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"I ever see that guy again I'm going to take a 2x4 to his knees?"
Hmmmm....was he the mechanic who did the last annual? If so, then you have every right to go after him. If on the other hand he was just the pilot who owned the airplane and was told by his mechanic that "everything was great", then what? While all pilots should be involved in the maintance of their airplanes with their mechanics, not all have the time or wish to do so. So far I have had three different mechanics do my last three annuals, and every time they find something the others had missed. Nothing major so far, but minor issues in documentation or the way something was done. As I'm planning to sell my plane in the spring (I have 2 teenage boys that need to learn on a rudder airplane next summer), I hope the buyer understands that I am just the pilot and they should work with their mechanic to decide if its airworthy BEFORE they take it for a test ride.
This was what I did when I purchased the plane 3 years ago. As far as the "get rich" goes, I did not buy it knowing the price was going to go through the roof. But I will sell it for what ever the market will bear as I will need the money to buy a bigger plane. I believe thats how it works in America! My 2 cents worth..........
Chuck
N94191
A DeMarzo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----Gang;Let me first apologize to Ed for posting this to both the lists, I really beleive it's important enough to do so, and I'm not too sure everyone is a dual member.This was sent to me in response as I was conversing with a gent from the east coast regarding an Ercoupe. He wanted to know if I had a complete airplane for sale and I didn't. My usual warning about the condition of these aircraft went to him with an emphasis on the prebuy from a knowledgeable mechanic. If you've been reading my ramblings, it's no secret that I think most of them have been maintained like crap and people are getting away with selling $9000 airplanes for over $20K lately. If you're out there trying to do due diligence prior to a purchase, you had better buy with your head, not your heart. This guy was almost as lucky as the fellow who bought it. Don't let this happen to you!Al;I hear you about the 'get rich' guys. I looked extensively at an Ercoupe in my area last year. I test flew it (owner went up with me, stated that he had just overhauled the engine, and was _very_ careful about what we did), and after thinking about it a couple days called the guy and told him that if it passed inspection (from an A&P I chose) I would buy it. This was a basic precaution, added to the fact that the recent overhaul he noted wasn't in the logbooks....
He told me that someone else had just sent him a check for the full price ($24K) sight unseen. Couldn't compete with that, wished him well.
Two-three months later I saw the same plane for sale as a project for $10K (Ohio). Called the mechanic involved, who told me I was down to 5-6 lives - the plane had a cracked left spar, and the rear attachment bolt for the left wing had been _ground down_ on one side to fit through the hole in the distorted wing. Owner eventually spent another $15-25K rebuilding the plane. Mechanic was stunned that I had lived through the experience of test-flying it.
I ever see that guy again I'm going to take a 2x4 to his knees.
Still love the Ercoupe, would love to find a flyable example. Hard to locate, looks like I might be back to an experimental, if I can find a metal one that I can park outside - hangar space is really hard to find in the area.============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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