“Is this like pulling a mattress tag off?”

“Is this like pulling a mattress tag off?”

From Ask the A&Ps by AOPA

February 15, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

The episode discusses cylinder inspection techniques and best practices for maintaining engine performance.

What exactly should we be looking for in our cylinders? Plus torque tales, making TBO, and overzealous manufacturers. Email podcasts@aopa.org for a chance to get on the show. Join the world's largest aviation community at aopa.org/join Full show notes below: Jared asks what he should be looking for with his borescope. He’s seen bad valves and what that looks like, but he’s also hoping to see what bad scoring and other things. Colleen stresses to focus on what goes wrong with a cylinder, and being able to identify those attributes. Things like broken rings, piston pins, detonation signature, etc are identifiable, and can be examined. Paul said rust is always something to look for, but most cylinders have some. Knowing how much and why it’s there is what matters. Mike said rust would cause him to consider the camshaft on an airplane in a pre-buy situation, for example. Chad has a new Cessna turbo 206. He wants to be sure to get to TBO and then some. Paul said the one thing he needs to do is fly as often as possible. He is flying 400 hours a year, which the hosts love. He asks if he can fly a maximum continuous power, and the hosts agree that he can, so long as his cylinder head…

People in this episode

Hosts: Colleen, Paul, Mike

Guests: Jared, Chad

Topics covered

  • cylinder inspection
  • aviation maintenance
  • engine performance
  • TBO
  • borescope usage

Keywords

  • cylinders
  • borescope
  • TBO
  • engine maintenance
  • aviation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AOPA

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