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That was extremely helpful, thanks, Hung! I had not realized that time of each flight is crucial, more so that the total number of hours. I've also been focussed primarily on cylinder corrosion, I had neglected to consider the airframe.. While hangering is a good guard against corrosion, it'll be good to ask the A&P to check for airframe corrosion - especially after seeing the picture! Thanks again..

Hi Dave, if possible, can you send me Owen's contact info? I couldn't readily find his phone/ email during my searches.

Also, thanks much for your offer to ferry the plane over. I'll certainly keep that in mind as I proceed along.. Cheers!

Cylinder corrosion is bad (see the pictures) and it's typically found in engines that aren't flown very much.

By far your best defense is flying weekly, using cylinders with Nickel plating on the cylinder walls and using an engine dehydrator that keeps the RH down so the inside of the engine remains dry.


Air frame corrosion can be a game changer as well and sometimes it's on full display making it easy to see (see the pictures).

For a proper air frame corrosion inspection the air frame needs to be opened up so all the nooks and crannies can be visually seen with a flashlight and mirrors.

It's important that the person doing the inspection knows what to look for and where to look.

Once you find a clean air frame that's worthy of acquisition, fogging the inside of the air frame with Corrosion X will protect it for as long as you own it.


Don't be bashful if you have any questions. There are a lot of owners here with a ton of experiences (good and bad) so there's a wealth of information to draw from.

"Yeah, I was wondering about corrosion.. The plane has been hangered for the past 8+ years in AR, but it has been flown sparingly this past year (~11hrs or so). Is a corrosion check part of a standard annual? If not, I was debating asking for a borescope inspection during pre-buy. Any advice would be appreciated.. Thanks in advance!"

I purchased 63U, a 1976 M model, about ten years ago. She had been tied down on the ramp and only flown 5 hours in the previous 5 years (one hour each year at annual). Fortunately, she did not have any corrosion. However, I did have to replace almost all the rubber on her; tires, fuel line, rubber tip on gascolator, etc. And a new battery. And I replaced the control cables (might want to check that all the pulleys actually turn) and re-rigged her.

And flushed out the fuel system. Fuel goes bad over time. Especially if the plane sits outside and rainwater seeps into the tanks. Check the gas cap gaskets, especially if you plan on tying her down outside.

The first annual was, shall we say, interesting. Not flying regularly is tough on a plane. A lot of little stuff, but nothing major.

But with all of that, 63U has been a great airplane! I have flown her about 700 hours and loved them all (except the spin training. I'm with Poobs. Me no like spins).

I am not a mechanic, but the 150 is a great airplane and most things can be fixed. But airframe corrosion is a tough problem to overcome.

PS: I borescope my cylinders every time I clean my spark plugs (about once a year). So far so good.

Best of luck on your search. Sounds like you are going about it in the right way.

Thanks, Jim, the pictures are very educational! The plane currently has it's interior panels stripped out, so hopefully the pre-buy for corrosion will be easier. I've had a brief conversation with the A&P who did the annual and he mentions that there's "light" corrosion on the cabin roof... That's concerning... While a plane of this vintage may have some issues, I will ask for a thorough inspection inside the wings, fuselage, etc to know the extent of this potential issue.. Much appreciate the advice!

LOL. I expect my first annual to be quite interesting as well.

I'm glad you love your plane... I expect many interesting experiences to come along with the joys of ownership. I'm just glad I joined the forum ahead of buying - I'm much better prepared for ownership now :-) Cheers!