The right way to maintain your airplane, with Colleen Sterling

Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's

We train mechanics to attack airplanes with tools, but A&P/IA Colleen Sterling says there’s a better way. She shares her advice for using modern tools like engine monitors and borescopes to maintain airplanes on condition instead of by the calendar. She also talks about her fascinating day job, which involves searching for lost airplanes—including her role in finding the Air France 447 wreckage. In the Ready to Copy segment, Colleen explains why compression checks are overrated, how to be a better air racer, and what it’s like to fly aerobatics in a biplane.

SHOW LINKS:

- Savvy borescope initiative: https://www.savvyaviation.com/borescope-initiative/

- Air France 447 search: https://www.metsci.com/what-we-do/featured-projects/the-search-for-air-france-447/

- PilotWorkshops Mastery: https://pilotworkshop.com/products/vfr-mastery/

- Buy a borescope: https://www.sportys.com/rigid-one-way-articulating-borescope.html


2025-07-01 42 min

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