There is too much involved in this issue for me to attempt to completely convey the situation (I have mentioned probably 20% of the issues from the inspection), but to try to address a few things: 1) as far as I am aware, my mechanic can ground this aircraft since none of the recurring ADs have been addressed since the year 2000 (not to mention the fact that it does not have its airworthiness certificate or registration -- which the seller insists are in the aircraft). 2) when the same mechanic does an annual year after year after year and fails to address the same ADs time and time again, one needs a little bit of retraining here.
There are multiple checks and balances in my business. If I attempt a procedure on a patient and there is a bad outcome there are multiple levels of administration to review my actions and attempt to remedy the deficiencies in my skills. If this does not happen then there is the legal system, and finally the licensing boards.
Where are the checks and balances here? Who can one go to with a complaint about the quality of work done, aside from the FAA? This mechanic should not be working on aircraft if the condition of his work (rigging of controls, safety wiring, etc.) is this poor. At the very least, he should have some supervision and retraining to ensure his work meets the standard for such work.
If owners are not permitted to participate in the maintenance of their aircraft, how are they to live up to the standards for maintaining the aircraft in airworthy condition? On the other hand, I wholeheartedly support a mechanic refusing to do business with an owner who makes a boneheaded decision to pop-rivet a new panel onto the aircraft. I also completely understand the liability issues with a mechanic trusting an owner to assist with maintenance. Not every owner can be trusted to do this with reasonable prudence.
I know pilots have their fair share of stupid things they do. One airport around here has a few pilots who roll the plane inverted after taking off while still in the traffic pattern. If the only option to address repeated stupid decisions is to go to the FAA then I guess that is what must be done. All I ask is that people act with reasonable prudence in what they do. However, when people don't and it risks the lives of others then something must be done about the situation.
Believe me, I am not a proponent of more regulation from the government. I actually would prefer a lot less. However, until we can motivate people to do the right thing (like pay a little more for an annual so the ADs get fixed, or work a little harder and charge a little more to fix the ADs before affixing your signature to the logs) the government is bound to regulate more, and more, and more.
Are any of you scuba divers? Take a few minutes to look at recreational scuba as an industry. There is the same type of risk as in aviation -- you are in an environment where without the added equipment you will not survive long. However, there are no federal regulations of the industry aside from those dealing with pressurized cylinders of gas in general. Why? Because the industry does a pretty good job of policing itself. If I mixed tanks of enriched air for my students with the same lack of effort as the mechanic who maintained this aircraft, at a minimum PADI would require me to attend further instructor development training before continuing to teach.
I thank you for the education I am receiving about fixed-wing aircraft here. I still have a lot more to learn. One question I would like answered is this: if the vref value of an aircraft is $16,250 does that mean the amount I should pay for an aircraft that is barely airworthy? How much should I add for one maintained by an owner who *cares* about the aircraft?
I do not expect to find a perfect 150 or 152. I will most likely not look for one again for 6-12 months until I can save enough to purchase one that gets the green light from my mechanic, and it seems that I need to budget a lot more than I thought I needed. Paint, interior, and avionics do not impress me. I just want one that underneath the paint and cowlings shows me that somebody cares about that aircraft.
Rudy