Do more of your own
maintenance. By the book.
Ask a question in plain English. PropPal reads the actual service manuals in your aircraft's pack and hands back the procedure, the torque spec, the diagram off the page, and the FAR 43 line that says whether you can do the job yourself.
✓ No credit card ✓ Works on your phone in the hangar ✓ Every answer shows the page
The manual has the answer. Finding it is the hard part.
Your 172's service manual runs past 600 pages. The parts catalog is another book. Service bulletins and ADs live somewhere else again. When you just want the right oil, the plug gap, or to know whether you're even allowed to do a job, you end up flipping pages on the hangar floor or trusting a forum post written for a different year and engine.
You're allowed to do more than you think
FAR 43.3(g) lets an owner-pilot do a real list of preventive maintenance. Most people never use half of it because they're not sure what counts.
A forum post isn't the manual
Half the advice online is for the wrong model year, engine, or serial range. The spec that matters is the one in the book for your airframe, not someone else's.
The logbook entry trips people up
Doing the work is one thing. Knowing the spec and the reference to write in the logbook is what keeps people from starting.
Two real questions. Two real answers.
These came straight out of a Cessna 172 & Skyhawk pack. Ask a maintenance question and PropPal reads the manuals for you, then lays out the procedure, the diagrams off the page, the torque specs, the safety warnings, and the FAR 43 authorization. Tap a screenshot to read it full size.
The whole job, not a search result
One plain question. PropPal returns the full procedure, pulled from the manual and laid out so you can follow it on the ramp.
- Quick summary up top, full step-by-step below
- Splits it by engine: Continental (55–65 lb-ft) vs. Lycoming (45–46.5 lb-ft)
- Drops in the real manual diagram from the page, not stock art
- Surfaces the magneto-OFF warning before you touch the prop
- Flags the FAR 43 authorization the job falls under
The hard stuff, decoded
A timing job spans tools, specs, and warnings scattered across several manual sections. PropPal pulls it into one walkthrough and won't let you skip the steps that bite.
- Leads with the spec: 30° BTDC, tolerance +0° / −2°
- Lists the tools you need (timing pin, timing light) before you start
- Breaks it into phases: engine prep, magneto prep, install and adjust
- Reads the No. 1 magneto-outlet diagram straight off the manual page
- Calls out the danger: the mag is HOT with the P-lead off
- Tells you the re-check interval: first 50 hrs, first 100, then every 200
Yes, you're allowed to do this work
Hold at least a private certificate and own or operate the aircraft, and FAR 43.3(g) lets you perform preventive maintenance. Part 43 Appendix A spells out what counts. It's a longer list than most owners realize.
PropPal pulls the exact procedure, the spec, and the reference for your airframe, so you can do the job and write a clean logbook entry. It points you at the FAR 43 line that covers it too.
- Change the engine oil and clean or replace the filter
- Remove, clean, gap, and reinstall spark plugs
- Replace and service landing gear tires and wheel bearings
- Service landing gear shock struts (add air or oil)
- Replace or charge the battery
- Replace safety belts and seat-belt webbing
- Replace bulbs, reflectors, and landing-light units
- Replace side windows where the work does not affect structure
PropPal helps you find and read the manual. It doesn't sign off your work. Anything past preventive maintenance, or anything you're unsure about, goes to your A&P or IA.
"Isn't this just ChatGPT making things up?"
No. Ask a chatbot for a torque value and it'll hand you a confident number from nowhere. PropPal only answers from the manuals in your pack, and it shows you the page and the diagram it read. If the manuals don't cover something, it says so instead of inventing an answer. You check the source before you turn a wrench. That's the whole point.
Three steps. No manual-flipping.
Ask
Type your question the way you'd say it out loud. No part numbers, no section headings, no manual archaeology.
It reads the manuals
PropPal searches the manuals in your pack and reads the diagrams with them, then assembles the procedure for your airframe.
You verify, then work
Every answer links the page and section it came from. Check the source, confirm critical work with your A&P, and go.
Start free. Pay when it earns its keep.
Every account gets 10 free questions on any pack, no card required. One shop visit you skip pays for a year.
Solo
One airplane
- ✓1 aircraft slot
- ✓Any 1 manual pack
- ✓Unlimited questions (fair use)
- ✓Reads charts & diagrams
- ✓Full chat history
Crew
A few in the hangar
- ✓3 aircraft slots
- ✓Any 3 manual packs
- ✓Unlimited questions (fair use)
- ✓Reads charts & diagrams
- ✓Full chat history
Fleet
Every airframe you touch
- ✓Unlimited aircraft slots
- ✓All available packs
- ✓Unlimited questions (fair use)
- ✓Reads charts & diagrams
- ✓Full chat history
Just need it for the annual? Grab the Inspection Pass — $49 for 30 days. Or go yearly: Solo Annual at $199/yr.
Try it on your own airplane
Pull up a question you've actually had to chase down. Ask PropPal. See if it beats flipping the book. Ten free questions, no card, takes a minute to set up.
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