Thread: Should Rotax permit owner/pilot oil/filter changes?

Should Rotax permit owner/pilot oil/filter changes, without formal training?

I believe they should. For certified aircraft, persons holding a Private Pilot certificate, or higher, are allowed to do preventative maintenance, which includes oil changes. Do Lycoming or Continental require formal training to do an oil change?

I'm not trying to target anyone, but just bring to light that there is more to a Rotax engine than meets the eye and try to save anyone on this list and my friends costly maint. errors. I don't quite understand the resistance to education?

I get at least 2 out of state calls per day from 912 owners that want to know how to do something, usually simple, on a 912 Rotax. So if a Rotax was that simple why doesn't everyone already know?

What does being a private pilot have to do with it. If you vote yes then the SLSA guys should be allowed. If you vote no then you realize that you may not know what you should and what might happen if you fail to do it right.

For those voting yes, just step back and look at all the trained A&P's that are screwing things up. They have lots of training. The general pilot has no training, where does that put them? By voting yes you open the can of worms, where does it stop as far as giving permission for procedures? Who is responsible when you damage your $18K engine? How do you get the correct information?

Most on this list in the beginning didn't know about plug paste even as of recent post. Most didn't know about injecting air into the system or the right way to change oil. Several mechanics messed this up without the training. So where did you finally learn how to do these procedures if you weren't educated by someone who already attend Rotax school?

Bottom line is Rotax won't change their stance and FD will stay with refereing to the Rotax manual or they incur the liability to allow you to do something against Rotax's advise. Rotax has 20 years of experience fixing the untrained pilot's maint issues. That's why the manual state what it does. The Rotax is not your 1970 Ford or Chevy engine.

When I bought my plane I wanted to do my own maint too, so I went to class. Can't even begin to tell you how much I didn't know. That was 8 Rotax classes and a 3 week 120 hr. RLS-M class ago not to mention 6 years working on 912's.

Originally Posted by Roger Lee

What does being a private pilot have to do with it.

Reread my post Roger Lee. I stated that for certified aircraft, a Private Pilot can do preventative maintenance. That is per the FAR's. I was merely pointing out what the rules state, and asking whether Lycoming or Continental require formal training before you can change the oil. I personally believe that S-LSA should at minimum be level with FAR 23 certified aircraft, in this regard. Why should the rules be stiffer for an ASTM compliant S-LSA, than they are for a FAR 23 certified aircraft? One would expect that it would be the other way around.

Hi Roger F,

I understood, I was just trying to say it shouldn't be limited to a PP only and should include either type pilot if the rule was changed. You have to remember who is making these rules for GA verses SLSA. These are two different catogories and one very new so new rules apply, for now. These rules are being changed every year. It may evolve to what makes people more happy some day, but for now it has limits. FAA and Mfgs are trying to give people some latitude, but are trying it in steps. I think some in the rule making groups worry that give an inch some will take a mile.

i find too many unintended consequences in the SLSA rules.

roger fane pointed out that the aopa forum had a thread discussing the minimum reasonable aircraft to operate at my home field. some recommended a twin turbine as a minimum, others pointed out that i fly a light sport out of here.

to make matters worse while everyone else is crossing the sierra with plenty of altitude i am forced to take far more dangerous low altitude crossings because i am limited to 10,000' for safety reasons. even the new rule won't help much because the terrain rises so steeply.

similarly every other aircraft at our field can have oil changes done by its pilot/owner or a local a&p. for safety rotax would have me fly to a distant field. i have had about 15 oil changes, done many myself while the dealer worked on other things. i'm not buying that this can't be permissible.

Hi Ed,

I personally don't care if people do their own maint. Most of the people that come to me for maint. do their own plugs and oil. (Although I do find it done wrong at times.) I was just trying to clear up misunderstandings in the regs so people are informed. You can't make a good discussion unless you have all the facts and answers. That said there is nothing wrong with getting the AOPA, EAA involved to try to amend the maint stance of the FAA and Rotax . You can call Carol Carpenter at Rainbow Aviation as she sits on one of the rule making/advisory committee's and see if she will help introduce such a rule. If someone here wants to pick up that torch and make some calls and maybe pass a petition it can't hurt.

Their are a few SLSA rules being changed shortly, including your 10K rule. This is a fairly new category to aviation in the US and it will take time to iron out some of the likes and dislikes. As far as the SLSA category verses the GA guys we are a little more self regulating and FAA is not shoving regs down our throat like the GA guys have had done over the last 80 years.They are taking it slow, but at the same time we do have some latitude in what we do as an LSA group. The category is also changing around the world so we are not the only ones.

Doing your own maint is just like claiming a not so legal deduction with IRS. You can do it until you get caught, then you have to pony up. Nothing will change just complaining here on our single forum unless people are willing to take it to the next step up the chain.

I haven't seen anything that convinces me we can't change the oil now. See the previous thread. WF

WF,

Jeremy from CPS which is a Rotax Distributor and service center stated that you needed a class to comply with the rules. FD gave you the permission in their manual and they refer to the Rotax manual which clearly states you must have at least the service class. Didn't you read the Rotax Line Maint. manual section 2.2? It very clearly states that you must have a class. Rotax can and will deny any warranty because you didn't take the class if anything you did might have caused a problem. Why leave yourself open, the class is easy to come by.