I have been reading the mail here for some time and have really been biting my tongue. Some things too think about. Why even think of using automobile oil (which is different) to save a buck a quart when you put in only 4 quarts on an oil change and burn a quart every 5-6 hours? Using non standard hardware for the same reason when your life is on the line? Why is it every aircraft owner feels he should be able to do his own maintenance the local Chevy garage would laugh you out of the building if you asked to assist on major work for a reduction in labor cost. What would you tell your customers if they tryed the same thing with you no matter what your profession. Hey Doc I would like to assist with the heart transplant on my wife, just tell me what to do. Mechanics need to make a living too! Jim N87349 A&P -----Original Message----- From: jan zanutto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Saturday, February 05, 2000 5:53 PM Subject: [COUPERS] A&P IA fees
I have a few suggestions that may help allieve some of the cost of flying our airplanes. 1. familiarize yourself with FAR 43 appendix A. This tells you what you can do as an owner. Do your own wheels and brakes, minor wiring, change oil, interior work and painting, etc.... it's quite an extensive list and the owner can do it all and sign off his own logbook. 2. when you find something that the A & P has to fix, get a fixed estimate on parts and time- you and he enter into a contract. If he breaks something, he fixes it. You'd never let a car mechanic get away with that. This includes the annual too. Dont ever enter into an "open-ended" annual. Get a fixed price on the time, and dont let anything get fixed until you look at it first - not every minor thing has to be fixed at the annual. It's your airplane, tell him what you want fixed. 3. Most interesting point of all- since the Ercoupe is fairly old, the maintenance manual is very incomplete. This leaves you with following the general guidlines of AC 43.13- get a copy of it and study it yourself and know what is truly airworthy and what can go as is. Become an educated consumer. 4. Find an IA who knows the ercoupe so time isnt wasted trying to figure out what's what. Find one who will do "owner assisted" annuals and cut the cost by letting you do a lot of the prep work. Find an A&P who will supervise you while you perform your own maintenance, it's legal by FAR 65- the A&P can supervise maintenance and then sign off the work. 5. One bad apple doesnt spoil the whole bunch. I am more than willing to do an owner assisted annual and supervise maintenance- sometimes for nothing, sometimes for a tank of gas in my ercoupe, sometimes for pizza and rootbeer. There are a few of us out here who arent trying to rip the owners off. jan zanutto N87204 A&P IA Fresno Ca __________________________________________________________________________ __ ____ To unsubscribe from this list please send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________ Follow the U.S. presidential race on our Politics list! http://www.topica.com/lists/politics __________________________________________________________________________ ______ To unsubscribe from this list please send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________ Follow the U.S. presidential race on our Politics list! http://www.topica.com/lists/politics
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