I'd add these observations to Glen's excellent post: even very good mechanics have their knowledge base and focus.
Like Glen, I've seen extra cost for a first annual with a new mechanic after one mechanic has done the work for a long period - even though the old mechanic was diligent. I've especially seen a lot of extra cost on the first annual with a real Coupe expert as he checks many things that are specific to Coupes and finds them out of tolerance. Examples: control column play, rigging, push-rod ice pick test, etc. It's not unusual for a Coupe (or other plane) to incur a $3k-$5k first annual when taken to a real Coupe expert. After that first painful annual, recurrent annuals tend to be in the $300-$500 range with just occasional annuals that may hit $1k for a special reason. No airplane is cheap to keep. Flying is a money intensive hobby. But it can be affordable for many of us if we choose to do so. Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com East Peoria, Illinois ed -at- edburkhead???.com (change -at- to @ and remove "???")
