Why Aircraft Engines Quit

Aircraft engines, for obvious reasons, are supposed to be reliable, but having one tank is a recurring nightmare for many pilots. How often does it happen? Often enough, but as AVweb's Paul Bertorelli reveals in this video, the risk is not really as high as many of us imagine and more than half of engine failures are caused by pilot or mechanic mistakes.
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And, of course, you can always land on a road or highway:
• How to Crash Land An A...

[@ricefarmer1979]

“Forgetting to turn on the carb heat is a good way to turn a practice emergency landing in to a real one” Classic

[@jonathanguthrie9368]

My very first solo landing, I forgot to pull the carb heat. I was effectively reminded of the need for carb heat by a notable reduction in engine noise, so that turned into my first solo go-around followed by a trip around the pattern to a successful landing.

[@benwaldeck741]

@@jonathanguthrie9368 Sounds like you handled that very well.

[@harryconover289]

So I’m not a pilot I’m a car guy old BMWs not new ones my mechanic had trained In Germany worked at a dealer dealing with people was driving him nuts so he went to aircraft school got certified but it payed a lot less so he became a manager and dosent see the customers or things just piles of paper

[@jonathanguthrie9368]

@@benwaldeck741 I was pretty well prepared.

[@brk932]

@@jonathanguthrie9368 Also kinda lucky it happened after takeoff

[@EZpZeero]

my dude said big ass cylinders in the most professional way possible.

[@hachipanki8634]

I replayed the whole thing, i coulnt belive he said that, awesome!

[@DaveWarstler]

I had to rewind as well.. i was like.. wait, what? Haha

[@nutsackmania]

same

[@XxXSEPIOXxX]

I rewound it thinking he might have said "big S cylinders", but then i thought?? Thats not an S sir...

[@bunterhiden7321]

Agreed

[@timmayer8723]

I became a licensed A&E mechanic back in 1962 having graduated from Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood Ca. My head was bursting with fresh information on every nut, bolt, screw and FAA regulation concerning aircraft maintenance and I had my license tucked in my wallet. I started making the rounds of FBOs here in Southern California. There are hundreds of them. I started at Van Nuys municipal airport. Frank Sinatra and Danny Kay owned the Lear jet operation, plus the California air national guard had a very active C-97 squadron with twenty planes. It was the premier GA airport for many miles around and aircraft heaven for a young freshly licensed A&E mechanic itching to do some top notch nut busting. Only it wasn't. Turns out many of the plane owners did their own maintenance. It was a DIY paradise. They worked on parts of the aircraft that lent themselves to the use of a crescent wrench, pipe wrench or lawn mower tools from home. Some brought along a cold six pack of Budweiser to cool themselves. What ever the situation they said they didn't need no A&E mechanic. Often a half dozen guys owned part of the plane to keep costs down and they all wrenched on the plane. Prospects for my mechanical talents were looking dim. These were the same guys that shade treed on their jalopies when we were all young. Money was in short supply for them and licensed mechanics were making $3.50 an hour, no way they could afford those rates. Inspections flew by without a backwards glance. Oil changes? New tires? Flight hours recorded? Naw. A used Piper Cub could be bought for $1,200 bucks. Divided by six guys made it affordable. The kids won't miss Christmas. The final blow to my GA aspirations came when I ran into a guy wrenching on an AT-6 Texan. He had the cowl off and was fiddling with what looked like a short crow bar. I introduced myself, he said he was a broadcast engineer for one of the major TV channels. He was trying to get one of the magnetos to come loose, with little luck. He told me he didn't use a licensed mechanic because of the cost. This guy was probably making $15,000 a year (good money back then)If he wouldn't spend the money on my services, who would?? I tried the want ads. Lo and behold there was an ad for a licensed aircraft mechanic. The name of the company was Ted Smith Aircraft located in Canoga Park cal. I got the job. Ted was building the prototype twin engine Aerostar. It was in a fuselage jig when I showed up for my first day of work. Two years later the completed Aerostar was trucked out to Van Nuys airport for its first flight test. I had been a part of almost every inch of the assembly. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

[@mxplk]

That's some professional autobiography!

[@KingOfAllAnimals]

Isn't that an A&P??? What does the E stand for? Not trying to be a dick but I think you made a typo.Northrop U off of Aviation is became Rice University and now it is called Spartan Tech they still teach A and P.

[@timmayer8723]

KingOfAllAnimals A&P, meant airframe and power plant. A&E, means airframe and engine. Aircraft mechanic has been upgraded to aircraft technician, a much more accurate definition of what the current A&E rating means today. A licensed technician can be held legally responsible for careless mistakes during maintenance and especially if there is loss of life. The FAA is the 800 pound gorilla in every licensed technicians tool box. Shade tree mechanics need not apply.

[@KingOfAllAnimals]

@@timmayer8723 Indeed times and things do change. Now I understand. That is the thing that gets me is that aircraft cannot park on a cloud when something goes wrong. However the FAA also makes mistakes too. Not often mind you but they do happen. It has been a while since I had a peek in the FARs and I have to bet the volume has expanded since the last time I read it... a lot. Is 43.13 still the bible so to speak for Mechanics?

[@Jolinator]

Great post mate i enjoyed reading that. Aerostars are a cool plane! All the best!

