Need Prebuy in the Indiana Area - Ovation

[NickG]

I'm about to go into contract on 1994 Ovation that is in Anderson, Indiana. I'm in Las Vegas and have zero resources that I'm familiar with in the Indiana area. I really want someone or a shop that is familiar with Mooneys. Does anyone have a recommendation? Thanks

[Brandt]

Since nobody has weighed in yet, I might be able to point you in a direction, but it’s not close.  There are no MSC’s in Indiana, but I have used Bohm Aviation in Pekin Illinois for some work and was happy.  The owner, Naomi Bohm worked for Byerly Aviation in Peoria which is an MSC.  But last time I checked, Byerly was sending a lot of their Mooney work to Bohm.

I don’t know about Ohio or Michigan options.

I know there are some Mooneys based at KUMP and KHFY, so we may get somebody to offer additional thoughts.

[KLK]

https://huf.com/aviation-services/williams-aviation-maintenance/
 

Chad does most all of my maintenance (Encore/Bravo). He maintains several Mooneys in the area. I would say he is knowledgeable and would trust him to do a pre buy/annual. He can travel to the aircraft if needed. 

[Fritz1]

Oasis in Wilmar MN is a solid MSC, about 2 flight hours away, they are associated with weep no more which resealed my tanks with good success

[natdm]

14 hours ago, Brandt said:

Since nobody has weighed in yet, I might be able to point you in a direction, but it’s not close.  There are no MSC’s in Indiana, but I have used Bohm Aviation in Pekin Illinois for some work and was happy.  The owner, Naomi Bohm worked for Byerly Aviation in Peoria which is an MSC.  But last time I checked, Byerly was sending a lot of their Mooney work to Bohm.

I don’t know about Ohio or Michigan options.

I know there are some Mooneys based at KUMP and KHFY, so we may get somebody to offer additional thoughts.

I'd go the other way with Bohm aviation. Unless they've learned a *lot*, there was a ton that they missed in my pre-purchase for an M20K and I'd specifically avoid them. Very nice people but once I got the plane in another shop, it was crazy how much wasn't working and wasn't caught in the pre-purchase turned annual. I know every mechanic is different but they didn't check some of the more basic things like low boost pump, trim, landing lights, etc. I don't think they did a gear swing either. The RPM's were low, merlyn temp differential gauge was busted, etc. There was a lot that I could have split with the previous owner. 

I'm sure there's a list of what to check and maybe they did the bare minimum 

[Brandt]

16 minutes ago, natdm said:

I'd go the other way with Bohm aviation. Unless they've learned a *lot*, there was a ton that they missed in my pre-purchase for an M20K and I'd specifically avoid them. Very nice people but once I got the plane in another shop, it was crazy how much wasn't working and wasn't caught in the pre-purchase turned annual. I know every mechanic is different but they didn't check some of the more basic things like low boost pump, trim, landing lights, etc. I don't think they did a gear swing either. The RPM's were low, merlyn temp differential gauge was busted, etc. There was a lot that I could have split with the previous owner. 

I'm sure there's a list of what to check and maybe they did the bare minimum 

Glad you shared. My experience was good, but appreciate multiple reports. 

[natdm]

3 minutes ago, Brandt said:

Glad you shared. My experience was good, but appreciate multiple reports. 

If I've learned anything, it's that one shop can dish out multiple different experiences for seemingly little reason. I think if I would have thought out my response more, I'd say that @NickG should do research on what entails a good pre-purchase for the plane, and send it to Bohm and get a report back with pictures. That way, they learn and he gets assurance.

I went at it with a "I'm sure everyone here knows everything and I'll just not ask too many questions". Lesson learned. 

I will repeat, though: Naomi Bohm was very very sweet, and gave no pushback on any questions I had, and her prices were reasonable. 

@NickG the other thing to consider is using Savvy for a pre-buy. They've got some MS'ers that even work for them, and they'll be pretty thorough. A swarm of IA's working for you and your pre-buy isn't terrible, and the amount they may find will easily recoup the cost.

[NickG]

15 hours ago, KLK said:

https://huf.com/aviation-services/williams-aviation-maintenance/
 

Chad does most all of my maintenance (Encore/Bravo). He maintains several Mooneys in the area. I would say he is knowledgeable and would trust him to do a pre buy/annual. He can travel to the aircraft if needed. 

Thanks! I called and left a message

[NickG]

38 minutes ago, natdm said:

If I've learned anything, it's that one shop can dish out multiple different experiences for seemingly little reason. I think if I would have thought out my response more, I'd say that @NickG should do research on what entails a good pre-purchase for the plane, and send it to Bohm and get a report back with pictures. That way, they learn and he gets assurance.

I went at it with a "I'm sure everyone here knows everything and I'll just not ask too many questions". Lesson learned. 

I will repeat, though: Naomi Bohm was very very sweet, and gave no pushback on any questions I had, and her prices were reasonable. 

@NickG the other thing to consider is using Savvy for a pre-buy. They've got some MS'ers that even work for them, and they'll be pretty thorough. A swarm of IA's working for you and your pre-buy isn't terrible, and the amount they may find will easily recoup the cost.

I have Savvy - they're reviewing the logbooks right now. If I can't find a prebuy person I'll unleash Savvy.....