Cap planes are all maintained by the government.
No. They're maintained just like any other standard certification aircraft under FAA rules, not the rules government uses for government aircraft.
Plus CAP isn't a government entity. It's a standalone charitable corporation with government funding and oversight.
Money for maintenance follows a rather convoluted path but *generically* the aircraft are purchased by the government and entrusted to the corporation which pays for the maintenance just like any other fleet would.
They're also self-insured and the money to fix those wrinkled firewalls and golf cart mishaps in that list of damage history, simply came our of their pocket and was done at whatever shop was capable of doing the repair wherever the airplane was at the time.
(And don't go by where the airplanes are located NOW as any indication of what shop worked on them THEN, since before they're sold, they're usually sent to whatever airports in a Wing/State that charges the least for tie-downs, since they're often parked for a considerable length of time as they're decommissioned, decals removed, any equipment that can't or shouldn't remain on board is removed (FM two way radio for example) and any weird STCs maybe reversed like audio panel weirdness -- or not)...
The 'standard' is just regular FAA standard. CAP doesn't do its own maintenance, the planes got to selected FBOs and repair stations.
Exactly. Around here if the aircraft isn't grounded they're required to fly it up to a shop across town that's under contract to do work at a specific price, but if it breaks away from that airport any mechanic can work on it.
Their airplanes have been in the shop right next to mine in the hangar before at the home airport, and they go to the shop next door to the guy we use across town, but essentially all the same mechanics and shops as any other GA aircraft uses on any given airport.
There's also been much controversy over the years when these certified shops came up, because the Crew Chiefs and others really hate having to fly the aircraft across town and convince someone else to chase them in a vehicle to pick them up and drive them back. Rural airports are worse.
Many Wings try to keep a budget for chasing airplanes with another to deal with the constant shuffling of them around to go to the certified shops, but most push back pretty hard on handing that out as free flying. Problem is, after a while, the folks who get stuck moving them around get tired of it.
