How long should an annual take?

[NJMac]

Ive never owned a plane before so I dont know what ti expect.   Mechanic is also concurrently doing the post buy inspection since we didnt do a prebuy.  Its been over 2 weeks and I havnt heard anything.  Ive restrained from calling or texting since i dont want to be "that guy".  But its to the point where im thinking of buying a 2nd plane just to fly while the other is in for maintenance and vice-versa. 

[ArtVandelay]

The inspection should be completed in about 5 days, but squawks can extend it for weeks. I would call...

[clh]

  "Its been over 2 weeks and I havnt heard anything.  Ive restrained from calling or texting since i dont want to be "that guy"."

I would be on the phone with him at least every couple of days.   Just finished my annual. It took 6 days including no work on Sunday. The quickest annual I have experienced was 3 days. (had a few surprises after it was "Complete")  The longest was 4 weeks.  (Changed out an engine)

If you do not know what they are working on, you need to be talking with them.  Otherwise, I suspect it is collecting dust or sitting outside waiting for them to get back to it.

 

You need to be actively participating in any annual.  It is the best way to really understand your aircraft.

 

[gsengle]

3-5 days (excluding fixing stuff - which requires your green light anyway). At no longer than 5 days if want to know what’s going on what’s been found so far. Two weeks is fishy to me... I’d just walk into the shop... any good shop shouldn’t mind you being curious and following closely.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[N201MKTurbo]

Working nights and weekends, it usually takes me two weeks.

[N201MKTurbo]

During an annual there are a lot of decisions about what to fix and what to defer. Without your input the mechanic is left to make all the decisions. They may not be made strictly for your benefit. You should be involved in those decisions.

[Yetti]

A week.   There is work time and there is wait time.   The professional gets there after me and leaves before I do.   He probably just thinks I am slow and needs the extra time to catch up with him.   I am always sore after that week.

[markejackson02]

Assuming there are no show-stoppers, it should take a week.  If it's been two weeks, I would definitely be on the phone.

 

[Mooneymite]

If it's the first time a shop has seen your aircraft, count on some extra time for a "background check". 

A shop that knows your plane, sees it every year can go right to the checklist. 

[rbridges]

Cole told me to give him 2 weeks for a first annual.  A squawk extended things to 4 weeks. I emailed a few times after 10-14 days just to get an idea of how things were going. I even used the same phrase about not wanting to be "that guy."  He told me I wasn't even close compared to some people. 

[BradB]

Be that guy on the phone.

It is your butt that is sitting in the plane when they are done with it.  I like a call, email, or text every day or two just to see what they’ve found.  Silence makes me worry and come up with worst case scenerio’s in my head.

 

Brad

 

[NJMac]

Thanks all for your feedback.  Ill be up at the field tomorrow for an instrument lesson.  Ill poke into his shop afterwards.  I was up there last Saturday to see it for the first time.  Really made me happy!  He had gone over the engine at that point.  Hopefully when i see him tomorrow all the squawks will be found and we can start an action plan.

Hate to disappoint all the owner assisted fans.   Ill turn a wrench for work on occasion if need be, but i just dont have the time or desire to do it off the clock.  I started and help lead one multi million dollar company and am launching another.  Work and our crazy goals (inc 5000 list) keeps me preoccupied to the point where i wouldn't have time to assist. 

Edit - after reading some comments again, i wonder if background is important.  Our field is in the middle of no where and is super relaxed.  Knowing this guy from the terminal, my guess is this guy works at his own sweet pace and couldnt be hurried if i wanted to.  I was just looking for ballparks from other shops or experiences. 

Edited October 29, 2017 by NJMac

[Guest]

It also could be like my shop where we have 7 plus planes in the shop under going annual inspections and other maintenance along with the other couple of plane a day that stop in for some " quick" job like an oil change that morphs into left and right tires, brakes and a nose wheel balancing.  

You are likely not being ignored, if your maintainer is good at his job, he's likely really busy, and calling, texting etc keeps him from doing repairs on someone's airplane.

Remember too, that some one pays financially and with lower quality for every interruption.

Clarence

[rbridges]

Owner assist isn't for everyone, so no need to apologize.  I've worked on my plane with my IA on occasion and inspected some things myself, but like you, I don't have time to work with people during annuals. 

[Sean S]

I am into my annual for 6 weeks. I am doing it myself and I have a full time job working nights, teenage kids and family time too! I am no rush as it is a toy for me. I should be back in the air in 3 weeks or so providing I can get back out to the airport when I plan to.

[carusoam]

3-5 days... 5 if I am helping...

