One Day Gulfstream N581MB Had An Oil Leak. We Decided To Find Out Why.

There are a lot of nagging, little things in aviation, and oil leaks are one of them. Gulfstream II-SP, N581MB had been weeping oil from the port Rolls-Royce Spey a bit more than usual. Visual inspections gave no solid clue to the origins of the matter, so we decided to get creative. Real-world flight conditions, creative.

Our intrepid crew of three pointed her due south, got out the scissor-lift, and fired up #1 to full power. Now, it is said that there are some experiences one should try in life, like sky diving, climbing Mount Everest and eating Fugu. However, until you have stood a foot from one of these things at full honk, watching the trees 100 yards across the street shaking faster than a junkie on crack, then you have not lived. It worked. At full power an innocuous, eight foot breather tube with a tiny crack was the culprit.

The memories of my time in the charter business are still quite vivid, with visions of excitement, frustration, and triumph. On this day, however, I still wish I had put my camera in video mode while leaning on a screaming Rolls-Royce Spey.

Shot location: ONT