall 2021 on the
central coast of California.
Thanks to a stationary
high-pressure system,
we have been rewarded with about two
weeks of the most beautiful weather I
can remember, for any time of year.
The marine layer and fog have
simply vanished with the daytime tem-
perature averaging about 85 F. A few
days got as warm as the mid-90s, and it
even climbed to 100-plus degrees a few
times. Along with the unusually warm
temperatures, the visibility extended to
the horizon.
There’s an aviation acronym that
describes these conditions perfectly:
CAVU (ceiling and visibility unlimited).
However, while we Central Coasters
have relished in the lack of the typical
marine layer and coastal fog, the Central
Valley dwellers have suffered. They have
endured many days of temperatures
exceeding 100 degrees and have broken
long-standing high temperature records
set as long ago as 1950.
The conditions described above also
continued into the nighttime hours.
Those nights were crystal clear, with
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28 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022Launching into the dawn
The next morning at 6:15 a.m., the air
was still and cool, about 64 F. After all the
preflight preparations were completed,
I contacted the control tower, and they
gave me my choice of runways. I chose
Runway 8. Upon receiving the “cleared
for takeoff Runway 8, straight out depar-
ture approved,” I lined up on the center-
line and advanced the throttle.
The airspeed indicator came alive
quickly and the acceleration was brisk.
I began the climb at 65 mph and was
surprised by an initial climb rate of 1,200
fpm, thanks to being at sea level, having
cool crisp air, and a lightly loaded plane—
just me and half tanks. After reaching
500 feet, I transitioned to a cruise climb
speed of 80 mph and the plane settled
in at a 700 fpm rate of climb. The initial
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both exceeded all the Pilot’s Operating
Handbook numbers for my Cessna 172. It
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March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 29While not all pilots understand what cylinder detonation
is or what causes it, nearly everyone knows that it means
something bad and very expensive has happened inside their
aircraft’s piston engine.
By Bill Ross
30 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022L
Normal combustion versus detonation.
ittle did I know that when I first wrote my book
“Engine Management 101,” one of the most widely
discussed and often misunderstood subjects was
found in Chapter 2, “Improving engine opera-
During the power
tions and extending engine life.” That’s where I
explained cylinder detonation.
stroke, the mixture
I guess it really shouldn’t have surprised
me. In my nearly 40 years as an A&P, I’d run
burns at a slow
across countless aircraft owners whose engines rate and does not
had suffered a catastrophic detonation event,
and they had no idea what it was or why it happened. So, let’s explode. It’s more
define detonation and some of its causes, and then discuss
prevention. First off, when we think about combustion in our like a “gentle push”
aircraft engine, we need to understand the four cycles that
occur during combustion. on the top of the
As you hopefully learned a long time ago, the first cycle is
the intake stroke, where the piston moves down, drawing fuel
piston.
and air into the cylinder through the intake valve. The valve
closes as the second cycle, or compression stroke, begins as the
piston moves upward toward the top of the cylinder.
March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 31The four cycles of an internal combustion engine.
The forces on the When it gets to the top of the stroke, a spark lights the
fuel and mixture, causing it to ignite. The burning fuel and air
crankshaft and other expand, forcing the piston back down, also known as the power
stroke. Note that the mixture burns at a slow rate and does not
internal components explode. It’s more like a “gentle push” on the top of the piston.
Lastly comes the exhaust stroke.
are so severe after Ignition is not detonation
detonation that On the other hand, detonation is not a controlled burn of the
the engine must
fuel-air mixture, but rather an uncontrolled explosion within
the combustion chamber. Those of you old enough to remem-
be completely ber your parents’ car engine “pinging” know what detonation
sounds like.
disassembled and As the pressure and temperatures increase in the cylinder,
the explosion events begin to create a resonance effect that
inspected according sonically blasts the piston and combustion chamber. “Ping,
ping, ping!”
to the manufacturer’s While you can’t hear it from inside your airplane, you can
see it on your EGT gauge. Detonation can cause extreme
overhaul instructions. cylinder head temperature rises and a corresponding drop in
exhaust gas temperatures. How can an explosion lower the ex-
There is no “minor” haust gas temperature? Simple: the burn rate is so violent and
detonation event. fast that the flame front often doesn’t make it down to where
the EGT probe is placed.
If this situation continues for long, it can burn a hole in the
top of the piston and/or thermally erode the piston’s sides,
causing it to fail. The extreme thermal exposure can also cause
32 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022We saw the cylinder
head temperatures
jump past 800 F. That
demonstration alone
proved that any time
you drop a spark plug,
you should replace it
with a new one.
the piston to swell and scuff
the piston sidewall. Notice the
scuffing on the side of the piston
caused by the thermal expansion
in the photo.
In addition to excessive heat,
the increased pressure on the
piston puts hammering-type loads
on its upper surface, literally
crushing it out of shape. I’ve also
seen extreme forces physically ex-
trude the connecting rod bearings
in a few extreme cases.
