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dumb

HansLab

Well Known Member
For sharing:
changed oilP-sensor today, but was too lazy to lower the bottom cowl.
Therefore I couldn't 'feel' (or torque) the fitting, resulting in an oily mess at startup - just discovered before turning to the RW. Had to walk her back.
When I lowered her bottom at last, I could see the crack in the oil pump housing I had made ;-(
Useful but expensive lesson. No matter the works: drop the bottom if needed.
And use that torque.
 
Oil Leak

An old pilot once told me to also look at the ground when you do you 360 turn
looking for traffic before take off. It saved me once.
I've seen oil trails leading to a big puddle on the run up pad and then trailing down the runway several times over the years and wondered how that turned out for them.
 
An old pilot once told me to also look at the ground when you do you 360 turn
looking for traffic before take off. It saved me once.
I've seen oil trails leading to a big puddle on the run up pad and then trailing down the runway several times over the years and wondered how that turned out for them.

+1
Saw a trail of oil to the run up area, a puddle there then a trail of oil out to the runway, more than once. Never found out what happened but I’d rather be walking back to the hangar than dealing with it in the air. Part of the run up, look at your taxi path!
 
not good i'm sure. i have read several serious accident reports that resulted after that trail of events.
 
About 15 years ago I was flying to OSH and making a fuel stop at Juneau, WI. As I looked out the window of the FBO a guy in a Cessna taxied toward the runway with oil pouring out of his cowling. I ran after him waving my arms. He stopped with obvious irritation until he shutdown and got out. “Holy Sh*t!” Was what I heard in place of thank you.😜
 
I once saw a trail of oil behind a 150. Told the mechanic working on it. Student and CFI took off an hour later and found themselves in a soybean field upside down shortly after takeoff.
 
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