Aviation Consumer and stone-age digital commerce

[IndyTim]

Edit on 2/14:   After I had posted this gripe about Aviation Consumer here, I sent a note to the editor, complaining about their antiquated ecommerce system - they sent back a nice note and set me up with a temporary user account, while my subscription processes through.  Nice folks.

==============================

I'm looking for a rebuild shop for my engine, and discovered there was a review of engine builders in a 2013 issue of Aviation Consumer.  I went online and subscribed to Aviation Consumer, and then burned 30 minutes and several phone calls to learn that I would not be able to get web access to Aviation Consumer for "about a week".  

Seriously?  Amazon can ship a diesel generator to my house in about a day, and a magazine cannot enable web access upon completion of the transaction?

I recommend eCommerce platforms for a living, and I suggested that Aviation Consumer might want to look into a new digital commerce platform, since they are light-years behind the curve. Very disappointing.

If anyone has info about the top 2 or 3 rebuilders for a Continental that they'd be willing to share, I would be very appreciative.

 

 

[Oldguy]

Overhaulbids.com is a site developed for just such a problem.

And the story behind it

http://generalaviationnews.com/2015/09/27/an-angies-list-for-engine-overhauls/

 

[FlyDave]

Tim,

Here's one from 2003 on AvWeb:

http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/185049-1.html

Dave

[GeorgePerry]

The answer to this one is easy.  Get a factory rebuilt/overhauled engine or go to Penn Yan Aero.  https://www.pennyanaero.com/.  Yea it'll cost a bit more to go with either the factory or Penn Yan Aero but it'll be well worth the extra investment.  

[kortopates]

Why are we talking new or rebuilt on a 150hr engine? That makes no sense. Suggest starting with the tear down inspection. You probably need very little and frankly that's all the insurance co will pay for. Betterment is on your nickel.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MB65E]

Poplar Grove or G&N have done nice work in the past.  Both less than a day's drive from Indy. 

[Hank]

Mine was last done by Signature near Cinci, not too far from Indy, either. But closer to where I used to live . . .

[WilliamR]

I like Zephyr

[IndyTim]

I should have been more clear in my original post - I am looking for a reputable rebuild shop, but tear down/inspection from prop strike is what's needed.  I currently have quotes from TCM, Poplar Grove, and Western Skyways.  I'm hopeful that we can get 252BH ferried down to Don Maxwell's for the work on the airframe.  I think he could also do the engine inspection, as a fourth option.

Thanks for all the info.

[Parker_Woodruff]

Tim, I would definitely get as much of the work as you can done at Maxwell's.  If not, G-Force is a good option at CAK.  You can likely get a ferry permit to GGG though.

[Shadrach]

1 hour ago, Parker_Woodruff said:

Tim, I would definitely get as much of the work as you can done at Maxwell's.  If not, G-Force is a good option at CAK.  You can likely get a ferry permit to GGG though.

I didn't think that maxwell did overhaul work. They'll R&R the engine, but I don't think they're in the business of splitting cases.

[Parker_Woodruff]

2 hours ago, Shadrach said:

I didn't think that maxwell did overhaul work. They'll R&R the engine, but I don't think they're in the business of splitting cases.

This is correct.

[Jerry 5TJ]

On February 11, 2016 at 3:57 PM, IndyTim said:

 

If anyone has info about the top 2 or 3 rebuilders for a Continental that they'd be willing to share, I would be very appreciative.

 

 

After surveying the field I elected to use Penn Yan for my IO-550 in 2015. They did an OH to factory new limits, ran it in their test cell and provided excellent documents. Theirs wasn't the cheapest bid. 

[Shadrach]

On February 16, 2016 at 2:47 PM, Jerry 5TJ said:

After surveying the field I elected to use Penn Yan for my IO-550 in 2015. They did an OH to factory new limits, ran it in their test cell and provided excellent documents. Theirs wasn't the cheapest bid. 

FWIW, Penn Yan has an honest to god test cell where they monitor all engine parameters during the test. Their test retiming is far and above what "The Factory" does. Penn Yan would have never released an engine like the one that Lycoming gave to Robert Gary.  While Robert's issue was easily solved, the new owner of a Factory built engine should not have to troubleshoot the factory's work.

I understand that people take great pride in their engines. While I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with a factory rebuilt/overhauled engine, I don't believe there's any substantive reason to believe they're any better than anything else, and there's certainly evidence that some of the smaller builders have better testing and QC.

Zero time Shmero time. An educated buyer should know that means a Frankenengine built out of a collection of serviceable parts of unknown time in service that have little more going for them than the fact that they were not rejected for being unserviceable.

[jetdriven]

Perhaps the best continental engine shop in the entire country is in Tulsa, powermasters.  It's highly reviewed on beechtalk.  Folks send factory overhauls there so they can redo the top end before installation. 

[Shadrach]

25 minutes ago, jetdriven said:

Folks send factory overhauls there so they can redo the top end before installation. 

That's just sad. It's also a waste. Why not just cut the factory out of the equation...?