Secure your business effortlessly with a 3-month NordPass trial! Use ”flyingmonkey” activation code at nordpass.com/flyingmonkey. Limited time offer!

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.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

sounds like a good approach to it. Better than just sending it on a flight over terrain!

@matt_b...

2 ай бұрын

@@SoCalFlyingMonkey life's short. fly fast. take chances. test the new engine on the way to catalina!!! ... ok maybe not. definitely not.

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”!!

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.

Excellent approach to post maintenance testing

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

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

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

I agree with that!

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

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

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

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

That's one quiet 6 cylinder, at least compared to a noisy cirrus that I fly 😂

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 🙏

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

oh yeah i saw you! Thank you- so far its running well!

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.

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

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

Thanks!

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!

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

That's definitely on our list of places we want to fly!!!

This is the kind of video I like.

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

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

me too! we got some great footage. I'll be emailing you soon!

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.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

oh wow that sounds scary. Hope everyone is ok from the engine failure.

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

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

I would have loved that but it wasnt an option of course!

"I definitely didn't want to let the Baja Bound Flying Monkeys down, so I was determined to get things back on track". Please be careful, we really do care about you! Another option could be to let your monkey squadron know that you have arranged another good airplane to borrow or rent as a back up [hit us up next time!], or just postpone the trip and set that higher [yet painful] example. Seems like too much pressure on you [and the mechanic] for a pleasure trip, as wonderful as they are. Hope to see you in Mexico soon!

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

This was definitely top of mind for me. I was aware that the trip was a major external pressure and set a limit that everything had to be running perfectly and I had to log at least 5 hours and get IFR current and proficient before the trip...even though all our GA flying in Mexico is VFR due to incredibly high MEAs there. I probably should have addressed this in the video but it felt a little wonky in the structure.

As if flying to Mexico wasn't enough work! Hard mode activated.

I know that feeling all too well: after a six year restoration journey I did the first flight on my Navion. Most keyed up Id ever been to fly an airplane.

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.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

That's a good idea. Good luck with the maintenance!

Great looking 6, u have a 77 Archer II at REI, my son has a 1965 6/260 based at CCB. Who did your engine work .? It sounds great.

I watched a Stampe on climb-out after an engine re-build. At 250' or so there was a hell of a bang, and the prop just stopped completely dead, instantly. The pilot managed to land more or less underneath where it happened, saving the rest of the 'plane - and himself!

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

oh wow that sounds scary

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.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

oh yeah good to know. I only had a shot of those weights

Oh man! I can't imagine how much all this cost! But, I can relate to the anxiety with something like this. I had a magneto problem after I had my 30 year old magnetos rebuilt. (Yeah, I should have just bought new ones, but.... ) We had all kinds of problems timing the mags. But we finally got them where they should be. I took off and after climbing about 200 ft of the runway, the engine started to sputter. Scared the crap out of me!! I made it back around the pattern and landed safely. Well, we thought it was timing related, but it wasn't During my BFR the right mag almost failed completely!! Again, scared the crap out of me. I sent the mag back, and had the coil replaced, and for now, all seems to be fine. But, ain't flying fun!!!? It makes you wonder why we do this.....

Saw that she left emt. Glad she’s back in the air. Still waiting on my eligible to come back…

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?

@bagels377

2 ай бұрын

I used to always ferry our schools planes back and forth to the MX facility to get extra hours. I always made sure to take a good long look inside the inside the engine cowling after the plane came out of MX.

👍✅Tks Eric, that was interesting👏

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Oh man I so feel that nervousness as a "test pilot". I am a low time, new owner (Jan '24) of a plane with a Penn Yan Aero overhauled IO-360, prop and prop gov. About $80k of overhauled bits is a lot to trust. Like you, I did a good study of the departure end options, actually waited for a day that favored a RW with options. Did a few hours above the airport at top of the yellow IAS and it was bumpy as heck. Tower was asking "How much more of this punishment are you in for?" Thankfully it all held up perfectly.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

haha thats funny about the tower asking you that. Glad it worked out for you. Good call on waiting for the right weather options for desired runway!

Did you do any recurrent training/proficiency flying during those 5 months? If not, anything you would've done differently? I am about to receive my engine back from overhaul and have the first break-in test flight in a couple weeks.

So happy for you Bro. Fav. channel is back flying! What was the $ damage for the engine? Warranty?

