By the way, would you care to share the what and where on this bird? Might save someone else the trouble!
The aircraft is N8884S, currently located at Flying W (for inspection) but based at Cross Keys Airport. I presume it will make the trip back there, but only legally if it has a ferry permit. The good news is it's not heavily modified (no significant damage history, minimal 337s filed, a lot of factory-original parts). It's a major "fixer-upper." I would love to say we had the resources to sink into fixing things (and everything seems to be remediable if you "throw a bucket of money at it" as my father-in-law says -- except a crack at the firewall that would be a challenge to fix without creating a whole new set of problems).
If anyone would like information about the owner or more information regarding the pre-buy (not a complete inspection because they stopped after finding so many problems) I can send it by e-mail once I receive the report.
I am at the point now when I almost feel bad for the aircraft and the seller. I feel bad for the aircraft because it has been so abused over the years when it is a lower-time airframe (or maybe two airframes thrown together with the rear data plate issue found, and even lower-time when you look at the reading on the nonfunctional Hobbs). I feel bad for the seller because if he is honorable in disclosing the aircraft's faults he will need to admit that the "equity" he wants to get back out of the aircraft does not in fact exist unless he sells it for parts. It just seems like a cruel ending to the story of an aircraft that, unlike many, was never abused as a trainer in its youth only to suffer terribly from neglect in its older years, and maybe to become an "organ donor" due to no fault of its own.
Rudy
