Matt, et al.: I personally think that a good annual, the first time that the IA sees the airplane will cost more than $1500. There is no way to say how much, because, in over 40 years of owning many different airplanes, bringing any airplane up to my standards costs money. I assume that you have higher standards too.
And when you buy an airplane, don't do a "pre-buy" inspection. Do an annual before you part with the purchase price. I say this because a pre-buy has no defined scope and detail. It could be anything from a very thorough pre-flight inspection to almost an annual and anything in between. I always suggest to clients that the buyer pays a pre-determined amount for the inspection part of the annual, then the seller pays for any repairs, etc., found to be needed. If the seller won't fix it, walk away, and be glad you paid a few hundred bucks for the inspection part - a lot cheaper than buying a pig of an airplane. There are never any guarantees when buying an airplane, but at least this approach offers the buyer some protection from getting a budget buster. Jerry E. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 1:48 PM To: [email protected] Subject: SPAM-LOW: RE: [ercoupe-tech] What to look for in a good coupe?? Hi Matt, I guess I'll try to help with one of you questions: I'm geographically not so far from you and I might suggest that just for the inspection, $500.00 would be on the low side and $1,500.00 would be high. If the IA is looking at the plane for the first time, it may be more expensive than for subsequent inspections since they will be responsible for examining the aircraft and records for compliance with all the AD's, conformity with the type certificate, and airworthiness of the airframe and engine. For a 60 plus year old ship, this is not a trivial task. If you can find an IA that's not so spry, they may let you initially help with the grunt work of removing the floorboards and what not. This could develop into a situation where you may (if so inclined) do more under their supervision. For many owners of old aircraft, being a part of maintenance is not only gratifying, but I think helps make us safer pilots. Welcome to the forum. Cheers, Bill Matt said: what is the average cost of a annual for a coupe?
