Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes Aircraft Inactivity

Sure -- check the plane out. I looked at a really beautiful, clean plane that had been inactive for about five years. The owner kept hoping one of his sons or one of his grandsons would take up flying.

I knew zip about engines and airplanes, so I hired both a mechanic and experienced pilot to look it over. They concluded that the engine was all right, but the brakes, some of the instruments would need rework. The total "incidental" work came to $5,000 which raised the actual cast of $13,500 to $18,500. Then, a title search showed a thirty year old lien against it. Time to walk away.

If a person is new to flying and doesn't know much about airplanes or engines, hiring a professional mechanic and experienced pilot to give advice is the way to go, I believe.

My 152 had just 6 hours in the previous 4 years, and 1 hour in the last year before I bought it ... I've now put 400 hours on it and have no indication that sitting around in a hanger caused it any heartache.

Terry

Well, I guess my problems were with the owner who ran it up on the ground once a month, rather than flying it. Or maybe it was just the 26 years from the prvious overhaul.

Who knows? All I know is that I have a newly overhauled engine that is nice and pretty and gold.

Life is a risk. I would at least consider a lowball offer. If the guy takes it you could have bought yourself a problem or have a sweet deal. Either way cherry 1977 150's are not at every airport. You could spend the next 5 years searching and not find something in your price range or nearby.

Jim

When I bought my Luscombe 8E it had .5 hrs in 6 years. I had two cylinder pulled and the internal was fine. Never had trouble with the engine since the past 125Hrs or so.

Then, in my quest for the perfect 150 or 152 I went trough the most perfect and clean looking plane I ever saw on any plane-for-sale-paper... add to this that the airplane was 15 min. from home !!! That beautifull 1980 C152 II had 762TT only. Had almost not flown between 1992 and 2007. The engine was 2.1 hrs SMOH in 2003... Paint was new, radio and instrument where all overhauled recently, the prop was 2.1 SPOH and the 762TT was exactly what I was looking for... Asking price: 62 000$

I decided that if the plane ould go away for 55K$ I would get an almost new 152 for less than the price of a homebuilt. I called the mechanics, and he boroscoped the engine....
Geeezzzz.... Rust everywhere ! Rust in all cylinder, on the cam, on the crankshaft... The engine had 2.1 SMOH and was good for... another overhaul...

I ran away from the plane imitating Forrest Gump... (LOL)

I'm pretty sure that airplane was discussed here and later bought by an eventual club member, Fred.