How To Prepare Your Aircraft For Winter

Winter is on its way, and along with the fun of the festive season it’s also bringing sleet, snow and ice – none of which are great news for aircraft owners, pilots or charter companies! Prepping your aircraft and storing them correctly are key to making the most of this season as well as reducing repairs and maintenance.

Aircraft maintenance and storage tips from Monmouth Executive Airport 

• Change your oil: Winter is the perfect time to change your oil, removing old oil that is filled with dirt and contaminants. When you do this, be sure to use a preservative oil mixture (one quart of preservative oil is recommended). After doing this, take a quick flight to make sure the engine becomes well-lubricated with the new mixture.
• Check the sparkplugs: Remove your sparkplugs and spray the fitting with a preservative oil mixture before putting them back into place.
• Fill your tanks: Even though you won’t be using your aircraft for a while, filling up your fuel tanks to capacity is a good idea. This reduces the moisture that can condense within your tank if it is only partially fuel, and minimizes cracking in flexible rubber tanks. The fuel will easily last the winter, as quality fuel is good for at least a year.
• Remove your battery: If you’re not going to be flying much this winter, now’s a good time to remove your battery as it likely won’t hold charge while in storage. Store the battery in a safe location out of the cold. You can also hook up your battery to a trickle-charger every few weeks to maintain the charge and keep the battery in good working condition.
• Critter-proofing: Mice, rats and other small animals will see your aircraft and hangar as a good place to hide out from the bad weather, and they can cause considerable mess and damage to your aircraft. No food should be left in the vicinity and all holes should be securely plugged. Pitot tube covers and vent covers are essential.

Hangar space keeps your aircraft in top condition – Available now 

Finding hangar space is a challenge anywhere in the country, but our offering of competitively priced custom aircraft hangars and aircraft storage options along with our central location, makes us a real alternative to the crowded airports of Teterboro and Morristown. Through our world-class amenities, aircraft maintenance, hangars and services, we offer private clients an exceptional flying experience.
For more information on our FBO services or custom hangar space in NJ, please visit our website today at http://monmouthjetcenter.com/ .

Original content posted on http://monmouthjetcenter.com/prepare-aircraft-winter/

Purchasing a new aircraft? Ask our aircraft mechanics for a pre-purchase inspection

Buying an aircraft is a significant commitment and an often lengthy process – even more so when you buying a used airplane.

The average age of the general aviation fleet is about 30 years while the average flight time is over 10, 000 hours and, just like a used vehicle, the older and harder its use, the greater the wear and tear. Even more importantly, the price of aircraft and of replacement parts has increased significantly in the last decade, leading to increased demand for used airplanes and a decrease in maintenance. For these reasons, buyers have increasingly fallen victim to purchasing airplanes which appear to be good value for money while hiding costly problems.

The solution is to insist upon a pre-purchase inspection which allows buyers to withdraw from the sale or insist on reducing the airplanes price tag by an amount equal to the cost of the repairs. This reduces the risk of overspending on your budget, as well as the risk that the airplane may not even meet airworthiness criteria due to faulty equipment or lack of compliance.

The repurchase inspection will differ depending on the type of aircraft, with more complex airplanes and jets requiring a higher level of inspection than airplanes with more simple systems. The tests should be carried out by a qualified authorized inspector (AI) and should generally look at the airplane’s paperwork, engine, empennage, wings, ailerons, flaps, fuselage, landing gear and cockpit.

Comprehensive pre-purchase inspections from qualified airplane mechanics in NJ

At Monmouth Executive Airport in New Jersey, we offer a wide range of onsite aircraft mechanic services including pre-purchase inspections through our partners, the Marlboro Aircraft Company. We also offer aircraft repair services, restoration and modification services, as well as quote counseling and aircraft hangar rental. For more information on our aircraft mechanic services, please visit our website at www.monmouthjetcenter.com or contact us today.

This content was originally posted at http://monmouthjetcenter.com/purchasing-new-aircraft-ask-aircraft-mechanics-pre-purchase-inspection/