[@sorrenpeak4870]

I didn't know "big-ass" cylinders was a technical term. This is my kind of informational video. Dude didn't bat an eye or break his professional tone at all.

[@LordSandwichII]

12:33 "...before the glide intersects the planetary surface." I love this guy's humour!😂

[@mike_oe]

hahaha, yes I picked up that one as well...

[@jkent9915]

Like something George Carlin, Flight Attendant: “in the event of a water landing.” George Carlin: “ what she means is PLANE CRASHES INTO THE OCEAN.”

[@trainliker100]

@@jkent9915 George Carlin also wondered why people said they were going to get on an airplane. Carlin said he gets IN the airplane.

[@larrygall5831]

I'm not a pilot, and don't know why KZbin recommended this video, but I was fascinated from beginning to end.

[@glasser2819]

wish there was a TV channel with smart reporting... now we have KZbin !! 👍

[@77thTrombone]

What's "worse," I've wondered about this very issue: What magic do they use to keep aviation engines from failing in flight? The answer is here: simpler design & more maintenance. And putting gas in the top of the tank, and taking water out of the bottom. And making sure your carb heater control cable is still connected...

[@rutous9031]

You are "not a pilot"... YT knows better...

[@WilliamnWendySue]

Paul’s delivery of magneto inspection annoyance and “big ass cylinders” in the most professional, deadpan form just makes this video perfect. Well-done, sir.

[@andrewq1876]

I was just thinking the same thing like did he say big ass cylinders

[@Lukeduke7773]

Seems like off airport landings should be a mandatory reporting incident even without damage or injury. For the very reason that the only two reasons I can think of for one is mechanical failure or pilot malfeasance.

[@ziggyjones3208]

@@Lukeduke7773 huh

[@Lukeduke7773]

@@ziggyjones3208 its absurd that there isn’t a mandatory reporting requirement for unplanned off-field landings.

[@ziggyjones3208]

@@Lukeduke7773 who asked

[@oldmech619]

A friend of mine landed a C172 on the I-5 north of LA. He cleaned the carb, and took off before the cops showed up. This was a long time ago. No FAA report filed

[@digitaldyslexia7589]

Hi... 2 years later. This is wild! I fly a 172N that years back someone landed on the 5 in LA and ran into a ditch (fuel starvation). Seems like a right of passage or something

[@oldmech619]

I landed a c150 float plane on the hood of a car as it was driving down 8th street in Travis City Michigan. Yep, it was definitely the start of my new life.

[@wezpa]

Paul, I am amazed how you always manage to squeeze in just the right amount of humor into your well reaserched topics to keep it both interesting and fun. Thank you so much for your great videos.

[@robertkelleher1850]

"Ground Control to Major Tom"

[@greggcarnes6131]

9

[@Capttainn]

Perfectly stated

[@bend3rbot]

Especially the one about Mazda being 'sporty perfcormance'. They only juuust got their act together after being trailing edge forever.

[@afhostie]

@@bend3rbot Or manual automatic

[@williampettengill5851]

I'm a mechanical engineer and this analysis is REALLY accurate, succinct, and funny as hell.

[@twinturbo8304]

i am a mechanic and i dont know shit from shinola

[@andreweppink4498]

@@twinturbo8304 - HAY!!

[@michaelmoorrees3585]

I got a question for the mechanical engineer. Do you have a 60s muscle car in your garage, that you're restoring ? The few ME friends, I have, seem to have that hobby. One of them has been working on a 69 firebird for next to forever. When its about done, he just starts all over again, on the SAME car. The only reason he couldn't do that with the 1971 LeMans that use to be his daily driver, back when we were in college (80s), is that its now his oldest daughter's car, and she has enough sense to not let him touch it. btw, the 60s ended in March of 1973. If you were at least a teen back then, you'd understand.

[@StefanoBorini]

Yes but it's still kind of not clear why car engine reliability is much higher than airplane engine. I mean, there is a massive number of cars out there, and seeing one stopped because the engine quit is very, very rare.

[@deadprivacy]

@@StefanoBorini its the extreme tmperature swings and high duty cycle, you are dealing with varying cooling conditions, more exposed engine componentry, gearboxess running at 70% load all of the time...youve got prop strikes- theres no opportunit y to wind an engine back upon noticing an issue,,you cant just stopthe thing when you hear a lifter start clacking or a crunch from the box.

[@geraldstephens7481]

I grew up with a father that was a CPO navy PBY crew chief hearing many stories about engines and life and death situations my dad survived. My dad's ear was so tuned to engine sounds it was amazing how sensitized he was. I miss him very much now but I am very thankful for his teaching to pay attention and not skip anything.

[@gbagger6000]

Liked Geralds comment. I served in USN Air. Your Dad is 100% correct . Remember, there are no "do - overs" in life. As long as you try your best , you're going to make your Father proud !

[@no_bull]

When I did my apprenticeship as an automotive machinist, what I came across was that the engines will fail due to peripheral equipment like fuel pumps injectors oil pumps water pumps turbochargers and sensors which can destroy the long motor at numerous times. The reason aircraft piston engines have a large capacity and usually undersquare, meaning long stroke short bore setup is they make torque at lower revolutions which helps reduce rotating assembly wear and cylinder/piston/rings wear. This man knows his stuff 100%. Theres so much shit that can go wrong its not funny...

