Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes Need a Mechanic for prebuy in NW Texas

Hello everyone,

I am in the process of purchasing a 152 near Plainview Texas. I, however, live in California. Is there anyone in the area that could suggest a mechanic to help with a thorough prebuy/annual?

Thanks!

Tobin Greensweig
707.322.5356 mobile
tobin@greensweig.net

Tobin-

Is this 152 a taildragger?

I'm thinking about a 150. Does anyone have a checklist for what to check when buying one or do you just hire a prebuy mechanic?

My 2 bits worth would be,,

Hire a good reputable mechanic,, and then get real friendly with an owner that understands his 150. I would then take both for my pre-purchase inspection. Looking to close before purchasing doesn't exist,, but you do need to understand that under the best of conditions these little planes are on the average about 35 yrs old, they do have small things that on the surface may turn someone away but with someone in tow that will say or advise what the big ticket items are versus cosmetics would help, There are several on this forum that are very knowledgeable and may volunteer to help,,

And here is my 2 bits worth (learned the hard way)

Just because the advertisement says that the AD-s are up to date don’t trust them. And don’t forget about Service Bulletins.
Plan on spending several hours going though the logbooks.

Get a list of the AD-s and SB-s for the plane you are looking at and check them off as you go though the logbook.

Although Service Bulletins are not mandatory, I would treat them as such, because they can be big-ticket items if they turn into an AD. And most are just the right thing to do, not just a CYA by the manufacture.

Things to look for in the logs
- Missing or incomplete logs, BIG RED FLAG
- Were annuals or 100-hour inspection done on time and not skipped. And what problems if any, were fixed.
- Calculate the numbers of hours flown each year. If they say it’s never been a trainer but it was getting over 200 hrs a year that could be a red flag.
- And on the other side, has the plane had years with little or no hours. This could be neglect.
- Engines also have a limit (not in stone) of years between overhauls something like 11 years, not just hours. (Engine could have been sitting on a shelf for many years before it was installed, not good for seals)

The goal is to get a good feel for how the plane was maintained, not just if every thing is legal.

Disclaimer- the above statement are only my opinions, you should use your own judgment as to whether to buy or not.

I flew my plane 275 hours the first year I had her. I'm thinking a red flag should go up on the order of 500 or more. There are simply too many pilots who fly their airplane often, particularly 150s.

And the 'official' TBO, calendar-wise is 12 years. My engine has just passed 10 years. Continuous operation overrides the 12 year suggestion in my book!

Everything else is spot on.

While compliance with Service Bulletins is a plus, I certainly wouldn't base a decision to buy or not buy based on them. Frankly, if I were selling my 150 and someone lowballed an offer with the justification "you haven't complied with service bulletins," I'd tell him where to stick his offer. IMHO many, many, service bulletins are CYA by the manufacturer and never become ADs.

I would buy a plane that is flown regular, as the engine and electronics will will be used and they like that. The statement all AD C/W? I haven't found that true yet,usually one or two slip through the cracks.
Base your offer on if the logs are complete or not, and condition of the plane. Mine had logs from day one and a few details I new about that were missing (ground loop in 1960-61 time period), so the price ws bartered to the effect.
Do a search on the NTSB web site also and if there was any accidents, make sure the logs reflect this.

I will not be in Arizona until the beginning of August or I would offer to look for you, or pick yo up and we all look.

Tell me about it, my cigar lighter and glove box were never modified it seems!

Cigar lighter never modified......
Hmmmmm sounds like Gremlin has one more still in her.......