RST Engineering wrote:
> This is a good time to buy, the airplane market being somewhat
depressed.
> Whatever you buy, you need to be sure that it is either STCd or can be
STCd
> for autogas. Believe what you will, the world has exactly ONE supplier
for
> a critical component of 100/100LL. The ethanol thing will shake itself
out
> as the world braces for a sharp increase in the price of dinogas. There
> will be a solution. THere always has been. Necessity, as somebody
noted,
> is a mother.
>
> Skyhawk or Cherokee, whichever suits your fancy. Parts are a little
easier
> to get for the 172; the PA28 is a little roomier. Buy the airplane in
the
> WINTER. Summer prices are 10-20% higher.
>
> You need two critical things right off the crack of the bat. One is an
> A&P-IA that is a mean son of a ***** but will work with you to let you
do
> 95% of the work on the airplane. Ply him or her with beer, (wo)men,
> whatever to keep him or her around. The second is a set-aside of the
> purchase money for a COMPLETE set of tools that is dedicated to the
airplane
> and not trucked to and from the air****t from home.
>
> Have your IA go over your intended with a fine tooth comb looking for
> "stuff" that will have to be done to keep the bird birdworthy. There
will
> always be something ... tires, a cracked flap panel, burned out landing
> light, all that stuff. Set your bidding price accordingly. If it means
an
> airline ticket for your IA and a day's wages to send him/her to the
> airplane, cheap price to pay for finding a crack in the spar that will
cost
> thousands to replace.
>
> Having said that, and being partial to Cessna for several reasons, I'd
find
> an ancient 172 with a mid time engine and crappy paint, lousy interior,
and
> terrible radios. Spend half your nut on the airframe itself and put the
> other half in the bank. Fly the sucker for a hundred hours or so with
rips
> in the seats, crackly radios, and the "laughing stock" of the air****t
bums
> for looks. To hell with them.
>
> If your budget can afford it, a hangar is one of the best investments
you
> can make. It will pay for itself in allowing you to do 95% of the work
on
> the airplane in a semblance of comfort.
>
> Do the radios/instruments first. You will have your filthy shoes on the
> carpet and seats while you struggle with that one last nut on the tray
on
> the top of the stack and if you've done the interior first, you will
kick
> yourself silly for tracking crap all over your fine looking upholstery
job.
> I'm partial to used radios for a couple of reasons, not the least of
which
> you will spend half or less on a used radio than a new one. Don't fall
for
> the "yellow tag" trap. All that stupid yellow tag tells you is that
some
> radio shop puke ran it through its paces on the bench and it met certain
> minimum standards. Will it crap out when the engine shakes the
airplane?
> Who knows. And don't fall for the "working when removed" line either.
No
> matter who you buy it from or where it came from, buy it with an
ironclad
> ten day or two week no questions asked money back (except for ****pping)
> return guarantee. As with your IA, make friends with your radio shop.
TELL
> them that you are doing your own work, but are more than willing to pay
shop
> labor to shake, rattle, and roll your prospective radio and find out if
> there is anything that isn't up to snuff and back up their labor rate
with
> some sort of guarantee. The BEST guarantee, if you can find a radio
shop
> willing to do it, is a six month guarantee that if it breaks you will
pay
> actual parts cost and HALF the normal labor rate for repair during the
> guarantee period.
>
> Personally? I've got a pair of KX-170Bs with the associated nav heads.
Old
> radios? Sure, but there is a guy in Trade-A-Plane that specializes in
this
> particular model. They've never crapped out, but if they do, I know
where
> to get them fixed.
>
> One last word on radios...make absolutely sure that ALL the connectors
come
> with the radios. If the connectors come with wires cut about six to
twelve
> inches from the connector, you may just wish to check out the various
"hot
> radio" lists to make sure yours wasn't "inadvertently removed" at
midnight
> somewhere.
>
> Oh, notice all that yellowed cotton fabric insulation on the wiring that
is
> cracking? Hmmm...surplus stores nationwide have brand new mil-spec
aviation
> wire for pennies on the dollar. Might just as well do the wiring while
you
> are doing the radios. Hint ... use some sort of clear shrink sleeving
and
> color code the end of each wire as you replace it. Makes
troubleshooting a
> whole bunch easier. Hint #2. Download an old copy of Circuitmaker and
> Traxmaker and become familiar with making your own schematic diagrams.
> Again, makes troubleshooting a lot easier. Hint #3. Barrier strips and
> crimp terminals are your friends. Again, again, makes
troubleshooting...
>
> At the same time you are doing your radios, pull all the instruments and
> send them out for overhaul. (Nobody said this was going to be cheap.)
I
> personally prefer the Gyro House down in Auburn CA, but then again, I
have
> worked with them for thirty years or so. Get advice in this ng as to
folks
> who have had good results from the various overhaul shops around the
> country.
>
> Now your radio stack, wiring, and instruments are top notch. Give
yourself
> a year's flying with them. Enjoy.
>
> Now do the upholstery. Tear the old stuff off right down to bare metal.
> Prime the bare metal. Paint it with the best rattlecan paint you can
find.
> Go to Airtex and look at their catalog. They make, in my opinion, some
of
> the best upholstery stuff in the world. Or, you can do what Jay Honeck
did
> and find a local upholsterer that is doing a BIG leather job and have
him do
> your seats from the leather scraps from his big job. You will still
need
> carpet, side panels, and headliner from Airtex to match your seat
color(s).
>
> Fly the airplane for a year. Enjoy.
>
> If you need any of the glass replaced, now is the time to do it. If you
> don't, drilling rivets out of a new paint job will make you cry. Don't
do
> the wind****eld yourself. It is a lousy, dirty, messy job. Have
somebody
> else crack the new wind****eld and have to replace it out of their
pocket.
>
> Want a personal N-Number? Now is the time to do it. My airplane was
> factory-christened N 5151 D. In '90 it became (ham radio operators
note) N
> 73 CQ.
>
> Now find a good paint shop and have them do the painting including the
new
> N-number.
>
> Oh, did you keep a logbook of all this stuff? I don't mean the airplane
> logs. I mean your personal logs. Any time you spend on the airplane
> (including research and drawing schematics on the computer) is loggable
> towards your A&P. YOu need 30 months of experience (35 hour weeks, as I
> recall) just to sit for the exam, and after that (except for annuals)
you
> can sign your own work off. What's that? 5000 hours or so? Hell,
you'll
> have that halfway through the upholstery. Your IA can sign off
verifying
> your time. This is not an absolute requirement, but the local FSDO
isn't
> going to run you through the crap mill if you get the signature.
>
> And what has all this bought you? Not only pilot time, but knowing the
> airplane inside out. Knowing FOR SURE that when you flip the switch,
the
> lights will come on. And you can't buy that experience for love nor
money.
>
> Jim
>
> (Oh, one last thing. You DID start your engine fund when you bought the
> airplane, yes? By now it is probably a couple of hundred hours past TBO
and
> you might want to start looking at engine parts. You DO want to do the
> engine yourself, don't you? {;-)
>
Jim,
As much as your an arrogant SOB at times you do make sense quite often.
I got my ap/ia in much the same way as you described.
It mostly started with my first airplane a PA22-150 and worked into a
Bonanza.
Airplane owner****p is more than just flying an aircraft for less than
renting. Its making what you have better than the original and doing it
because you want to make it better and because you understand why it
works.
Airplanes are not rocket science, that's why they are so reliable.
And an annual doesn't need to be as expensive as most IA's make it to be.
You fly because you love it, and you work on your own aircraft for the
same reason.
It's more than just dollars and cents, its a passion.
Dave
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