Buying logbooks without a plane

EdFred

EdFred

Taxi to Parking
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White Chocolate
What should I look out for? Is it a better value to have all handwritten entries, or stickers with just a signature put in the logbook? Is more logbook pages used better, or are more efficient use of pages more valuable? Should ADs have their own logbook, or should they be included in the airframe/engine logs?

Whats a good purchase price for 10, 20, 30, 50, 60 years worth of complete logbooks?
 
really depends what your intentions will BE with these logbooks once they're yours...
 
Based on the other threads floating around, I believe they're worth about $30k, so anything in that ballpark should be about right, adjusted for how many years the logbook includes, whether it includes the original entries, etc.
 
First you have to let us know what your typical mission for your logbook will be.

C.
 
camorton said:
First you have to let us know what your typical mission for your logbook will be.

C.
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Construction flights between Mexico/Bahamas and Canada, with tail numbers changing in flight.
 
How can you be sure that there isn't a backup copy somewhere? The value goes WAY down if the previous owner had photographed the pages and stored them online somewhere.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
How can you be sure that there isn't a backup copy somewhere? The value goes WAY down if the previous owner had photographed the pages and stored them online somewhere.
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I wasn't sure. I thought it might be kinda like "rare first editions", where the original's value doesn't decrease, even when there are other copies.
 
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Have they been written regularly or are they a barn find being sold by a widow who has no idea what they are worth?
 
The greater number of pencil whipped, bogus entries the better. I’d say they could go for several thousand to the right sucker!
 
RyanB said:
The greater number of pencil whipped, bogus entries the better. I’d say they could go for several thousand to the right sucker!
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Ryan is just trying to sell his own logbooks. I was going to say make sure that they aren’t pencil whipped logs. Oh, and make sure you get a data tag with them, or at least a blank.
 
EdFred said:
Should ADs have their own logbook, or should they be included in the airframe/engine logs?
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I think the logbooks should have their own AD's. Every 100 hrs check for corrosion around the bindings, etc.
You just never know...
 
EdFred said:
Whats a good purchase price for 10, 20, 30, 50, 60 years worth of complete logbooks?
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I got a complete set of signed original logbooks along with a data plate. Do I hear $60,000?
 
Damn, I was actually thinking of posting a thread like this earlier today and decided against it!
 
The best logbooks (think $$$) are those filled out while pointing north up…
 
Complete set 1965 Cezzna 172F logs for sale.

Airframe log - 10,293 hours. Engine log - 1,200 STOH (2,453 SMOH)... Logs show paint 7/10, interior 6/10. No damage history in logs. Logs show installation of ADF, single nav/com, ADSB (Tailbeacon).

$140,000 firm. I know what I got. No lowballs, no tire kickers. Serious inquiries only.
 
Don’t forget to have a competent IA perform a proper pre-purchase. Especially with today’s prices, it seems like anyone with an old set of logbooks will throw them on Trade-a-Log just to unload them.

As an aside, is there a way to know if they were owned by a flight school?
 
Don't fall for it! A guy on POA flew all the way up to Albany to look at logbooks and had a terrible time. The rental car broke down, the food was terrible, some 80 year old crazy lady flashed him each time he crossed over a bridge, and the logbooks were all written left-handed, completely useless.
 
Make sure you get a prebuy done by someone that's familiar with the type. Hard to tell if there's inter-page corrosion if you don't know what you're looking at. Also make sure you get a compression check with the prebuy. If there's no compression it probably hasn't been used much.
 
Depending on definitions...

61+9Hwb+ElL._SL1000_.jpg
 
Be careful, some are involved in an S&M thing that involves "Pencil Whipping". Those go for a serious discount.
 
Deelee said:
Good question.

Also forgot to mention, logs times will change as the pages are flipped frequently.
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Were you my instructor?

“Any questions?”
“Yes, <states question>.”
“Good question. Moving on…”
:D
 
Logs never been on a flight school bookshelf.
Logbook spine AD complied with and no corrosion found.
Will include annual log check with purchase of logs.
Will ferry logs to your location for an additional fee.
 
Can you add an MOA approved Sonic Boom Deflector to the logs for me?
 
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