[@HieronymousLex]

I see an AVweb upload, I click. Best aviation channel on the site by far. Paul is a national treasure

[@jameschristiansson3137]

Feel the same. Where will we put his statue?

[@Diego38019]

Agree, let's buy him a beer

[@davidbkkr1]

Could not agree with you more!

[@networkedperson]

Meh, Paul openly maintains friendships with supporters of white supremacy.

[@Diego38019]

@@networkedperson Meh couldn't care less

[@williampettengill5851]

"I shouldn't have to say this, but put enough fuel in the aircraft." lol

[@suzukirider9030]

Just two weeks ago I was preflighting a C-172 and the instructor said the mechanics topped it off, whereas it had about 10 gal of fuel total. Now, if we didn't catch that on preflight - we would likely catch it during taxi looking at the fuel indicators. That said - also been in an AC with an INOP fuel indicator on one of the tanks. Basically had experienced individual things like that in my tiny 60 hrs of flying. Just never had enough events come true simultaneously to cause an in-flight running out of gas.

[@leonardlowe4372]

@@suzukirider9030 The first items on my pre-flight: 1) verify actual fuel in both tanks, if sufficient for trip + 1 or more hrs, then sump all the spots, if insufficient, call the truck, 2) check the oil, not just level but appearance, add and log any needed; if fuel is added, wait until rest of pre-flight THEN sump all the spots.

[@thomas316]

Well, people look at you funny when you pull your aircraft into the petrol station to fill up. Fair I suppose, shouldn't be on the road because it doesn't have a number plate or tax disc.

[@stevencommon]

Fly by wire = a big steel one connecting the pilot's mitts to a mechanical throttle body ; love your humour. And you were just getting into your stride ;-)

[@DevLSpark]

I wonder if the mortality records now include me because I died at "Unscheduled Hole in Engine"

[@TheRogueX]

I started laughing so loud when I read that.

[@SantaZeede]

When I read his print articles I can hear it being read in his voice 😁

[@daleemmons36]

Same!

[@danielreuter2565]

Me too lol

[@codysoper6]

@14:12 "Unscheduled hole in engine" this is great.

[@philkearny5587]

There’s such a thing as a scheduled hole?

[@51actual]

"In the imaginary world I might have lived in when controlled dangerous substances were fashionable" ....... This guy is my new personable hero. LOL

[@TheEarthandyou]

What is he talking about, man! Like Seeing Distance (LSD) Living Some Dream

[@user-mt4zr5kp7h]

Omg I'm dying! Lol I love your terminology. "comes apart, rather spectacularly", "glide path intersects with the earth", "unscheduled hole" Hahaha Great info too! Thanks ☺

[@TheEarthandyou]

I wish I could give you ten thumbs up. Well said 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 👍😁

[@maxaphone]

A friend of mine was the instructor on board that landed the Warrior with the green trim near the railroad tracks in Vero Beach, FL. As shown in the video they found an absurd amount of water in the tanks thanks to Florida's lovely humidity. Instructor had the student preflight and asked "Did you sump the fuel?" to which he got the standard "Oh yes of course sir!" They only made it to the midfield on downwind before the engine quit. CFIs should never forget the old adage "Trust but verify"

[@apackwestbound5946]

Follow up question; did the student lie about sampling the fuel tanks, or did the student not understand what to look for and/or not understand how to correctly "sump" the fuel? Where was this "student" in their aviation training; pre-solo or were they working on their Flight Instructor rating? How often was the Warrior flown; did it belong to a busy flight school (regularly cycling avgas throughout its fuel system), FBO or some individual who rarely flew the airplane? Was the fuel contaminated at the storage source prior to being delivered to the Warrior, or was the fuel contaminated while it was sitting in the Warrior's wings?

[@maxaphone]

@@apackwestbound5946 The tail # is N80813 if you want to look into the NTSB report more. The flight school was busy but some planes can and do sit for 24-48 hours. It was never explicitly stated or investigated as to how the water got in but flight instructor scuttlebutt landed on either poorly maintained or unsecured gas caps during a rain storm or humid days. It was my understanding that the student was deceptive about sumping the tanks. The preflight SOPs are drilled into students before they even touch the aircraft for the first time so it is expected, *however* the CFI should have observed the sumping for (what I believe was) a presolo student.

[@JWSmythe]

​ @Maxaphone Another option is, the student saw fluid that looked consistent with itself, and assumed that was fuel. That is, everything they sumped was water. They weren't used to checking for the color, as they were still new. The CFI may have just been watching that they did the action, not what the result was.

[@JWSmythe]

Fun fact: "Trust, but verify" comes from the Russian "Доверяй, но проверяй" (Doveryay, no proveryay). It became popular when then President Ronald Reagan learned it, and used it a few times during his Presidency. It's probably from before your time. Or at least that's a good excuse for not knowing it. There's a Wikipedia page on the subject, if you'd like to learn a little more about it.

[@tomcoulter6121]

I can't remember the site, but there's a video out about how much water needs to get into a 152 wing tank before it reaches the sump valve. They started with a 1/4 tank of gas, and kept adding water until they got water out of the sump. It was a lot, more than a quart. I believe it reached the sump before the fuel line, but that doesn't mean anything if you're only sumping a few ounces. Once the plane's in the air and you stir things up, that's when it matters. Anyway, I don't know anything about Warriors or any low wing planes - I fly a 150 - but the point is the student could have perfomed a good sump. The lesson I learned is to move the wing and let it settle before sumping, and if the plane has sat awhile through bad weather, do more wing moving and more sumping.

