In much the same way a potential buyer would bring the car they are thinking of buying to their mechanic, or one does a pre-purchase home inspection before going to contract, a pre-purchase inspection for an aircraft is the right thing to do. It could also spare the buyer a lot of money in repairs as well as the buyer’s life – would a car whose brake lines leaked or a house filled with termites be a good buy?
The purchase of an aircraft less that 12,500 pounds can be done on one’s own without a broker. This places the burden of conducting the inspection on the buyer. Following are the salient points to keep in mind. With the technical advances in airplanes it is likely that some of these planes have been in the air for 15+ years. They have had repairs, upkeep, updates as well as general maintenance done. The records of these things are vital. Always see a complete and sequential set of their log books starting from their date of purchase to the day of your conversation. The more airtime this plane has, the more log books to look through. This is the only way for the buyer to know and that the owner can certify that there is no history of known damage to the aircraft. It also helps to determine the planes’ market value.
Bringing the plane of one’s dreams to the mechanic or inspection facility of one’s choice is just as important as the log books in the process of buying this plane. It behooves the buyer to consider a facility or mechanic not associated with this plane. A fresh set of eyes is always a good thing. Of course, this only applies to used aircraft not still on a factory warranty. It is also advisable, if possible, to have a mechanic who specializes on your specific plane. They will have their own check list that probably exceeds a “normal” checklist and have greater familiarity with the craft than an overall mechanic might. The buyer can also check with the manufacturer themself to determine what tests are needed to have done and the results necessary to establish the viability of the craft, like the Annual and 100 hour inspections.
Like buying a car, a test flight with the mechanic of choice is recommended. Establish a route beforehand, check out all of the equipment while in the air to make sure that it works both accurately and the way it should. When back on the ground have the aircraft pressurized with a “huff” cart to to check for leaks, but only if the aircraft is a pressurized one. There is no need to settle for “surface” checks. One can and perhaps should test deeper. For instance, aside from a compression check of each cylinder, opt for an engine boroscope along with each cylinder. Go the distance and have both the engine oil and airframe hydraulic systems analyzed.
Other tests to have done include a Symmetry Check, a Heavy Landing Check, Lightning and Gauss Checks. There are checks specific each plane due to its composition that should be taken into consideration. Serial number verification, Airworthiness Directives, Service Bulletins and Letters, Supplemental Type Certificate changes and Major Component Total Time in Service records are absolute musts. Like a pre-purchase home inspection contingency, a similar contingency can be built into this purchase. These tests will determine if the craft is in airworthy condition. If not, it is okay to ask the seller to fix these things before selling or reduce the price, just like the negotiations of either a house or car purchase.
As always, the more knowledge the buyer has, the better off the buyer is. In the case of an airplane, however, all of the lives on board each and every flight will be safer too.
