Hangar Debrief
An email newsletter for builders, pilots and maintainers of experimental, light-sport and general aviation aircraft.
Design & Build
AC 43.13-1B, paragraph 4-57: rivet identification, edge distance, spacing and blind rivets
The FAA's AC 43.13-1B, paragraph 4-57, says how to read a rivet's part number and head marking, puts the minimum edge distance for a single row at two rivet diameters and spacing at three, and lists the places blind rivets are not to be used, among them control surfaces, hinges, wing attach fittings and fluid-tight areas.
26 Oct 2026
Avionics & Electrical
AC 43.13-1B, paragraphs 11-115 to 11-126: routing, clamping and protecting wire bundles
The FAA's AC 43.13-1B gives the figures for routing aircraft wire: bend radius at least 10 times the largest wire's diameter, no more than 1/2 inch of sag between supports, 3/8 inch of clearance at grommets, 1/2 inch from movable controls, and wire routed above fuel, oil and hydraulic lines, 6 inches away where possible and never closer than 2 inches unless clamped or connected to it.
26 Oct 2026
Upgrade & Maintain
FAA SAIB 2026-10R1: restraint labels, the 3,000-pound rating and the shoulder harness Y-junction
FAA SAIB 2026-10R1 recommends that owners check the label on every seat belt and shoulder harness for TSO-C114 or TSO-C22g, or a rated strength of 3,000 pounds or more, and replace any that falls short or has no readable label. The NTSB has found restraint failures in at least 16 general aviation accidents, many at the stitching of the shoulder harness Y-junction.
26 Oct 2026
Directives & Bulletins
Van's SB-00134: horizontal stabilizer forward attach bolt position on the RV-4, -6, -7 and -8
Van's Aircraft Service Bulletin SB-00134 asks owners of the RV-4, RV-6/6A, RV-7/7A and RV-8/8A to check where the bolts that hold the horizontal stabilizer's forward spar to the fuselage were drilled, within 10 flying hours or 90 days of August 22, 2026, whichever comes first. Some airplanes were built with the holes well away from the plans location. Revision 2.2 is dated September 18, 2026.
26 Oct 2026
Tips & Tools
AC 43.13-1B, paragraphs 5-15 to 5-18: visual inspection with a flashlight, a mirror and a magnifier
The FAA's AC 43.13-1B says about 80 percent of nondestructive inspection is done by eye, and calls the eye, a mirror and a flashlight a critical part of it. To find a surface crack, it says to hold the light at 5 to 45 degrees to the surface, keep the eyes above the reflected beam, confirm with a 10-power magnifier, and record every discrepancy.
26 Oct 2026
Directives & Bulletins
AD 2026-17-10: oil check and new piston pins for certain Lycoming O-235, O-540 and IO-540 engines
AD 2026-17-10, effective September 14, 2026, covers Lycoming O-235, O-540 and IO-540 engines listed by serial number in Lycoming MSB 667A that have P/N LW-13445 piston pins with a production date of January 7, 2021, to December 15, 2025. It requires an oil change and a filter and screen inspection for metal, then replacement of the pins. The FAA counts 957 engines on U.S.-registered airplanes.
21 Oct 2026
Test & Fly
FAA Notice 26-17 proposes dropping the mask-on rule above FL350 under part 91 when quick-donning masks are fitted
An FAA proposal published September 24, 2026, would let a pilot of a pressurized aircraft under part 91 fly above FL350 without wearing a mask, at any altitude the aircraft is certified for, if each pilot has a quick-donning mask. Part 135 limits would rise too. The rules for unpressurized aircraft are not changed. Comments are due November 23, 2026.
16 Oct 2026
Directives & Bulletins
AD 2026-19-06: Tecnam P2006T aileron hinge and cotter pin inspection within 25 hours or 30 days
AD 2026-19-06, effective October 13, 2026, requires a one-time detailed visual inspection of the aileron hinges and their cotter pins on Tecnam P2006T serial numbers 001 through 434 and 442, within 25 flight hours or 30 days. A P2006T's left aileron partly detached after a hinge pin worked out past a missing or broken cotter pin. The FAA counts 102 affected airplanes in the U.S.
16 Oct 2026
Directives & Bulletins
AD 2026-21-01: Elixir Aircraft Model Elixir airplanes may not fly until FAA-approved corrective action is done
Emergency AD 2026-21-01, effective October 14, 2026, prohibits further flight of every Elixir Aircraft Model Elixir until corrective action approved by the FAA is done. It follows a fatal accident during a production flight, whose cause is still under investigation. The FAA counts three of these airplanes on the U.S. registry. Special flight permits are not allowed without FAA approval.
16 Oct 2026
Avionics & Electrical
Garmin adds Class A and Coflyt to flyGarmin.com flight log sharing, now twelve services
Garmin said on October 15, 2026, that owners with compatible Garmin avionics can now share flight logs from flyGarmin.com with Class A, an insurer, and Coflyt, a maintenance and management service: twelve services in all. Sharing is opt-in, service by service. Automatic upload needs a GDL 60 and a PlaneSync subscription. A flight log is not the maintenance record 14 CFR 91.417 requires.
