GROWING UP IN HUMID LOUISIANA, it seemed rust and mold were the state symbols. My grandfather said if he didn't keep his butcher knives lightly oiled they would start discoloring the instant he turned his back. Those 50-year-old childhood memories recently flashed back while running my fingers over some rust-pitted steel cylinders near Seattle. There may be a political divide between the West Coast and Deep South, but rust is the same in both places, and it's expensive everywhere. This orange-colored corrosion results from iron being exposed to oxygen, moisture, and combustion byproducts during extended periods of inactivity. That's why cylinder endurance is rarely a problem for flight schools, commercial operators, or active partnerships. However, many airplane owners barely fly 50 hours annually and are at risk of having their engines rot from within.
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