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Date: 04/01/99 Newsletter No. 06
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***ALERT***: Someone(s)is spreading computer viruses around. **
TIP: Don't open any ATTACHMENT to an Email, even if it is from
someone you know. Call or email to confirm. The term "Important
Message from" followed by the name of someone you recognize, is
a red flag. DELETE immediately!! For more about this virus click
<http://cert.org/advisories/CA-99-04-Melissa-Macro-Virus.html>
If you happen to find out who is doing this crap, forget the
FBI. I know of a couple of no-neck guys named Bruno and Bam-Bam
that are very good at behavior modification. Roger
Concept: This newsletter is about presenting information on a
wide range of aviation subjects of interest to pilots and/or
aircraft owners. The author has been a pilot for thirty years
with a wide range of flying experience. The author has also
sold General Aviation aircraft for over twenty three years.
Roger W. Carpenter 1901157 ATP, CFI/II (not current),AGI,IGI.
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Published Bi-Monthly.
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Suggestions and constructive criticisms are eagerly invited.
Readers are invited to submit questions on any aviation subject
near and dear to their heart. We will do our best to come up
with intelligent answers. Hopefully other readers will help out.
Also, I hope that readers will submit articles for publication
in this newsletter.
Feature Article:
WHAT to look for when buying a plane.
A couple of newsletters ago I wrote an article on some things
to do when buying an aircraft. The basic essence of the article was to save time and money
by having an inspection performed before going to see the plane in question yourself. This
article will focus on what items to have examined.
In the previous discussion, I recommended that you use The AOPA Airport Directory to find
an FBO in the local area where the aircraft is based. You then contract with a FBO you
chose to examine your potential aircraft. The question is what do you want inspected? Some
larger FBOs will have a pre-buy inspection form most won't. Here are some suggestions.
One reader, a certified mechanic, wrote and suggested that an Annual Inspection be done on
the aircraft. I respectfully disagree with this position. One, an Annual Inspection is
much more detailed and expensive than an adequate pre-buy. Two, I highly recommend that a
mechanic or FBO that is close to home and with whom you plan on doing business with in the
future, is the one to do your Annual inspection.
The basic goal, in my opinion, of a pre-buy inspection is to discover repair items that
could COST YOU A LOT OF MONEY to get fixed and/or are SAFETY RELATED. Most all used
aircraft are sold As Is; No Warranty Expressed or Implied. Once you pay for the plane and
receive the Bill of Sale, YOU OWN IT!! Common sense is the order of the day.
It is also amazing how many buyers have hot buttons with respect to defects on used
aircraft. Some people will not buy a damage history aircraft, no matter how good the
repair. Some people will back off at the slightest hint of corrosion. Some will not buy if
the paint and/or interior are not "show room fresh". Some will balk if the
aircraft has not been hangared. Some will not buy if the aircraft has spent any of its
life near a coast. The list of personal "hot buttons" is almost endless. But
what is even more curious is that many times when the "hot button" item is
satisfied, the deal is done. Very little further inspection.
I think most all of these idiosyncrasies are usually not well founded. But, on the other
hand, it's their money. Even more scary, many mechanics have "hot buttons".
Combine this with a first time buyer who views "any" flight instructor or
mechanic as almost a God, a lot of quality aircraft are overlooked and a lot of bad advice
is accepted as gospel. So, without further "mind preparation", here are some
ideas for you to consider.
1. Don't be a "know it all". A first time buyer and/or inexperienced pilot can
so turn off people that CAN give good advice, they may end up buying the wrong aircraft,
for the wrong reasons and the wrong price. LISTEN, use common sense and get lots of second
opinions.
2. Try and get an experienced mechanic to do the inspection. If they have an IA
(Inspection Authorization) license, that's a good sign. Ask the mechanic what he intends
to look at. If he doesn't give you a high level of confidence, move on to the next. If he
tries to tell you one model is no good and another model is great, move on. If he keeps
trying to get you to let him do a full annual inspection, you might want to look
elsewhere. You want specific information about the state of maintenance of a given
aircraft, not the personal make and model preference of a mechanic or other pilot. Tip:
Specialty shops are good (i.e. a Beech dealer to look at a Baron etc) but they're usually
quite a bit more expensive.
3. What are some specific things to ALWAYS have examined?
a. Oil filter or oil screen taken apart and checked for unusual amounts
of metal pieces. Could be a major warning of an engine overhaul just around the corner.
