First Annual after Purchase...

[Lowbid]

I brought my plane to a MSC and did expect a list of squawks, but wow, how could the previous AP and my pre-buy have missed so much!! I tried to find the best AP for my pre-buy near the location of the plane where purchased, but for those pilots looking to purchase a Mooney; FLY IT TO A MSC! Suck up the cost and time and get it to a MSC. As many have said in Mooneyspace time and time again, it is the best investment you'll make.

[co2bruce]

First anual should be the cheepest ever, after a good pre buy. Buy you are right always get a prebuy at an Mooney service center, the one that's going to do your service is best. Then you have some recourse.

[Mike A]

It really comes down to the involvement of the aircraft owner and the quality of the mechanics the shop uses. I took my 231 to a MSC for its prebuy, during which they gave me a list of minor squawks and fixed the "big ticket" items, but after taking it home and to a local shop (which is not a MSC) for some followup work, they found massive issues that the MSC missed (and some even caused by them). Just because they have MSC next to their name does not make them the end all be all in terms of maintenance. Find someone you trust and go with them. This was the first prepurchase that I have gone through where I was not able to be present 100% of the time, and I will never make that mistake again. I would rather go to a mechanic that I have known and trusted for years who may not be as well versed in Mooneys than go to a shop out of the blue (especially not near your home) that probably doesn't care about you, just your money.

[BigTex]

There are MSC's and there are MSC's.  You can count on one hand and have fingers left over that are true Mooney Guru's.  For a pre-buy, these few shops can save you literally thousands on post purchase issues.

 

I took my plane to Don Maxwell for a pre-buy, the squawklist from Don was 50 squawk... many were airworthy issues.  The purchase agreement required the seller to pay for any airworthy squawks so in my case was around $4,000 worth of work.  Even then I spend several AMU's pulling other grimlin's out of the plane the first year.  I just got my plane back from Don from it's annual where it recieved a clean bill of health.  I only and a couple minor items fixed.

 

I think the key is to also fix any squawk as they come up and don't wait until the annual rolls around. 

[1964-M20E]

You did not say if it was owner assisted or not.  What was the list of airworthy items they found?

Each mechanic has there pet peeves and the items they gloss over.  One mechanic's gloss over is another's airworthy issue.

 

Keep in mind the purpose of an annual inspection is to inspect not to fix.  It is something like a pre buy.  You can have the items fixed by another shop.  Sometimes depending on what was disassembled for inspection it makes sense to have the same shop fix it.  Also remember even if you use a shop that will not let you do owner assisted annuals you can still open the plane up clean and lubricate all the controls, repack you wheel bearings, and change your oil before the annual inspection and let them know you just did all of that and they do not need to do it and maybe negotiate a lower price.  This approach may mean more work overall if the shop is not on hte same filed as wher you keep your plane.

 

The items found should be classified into 4 groups.

 

1. Airworthy issues that need to be fixed before the next flight.  These are safely of flight issues that may fail at anytime.

2. Airworthy issues that should be fixed in the next year before the next annual.  These are issues that if left too long will develop into safety of flight issues or cause other components to fail.

3. General issues that you should start thinking about to fix.  These are items that should e fixed but do not represent a safety flight issue and or they will not cause other components to fail.

4. Wish list items that with unlimited time and money you would have fixed.

 

First annuals with a plane usually are the worst for several reasons

 

1. you are learning the plane

2. the IA is learning the plane

3. the first look at the log books take time to ensure all AD have been complied with

 

It is ultimately your plane and the shop cannot hold you hostage and force you to fix something.  You my need a ferry permit to get it somewhere to get fixed but you can tell them to put it back together the way they found it and give the plane back to you and you pay them for the work they did.

[Cruiser]

the key to a pre-purchase is understanding what the mechanic is going to provide for the service. Some follow a standard inspection format and only report the items on the list.

 

If you had work done during the annual that you think should have been identified in the pre-buy does it match what the pre-buy mechanic said he would do?

 

Give us some details........

[HRM]

I did not have a pre-buy done on my E (gasp!) and here is why:

 

1) It had been annual'ed at one of the premier MSC's in the country for the ten years prior to my purchase.

 

2) The PO was an engineer, like myself.

 

3) The PO lives about an hours drive from me and I know where his house is.

 

4) The PO sold the plane because he had to, not because he wanted to.

 

5) Every so often I call the PO up and ask if he wants to go flying and I get an emphatic YES. I doubt he would fly in her if he had doubts about her in any way.

 

6) I spoke with the master Mooney A&P/IA who had signed off on her for those ten years and he confirmed she was "a good plane".

 

My first two annuals had no squawks at all. The third had a couple of minor ones. I am a happy camper. 

 

There is no easy formula for buying a plane. All this "you need to do this and you need to do that" is largely nonsense. You need to fly the plane. You need to get a Zen thing going with it. You need to talk to those who know it. If anything is amiss, walk away. On second thought, run.

[BigTex]

HRM, You may be the exception rather than the rule. I flew mine and had that zen thing going the plane flew great but not being in Mooney's I had no comparison. The owner did owner assisted annuals and got accustomed to the way the plane flew so all seemed fine to him. I had Don Maxwell do the pre-buy. He taxied the plane out and he said it road like a tank and he was exhausted before taking off! That taxi ride alone saved me $3,000! So a quality pre-buy will pay for itself 90% of the time.

[HRM]

HRM,

You may be the exception rather than the rule. I flew mine and had that zen thing going the plane flew great but not being in Mooney's I had no comparison.

The owner did owner assisted annuals and got accustomed to the way the plane flew so all seemed fine to him. I had Don Maxwell do the pre-buy. He taxied the plane out and he said it road like a tank and he was exhausted before taking off! That taxi ride alone saved me $3,000!

So a quality pre-buy will pay for itself 90% of the time.

I was a special case with the luck of getting a special Mooney. Guess who the "Master Mooney A&P/IA" was ;-)

[Hank]

You got Jerry's plane!!