[@Mrcaffinebean]

I always appreciate your honesty about data sources. It often annoys me that people take all data as absolutely true and don’t spend any time talking about whether the sources are very accurate.

[@hoodoo2001]

My brother ditched a Mooney into Lake Ponchitrain after an engine failure about a mile out from the airport at night. He was in the water about 4.5 hours and was on the way out of this world but was stumbled upon by a couple of local deputies in a boat. The summation was probably bad gas as he had just filled up.

[@whophd]

Wow this channel is a refreshing change to the old days of KZbin - no wasted time. Every sentence has a reason.

[@bicylindrico]

As a lifetime auto mechanic I can appreciate the simplicity and redundancy, but the basic design looks too simple and very archaic. We have made much advancement in design that those engines have not incorporated. They look more like lawnmower engines

[@snowcrest7863]

If the aircraft manufacturers produced millions of those engines per year, we would have the latest and greatest in engine technology. Unfortunately, the cost of research, development, and testing & certification would never be recovered with the low unit production. This happens on large jets as well. The Airbus A-380 will be out of production shortly, having never come close to selling enough units to make if profitable. Also, aircraft piston engines are similar to Porsche air-cooled engines of not too many years ago.

[@alanowa123]

@@snowcrest7863 there are thousands of ready desings out there driving everyday in cars, making milions of miles without failures, you just need to buy them and do the paper work for FAA... but i suspect it's more profitable when customers have to buy gaskets and other parts becuse they need to inspect engine so often

[@snowcrest7863]

@@alanowa123 You better study up on the extraordinary demands of aircraft engines. Modern automotive engines are not up to the task. Just ask Porsche-Mooney and their failed effort. Yes they work initially, but they never come close to operating as long as typical aircraft engines.

[@alanowa123]

​@@snowcrest7863 Manufacturer of high powered engines for sports cars? I'm talking about good engines, not high HP engines that you have to rebuilt every racing season... Their engines don't come even close in reliabality to most japan engines bro, and it was in '81, 40 years ago...

[@snowcrest7863]

@@alanowa123 The Porsche Mooney had Take Off power of 217 H.P. (Max cruise power was 174 H.P.) 3.2 Litres. The engine lasted typically 500 hours before it developed mechanical failure issues. Typical aircraft piston engines last around 2000 hours before overhaul, without catastrophic failure. As I said in a different post, the automotive engines in modern cars typically run at 20% of peak power, with an occasional "blast" at 100% power. Aircraft engines use 100% power for takeoff and climb, then settle into a cruise power of 65-75% power. Modern car engines are not up to that task. Many other automotive engines have been tried and failed. Please research and study more on this or become a pilot to understand better. You are being naïve and ill-informed if you thing automotive engines will work.

[@robertdavis6708]

Pure Gold Paul. The best way of avoiding an aircraft accident is stay on the ground. This told to me my first flying lesson.

[@justincase5272]

Third time through this video over the last year, as engines are very important to safe aviation. BTW, I concur with your tongue-in-cheek assessment of the difference in reliability between the very low manufacturing volume of aircraft engines vs comparatively high manufacturing volume of automobile engines. Overwhelmed by flight instructor acronym schemes for handling every situation short of picking your nose or pulling underwear out of one's seat, I decided to come up with a few of my own: Heat: Standard Day brochure takeoff distances do not apply! Always use the tables in the back of the POH. Cold: It takes time for heat to flow through metal, so give it plenty of time. Pre-heat if you have to. Start and idle or near-idle until gauges say the engine is warm. Water Contamination: Don't just check for water. Drain it. Keep draining it during preflight fuel port contamination check until it's not contaminated. Water Liquid: Aircraft flies poorly in water. Avoid it whenever possible, particularly when it runs the risk of becoming Water Frozen. The only exception when it's a more suitable landing surface than rocks and trees. Water Frozen: Aircraft flies poorly with frozen water, whether it's frozen to the skin, pelting the skin and windows via hail, trying to drown the Controls Frozen: Do several control checks with visual confirmation - BEFORE starting the engines. Do a couple more before takeoff just to be sure. Carb Heat: Check it at the beginning and end of each phase of flight: Engine start, taxi, runup, takeoff, climb, level-off, cruise, descent, approach, landing, taxi, engine shutdown, tiedown. Same goes for throttle, engine RPM, oil pressure, engine temperature, position and effectiveness of cowl cooling flaps, flaps, gear, visors, interior air volume and temperature... The point is that I examined these and many other things until I could come up with checklists along with anti-boredom statements off the top of my head, and yet, I still ALWAYS used a printed and thoroughly-vetted checklist. I think "lack of checklist discipline" is that critical issue which, if corrected, could solve all of the pilot error issues and about 99% of the mechanical issues. One thing my first instructor taught me: By all means, use full throttle for the takeoff, but once you're safely above the ground (500' AGL, no dangerous terrain or manmade obstacles), ease off a couple hundred RPM, so long as you can maintain 300 ft/min climb. The difference on engine wear and tear at 2750 rpm vs 2500 rpm is significantly, and the likelihood of it stopping at 2500 rpm is less than half of it stopping at full throttle. He also taught me... Why, I could write a book!

