From the Shop Floor: Caring for Your Engines
Following is another in our continuing series on how the maintenance experts at factory authorized Twin Commander Service Centers suggest you care for your Twin Commander aircraft.
Ron Butler, Engine Shop Supervisor for Winner Aviation, the Twin Commander specialists based at KYNG, Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport near Youngstown, Ohio, has worked on Honeywell TPE331 engines for more than 40 years. Butler, who is celebrating his 40th year with Winner Aviation Corporation, offers the following tips about caring for the Honeywell engines that power your Twin Commander:
- Operators should record cycles and provide that information to their maintenance facility on each visit to avoid confusion.
- Operators of Dash 5-powered Commanders should remember to NEVER start an engine if the ITT indicator is inoperative. Not only do you not know your start temperature, you also run the risk of overtemping the engine. Fuel enrichment is cycled by the ITT indicator. With no ITT indication, enrichment will remain open through the entire start resulting in overfueling the engine, which could easily lead to a hot start.
- Fuel nozzle maintenance intervals on Dash 10-powered aircraft are detailed in Honeywell SB22-0180 R31 and subsequent. If you encounter an engine start where the RPM hesitates after starter drop-out, the fuel nozzles many need cleaning.
Happy Flying!
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