Lifters are often the first to see corrosion and the first to self-destruct when it occurs.

by Paul Bertorelli

As much as we wish it were otherwise, there’s lots of not so-good-news in general aviation. From the cost-of-ownership point of view, one of the most troubling trends is reduced flying hours. When owners fly fewer hours, the effects trickle down through the GA economy like a corrosive acid drip, an analogy that’s especially apt to describe what lack of activity does to airplanes: It causes them to rust, especially engines.

Engine shops repeatedly tell us that the incidence of engines being trashed by severe corrosion continues to rise. Although there’s only anecdotal data—and not much of that—to support the claim, overhaul shops believe that inactivity is the chief…