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

thanks! Still waiting on the final totals of everything. No warranty for any of those parts.. :(

Congrats Eric - finally! Butlet me address the elephant in the room: How expensive was it?

5 months is awesome im going on 16 months waiting on an engine overhaul on an io-540 for My Lance.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

Oof that’s a long time!!

Whale Force One is alive!

Always love your content. I flew piston planes for 12 years. Over 4000hrs on PA32. It makes me cringe how rough you are on that throttle. On the reject and on takeoff. Just my observation. I feel your engine will thank you if you take an extra second or two when adding or reducing power. Anyway, hope all your future adventures go absolutely great and safe flights.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

honestly i normally advance and retard the throttle very slowly and smoothly....on the high speed taxi when i cut the throttle it was definitely abrupt. Hadnt flown for a long time and just kind of pulled it back swiftly for some reason...minor panic or unfcomfort with it. But Ill have a look at my other videos and see if im as smooth as i think i am with it. haha.

@terrypedersen7

Ай бұрын

I noticed you were abrupt both ways on the throttle and from the previous videos I have watched it’s my opinion that you normally have smooth power input. Just a factor of everything else going through your mind that played into it. I read all the reviews to see if anyone else pointed it out as I was on the fence whether or not to mention it. I’m sure with a clear head it’s a non-issue but certainly an example on how situations can change one’s performance. I’ve been there many times and always arm chair quarterback my lapses or errors in hopes of preventing them in the future. Usually they tend to happen for me when getting the rust off due to planes down for maintenance or our wonderful Northern Ontario winters. Great video and safe travels.

That’s scary dammmn

Congrats on getting the plane airborne once again! I’m curious, what’s the little bowling pin looking piece on the headset? I’ve seen that before but haven’t been able to figure out what it is

@tmusky1134

2 ай бұрын

It's a little mount for his oxygen cannula

@djw621

2 ай бұрын

@@tmusky1134 thanks!

Considering the costs involved on these aircraft engines, I'd be breaking mine in on an engine dyno. Full day's dyno time is about $1500 around me, you can run it for 5-6 hours and do all the checks you need to do. Considering you paid $20K for the teardown and service from what I remember in the last video, seems like a relatively minor additional cost. Plus something like a Supertech dyno is going to have computerized programs for breaking in the piston rings. Just my $0.02. I am not an aircraft owner so take it with a grain of salt.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

Ай бұрын

Nothing was done to the cylinders so they didn’t need to be broken in. No mineral oil, no full power operation for 10 hours etc… just the cam and lifters.

You found the problem with the engine during the annual inspection. What is the procedure to sign off the annual on the engine when it is sent out for IRAN? Does the engine being IRAN automatically count as the Annual?

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

The whole plane needs to be inspeacted for the airframe annual inspection sign off. The engine itself needs a sign off for annual inspection in the engine logbook. After the IRAN, the mechanic reinstalls the engine and inspects it and signs it off

7:03 I thought: It Never Rains In Southern California

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

haha only when youre trying to get a plane back in the air on a tight timeline....

Did you consider a fuel pump overhaul rather than replacement? A less costly option.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

Ай бұрын

Yes but couldn’t wait that much time so had to replace with an overhauled unit.

Be carefull with factoring in "getting-there-itis", we like your videos and your moviework too much...

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

That was definitely top of mind during this process! Thank you!

@skypilotusa

2 ай бұрын

I have to admit… you gave me goose bumps and how much importance you put on getting on this Mexico trip. The pressure put on your mechanics. I’m hoping it was just movie hype, to draw in views. I’ve been flying/mechanic for 40 years now, ATP, CFII, MEI, A&P/IA… heavy transport to general aviation. My gut hurts… thinking of your wife and family without a husband/father… nothing is as important than what you have at home, there will be other fly-ins. Stay safe!!! Sorry for laying everything out there, but I’ve lost too many close friends in this business when things got in a hurry.

I can’t tell if it’s just dramatized for viewership or not but it seems a little foolish to be rushing the process. I believe they’re doing it by the book but always start to feel nervous when pilots seem to be in a hurry or pressured to make a trip.

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

Ай бұрын

There was time pressure but I certainly did not rush it. I followed all the guidance I could find on this process and did it the most cautious way, taking time to remove the cowl after high speed taxis, etc etc. If I had rushed it I would have done high speed taxis on the wet runway...or done a runup and said all good let's fly...or started to get current again as soon as I took off the first time... I really did it step by step, and then not only flew 5-10 hours on the engine before the trip but also got totally IFR current again. There was definitely a ticking clock to get it done in time for the trip, but I felt ok defining that external pressure and being aware of it throughout the whole process asking myself if I would be making the same decisions with or without that pressure. The only decision I made that was influenced by that was deciding to buy an overhauled fuel pump rather than send mine out and wait for it to be overhauled. That cam with no added risk but certainly with added cost!

