Engine TBO Tracker
Track engine tbo limits per component — current hours vs limit with remaining-life badges per serial.
TBO is the manufacturer's recommended overhaul interval (typically 1,800–2,200 h for GA piston engines) — advisory under Part 91, harder under 135 programs.
No entries yet — add your first one above. Data stays in your browser.
⚠️ Not for operational decisions. This is a record-keeping and planning aid only — not certified avionics, not a source of regulatory truth. Always verify against official sources (FAA/EASA) and your operator's approved documents before flying.
Free engine tbo tracker: every component with serial, current hours and limit, plus remaining-life badges that go amber at 10% left. calendar TBO (often 12 years) bites low-utilisation engines long before the hour limit.
About Engine TBO Tracker
Component life is where maintenance money hides. TBO is the manufacturer's recommended overhaul interval (typically 1,800–2,200 h for GA piston engines) — advisory under Part 91, harder under 135 programs; and crucially, calendar TBO (often 12 years) bites low-utilisation engines long before the hour limit: a 200-hour engine can be past TBO on age alone. Run the inventory here: one row per serial with its limit, remaining-life badges doing the arithmetic, and the summary keeping count of what's on file. The owners who know their remaining component life negotiate overhauls, swaps and sales from the strong side of the table.
How to use Engine TBO Tracker
- 1Add each component with serial, current hours and its limit.
- 2Update current figures whenever aircraft times update.
- 3Plan overhauls and budgets off the remaining-life badges; export as needed.
Why use Engine TBO Tracker?
- ✓Per-serial rows: part, serial, current hours, limit
- ✓Remaining-life badge per component — amber at 10%, red at zero
- ✓Encodes the real-world trap: calendar tbo (often 12 years) bites low-utilisation engines long before the hour limit
- ✓Update once per aircraft-times update; always reconciled
- ✓CSV export feeds budgets, pre-buys and annuals
Frequently asked questions
Is the limit on engine tbo mandatory or advisory?+
Under Part 91, manufacturer intervals like this are largely advisory — you may operate on condition — but the advisory label hides real teeth: calendar TBO (often 12 years) bites low-utilisation engines long before the hour limit: a 200-hour engine can be past TBO on age alone. Insurance positions, 135 program requirements, resale value and plain risk management all push toward tracked compliance, and the tracking itself is nearly free. The expensive version is re-deriving component history at pre-buy time.
How do I establish current times for components with patchy records?+
Anchor each component to its last documented event — overhaul release tag, 8130-3, installation logbook entry — and accrue forward from the aircraft times since that date. Where no anchor exists, the conservative convention is to assume the worst (time-expired or unknown-since-new) and price decisions accordingly. Enter your best-evidenced figure here with the anchor noted in the notes field; a documented assumption beats an optimistic blank.
Why doesn't this tool sync to the cloud?+
By design: operational records are sensitive, and the simplest privacy guarantee is never transmitting them. Local-only storage means zero servers, zero breach surface and zero subscription. If you work from several devices, keep one as the master record and move snapshots with the CSV export.
Can I get my data out if I switch systems later?+
Always — the CSV export is a complete, lossless dump of your component life record, generated locally in one click. Import it into commercial software, archive it with your files, or post-process it in a spreadsheet. No lock-in is deliberate: data you can't take with you isn't really yours.
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