The effects on the engine can
be catastrophic. Along with com- Damaged piston after detonation.
ponent damage, the crankcase
can become pressurized, discharging the oil out through the reaches the top of its compression stroke. Typically, that
breather tube, resulting in engine oil starvation. results from the magneto’s timing being too far advanced. It’s a
If this sounds really bad, that’s because it is. In fact, the common problem because improper magneto-to-engine timing
forces on the crankshaft and other internal components are so can happen even after simple engine maintenance.
severe that the engine must be completely disassembled and in- Many years ago, I was a technical service representative for
spected according to the manufacturer’s overhaul instructions. a major aircraft piston engine manufacturer. One day, I received
There is no “minor” detonation event. a call from a mechanic to report a defective piston that had
damaged a new cylinder. He and the aircraft’s owner demanded
What causes detonation? satisfaction in the form of warranty coverage—they wanted a
One of the biggest catalysts for detonation is pre-ignition, new cylinder.
which is caused by the spark plug firing before the piston During our discussions to determine the validity of their
March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 33Regular magneto maintenance
is key to preventing detonation.
claim, the mechanic described that when he disassembled the event that led to detonation. When I shared this with the me-
cylinder, he found heavy scoring and much of the piston mate- chanic, he was embarrassed. The owner was understandably
rial missing from around the ring land area. Right away, I knew frustrated that he was not getting a new cylinder for free.
he was describing a textbook example of a detonated piston. In addition to the piston damage, we found the oil sump was
When I told the mechanic of my diagnosis, he became irate full of molten metal contaminates from the thermally eroded
and argued that he had a defective piston, and their next call piston. Again, this is a prime example of why all engine manu-
would be to their attorney. Like I’d never heard that before! facturers require that the engine be disassembled and inspected
Since this argument could go on forever, I asked the me- whenever detonation occurs.
chanic to send me a photo of the piston. When I saw it, it was However, there was some good news. Had the mechanic
clear that the sides of the piston exhibited thermal erosion simply replaced the damaged cylinder and not reset the
around the ring lands. These are telltale signs of detonation. timing, and the owner flown the aircraft as directed by the
It was serious enough for my employer to send me to the mechanic, the results may well have been disastrous. There’s
mechanic’s hangar to see the engine for myself. When I arrived, no doubt the engine would have suffered another detonation
the first thing I wanted to see were the logs to review any recent event. Our investigation of the root cause ensured the problem
maintenance that was performed on the airplane. I also asked was correctly fixed.
for recent fueling records; more on why later.
While reviewing the maintenance logs, I noticed that a new Magnetos need love, too
vacuum pump had recently been installed. That can definitely Of course, detonation has other causes in addition to
mess with the engine’s timing. Based on that, I immediately mistiming. While they’re often overlooked, one of the issues
performed a complete magneto-to-engine timing test. I found that can cause pre-ignition/detonation is the lack of magneto
that the right magneto was set correctly at 22 degrees before maintenance.
top center. But the left magneto, which had been removed and Improperly maintained or damaged/dirty magnetos can
reinstalled to gain access to the vacuum pump, was set to 58 cause carbon tracking within the distributor to other electrical
degrees before top center. leads. The erratic electrical tracking can cause spark plugs to
That simple error was the root cause of the pre-ignition fire before the prescribed time.
34 • Cessna Flyer / March 2022During the OEM’s prescribed ser-
vice intervals, magnetos are disassem-
bled, cleaned, and inspected. Strangely
enough, magneto maintenance is one of
the most frequently overlooked items The NorthPoint XP470 will dramatically
when caring for our airplanes. increase the performance of your aircraft by
improving thrust and giving you the capability
Remember that just because you
of higher cruise speeds with little if any
have a good magneto drop during your increase in fuel consumption.
preflight checks before takeoff doesn’t
necessarily indicate you have a healthy
magneto. The only way to ensure that
your magnetos are performing as they
should be is to follow the OEM’s pre-
scribed routine maintenance practices.
Another cause of pre-ignition/deto-
nation is damaged spark plugs. Cracked
or damaged nose core insulators can
cause a hot spot, which can cause a
pre-ignition event to occur. Many years
ago, I participated in a test where we
intentionally fractured part of the spark
plug’s nose core insulator. We installed
that plug in an engine and ran it in the
test cell.
During the test, we operated the
engine at cruise power settings, and as
we started to lean it out, we saw the cyl-
inder head temperatures jump past 800
F. That demonstration alone proved
that any time you drop a spark plug,
you should replace it with a new one.
Leaning for cylinder health
Speaking of leaning, improper
engine management techniques can
also create the precise conditions
required for detonation. One thing you
must clearly understand is that any
leaning practices that take the engine
outside of its approved operational
parameters will lower the designed-in
detonation safety margins. That’s a
slippery slope with no good end.
When it’s done correctly, leaning is
good for your engine. Done incorrectly,
it’s not so good. But before I get into a
“he said/she said” about how to lean—
that’s a subject for another article—let’s
just agree that engine manufacturers
go through a lot of testing to determine
the right way to lean your engine.
Your engine’s POH gives you a max-
imum cruise power range in which full
leaning authority is safe and allowable.
Follow those guidelines, and it’s a good
bet that anything you do with the red
knob at or below this cruise power
setting, even at redline cylinder head
temperatures, won’t lead to detonation.
Pilots often get into detonation trou-
ble by operating the engine above the
March 2022 / Cessna Flyer • 35You can also read