[@KMateri13]

Another excellent production...AVweb has to be the most common sense, well thought out and thought provoking aviation learning series out there. Thank you Paul

[@speedmachine69]

The dry delivery wins every time.... a gem!

[@mchagnon7]

This is probably the training video you have to watch after you have an engine failure. The humor is dry because he's making fun of us.

[@peteranderson037]

This is a bit of a tangent, but one of the things that annoys me about GA NTSB investigations is how little investigation is done when there are no serious injuries. They go full aviation Sherlock Holmes to try and figure out what the pilot was thinking when they're dead, but talking to a living, breathing pilot that can just tell them what was going through their head in the lead up to the crash seems to bore them.

[@fishhisy]

I had a forced landing in a Mooney. No injuries only property damage. Power loss on take off 100 feet off the ground.

[@jjohnston94]

Maybe the NTSB doesn't want their second-guessing second guessed. Dead men tell no tales, you know.

[@poruatokin]

Perhaps the NTSB just places most priority where fare paying passengers are concerned?

[@southerncross4956]

I am a retired master automotive technician. It has always seemed to me that aircraft engines are 50 years behind automotive technology. The engines (other than the Mazda) I saw in your video are just scary stuff to be betting you life on.

[@jimmonti]

Paul... Excellent discussion. Keeps older pilots in the right frame of mind, and young pilots thinking ahead of the curve. Thanks again... Always enjoy your presentations!!

[@n1msu]

I wish you were one of my teachers in high school. Everybody has a preferable learning method, but the way you have described everything in this video and your other ones too, with your included little bits of dry humour somehow keeps me watching. You even make some of the less interesting aspects of aviation interesting. Thanks for sharing these videos!

[@ramonmoreno8014]

Those teachers were in the vocational wing, but should have been everywhere

[@drew2185]

Excellent presentation . I just wanted to add , while in transit when you stop for fuel allow about 20 minutes for contaminents to settle before you sump the tanks. I learned the hard way, but no damage.

[@patanders8293]

I was taught that if you are going to fuel up on a round-trip with a layover, fuel when you first get there, not when you are about to leave. That gives plenty of time for the H2O to get to the sumps.

[@frankswain9483]

Hi Paul; This is one of the very best vids I've seen, period. And I look at a lot of them! Love the tremendous amount of USEFUL knowledge you share! But, the well timed and delivered appropriate humor is the frosting on the cake. Thanks for all the effort I know you put into making a remarkable vid like this! And, I can't leave out your totally natural and comfortable delivery. And the illustrations are great. I could go on but you get the idea; I (and many more) love and learn lots from your videos. Thank you Paul!

[@carmelpule8493]

I love his tacit sense of humour. He keeps such a straight face when he says it, that I begin to wonder whether he meant it to be taken as amusing. A true gentleman, excellent details projected with a rich language, and such a vast experience. Congratulations. .

[@TeachAManToAngle]

Man. You put a lot of good work into this video. Thank you.

[@MD-ob1gq]

Paul cracks me up! I love the no bullshit with just the right amount of dry humor! Excellent research and great teaching points as always.

[@rayrenzi4860]

Great to see someone being so thorough and who really knows what they are talking about. Thank you!

[@gregfaris6959]

Thank you for your continued (and engaging) effort toward understanding our safety in aircraft systems management.

[@brucebolla4148]

I always love Paul's reporting. It's direct and funny. Thanks Paul.

[@Watzleroviak1210]

I'm not a pilot (yet), but I feel like I learn a lot of valuable stuff from these videos. Thanks!

[@brabhamfreaman166]

The perfect balance of gravitas and arid humour make Paul’s AVweb contributions rare, entertaining, valuable and (critically) hard-hitting in making the point.

[@leonardomalpica8089]

Excellent video! Keep sharing the knowledge please. I’m a aircraft maintenance technician in Canada and I love this channel to keep me busy learning more. Thanks!!

[@knoxflier5171]

Great research and video. You guys put out great aviation content and are entertaining to boot.

[@martinpauly]

That was a nice comprehensive summary, Paul. Well done! - Martin

[@pstol53]

I've watched this a good 5-6 times. We need more Paul!

[@holobolo1661]

Amazing video. Love the straightforward honesty. No sugar coating.

[@patrickstonetree1]

When I tell people how large aircraft piston engines are they don't believe me, they are cartoonishly huge.

[@maxflight777]

550 cu inch is big!

[@recoilrob324]

Which is the primary reason for dual spark plugs and magnetos. Redundancy is just a side benefit while getting the fire across that massive expanse of combustion chamber in a reasonable time the more important consideration. I used to work for a company that was developing a kit aircraft designed to use converted Chevrolet V8 engines and everyone kept asking for dual spark plugs....which are VERY difficult to fit into the available combustion chamber area not taken up by valves. I kept offering that a single plug with dual ignition systems feeding it was the better way to go for redundancy, but saw several attempts at installing two tiny little sparkplugs in what little space the standard plug took up being offered as the 'way to go'. IMHO those two little bitty plugs were less robust than the single stock plug and they were reducing the reliability rather than increasing it. This leads into what's probably the main reason for engine failure.....people. Even if an engine is built of perfect materials and assembled by equally perfect humans you have another possibly large number of humans running them and with manual mixture control it's entirely possible to shorten the expected lifespan by fueling it improperly or over-revving it. This damage can take a long time to have the destructive effect but it absolutely can make an engine fail prematurely.