@nate7803

Ай бұрын

@@SoCalFlyingMonkey really appreciate the response. I’ve seen the majority of your videos and you always emphasize the safety aspect and research that goes into your flights so I had confidence but I think all pilots have that internal red flag that pops up when tight timelines are mentioned. Especially with major maintenance involved. Great videos and high quality though. Really enjoy the content! 👍🏻

Why are you doing the run ups and test flights ? I know I wouldn't sign off the work I did on an engine swap unless I'm the one to fly and / or do the run ups.

Looks like a severe case if gottagetthereitus. Yikes!

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

This was definitely top of mind for me. I was aware that the trip was a major external pressure and set a limit that everything had to be running perfectly and I had to log at least 5 hours and get IFR current and proficient before the trip...even though all our GA flying in Mexico is VFR due to incredibly high MEAs there. I probably should have addressed this in the video but it felt a little wonky in the structure.

@industrymachinedesignautom2702

2 ай бұрын

@@SoCalFlyingMonkey sounds like you covered all of the bases. Let me know when you stop into KCMA and we’ll grab lunch at the Waypoint.

Mate, you do know rebuilt engines are run on a test stand and certified serviceable before delivering back to you, don't you? It concerns me you are really emphasizing rushing it all for a trip to Mexico. You rush, you die in Aviation. It's unforgiving. You are pressuring yourself unnecessarily and playing with fire in doing so.

@richardconstantine6843

2 ай бұрын

Boy Mate, could you be more passive aggressive. This page is all about doing things safely and learning from others mistakes. So try to be less high and mighty and more collaborative.

@TheShays

2 ай бұрын

Dude! (Mate in American) this is an entertainment channel. Out of all things you saw in this video you thought to point this out? 👏 Go On you MATE! Forget that the Sub line is "The Most Nervous I have Even been"

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

2 ай бұрын

This was definitely top of mind for me. I was aware that the trip was a major external pressure and set a limit that everything had to be running perfectly and I had to log at least 5 hours and get IFR current and proficient before the trip...even though all our GA flying in Mexico is VFR due to incredibly high MEAs there. I probably should have addressed this in the video but it felt a little wonky in the structure. I think "rushing it" would have been to fire it up, do a run up and fly. But I did a runup, inspected, high speed taxi, inspected, another high speed taxi, inspected, lap around pattern +1000, inspected. Did all that before getting out of glide of the airport. Then I flew 6 approaches and a hold and put on between 5-10 hours before setting off on the trip which again would be VFR only. Which part of my actions were "rushing it"? Just acknowledging that I wanted to get the plane ready before the trip? Something that didnt make the cut was that after the approaches I noticed the nose wheel strut seemed to be sticking after compression. I flew back to the mechanic for him to add some nitrogen to it. Do you think I cut any corners in prep for the trip? What would you have done differently?

@darrenharband4072

2 ай бұрын

@@SoCalFlyingMonkeyI think you did extremely well systematically testing the aircraft and yourself, especially post that level of maintenance. Unfortunately there are no official documented checklists that I am aware for civilian pilots to use post maintenance checks whereas military and Commercial aircraft there are available to the pilots. Again you did well and something to consider is writing up a checklist for you and your aircraft post maintenance. I’m sorry if my previous comment was interpreted as abrupt, just constructive criticism, feedback. I’m clearly getting flak about it now and in future won’t be adding my 31 years of aircraft, pilot and maintenance experience to these type of posts. My only suggestion for improvement because you kindly asked would be to acknowledge the upcoming trip to Mexico but strongly reinforce that getting the aircraft and yourself ready is paramount and if you miss the trip then so be it. Always next time. Kind Regards to you and your family.

dude all i heard you say was rush, rush ,rush just to make a DEADLINE !!!! and you should have known BETTER...

@SoCalFlyingMonkey

Ай бұрын

what should i have done differently? more runups, more high speed taxis? more orbits around the airport? more time on the engine before the trip? more approaches before the trip? Acknowledging the time pressure is different than actually rushing through a process. I dont think anything was actually rushed or corners cut. But maybe Im missing something?