Scheduled way in advance so I could be off from work while it is going on.

You are interested in your plane, it shouldn't be a problem to stop and look at everything while it is opened up.

Call to see if you can fit in their schedule before they close it up.  There are so many decisions an owner can make on the spot.  These are things that are not AW related but you may want to have done this time.  Or know about to decide on for the next time...

Stay interested....

It’s not like auto mechanic projects where you drop off and pick up on a schedule...

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic...

Best regards,

-a-

[bradp]

You seem like a goal oriented guy.  An ideal aircraft ownership is not turn key.  Developing an understanding of the systems and problems you will encounter will help you enjoy owning your aircraft more and maybe save your butt one day.  

Plan to make a goal of leaning more about your plane, how to keep it working, and what to do when it doesn’t work.   One of the best ways to do this is owner assisted maintenance- if not turning wrenches at least make a point to be involved in the process.  This means treating ownership with a “professional” attitude and actions.  Get in there and ask to see what the mechanic is talking about when he discovers a discrepancy.  Proactively call on the phone.  Develop a respectful working relationship with your mechanic. Ask how the systems work.  And yes- if you can manage - get your hands dirty.  Owning an aircraft is a joy, a privilege, but also a responsibility that demands some sacrifices.  

Most for me was 2 weeks when having an engine monitor installed.  Fastest for me was three days - as an owner assist.  One for opening up (me) another for inspection (IA with me tasked with things), one for close and test run / flight (me).  

[Cruiser]

Maintenance shops are notorious for not using the phone. You need to set the flow of communications.  

[RobertGary1]

You should be very very afraid. You don’t have the same legal protections in Aviation you do in cars. This mechanic could be refurbing the interior, etc and you get a 5 figure bill. 20 years ago I learned that lesson the hard way. You have to watch them very carefully.  

-Robert

[steingar]

I kinda said the same thing, but started doing wonder assist annuals a few years back.  I learned several things.  First, I learned that airplanes are mostly way simpler than cars or bikes.  Makes, sense, they're mostly antiques.  Second, I learned that annuals are way cheaper if you do simple things like take off coverings and inspection panels.  Its really easy stuff to pay someone to do.  Third, I learned a metric crapload about my aircraft and how it worked.

Fourth, I had it pounded into my head what a ham-handed mechanic I truly am.  No news flash there.  Still, best way to improve is practice.

[Yetti]

I do it for the reason of:  There will be times when I am flying along and something will go not as planned.   Have a great working knowledge of all the systems on the plane will allow for a quicker time to resolution of my available options.   I am recording my hours in the thought that someday I could go get my A of the A&P...

 

[orionflt]

average annual time for the older Mooney's is around 32 man hours, the actual inspection is relatively quick, opening and closing the panels takes about half that total time.

Brian

[RobertGary1]

27 minutes ago, orionflt said:

average annual time for the older Mooney's is around 32 man hours, the actual inspection is relatively quick, opening and closing the panels takes about half that total time.

Brian

Agreed alone with the lubing. All things that can be done by the owner.

-Robert

[triple8s]

Anytime a plane is "new" to a mechanic it will take a lil longer and cost a lil more. A mechanic has a plane for the first time he will always look harder for things amiss and of course he finds things. Once he has seen it before he is more familiar with how all the components are working with each other. Next annual time wont take as long or cost as much unless the plane is doing something its not supposed to be doing. An airplane seems to be a critter of systems that may or may not be playing well with each other. So much vibration and the components are not made any more robust than absolutely necessary because weight created from something being over built hurts performance. You may have chaffing of control cables, engine baffling or a myriad of other things going on and these need attention. May not be a huge costly repair but just an adjustment here or a tightening up there until the mechanic meets your airplane, learns it and its wear patterns he may or may not be comfortable signing it off until its perfect. No airplane is perfect and until he goes over it, sees it next year and and goes over it again and learns it and its wear patterns it will take more time and more money to go through an annual inspection process. Change mechanics and it all starts over again, just ask someone who has a plane that gets its annual done by the same mechanic for several years then takes it to a new mechanic and see if it isnt more expense than the previous year. Does this mean that the annuals werent done properly? Not necessarily, lots of times a plane will have something that the mechanic who's done the annual many times may have something that he has been watching and a new mechanic would possibly just replace and not watch to see if it is wearing abnormally.  1st time? more time/more money. 

[RobertGary1]

I always do owner assist because I've had some frightening experiences from mechanics who aren't invested in my butt. So now I do all the wrenching under supervision. 

 

-Robert