Tercarley

does any one know how you find out what hours there are on an aircraft engine. Will the CAA know and who do you get in touch with there if thats where you go to find out?

lomapaseo

What type aircraft?

big, small, tiny?

what kind of wings? above, below, none?

What kind of engine? piston, jet, rocket, rubber-band, perpetual motion conveyor belt?

cockney steve

Um, surely the hours would be in the log-book associated with the particular engine.

In the absence of any paper-trail, one would make the huge assumption that this would see the engine treated as a "worst case scenario" which would meana full strip and rebuild by suitably qualified person(s) in suitably approved premises,

Note I have sidestepped Lomapaseo's specifics


A single-seat microlight "Robin" engine may well be a candidate for a strip in your garden-shed with your Halfrauds budget "500 piece mechanic's toolkit for £15 "

On the other hand, a Continentalwhich could have had a prop-strike with serious shock-loading, would need a somewhat more professional and rigorous approach.
I make the assumption that you haven't aquired a couple of cheap Trents suffering slight dirt and mud ingestion

There again, I may be spouting verbal diarrhoea.

Tercarley

Np log book! Just wanted to know how you found out the engine hours if that wasn t present!

Will Fraser

When shopping for an a/c, value goes up relative to the condition of its power and frame, which is irrelevant if the advert says 'logs missing'. Don't buy a fur coat without the fur.

con-pilot

I assume you mean 'no' engine log book, is there an airframe log book? Is there a recording tachometer or a Hobbs type hour meter in the aircraft? Do you have access to the maintenance records for the aircraft?

If the answer is no to the above questions you must assume that the engine is at its life limit and a complete overhaul is needed, because there is no way to verify the hours on the engine.

By the way, I do know what I'm talking about, I was an aircraft appraiser.

olandese_volante

Basically, you can't.

If it's a piston engine, an expert mechanic who knows the engine type well might give you a ballpark figure by listening to the sound of the running engine (after an oil change) - just like you do with a car or motorcycle engine.

But there's no way to be sure. You'd have to strip it.