Magneto Checks, Oil Leaks and Battery Charging

News Flash - I'm not the best at doing magneto checks prior to water take-offs. I have plenty of excuses. Brakes don't work very well in the water. There's no wind sock on the lake and certainly no AWOS to listen to during taxi. My mind is focused on avoiding the water Nazis that are in full stride churning up my would-be runway. Amphibians garner a lot of attention from the boating community. Not only do I have two mags, there is plenty of water if the thing won't fly. Having said that, I'm very disciplined conducting mag checks during land operations. Maybe part of it is because I know that I often skip this step during my water follies. However, the main reason is that it is a great barometer for the health of the engine. Something that is near and dear to my heart in a single engine flying machine.

Recently on land I started to notice the mag drop was not consistent and creeping outside the acceptable limits. The next unscrupulous symptom was a little extra oil leaking. Understand that most Lake Amphibian owners regard a slight oil leak as a badge of honor. One sage Buccaneer driver once remarked "If it ain't leaking a little oil then it ain't a real Lake aircraft." Common sense prevailed and I handed her over to the local mechanic shop. Fortunately they were able to fit my plane in relatively quickly. And I do mean relative in the purest sense. From their perspective they were moving heaven and earth while lobbying for praise reiterating 48 hours on such short notice was exceptional service standards. I'm not arguing that point. They did a tremendous job understanding my issue and clearing an available spot.

From my simple-minded pilot perspective, I had just lost control and time stood still! Quite possibly the longest agonizing 48 hours of my life. I was pacing the house similar to a first time father waiting for the arrival of his new child. The other time I lost control of my life - but that's a different article entirely. Oh yeah - the night before my wedding, that was a stress attack as well. Actually, now that I think of it, I've had good practice pacing! My mind was racing. What could it be? Electrical issue? Bad magneto - but what about the oil? Valve gasket? Hose connection? Piston rings?! Valves? Maybe it's not a magneto and simply a fuel injector. I was all over the board and dollar signs were haunting my dreams! The next day was no different. When is the mechanic going to call? Should I call him? No - be patient! He said he would call me. I felt as if I was back in the awkward stages of dating. What emotions a simple magneto check and a little oil evokes in an airplane owner.

Finally, just shortly after the agreed upon hour came the moment of truth. I always get nervous when a mechanic recites their resume and meticulously chronicles all credentials before delivering the news. I had to sit down. In all his 15-plus years of working on airplanes he had never seen anything like this. I went back to the delivery room scene. Come on doc, give it to me straight. Does my child have all their fingers and toes? Will they enjoy a "normal" life? As I returned to the present reality I remember hearing the words - cracked and fell out. Neither term is good in aviator lingo. "Could you please repeat that?" was all I could muster as a response. Apparently, over time the vibrations since my last annual, 6 months ago, had created a unique phenomenon whereby the magneto bolts slowly worked themselves loose. The only thing holding the magneto in place was the cowling. The instability of the magneto caused a crack and it was not repairable. It had basically fallen out. Now I understood the excessive drop during the mag check! This was also responsible for the oil leak as they could not trace another source.

In a few days I was up and running with a shinny new magneto and moderate repair bill. I've been on several cross-country trips since the dreaded self-removing magneto incident. The airplane is performing nicely and I have a new found respect for magneto checks and oil leaks. In fact, the other day I just needed to get airborne. The weather was barely VFR with slight rain. It was a perfect opportunity to knock out a quick localizer approach and beat up the pattern with a normal and no-flap landing. My excuse - like I needed one - was that I had to charge the battery.

Sitting number one with no one in the pattern, I paused to reflect on the importance of the magneto check. As my hand touched the key and my eyes glued to the engine instruments and my ear tuned to the hum of the engine, all systems go! A new record was set. I completed a localizer approach and two VFR patterns using only 3 gallons of gas from start to shut down and the post- flight inspection revealed no oil leaks!

On the drive home my phone rang. It was my lovely bride. She was wondering where I had been. I explained to her that I had to go to the hangar and charge the battery. She responded, "Oh, so you found that battery charger that you thought you left at the lake house?" Nope - I just went flying - it is the best way to charge the battery! There was an awkward silence and I could visualize the floating question mark above her head. Much like the one over my head when she struts in with a new purse!