[@adeeperbluegreen]

Always love the videos! Informative as well as entertaining.

[@corkforbrains]

What a perfect personality to discuss a topic like this! Thank you Paul for this most interesting and important discussion!!

[@whydidyouresign]

Love your delivery. And I so appreciate your sense of humor. I experienced an engine failure in 1976 in a C172 as a commercial student. As it happened, we were directly over a pasture, so little time was wasted looking for a suitable landing zone. Toward the end, the instructor took over the controls and put us down in the grass. (Rather roughly, as I recall, but back then I probably didn't fully appreciate the value of as little forward momentum as possible in an off-field landing.) In the end I survived (or did I?) This was shortly after the production of 80 octane fuel had been curtailed. I was told later that one of the valves had hung from lead deposits.But a day after the incident (as I was told) the chief pilot of the flying club flew the plane out of the pasture and back to the airport so another student could share in the adventure. Love your Cub. I sure do miss my J-4!

[@TheRealXyzven]

I love listening to Paul.... he should definitely teach some classes because he presents the material in an interesting fashion.

[@EricRosenwaldPhotography]

So well-written, great delivery, great technically. This is KZbin content at its best - you guys deserve a Webby. I fall asleep listening to these - very relaxing

[@bill45colt]

using cutsie and non common words makes some parts here impossible for the average guy to understand

[@Dennco2000]

Glad I found your channel, the combination of serious information you deliver along with the occasional dry humor keeps me glued to your videos. Thanks for all the aviation info. Sincerely Dennis Stephenson Englewood Fl.

[@lamarwinters6130]

I must say that I enjoy the humor as much as I do the expert aviation analysis. Don't forget to smile on your next gear up landing! Thanks so much Paul. I'll be laughing about that all day!! I check in everyday and am never disappointed.

[@bighaasfly]

I always figured if I could keep good gas in the tanks and put the thing back on the ground before the fuel ran out, I just decreased my potential for accidents by half. Make sure the weather is (and is going to be) good enough to see where I’m going and my accident risk profile got a lot smaller as well. Those are two BIG bites out of the accident risk factor right away. Nice video Paul. Thank you.

[@minirock000]

That Mazda, definitely a minivan. The way you phrased "In my druggy days" was brilliant!

[@msulemanf]

This might be my favourite KZbin video of all time - return to it often. Dense with information, well produced but always in the service of instruction and punctuated with dry humour.

[@SuperGemma2010]

Paul!! you are the MAN, just started my journey to becoming a pilot at age 48, love your video, I will now subscribe and watch them all, love your dry, articulate humor while still giving great information, thank you very much, Tommy from down under

[@Qrail]

Paul is always informative and humorous. 2 great reasons to like, and subscribe.

[@Diego38019]

I really like your explanations sir, keep up the good work great video as always

[@mikewalker4135]

Paul, great info with a right amount of stats and not overloading us with minute details

[@jamescole1786]

Excellent, thorough, analytical presentation of piston engine failures. Great photos/closeups of failed internal engine components. Love yur channel.👍👍👍

[@n3307v]

Very interesting video. Thanks for making this. During last week's annual, found metal on the oil screen on my E-185-8. Getting ready to remove the engine and send it out for OH. 24.6 hours since the last oil change and the engine showed no signs of issues. Will be interesting to see what the shop says once the engine is torn down.

[@amradio1968]

I have no idea why KZbin recommended this. I know nothing about general aviation but I was able to follow along and learned a great deal. Awesome content.

[@The_Lord_has_it]

Yes it was awesome but you brought up a really good point. Wonder how the algorithm calculated this?

[@thomasl7932]

Thanks so much for your great and informative videos, love the way you present them with just enough humour to keep the video interesting.

[@kentd4762]

As always, Paul, exceptional content, research and presentation. Thank you!

[@Ed.Wright]

Paul, we appreciate the time you put into these videos. Very well summarized.

[@thedolt9215]

Outstanding presentation. Also this guy is an excellent narrator and pilot.

[@Austinmediainc]

Paul, always love your videos and I'm sure you've saved a few lives with the knowledge and experience you share. I would have liked you to bring the conversation back around to the Mazda engine, aka new technology engines and why they don't fail (your attery failure aside) How many people in the last 20 years have been driving along and had an engine failure? I have thousands of hours in cars and trucks and the last one I had was in a 1984 LeBaron when I was 16, beat the hell out of it and NEVER checked or changed the oil. GA has to adopt newer technologies, and those that want to argue older simpler technology is more reliable don't have a hill to stand on when it comes to the data. Time to get with the times and stop engine failures all together!

[@pilotalex5677]

WoWowooo, I got this video link from a french PPL preparation test and I have to admit it is a must see ! Thank you so much for this analysis and description along with advices (tips) which I wasn't even aware of ! I definately give a thumb up and follow your channel. Will be lookng at your other videos too

[@ottoeyebiter]

Thank you very much for your videos, Paul. I watched them as a student and can't get enough of them as a certified private pilot. (75 hours and counting!)

