This can be costly to repair and should be looked for. Here are some suggested areas to inspect carefully:. Engine Condition — Generally, the engine is checked for compression, metal in the screens or oil filter, fuel leaks, and excessive oil leaks. One thing to keep in mind is that Lycoming and Continental engines will have very different compressions.
Continental engines, however, run very comfortably in the 60s—even the very low 60s. The escrow company will also ensure that the paperwork is properly filed with the FAA. The seller of the plane may be well intended when he tells you he will send the Bill of Sale to the FAA, but a reputable escrow agent will make sure that it happens in a timely manner.
They have a very nice escrow tracker that clearly shows when all the documents and funds have been sent to the escrow account and indicates which are still needed.
This keeps all the involved parties informed of the escrow status. The key to having confidence in any aircraft purchase is to be informed. And with that confidence, comes the excitement of having a plane that you can fly and truly enjoy for years to come.
Tom Ferguson has been flying since Here are some confidence-building tips to help you navigate your next purchase: Review the logbooks.
This should give you a good feel for how the plane was maintained and if it has any damage history. In order to know the true history of the plane, including the total times of the airframe, engine, and components, make sure the logbooks are complete and consecutive from the date of manufacture.
An owner may, in good faith, believe he remembers the current times on his plane, but memory is not always the most reliable source of information. In my experience, owners can also be wrong about dates and calendar times on components. Be informed about damage history.
The important thing here is to know what you are buying. Some damage history can be lived with, but surprises uncovered later may be costly. Know what you are working with going in. Yes, really! By comparison State and local government fees can be downright oppressive.
These kinds of fees are often cloaked as "Use Taxes" or "Luxury Taxes". Some states even require an annual "license" registration. Don't budget for aircraft ownership without a full review of the taxes you may be required to pay to state, county and even city governments. Copyright Cessna Club. All Rights Reserved. Log in. General Information Cessna History. Cessna Models. Cost of Ownership. Cessna Stories Breaking World Records in a Christmas Flight to Florida. Transatlantic Cessna From Oregon to Iowa.
SportHawk From Texas to Clinton. Long Legs Louise. Across the Country. High Mountain High. High Mountain High, Chapter 2. Ultimate Cross Country - Part 2. Ultimate Cross Country - Part 3. Ultimate Cross Country - Epilogue. Contact Us. To be clear, airworthy items are components or systems required under the Type Certificate for that aircraft or under the FARs as required equipment. Ancillary equipment—equipment not required for flight, or type of flight—isn't an airworthiness issue.
For example, in an aircraft that is VFR only, there is no requirement for the artificial horizon to work, because there is no requirement to even have an artificial horizon. The FARs do require that a failed component be disabled and placarded as inoperative, as well requiring the same is entered in the logbooks, but it isn't an airworthy item. An interesting example came with another plane I sold. It was not certified for flight into known icing, but it did have boots, electrically heated props and an alcohol windshield de-ice system installed.
The boots didn't work. The shuttle valve had failed, and the owner didn't want to pay to replace it since he lived in Florida and never saw ice anyway. The buyer was made aware that the boots didn't work in the original sales agreement. However, at the pre-buy, the buyer insisted that they had to work or the plane wasn't airworthy. He was incorrect, and under the terms of the contract he had to either proceed with the sale or lose his deposit.
He chose to proceed. Selling an aircraft is equally complicated. Every seller's nightmare is to have their aircraft in a pre-buy inspection at a shop on the other side of the country after a deal falls apart. First, let me tell you that a shop can't ground your aircraft if it is in license with a current inspection. You may need a ferry permit to fly it home—if there is really something wrong with it—but they can't keep your plane.
As for getting paid, again, a good contract will stipulate that the buyer pays for the pre-buy inspection. I suggest you take the extra step of contacting the shop owner and verifying that this is understood. I prefer email because then it's in writing. Selling an aircraft Rule one for sellers: Get a signature and deposit. The plane shouldn't go anywhere until there is a signed contract including a nonrefundable clause if the buyer doesn't perform , and a deposit in escrow. Rule two for sellers: Run your own title search.
If you have owned the plane a long time, it is possible that a lien had been placed on the title during the time you owned it. It may not be valid, but it's worth fifty bucks to find this out before you chase off a potential buyer. As a general rule, I don't allow pre-buy inspections on a plane I am selling to take place out of the country.
I have done it once and that was enough. In that case, I insisted that the entire amount of the sale price of the aircraft be placed in escrow before it left the United States. This is a common and accepted practice. Typically, I won't "demo" an aircraft unless I'm convinced that the buyer is serious about the aircraft. It just costs too much to run an airplane—and before I spend my money, I want to be sure the potential buyer is really ready to spend theirs.
Rule three for sellers: Send as much information electronically as possible. Here in the age of cell phone cameras, there is no reason not to digitize the logs and to be able to send quality, detailed photos of the plane to the buyer. The more information you provide up front, the less surprise there will be as the deal moves toward closing.
Rule four for sellers: Be candid about any and all issues. If there is a known problem with the aircraft, don't hide it. If you have a weak cylinder or a balky alternator, fix it first.
You're not going to get away with "good enough" at a pre-buy. Unless you are willing to discount the aircraft, it's likely going to be cheaper to fix it yourself than pay the shop that does the pre-buy and discovers the problem. Buying or selling an aircraft doesn't have to be stressful.
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