News Flash - I'm not the best at doing magneto checks prior to water take-offs. I have plenty of excuses. Brakes don't work very well in the water. There's no wind sock on the lake and certainly no AWOS to listen to during taxi. My mind is focused on avoiding the water Nazis that are in full stride churning up my would-be runway. Amphibians garner a lot of attention from the boating community. Not only do I have two mags, there is plenty of water if the thing won't fly. Having said that, I'm very disciplined conducting mag checks during land operations. Maybe part of it is because I know that I often skip this step during my water follies. However, the main reason is that it is a great barometer for the health of the engine. Something that is near and dear to my heart in a single engine flying machine.
Recently on land I started to notice the mag drop was not consistent and creeping outside the acceptable limits. The next unscrupulous symptom was a little extra oil leaking. Understand that most Lake Amphibian owners regard a slight oil leak as a badge of honor. One sage Buccaneer driver once remarked "If it ain't leaking a little oil then it ain't a real Lake aircraft." Common sense prevailed and I handed her over to the local mechanic shop. Fortunately they were able to fit my plane in relatively quickly. And I do mean relative in the purest sense. From their perspective they were moving heaven and earth while lobbying for praise reiterating 48 hours on such short notice was exceptional service standards. I'm not arguing that point. They did a tremendous job understanding my issue and clearing an available spot.
Recently on land I started to notice the mag drop was not consistent and creeping outside the acceptable limits. The next unscrupulous symptom was a little extra oil leaking. Understand that most Lake Amphibian owners regard a slight oil leak as a badge of honor. One sage Buccaneer driver once remarked "If it ain't leaking a little oil then it ain't a real Lake aircraft." Common sense prevailed and I handed her over to the local mechanic shop. Fortunately they were able to fit my plane in relatively quickly. And I do mean relative in the purest sense. From their perspective they were moving heaven and earth while lobbying for praise reiterating 48 hours on such short notice was exceptional service standards. I'm not arguing that point. They did a tremendous job understanding my issue and clearing an available spot.
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