Excellent analysis !

[@brentprosser7293]

Your dry humor is only outdone by your very deliberate delivery. I love your videos!

[@mariusfrost640]

I love the info, and your sense of humour. Great stuff.

[@FiveTwoSevenTHR]

Potential video idea, car engines in experimental aircraft. I've had a discussion about this before with people that knew cars but did not know aviation.

[@peteranderson037]

Viking has a pretty good track record at this point with Honda crate engines. They seem to be a fairly popular option on Zenith CH 750 builds.

[@jay_b..]

Look at Diamond Aircraft. They have modern car engines that are modified a little for their aircraft. Very reliable and also very economical for fuel burn.,

[@peteranderson037]

@@jay_b.. Well, "modern" by aviation terms. The engine is modified from a 20 year old design that Mercedes no longer uses.

[@jay_b..]

@@peteranderson037 I agree, it's a Mercedes diesel engine that started production in 2004 and was used by Mercedes till 2013. However, that is practically brand new tech in comparison to the other piston engines in other aircraft and probably has the more advanced proactive OBD2 diagnostics capability too integrated into the Garmin avionics. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_OM640_engine

[@mtadc1545]

@@jay_b.. there’s flights schools here with Diamonds with the Austro engines and they’ve had LOTs of issues with those engines.

[@andyhunter1208]

Hi Paul great channel I really enjoy your contributions. As a UK PPL and an automotive R&D engineer I'm amazed these geriatric engines still power many planes. We've all seen smaller former car engines power homebuilts especially with great success. It would be relatively easy to produce a modern dedicated very reliable high output unit designed specifically for aircraft for a fraction of $40k with better service lif, performance and with easier and cheaper maintenance - so why after all this time do we persist with these dinosaur's! Take a Subaru boxer and wham a reliable 500 hp for peanuts ok so it needs a radiator to cool it, this never bothered a Merlin. With its own bersion of Fadec fuel injection and much more. Perhaps one day aviation will wake up and enjoy safer more reliable more efficient powerplants with far better performance.

[@thor3279]

"the engine exploding thrill of a thrown rod cap..." omg such a master of perfectly delivered low-key lines. ty Paul!

[@user-bd5nh5eb4b]

Ihave been subscribed for years and always notified but your just not coming up and I very much miss your honesty and wit. Hope the algorithm has not left me out. Thanks so much for what you have already taught me,I was always one to love and respect my teachers and professors ❤.

[@fomocotech]

Ground control, source Major Tom. Well done my friend, well done.

[@pilottou]

I remember when i was a CFI and I wanted a better understanding of the arrows I/O 360. I come from an automotive mechanic and restorer background. I quickly related it to 1957 Chevy mechanical fuel injection😂

[@andrewmorris3479]

Haha thank goodness for Rotax!

[@suzukirider9030]

​@@andrewmorris3479 Well, this very video suggests that Rotax are, surprisingly - MORE prone to engine failure O_o

[@andrewmorris3479]

@@suzukirider9030 That includes the 2 stroke Rotax. The 4 stroke 900 Rotax engines are about as bulletproof as anything in aviation.

[@leonardlowe4372]

@@andrewmorris3479 You may be right, if Rotax includes all their 2-Stroke models in the numbers. The real, Well Cared For, service life of the 2-Strokes is only about 500 hrs. I have a friend flying an ultralight, and he's has a couple of off-airport landings due to the 2-Stroke "ceasing to stroke". Fortunately finding a suitable landing site is easier in the mid-west crop growing areas.

[@markgrunzweig6377]

Very professional, yet pleasant and interesting presentation: I wish I had more lecturers like you whilst I was in the Army!

[@jasonsan9517]

I am new to aviation. This video is so helpful!! I’ve watched it twice now and I plan to watch it again! Thanks for posting!!

[@Clayton-Bigsby966]

Just found this channel today and I’m amazed at the amount of free information here. Paul is great and his presentation and thoroughness of explanation is unmatched in all of KZbin.

[@buckstarchaser2376]

I'm not sure why I was supposed to remember the high/low production numbers for the engines, but it seems that the "boutique" (because let's face it. That's really what a relic piston engine is anymore) powerplants could stand to incorporate some of the knowledge that comes with making millions of warrantied ground-based engines. As long as there is a robust chain of fallback qualities, stuff like "using a thermostat and a 3-position switch to control carb heat (ON/AUTO/OFF) or even (ON-SPARE/AUTO/OFF) because if you have to switch it from auto to on, you either think you need double heaters, or you want a different circuit" for example, seems quite reasonable for a $40k engine that is well over 50% curb appeal. Heck, my 1981 Citation (wingless "Chevy" version) came with an aluminum hose to run ambient heat from the exhaust header to the air filter plenum so that intake air temperature would never be an issue, and I'm pretty sure that operated automatically. Of course, the real meat and potatoes of a collaboration with interested engineers would be stuff like turbocharging and fuel injection (because aviation is the main reason for those things to even exist). There is no reason why a nice airplane should be stuck in the past when my Nisan keeps losing various engine and transmission sensors and continues along with only minor performance losses due to using the self-learned tables and whatever sensors remain.

[@pamagee2011]

I have become a solid Paul B fan over the years. Thank you for your wisdom and research.

