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I am looking to buy a 150 and was wondering if anyone had a pre-buy checklist that is specific to 150s. I will certainly have an A/P do an official pre-buy as part of the transaction, but wanted to be able to take a pretty close look myself before incurring the cost of an inspection. Any help would be appreciated. If you happen to have a list, you can email it to me at donaldhanna@gmail.com.

Thanks

Another Newbie to the forum! Congrats and good luck on your pre-buy inspection. There are lots of knowledgeable folks on here you can take advantage, I mean advice from!

Hi Donald and welcome to The Club!!

Where are you and the plane you are looking at located?

Welcome to the club, do you have any Hanna relatives in Georgia?

John

G'Day Donald,

Any metal aircraft's biggest enemy is corrosion & without going into too much detail there are a few common places where you can look for it on the 150 yourself but I'd recommend that you have a qualified person examine it.

The rear spar carry through which will necessitate removing the hood lining or plastic panelling depending on the model. Look for white powder on the roof panel where it contacts the spar & around the brackets that attach the carry through to the rear pillars.

The wing main spar has an extrusion which is prone to exfoliation corrosion & you'd need to remove all the inspection covers under the wing to have a good look at the spar with a strong light.

The nose skin & ribs, remove the landing light lens so that you can see down inside the skin with a mirror

Exfoliation of the gearbox mounts for the landing gear, remove the cover where the gear leg enters the fuselage & the bulkhead covers behind the seats so you can see the inner & outer mounts.

The list goes on but if these parts of the airframe look to be in good condition then get an A&P to look the rest of the aircraft over properly. It'll probably cost you a full days labour if done properly & he'll check for things that would also normally be inspected on an annual like worn cables, seized pulleys, whether all AD's have been complied with, leak down test, log books etc etc.

I don't consider this to be a definitive answer to your question but hopefully a possible starting point.

Regardz

DJ

There are 2 that I am looking at. One is near Youngstown, Ohio, the other is near Hersey, PA(this one is listed in club classifieds)

Don
330-953-1500

DJ,

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Don

I am also thinking about looking for a different plane and concerned about the pre-buy process.
Another source that you may like to consider is AOPA. They have quite a lot of info for the new buyer that you can download.
WIL
Stoughton, WI

Some things to consider for your checklist. Check the disks for the brakes and make sure they are airworthy. When I bought my 150,I did not check the thickness. I ended up installing two new disks. Another item,after starting the engine and doing a runup, pull the cabin heat on and see if the sound changes and check for an exhaust smell. On a warm day I did not check the cabin heat,as a result I had the pleasure of replacing both mufflers. One of the previous owners was an A&P/IA! Never assume an aircraft owned by that combination is squeaky clean. They often become quite "comfortable" with things that can go unnoticed by people who think the designations automatically guarantee the highest standards. I did not have this problem but a write up in a log book indicated part number so and so was replaced with new parts. The part numbers were for the left and right wing and that comprised the description of the work done with no further explanation! On some write ups,reference is made to the work description being on file at the shop with a minimal write up in the log book. Again,this may be a subterfuge. I may stand corrected on this,but is my understanding the work orders and description need only be kept on file for two years. Be careful out there and take your time.

If there ever was a statement that need an amen, that's one right there. No kidding, that's a fact.