A Look Into The Lycoming Factory

[aviatoreb]

14 hours ago, cliffy said:

My father was one of those who could make any manual machine tool sing and dance. He started during WWI and retired in the 70s as Manager of Mechanical Production for a large oil exploration company where he held 2 patents. He also bought the first Moog automatic tape controlled machining center  in  Los Angeles back in the early 60s.

Time has a way of marching on regardless of what we want or do. 

We are in the inevitable decline of the airplanes built during the heyday of GA aviation (of the 60s and 70s) to a newer type/style of plastic airplanes and not traditional sheet metal construction.  Brought to market by a plethora of manufacturers rather than the limited big 3 or so we are familiar with. 

Our form of aviation (Cessna. Piper. Mooney etc) is a dying breed. We can prop up our antique airplanes for only so long until age takes its final toll. Its no different than the hot rod culture of the 60s and 70s with the 327s and 440s, modified sedans and pickups. That too is a dying pass time as we move into more emissions/modification controls and rules. They too will be mostly gone in 25 years as the subject vehicles reach the 90-100 year old arena AS OUR AIRPLANES ARE TODAY.    

They don't make them any more and we kill more of them every year than what they do make. 

Enjoy them while you can. They will be gone in the not too distant future.

Just like the skilled machinist of yesteryear. 

 

That is a depressing, and probably true assessment.

I am just about to gamble on my airplane for another 20 years investment.  Its engine time and in two weeks, I am due to fly my airplane to an R&R shop for them to ship my engine off for major overhaul.  Replacing an engine is crazy expensive but I feel at peace with it if I am thinking it is a 20 year investment into something I love.  If somehow fuel (by regulation) or parts become unavailable in 5 years or so, and I knew that now, I might be making a different decision.  But I am taking the gamble, because I love it.

[0TreeLemur]

1 hour ago, aviatoreb said:

That is a depressing, and probably true assessment.

I am just about to gamble on my airplane for another 20 years investment.  Its engine time and in two weeks, I am due to fly my airplane to an R&R shop for them to ship my engine off for major overhaul.  Replacing an engine is crazy expensive but I feel at peace with it if I am thinking it is a 20 year investment into something I love.  If somehow fuel (by regulation) or parts become unavailable in 5 years or so, and I knew that now, I might be making a different decision.  But I am taking the gamble, because I love it.

Why not!?! Some folks like to go to casinos, or own ocean front property in Florida!  In the end, you can't take it with you- do what you love while you can.

[EricJ]

3 hours ago, aviatoreb said:

That is a depressing, and probably true assessment.

I am just about to gamble on my airplane for another 20 years investment.  Its engine time and in two weeks, I am due to fly my airplane to an R&R shop for them to ship my engine off for major overhaul.  Replacing an engine is crazy expensive but I feel at peace with it if I am thinking it is a 20 year investment into something I love.  If somehow fuel (by regulation) or parts become unavailable in 5 years or so, and I knew that now, I might be making a different decision.  But I am taking the gamble, because I love it.

It's not going away any time soon.    The entire training fleet, that feeds the global airlines, etc., is piston engines.   It'd be a serious disruption and cost increase to flight training (which is already almost prohibitively expensive), that there's quite a bit of pressure to keep all of that operating.   There are a decent number of new piston engine aircraft built every year, for training, utility, short transport, private use, etc.  It may go away eventually, but it doesn't look to me like it's going to be any time soon.

 

[cliffy]

Not saying that piston engine aviation is going away only that our segment (Cessna Piper Mooney, Beech) airframes that came about in the 50s and 60s and 70s are going away due to attrition. Its a constantly shrinking segment of GA aviation as more and more airframes go into the grave.

Go to any airport a just look around at the numbers of derelict airplanes tied down. My own airport has over 20 of them.

We own an fly Mooneys  They ain't making them anymore, they are going away

Same with Beech and the Bonanza line

Same with Piper

They are going away, and it goes on and on.

Now Light Sport and the dark side (Cirrus)  are doing well (plastic airplanes). Experimental is doing well but-

our niche - old metal airplanes- is going away

[aviatoreb]

Well there is no doubt - I am going to refresh my airplane with a new motor and no doubt its going to cost a lot a lot a lot, but I am just saying I am going in to it I am aware that my fondest wish that it will be a flying world in another 20 years is not a sure thing.  But then, here is to the hope that furthermore, in another 20 years, when I am 77, I will also be in flying condition and I will be excited to hang yet another refreshed motor on the nose!

[EricJ]

Cessna still makes a fair number of 172s and 182s, mostly for training and utility.    Piper cranks out Pilot 100s and Archers and Seminoles for training, and some M350s for personal/business use.   Beech still shows on their website that they'll build you a Baron or a Bonanza if you want.   There are a few other global manufacturers scattered around making metal production piston airplanes, and more making composite ones.

The gap in the middle that used to have things like Comanches and Mooneys and Vikings and all that is definitely growing, though, which  I think is just symptomatic of the growing wealth gap.    If you're well off to afford an airplane, buy a turbine, and maybe somebody to fly it for you, too!

[cliffy]

Well I'm 78 and still able to crawl into the cockpit. I have a personal limit of Day VFR  and that's after retiring from 121 ops

and doing all the CAT IIIs I care to do.

As Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations" and far too many of us don't know where their personal edge is. 

My airplane is 60 years old   and EVERYTING works as it should. EVERYTHING!

How many on this site who own an airplane can say that EVERYTHING in their airplane works as it should right now?

That is the  way it is suppose to be but all too often its not. 

I invested in Dynon 3 years ago and didn't look back

But mine is the exception on this  airport (as far as this segment is concerned)

I was just at a meeting last weekend where pilots were talking about their airplanes and relaying info on how their 

oil pressure gage drops to zero in flight and has been for years.

One guy was saying his airspeed indicator gets stuck after landing at 40 kts and yet he keeps flying it.

This is the attitude that is killing our segment of aviation- trying to keep antique airplanes in the air without proper maintenance.

Once the "items" become to numerous the airplane sits and rots away then becoming too expensive to resurrect. 

[cliffy]

13 minutes ago, EricJ said:

Cessna still makes a fair number of 172s and 182s, mostly for training and utility.    Piper cranks out Pilot 100s and Archers and Seminoles for training, and some M350s for personal/business use.   Beech still shows on their website that they'll build you a Baron or a Bonanza if you want.   There are a few other global manufacturers scattered around making metal production piston airplanes, and more making composite ones.

The gap in the middle that used to have things like Comanches and Mooneys and Vikings and all that is definitely growing, though, which  I think is just symptomatic of the growing wealth gap.    If you're well off to afford an airplane, buy a turbine, and maybe somebody to fly it for you, too!

Look at the numbers made today and compare that to the numbers wrecked every year. Its a shrinking field.