Some "characters" will change the oil just before the inspection. Beware. If
this has happened, the aircraft should be flown at least an hour or more before the filter
check. Note: if any metal pieces found in the filter or screen are big enough to have a
part number, watch out. (Just a joke)
b. Engine case check. Tell your inspector to put an evil eye on engine
case(s) and the cylinders. They're looking for cracks. Cracks can be in critical areas
(beware) or non-critical areas. If a crack is found, call the engine manufacturer for
recommendations.
c. Missing log books is a red flag. Missing logs from 20 years ago are
not as important as more recent books. A FAA form 337 research from the Feds might be in
order to discover unknown damage history.
d. Verify the year of the aircraft with the airframe serial number. You
would be amazed at how many owners don't really know what year of aircraft they have. This
could mean a lot in the value of the plane. Make sure serial numbers in the logs match
those on the various parts of the plane. Also, make sure the various parts of the plane
(mags, prop, even complete tail assembly etc) are the certified parts for that model. For
example, a prop for a 1962 Cessna 182 may not be authorized for a 1963 model 182 etc.
e. Corrosion check. Most older aircraft have some corrosion but it is
seldom a critical matter. Make sure your inspector pulls several panels and puts a lighted
eyeball in areas where corrosion could be a critical thing. Critical areas vary from plane
to plane. In most cases, light corrosion can be easily cleaned and treated. In addition,
if you're looking at a fabric covered airplane, make sure your inspector is familiar with
fabric punch tests etc. Many are not.
f. Airworthiness Directives (ADs). A major reason to have an
experienced IA mechanic as your inspector. He is used to working with AD researches and AD
listings in log books. Because he is the one that signs off annual inspections and
certifies (under penalty of law) that all ADs are current, IA mechanics know how to
efficiently handle the AD questions.
g. Check to insure that various equipment in the aircraft is still
legal to use. i.e. many older model radios (Navcoms like Narco MK-12A, B, King KX-170
& 170A etc. are no longer legal for certain functions). This information is usually on
a specification sheet sent to you by the seller, but VERIFY. Keep in mind that many
elderly people and people out in the boondocks, far from the FAA, often don't keep up with
the latest regulations.
h. Fly the airplane for a while. Not to impress people how good a pilot
you are but to actually check things out to see what's working or not. A DG with FD bars
like in a King KFC-200 autopilot system can cost up $6,000+ to replace. A good flight
check can tell a competent pre-buy mechanic a great deal.
It is my belief that a pre-buy inspection is primarily to find items that concern safety
and/or that may cost a lot of money to fix. However, some buyers like to
"nitpick" a 30 year old aircraft for the express purpose of brow beating the
seller into a lower price. These people quite often are happy to find something like paint
worn off a leading edge in order to get another $500.00 off the price but never check the
case for cracks or the oil filter for metal. "Penny wise, pound foolish". One
should, in my opinion, "Pay for what you get and get what you pay for".
I have talked to numerous experienced buyers over the years that claim to have bought many
aircraft sight un-seen. I have also seen one of these people have to overhaul both 200
hours SMOH engines on a Beech Travel Air 95 because of metal in the filter that was found
AFTER the sale. Your choice.
In conclusion, the above "items to check" list is certainly not the only things
to check. The number of different aircraft models on the market is huge. If it meets the
safety and/or high cost to fix test, have it checked BEFORE you shell out the dough.
Comments on a Newsletter:
Below is a comment on my article in Newsletter 05 concerning
being prepared to go flying.
Fri, 19 Mar 1999 09:00:37 -0500
From: "Marc Sabransky"
Organization: PPD Pharmaco
To: roger@aircraft-airplanes.com
I've enjoyed the newsletters so far.
Regarding flashlights--after reading the review of the Photon
Microlight in Avweb, I bought a dozen (to get quantity discount)
and they are great! With a lithium battery they've got a 10 year
shelf life, and depending on the color, up to days of continuous
operation. The brightest ones will last about 12 hours
continuous. They are about the size of a quarter, and weigh very
little. Hell, I don't do much night flying, but I've got 3
different flashlights in my bag! Forgot, because they use LEDs,
the bulbs essentially have unlimited life. Anyway, if you want to
"support" Avweb, they can be purchased through Bryan Avery,
otherwise I would suggest searching the web, they can be
purchased for about 1/2 what Bryan's web site charges. The
price? For the brightest "overdrive" lights, about $12-15 at the
low end, it may seem like a lot, but you've got to see these
things work.
