Annual timing

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m100psi

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m100psi
Hi all,

I'm a first-time owner and scheduling my first annual. Is it common practice to schedule at the end of a month, so the aircraft returns to service the next month, and you get 13 months out of an annual, or am I misunderstanding the regs? If so, do shops get especially busy at the end/beginning of each month?

I'm bringing mine in for annual early anyway as there are problems to fix, just curious from regulatory standpoint.

Thanks,
Matt
 
You can do the 13-month annual, sure. It isn’t uncommon when you have a fall annual to do a few 13-month annuals to get it pushed back into the winter months, then keep it there.

My Arrow went in for annual last March and didn’t come out until August (surprise engine overhaul). So I am good until the end of next August.
 
All depends on what you want. I'm on my second plane. I work seasonally and I'll schedule an annual at the end of the month to flip it over to the next month until I get to a month where work is slow and I can assist my A&P/IA with the inspection.

Perfectly legal to flip it to the next month. If, for example, your last annual was Oct 13th, 2019, you're okay to fly until Oct 31, 2020. If I'm fixing to flip my annual to be due in November 2021, I'll fly it to my A&P/IA Oct 30th / 29th, depending on when they can get it in. It usually takes a few days to finish the inspection and address squawks.

I'll call them as early as possible, of course, to get on their books. I've never had a problem getting on their books.

One trick I learned - best to take compression readings after a flying it in. A ground run could work in a pinch, but I've found it best to work with my IA and pull the cowling as soon as I pull up so we can get a good compression check. My first annual, I ran into this problem. Took it in on the last day of the month, which was a Sunday. Pulled up the following morning and she said "okay, go fly so we can get a good compression reading" ... not quite possible since my annual expired yesterday! Ugh. Plus, you don't want to cut it too close - what happens if weather prevents you from flying in or you have to scrub the flight due to maintenance. Then you have to arrange for a ferry permit, etc. So, there can be gotchas.
 
Cool, thanks for the answers. I was thinking the same thing about weather delays. Is a ferry permit a big deal to get if that happens?

My current annual is in July, so I was thinking to push (very slowly) to January. Doesn't matter for this first one since I'll need to sell a kidney for it and will be recovering anyway.
 
m100psi said:
Is it common practice to schedule at the end of a month, so the aircraft returns to service the next month
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FYI: An annual inspection is considered a calendar inspection per the FAA and regardless which day you have the inspection signed off within a given month, it is not due until the last day of the same month, 12 months later. So yes, if you have the annual performed the last days of one month and sign off on the 1st of the next month then you gain that 13th month per se. As to moving your annual date to January, talk to your APIA this July about what you want to do. He might have some input on making that change easier for you.;)
 
I put mine in Jan, fits in my IA’s schedule good and it’s often days on end of nasty Wx in MI anyway. I’m less interested in 13 month annuals than having her down out of prime flying season
 
I try to plan mine so that its good weather for flopping around under the beast on my back as I don't have a climate controlled hangar. January brr July ugh.
Talk to your mechanic too about the oil. I hate hearing they drop the oil when it has 4 hours on it. Yes they need engine info, but I resist the idea that there is much to be learned by such oil.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I try to plan mine so that its good weather for flopping around under the beast on my back as I don't have a climate controlled hangar. January brr July ugh.
Talk to your mechanic too about the oil. I hate hearing they drop the oil when it has 4 hours on it. Yes they need engine info, but I resist the idea that there is much to be learned by such oil.
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there is nothing that says the oil has to be changed for annual. If you do you own oil changes, or have an A&P other than the IA doing it, make sure the IA is in the loop and gets a look at the screens and filter the time its changed before the annual. The IA can also just pull the screens and filter during the inspection to get a look and just add some oil after. There is no way im going to change someones oil with 5 hrs on it just because it is annual time as long as i have a look at the screens and filter on the last change.
 
My IA tries to do what you're saying because he thinks he's doing me a favor. I appreciate the thought, but I want the same month every year for both my planes - one in the Fall and one just before Spring hits. It makes it easy for me to remember and I do both of them when it's just cool enough that I'm not flying a lot but just warm enough that I don't mind working in my unheated hangars. I do owner assist annuals in my own hangars, but if I did them in a heated maintenance hangar I'd probably try to do them both in the dead of winter. I don't want them moving every year.

I just finished the annual on my J3 because I thought it was due in April. When I pulled out the logs I noticed that he'd signed it off for May 1 last year so I did it a month early. Mid to late April is when I want to start flying my Cub - I don't want it down in May.
 
I have 4 annuals stacked up waiting for the stay in place order to be lifted.

I'm simply not going out.
 
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Tom-D said:
I have 4 annuals stacked up waiting for the stay in place order to be lifted.

I'm simply not going out.
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Seems like a perfect time. Lock the hangar door for social distancing and work uninterrupted. When's the last time you were able to do an annual without someone looking over your shoulder or stopping in every 15 minutes to ask you questions which turn into 1/2 hour conversations?
 
Don't try to "over-think" it. There will be month-long delays just getting parts....................some unknown time in the future
 
Why the delay? I get orders all the time from suppliers. 'Spruce, for one, has a statement on their website that "as a supplier to the critical infrastructure segment of transportation as defined by the federal government, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. is considered an essential business." UPS is also an essential business. One man's perspective- I've had no problems getting needed parts in a timely manner.

(Edited for grammar)
 
Tom-D said:
I have 4 annuals stacked up waiting for the stay in place order to be lifted.

I'm simply not going out.
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given your recent health issues and the problems over in seattle, that sounds like a very wise choice tom. stay safe.
 
unsafervguy said:
given your recent health issues and the problems over in seattle, that sounds like a very wise choice tom. stay safe.
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The 50+ smoking is the worry, not the stroke, plus the old age. (25 years smoke free)
 
Living in Houston I try to get mine done in early spring before it gets to hot. I’m not always successful but that can move mine up a month or two or back to the 13 month cycle. Part of my decision on timing also depends on what I’m seeing during the oil changes every 25 hours.

I check compression, check the cylinders with a borescope, clean gap and rotate plugs, etc., at each oil change. If everything looks good at each oil change I may be more willing to go with the 13 month cycle. If I find issues that will require something significant, and I’m within 3 months of an annual, I’ll go ahead and do the annual while addressing the problem I found.

gary
 
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