[@moodiblues2]

Fascinating video. I learned a lot. One thing I also found out from your video was that not only did we take lessons out of College Park at about the same time. I lived in College Park from 1968-1974 and took almost all of my lessons from Brinckerhoff, soloing in 1971 in a Cub; (so we’re both old farts) and that we both immigrated to Florida. What are the odds? I quit lessons when I was not able to get in the Air force when I tried in 70, 74 & 78. In the early 1950 as a rugrat I lived on a SAC base and fell in love with the bombers landing there. So I decided to spend my energy on Law School and never continued with my first love of flying as I could not see a way to earn a living flying. Over the years I thought of going forward and finishing my private pilot’s lessons. I even checked out some ultra lights and experimental planes. My wife has kept me grounded. But I am subscribed to various flying KZbin programs. I guess I’ll have to wait for another life time.

[@dxbmick]

Great video, as always. One engine failure l had was caused by the key/magneto switch in C182RG. In turbulence, both of the contact pressure springs failed due to corrosion. About 20yrs since fitted. Got down safely in the bush. AKA Outback. Another near double engine failure occurred on B58. The props were due for OH and a rental prop was put on whilst each went into the shop. Whilst the second prop was being worked on, noticed both engines leaking oil. Always carried extra cans, but on a long day charter, ran out after about 4 sectors/5hrs flying in the middle of the Ozzie bush. AKA Outback. Last sector was at night from an inhabited airport, and managed to beg for oil from another operator. With the torch on the cowlings, oil was streaming out of both motors. Got back to the station (ranch). Next morning discovered both crank cases cracked. Suspect? Rental prop. Must have had a ground strike. Blade track was up 1.5" different between all three. This machine worked hard. Had a five day long-distance charter coming up. The boss managed to get two HD crank cases in two days. Three of us supervised by an engine OH specialist rebuilt both motors in one weekend. I did the charter and was very satisfied with the result, and the tip!

[@user-lq7hf1ww3k]

Mechanic pilot are tough. Fix and then fly them. The best. I used to do that too. when young.

[@coug96fan]

Curious what the data shows for engine failures after overhaul vs new and breaking down overhaul types (Cylinders vs full rebuild vs other). But above all, I like your final wrap up of inspecting your engine as well as the fact that engine failure is still a LOW number of problems seen in flight. It is easy to get bent around the axle (prop shaft?) about failures without data.

[@DonvanDoorn]

Didn't know of this channel but this is great! Love the detail

[@friedclutch97]

Another great one, Paul! Thank you. Greetings from Northern California.

[@flitetym]

As aviators, we’ve come a long way since the days of “a wing and a prayer.” .... or, have we? 🤔

[@dr_jaymz]

No.

[@saulekaravirs6585]

I can't speak for real aviators, but sim aviators I think have gone more toward A Wing, A Prayer, and A Missing Checklist. "I'll figure out how to take off once I'm in the air."

[@dr_jaymz]

I think its still a wing and a prayer. You think about it, it's a hostile environment, you're reliant on something you can't see, the maintenance, the weather and luck. If you have no fear or you think it can't bite you because you're perfect at planning etc. That just means you don't understand it.

[@suzukirider9030]

Insurance and liability became much more of a thing since the early years of aviation. But otherwise - yeah...

[@nicksutton2964]

19:00 onward "!The exploding thrill of a thrown rod cap" "Treating innocent bystanders to an oil shower" I laughed so hard at what amounts to a terrifying experience if you are unlucky enough to be stuck with one of those engines on your flight!

[@doublehelixcom]

Had my engine overhauled at Zeypher, great shop! Great job on covering an issue I hope I never have!

[@rexmyers991]

Paul - for aviation you are a national treasure. I love your common sense style of reporting. Thank you

[@JeffCurtisIflyHG]

First, loved the video. Based on his start with a current automotive engine I assumed there would be a comparison between automotive failure types and rates and aircraft types and rates. Paul's comment about automotive engines (almost) never failing feels like the truth but I think it would be interesting to see a comparison. The last time I had an automotive carburetor icing issue was on an '82 Civic with a carburetor (last carburetor car I owned) and I had inadvertently pinched a vacuum hose that controlled the automatic carb heat. Last time I had issues with water in the fuel was the same vehicle and it was an issue because the water froze in the fuel line starving the engine. Automotive engineers have figured out how to make these problems not happen with nearly idiot proof gas caps and automatic controls so the driver/pilot can't forget, why not aircraft? Is it really as simple as aircraft engines operate at 100% to 50% power all the time and automotive engines almost never operate more than 50% power? Somehow I suspect the answer is more complicated as Paul's analysis suggests.

[@LetsGoAviate]

23:33 removing the cowl and inspecting the engine with my own eyes is something I like to do regularly, much to the irritation of some pilots who - seemingly annoyed - ask why I remove the cowl so often. It takes 15 minutes, it cost me nothing, and I could potentially spot an issue, so why wouldn't I do it? Great video!

[@StickandGlider]

Those 15 minutes may save your butt one day!

[@conradsenior5843]

You are a gem. These are valuable sources of information.

[@tijnsnijders]

The phunny way of presenting this video kept me listening! I'm not an aviation guy myself (nor mechanic) but have interest in many things, but listening to a (technical) story in this phunny way is really nice! You have a new subscriber just for that! Thanks!