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I have run into an issue three times in the last couple of months, where the p-lead doesn’t touch the contact in the magneto. The p-leads were made correctly. In the first two cases, the aircraft originally had the standard AN3105 p-lead terminal. That terminal is longer than the Bendix terminal and it bent the flat contact spring inside the magneto. When the Bendix terminal was installed, it was a few thousands of an inch from touching the spring. The contact spring can be easily bent outward a bit so that it makes contact with the Bendix Style terminal. You...

There was no warning and it was instantaneous.

A True Story by Richard Bogert “Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.” Space flight is less forgiving still.” Captain A.G. Lamplugh, Feb 29, 2016 Yakima Washington was hot that day. It gets hot in Eastern Washington in the summer. The skies were clear. It was a CAVU day or “ceilings and visibility unlimited”. Only a faint breeze could be felt on my sweaty neck.  I was 24 and a new A&P. An A&P is an aircraft mechanic that is rated...

In the beginning, there was a little boy that lived on the other side of the hill from a small country airport. From two miles away he could feel the pulses in the air before he could hear the old Stearman crop dusters. Sometimes, the Stearman would fly close enough for me to see the pilot and he could see me. Jumping up and down, waving my arms, in my Oshkosh bib overalls, I would be thrilled if the pilot waved to me or rocked the wings back and forth to acknowledge me. I dreamed that I could do that...

Pilots make mistakes sometimes and landing gear up is one that often ends well except for the damage to the plane.