16 Oct 2026
Tips & Tools
AC 43.13-1B, paragraphs 7-122 to 7-126: safety wire, and the rules common to every installation
The FAA's AC 43.13-1B gives the rules for safety wire: 0.032-inch minimum for the double-twist method on most parts, wire installed so it pulls in the tightening direction, taut but never overstressed, four to six turns left at the end, and ends bent under. A nut is never loosened or overtorqued to line up a hole.
11 Oct 2026
Upgrade & Maintain
14 CFR part 91: the inspections and checks that come due by the calendar
Part 91 sets five recurring items by the calendar: the annual inspection (12 calendar months), the ELT inspection (12), the transponder test (24), the altimeter and static system test for IFR (24), and the VOR check for IFR (30 days). An experimental aircraft's inspection is set by its operating limitations, not by section 91.409.
11 Oct 2026
Avionics & Electrical
Dynon previews IFR GPS navigation for SkyView HDX; not yet certified
On July 7, 2026, Dynon said it is developing IFR GPS navigation for SkyView HDX, including coupled LPV approaches, from a module mounted behind the panel. It is planned for both the Dynon Certified and experimental lines. It is not yet certified, and Dynon has given no price or date.
11 Oct 2026
Avionics & Electrical
Garmin AXIS: flight displays with the IFR GPS, radios and audio panel built in
Garmin announced AXIS on July 8, 2026: a family of flight displays whose 11.6-inch models can include an IFR GPS, a NAV/COMM radio and an audio panel in the display itself. Garmin says AXIS uses the same panel cutouts and mounting points as its G3X Touch displays. The 8-inch models are expected in early 2027.
11 Oct 2026
Directives & Bulletins
Van's SB-00128, Revision 1: longer canopy latch pins for the RV-14 and RV-14A
Van's Aircraft Service Bulletin SB-00128 covers RV-14 and RV-14A aircraft whose finish kits shipped before March 20, 2026. Side canopy pins had been seen to lift partly out of their sockets in aggressive aerobatics and overspeed; the bulletin lengthens the side and rear pins. Revision 1 is dated September 2, 2026.
11 Oct 2026
Directives & Bulletins
Van's SB-00079: an emergency egress hammer recommended for all RV aircraft
Van's Aircraft Service Bulletin SB-00079, issued March 20, 2026, applies to all RV aircraft and recommends carrying an emergency egress hammer made for aircraft. Van's notes that automotive hammers with a spring-loaded plunger are not effective on the plexiglass of aircraft windows and canopies.
11 Oct 2026
Avionics & Electrical
AC 43.13-1B, paragraphs 11-174 to 11-179: crimped terminals, studs and the crimp tool
The FAA's AC 43.13-1B prefers pre-insulated, crimp-type ring terminals, installed with a ratchet-type crimp tool whose crimp depth suits the wire size. No more than four terminals, or three and a bus bar, go on one stud, with the largest hole at the bottom and nothing between the tongues.
11 Oct 2026
Avionics & Electrical
AC 43.13-1B, chapter 11: the four requirements for sizing an electrical wire
The FAA's AC 43.13-1B sets four tests for a wire: mechanical strength, voltage drop, protection by a circuit breaker or fuse, and current. On a 14-volt system the allowable drop from bus to equipment is 0.5 volt in continuous operation. Hangar Flying's wire size calculator works the sum for one circuit.
11 Oct 2026
Test & Fly
14 CFR 61.316: the aircraft a sport pilot may fly, and who else may use the rule
Since October 22, 2025, a sport pilot may fly an airplane with up to four seats and a flaps-up stalling speed of no more than 59 knots CAS, with no weight limit. One passenger remains the limit. A private pilot flying on a driver's license instead of a medical certificate may fly the same aircraft under the same limits.
11 Oct 2026
Directives & Bulletins
AD 2026-16-11: propeller gearbox inspection on Rotax 912 and 914 engines
AD 2026-16-11 orders a propeller gearbox inspection on certified Rotax 912 and 914 engines after one left the factory missing an oil spray nozzle and bearing screws. The 912 iS Sport in the RV-12iS isn't named in the FAA's directive, but Rotax's own alert bulletin covers it, and Van's has posted it.
11 Oct 2026
Directives & Bulletins
AD 2026-04-11: Lycoming connecting-rod bushing inspection, and whether it applies to amateur-built aircraft
AD 2026-04-11 expands the Lycoming connecting-rod bushing directive to engines assembled through September 2021. Its wording reaches only engines in type-certificated aircraft, so it doesn't legally bind an amateur-built. The FAA cites connecting-rod failures that led to uncontained engine failures and in-flight shutdowns; the first required step is an oil-filter inspection at each oil change.
11 Oct 2026
Upgrade & Maintain
Light-sport repairmen may now do condition inspections on amateur-built aircraft
A light-sport repairman can now do the condition inspection on an amateur-built airplane, and an owner can earn that rating in a 16-hour course. But most airplanes' operating limitations don't allow it yet, and the owner has to ask the FAA to amend them.
11 Oct 2026
Design & Build
14 CFR part 22: light-sport category certification rules in effect since July 24, 2026
New light-sport category aircraft are now certificated under 14 CFR part 22, which sets no weight limit and allows airplanes with up to four seats and a stalling speed of up to 61 knots CAS. Aircraft certificated before July 24, 2026 keep their original limits, and a kit follows the standards in place when its statement of compliance was signed.
11 Oct 2026