A Pilot's Guide to Aircraft and Their Systems

In the early days of aviation, an aviator had to be pretty much a mechanic as well as a pilot because the airplanes and engines were less than completely dependable. When a pilot had a forced landing away from help, it was up to him to find and fix the problem to get the airplane back into the air. Fortunately these airplanes were not complex in their systems nor complicated to fix. In the more than half a century since World War II aircraft have become a vital component of our transportation system, developed and finely tuned to become the fast, efficient, dependable, and safe machines they are today.
These technological advances have been accompanied with additional complexities and demands that the aircraft be operated in exactly the way the designer intended. To do this, pilots must understand what each handle or knob controls and what he or she can expect from each system. Maintenance technicians must thoroughly understand the aircraft and its systems to keep them functioning as they were designed and built to do.
This book has been prepared to furnish pilots and armchair aviators with explanation and insight into what the aircraft, powerplant, and each of the systems do. In this way, the book may also serve as an introduction to the ASA Aviation Maintenance Technician Series of books that go further in depth to explain exactly how the aircraft and its systems work -- textbooks for Aviation Maintenance school curriculum. But most importantly, A Pilot's Guide to Aircraft and Their Systems will help pilots enjoy their flying and make them safer and more efficient aviators.

About the Author: Dale Crane (1923 - 2010). Dale Crane was involved in aviation for more than 50 years. His credentials included Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic, Designated Mechanic Examiner, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor (airplanes), and Advanced and Instrument Ground Instructor. He received the FAA's Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award for 50 years of service in and contributions to the aviation maintenance industry, and the recognition of his peers for his excellence in aircraft maintenance as a leader, educator, and aviation safety advocate.

Dale began his career in the U.S. Navy as a mechanic and flight engineer in PBYs. After World War II, he attended Parks Air College. After college, he worked as an instrument overhaul mechanic, instrument shop manager, and flight test instrumentation engineer. He spent the following 16 years as an instructor, and then became director of an aviation maintenance school.

For the past 30 years, Dale was active as a writer of aviation technical materials and a consultant in developing aviation training programs. He participated with the FAA in the Aviation Mechanic Occupation Study in the 1970s, which was key to the major revision of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 147, and the Aviation Mechanic Textbook Study. ATEC presented to Dale Crane their special recognition award for his contribution to the development of aviation technicians as a prolific author of specialized maintenance publications.