Page 26 - Feb 24

MAINTENANCE TIP
Cold
Weather
Checklist
by Dean Benedict
I’ve been corresponding with a King Air owner about an oil temp problem he has wrestled with for awhile. On one engine, the oil temp is not warming up to where it should be. Initially he worried about icing in the oil-to-fuel heater, but we have since ruled that out. This started my thinking about King Airs in winter conditions and a good time to reiterate points on my recommended Cold Weather Checklist.
good idea. Do it in February – make a date with your King Air and show it a little love.
Deice Boot Check
Starting with a good walk-around, take a very close look at all the deice boots. Pay particular attention to the leading edge where splits and cracks are most likely to occur. Don’t forget the horizontal stabilizer. For a model 90 you’ll need a 6-foot ladder, but for T-tails, if you don’t have a safe way to get up there, you’ll have to leave it to your shop. You can at least check the wings and make note of any cracks or splits observed on the boots as you’ll need to have those addressed by maintenance.
After the visual inspection, run the aircraft at high idle and select auto cycle on the deice switch while
All the items I have in mind are addressed at some point in one of the four Phase Inspections and some are addressed at every one. But if you’re like the majority of owner-operators flying less than 200 hours per year, your King Air is on the alternate phase program: You take it to your shop once a year for two phases plus the additional scheduled items coming due. For many, their phases are done during mild or hot weather every year, when
cold weather readiness is less of a concern. Regardless of when your inspections come due, it never hurts to double check these cold weather items to make sure they are ready to go when you really need them.
I suggest you choose a day when your King Air is not scheduled to fly and the OAT is below 75oF. This way you are not cramming a bunch of extra items into your pre-flight checklist and distracting yourself from your normal routine – never a
24 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY 2024