Ownership, ops, and airmanship
Continentals and Lycomings do not want the same CHT, and there is a floor as well as a ceiling. Why 400 and 420 are the numbers that matter, what the head to barrel friction band actually does, and the Cirrus that separated a head six degrees past redline.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 18 SEP 2026
Best glide is too slow to cruise at, so we all fly faster and burn fuel doing it. Carson speed is the cheapest way to do that: a third more speed for a sixth more fuel. Plus wide open throttle, minimum RPM, and why an extra fuel stop never pays.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 15 SEP 2026
Six magnetos shed distributor gear teeth and went berserk in flight. Not one pilot tried the mags one at a time. How magnetos actually fail, the single points that take out both at once, and why the 500 hour IRAN is worth doing.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 11 SEP 2026
An EGT probe is blind for two thirds of the engine cycle, so the number on the panel describes the probe, not the gas. Why CHT is the gauge that protects your cylinders, what GAMI spread really means, and how a runaway CHT destroys a piston in three minutes.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 08 SEP 2026
Oil does six jobs in a piston aircraft engine and lubrication is the easiest. Why mineral beats synthetic on leaded avgas, why monograde protects a parked cam better, and what Mike Busch actually puts in his own sump.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 05 SEP 2026
EGT peaks at the chemically perfect mixture, and that spot is optimal for almost nothing. Why hunting for peak EGT parks your engine in the red box, what an epidemic of cracked Cirrus spark plugs proved, and what to watch instead.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 22 JUL 2026
The old rule says never let manifold pressure exceed RPM over 100. Continental, Lycoming, and Lindbergh all disagree. Why oversquare operation is actually good for your engine.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 15 APR 2026
The advanced guide to engine mixture management. Learn the red box, the red fin concept, why you should stop using EGT to lean, and how to transition from rich to lean of peak in seconds.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 10 APR 2026
Most pilots were taught to leave the mixture alone. That advice is backwards. Learn why running too rich damages your engine, what Embry-Riddle discovered, and the simple leaning checklist every pilot needs.
By Vitaliy BelikovFiled 10 APR 2026