Enough about lights. The other item I always carry is a pocket
clip knife that is openable with one hand, a Spyderco in my
case. While the Swiss Army knife is indeed an incredible
workhorse (people should forkup and buy a "real" one), worst
case scenario (that's what we're preparing for, right?), forced
landing with entrapment and only one arm/hand free, you want to
be able to open a blade with that one hand--maybe to cut off a
seat belt or harness... Another option might be one of those
knives on a lanyard around the neck that also only require one
hand operation. (I suppose with entrapment in a seat, you might
also want to be able to reach the hatchet...). (You know about
www.equipped.com ?)
Recently I reviewed _every_ accident report in the NTSB database
for Tomahawks (both because I've flown one for 50 hours, and
it's my first choice for a plane when I can afford to buy-if you
want to know why, that's a subject for another letter...), the
overblown badmouthing about stall/spin accidents doesn't really
concern me, especially after reading all the accident reports.
My point is to affirm your contentions about "stupid pilot
tricks". I couldn't believe some of the stuff instructors did
with their students, practicing stalls below 1,000 feet, or real
engine out after takeoff with an attempted turn to land downwind
(at less than 600'). And if I recall, every single stall and
stall/spin accident was the result of horseplay, or stalling so
close to the ground that no aircraft would be recoverable--plus,
most of the planes involved were over gross! I read these
reports, shake my head and wonder "what the f*** were they
thinking?".
But overall I was amazed at the lack of preparation by both the
student and instructor and lack of instruction by the CFI.
Whenever I let a little doubt about the safety of flying creep
into my brain, I just read the accident reports and realize that
it's Darwin's theory at its best, survival of the fittest,
removal from the gene pool of stupid, sloppy, reckless pilots--
hopefully they won't take others with them.
Epilogue: Even after almost 10 years of flying, and especially
as a renter, every single time I fly, I check the aircraft
thoroughly. Even if I know I was the last one to fly it (like
after a stopover at the destination), I still check it out
before I fly, I check for safety wires in the hinges, for play
in the control surfaces, I _always_ look into the gas tanks,
etc... Although I will admit that once I had checked out the
plane, climbed in, strapped up, then realized that the
transponder was missing--guess I need to check for holes in the
dash first--but the plane was still ok for my airspace.
Marc
Other Information:
For a current listing of General Aviation aircraft for sale by
The R.W. Carpenter Company, go to
<a href="http://aircraft-airplanes.com">Visit Web site </a> or
http://aircraft-airplanes.com depending on browser.
In addition, I often recommend, what I feel to be the best book
ever written about flying an airplane, "Stick and Rudder" by
Wolfgang Langewiesche. I sincerely believe that every pilot
should read this "bible" at least twice. It WILL make you a
better pilot because it discusses flying an airplane from the
WYSIWYG perceptions a pilot receives. If you would like to order
it on-line or any of a million other books from Amazon click on
<http://aircraft-airplanes.com/mainpage.html> Great Discounts.
FREE service to my readers: If you would like a "book" appraisal
on an airplane, fill out the info sheet at my web site. Click on
<http://aircraft-airplanes.com/appraisal.htm> Don't forget to
click on the "submit" key. I'll get back to you.
NEW page at my Web Site. "Cost of Operation" analysis form.
Nothing fancy but it might give you some ideas for planning
purposes. http://aircraft-airplanes.com/cost_of_operation.htm
If you like the approach I'm taking in this newsletter,
please tell your friends. The subscription is FREE.
BUSINESS OFFER! I'm in the business of selling airplanes for
people. I need more inventory. I will pay a finder's fee of
$500.00 (five hundred)to anyone that furnishes me a bonafide
owner wanting to sell their plane.
Stipulations:
1. An agreement is signed between the "finder" and my company.
2. The $500.00 will be paid upon my company selling the plane.
No sale by me, no finder's fee.
3. The owner contracts with me to sell his or her plane.
4. I sell only factory manufactured aircraft (No homebuilts etc).
5. Other than furnishing a name, phone number and N number, the
finder usually does not become actively involved in my selling of the said aircraft.
Call me if interested @ 1-800-624-4845.