'If My Tools Could Talk'
New videos offer expert advice on performing annual inspections
“In my 20 plus years of general aviation inspection experience I have found the line of safety to be shifting,” says Keck, who is concerned that a combination of inexperience and time pressures may cause IAs to inadvertently miss steps in the annual inspection process. “During maintenance, every task that is performed has a direction that is written in a manual. However, when it comes to inspection, it gets very unclear. FAR 43 appendix D is our guide to an annual inspection. And the knowledge [to perform a thorough annual inspection] is passed on from one IA to the next, and before long things are being skipped. To perform a proper annual inspection every step must be followed,” he said.
Keck’s aviation experience includes working on the production line at McDonnell Douglas, maintaining aircraft for the U.S. Coast Guard and regional and major airlines, and owning an FBO and avionics repair station. Additionally, for the past 22 years, he has performed between 25 and 30 annual inspections per year on GA aircraft.
Keck has condensed his years of annual inspection experience into 34 short step-by-step instructional videos titled If My Tools Could Talk that provide a detailed breakdown of an annual inspection on a Cessna 172—the most produced GA airplane. “I’m doing this to advise the next generation of IAs and owners who would like more details on a proper annual inspection,” says Keck. His desire is to help IAs—and aircraft owners—avoid common errors and pitfalls.
The videos show every step of the annual inspection process beginning with pre-inspection paperwork and the creation of an airworthiness directives list. Additional segments include preliminary inspection and runup; visual inspection of the propeller, engine and airframe, assembly and client approval of discrepancies, ordering and accepting parts, repair of discrepancies, final inspection,and more. Collectively, the videos take three hours to complete.
As an aircraft owner, I found the videos provide great insight into what an IA is—or should be—looking for during an annual inspection and they enabled me to be a more effective participant during my recent owner-assisted annual.
If My Tools Could Talk video set is priced at $200. 
ifmytoolscouldtalk.com
Related Articles
