The Most Nervous I Have Ever Been to Fly - Major Engine Repair

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Whats does it take to get an airplane back in the air after major engine work? In this video I take you through the process of engine repair and getting the plane flying again, along with the emotions involved in the process.

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Portions of ATC communication and the flight have been edited. This video is not instructional in any way. I am not a CFI. I am sharing my experience and thoughts about this flight and this should be taken as entertainment only. By sharing mistakes and accomplishments alike, hopefully the aviation community will benefit. Some elements of event timelines have been compressed for simplicity and clarity in storytelling.

00:00 - Intro
00:44 - Engine Problems
01:27 - Putting Engine On
01:40 - Reflecting on First Flight
02:06 - Pre-Oil
02:40 - Start Me Up
03:04 - Uh Oh
04:01 - Dynamic Prop Balance
04:44 - Sponsors Make this Channel Possible
05:43 - Finding the RIght Part
06:26 - Full Power Runups
06:53 - Schedule Delayed Again
07:33 - Whiteman to El Monte
08:08 - High Speed Taxis
09:02 - Another Problem
09:29 - Anticipation andPlanning
10:36 - Taxi
11:02 - LFG
13:16 - Currency

[JosephSzarmachJr]

I've had to break in 2 engines on my previous PA28-181 Archer II after they developed problems. My second engine only made it to 1, 200 hours because I wasn't using it enough. My home airport is class D. At the hold short line I told them I was breaking in an engine and I would be spiraling up and be doing patterns just above the class D at 3000 for an hour or two (can't remember the total time). They were really cool about it. They knew I was there the whole time and even gave me traffic alerts even though I was technically outside their airspace. They even checked in with me to see how it was going. I was sure to stay within gliding distance of the favored runway. In the end, I had no problems.

[ranjrog]

Glad it all went well! I’ve made several circuits above my home airport following maintenance work as well. Always remember the quote from MzeroA, “We never have to be anywhere in general aviation”!!

[rossrichardson]

I replaced the O-360 in my Skyhawk many years ago. I know what you went though. Although I did not have a big city to worry about on that first takeoff. Just a big lake. Private airport on the lake. During that first hour made several power changes. All was good. My new engine felt, sounded and performed great.

[jdhiner]

Excellent approach to post maintenance testing

[thebadgerpilot]

Same problem just happened to my truck. Far less expensive, obviously, but still frustrating! Quite a timely video

[davidspeyers]

4:26 These weights are actually for static balance that the prop shop installs. Your dynamic balance weights usually go on the starter ring gear in a Lycoming engine. Look for some 1/4 bolts and washers around the perimeter of the ring gear.

[billfly]

I feel you Eric. I've been through that. Glad it all went well. Vamos!

[mikeshort]

Super excited for you! 🎉. 5 months isn’t bad at all nowadays for an IRAN. Can’t wait for some new content, love watching your videos! You really should consider doing a Bahamas trip! I know it’s a lot more flying for you than Mexico but I promise you will be absolutely amazed by flying in the Bahamas. I fly there every year from Michigan and it’s always epic! Super happy for you for getting the plane back!

[Yabadabado]

Amazing to hear what's going on inside your head. It sounds the exact same as me when I fly my 170. Hyper aware and nervous at times.

Keep up the great content

[chrisc]

When I was getting my license, my CFI told me the most dangerous plane was one that just came back from the shop!

[steven-mov]

I waved at you during the run-up area at KEMT right before you took off! Great video, glad all is well with you and the plane 🙏

[jonathanknight]

Awesome. That’s good to see. I had an engine failure in my Lance last week and it’s headed to Don for overhaul now. Finding cylinders is going to be a delay but hopefully not too bad.

[blueyonder]

I am going through the exact same thing. My Cherokee went in for annual Dec. 11th and I’m hoping everything is back together this week so I can fly a ton and then go see the eclipse. We had to replace 2 cylinders, the engine motor mount due to cracked joint welds and the other miscellaneous cables, hoses, etc. to put it all back together. I’m going up with a CFI since I haven’t flown in over 90 days.

[alexrcastillo]

Glad it all went well. Look forward to more flying videos.

[ForFunFlyer]

Good job! 1BW flew perfect last Tuesday! 👌🏻

[marcpasquini]

Nice video. You should always be a little nervous when flying. It keeps you from becoming complacent.

[juniorwiggles]

I’m an 18 year old private pilot at KRIR. I would love to get a chance to learn from a pilot like you! Thank you for your great videos.

[ArturoGuerraPerez]

Hey Eric. Great video. Happy you made the Mexico trip. 😊

[bubbaman]

I'm always terrified to be the first to go up in our schools plane after any maintenance. But I was wondering do they have a Dyno at the engine builders location to run it to temp and higher rpms before shipping it to you?

[wgrasqu]

Great to hear you are back in the air.. Don should be done with mine but I wanted him to fly my new engine. :)