Did you test fly your plane?

Did you test fly your plane before you bought it?

  • Yes

    Votes: 51 68.0%

  • No

    Votes: 24 32.0%
  • Total voters
    75
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I've owned three airplanes so far, a 152, a Beech Sierra and now a Bonanza. I didn't fly any of them prior to purchase, and the only plane I saw in person prior to purchase was the Sierra. I'm wondering how typical this is among owners.
 
Test flew the Tiger and test flew my Bonanza. I’d have bought without personally but I’d prefer at least somebody I trusted have flown it.
 
I had quite a few hours in the Cherokee 140 (most of my instrument training in it) but I still took a test flight with the 140 I later bought.
 
My buddy and 4400+ hour CFI test flew mine for me. I flew it as dual instruction on the 500-mile trip back after I bought it.
 
I found my plane via a Google search. It was on the seller's friends' website who was helping them sell the plane. I coordinated the whole deal contingent upon my visual inspection... but knowing it needed work and was tied down on the ramp for a couple of years. Good thing I did another buyer tried to increase the amount and get the seller to favor him instead of me. I very much appreciate the seller's integrity in honoring my deal (even though we were coasts apart, and the other buyer was on the same field) and I bought the plane after walking around it twice, but no flight.

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rode in it, left seat. transition training started after the deal was done.
 
Yep. Made sure the avionics worked, and there weren't any weird flight characteristics or rigging issues, and that the engine developed normal power. Everything was hunky-dory during the test flight, and a later pre-purchase inspection by my mechanic revealed excellent condition and no signs of poor maintenance or corrosion. Plus I knew that the mechanic who maintained the plane was a well known Grumman-savvy mechanic. Trust, but verify...
 
I bought mine sight unseen, I was student so had a ferry pilot and the test flight was half way across the country
 
I test flew my RV. I was having so much fun doing steep turns and **** I made myself puke. It was awesome!


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I did, I don’t think I wouldn’t buy a car without a test drive, why would I buy a plane without one.
 
My first and only plane purchase I had a buyer’s broker test fly it.
 
I bought mine as a student. Plane was in Texas, I was in Atlanta. Saw pictures, logbooks and had a pre-buy. Hired a ferry pilot to fly it from Dallas to Atlanta. I did see it in person before writing the check, but only because I had business in Dallas.
 
Owner wouldn't let me, or a suitable substitute fly it for a variety of excuses. I passed.
Two weeks later it failed inspection, majorly.
Dodged a bullet.
 
You better believe I flew it before I bought it.

by that time though we had already done the pre-buy and everything. The test flight was more a formality but it was going to be flown before any funds were transferred.
 
Well, I was under contract to buy it without test flying it. I test flew it before I forked the money over.
 
I've a little of both. The only airplane I was able to truly test fly was my 170. When I bought the Waco, I was more of a passenger for a demo flight (Airplane had dual controls, but no instruments in the forward cockpit).

The first time I saw my Baron, Beech 18 or T6 was after I owned them.
 
When I bought my AA-1A, not only did I test fly it, but the owner/seller/CFI threw in a free checkout and orientation before I flew it home. Nice. \

I still miss the little 2-seater. For a short while I had two planes at the airport to fly. Some days it was a tough choice: the new IFR-equipped 4-seater, or the fun little 2-seater?
 
I did with a CFI in the right seat since I hadn’t flown a Tiger before. Good thing too. Discovered an issue with the mechanical fuel pump and problem with the rigging, both of which were addressed before closing. It also gave me the opportunity to check out the autopilot, etc. all, of the flight instruments and things you just can’t check out easily on the ground. Well worth it.
 
Test flew 1 of 6. Prefer to do so, but with budget planes sometimes that is a known risk and spend money on mx up front.
 
Had a guy call us because he was buying a Hawker that was taken apart for a major inspection. He said, “I can’t buy a plane that’s in pieces!”

so they put it together, I went down and flew it for an hour, and they took it back apart. ;)
 
Did not fly my Decathlon before I bought it. Could easily have done so, but didn't feel the need. Was confident in my pre-buy inspection.
 
Helping a friend buy a Saratoga that I’ll fly for him. Found one 500 miles away that was listed with a broker, told him we’d be there Monday to check it out and fly it. Was told no test flights. Passed on that $300k
 
Test flight and a through pre purchase by someone familiar with that type of airframe. If not take the money and go to Vegas. Either way is a gamble.
 
PlasticCigar said:
If you’re familiar with that make/model and you get a good prebuy, not sure what the test flight adds.
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Good way to identify anomalies that need to be addressed, which could be included in the negotiations during the sale.
 
PlasticCigar said:
I didn’t test fly the last plane I bought. I did test fly another plane I was considering and the test flight was perfect then the plane horribly failed the prebuy.

If you’re familiar with that make/model and you get a good prebuy, not sure what the test flight adds.
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It can tell you how smooth the engine and prop run. It can tell you how well the engine cools in flight at various mixture and power settings. A inflight mag test with the engine leaned is vastly better at picking up ignition issues. You can verify the aircraft makes book speeds and how in rig the aircraft is. You can verify all instruments work correctly and all buttons and switches work. You can verify radio and VOR reception at different distances. You can test for C02. You can verify proper landing gear rigging and make sure the aircraft tracks properly and for training wheel aircraft make sure the nosewheel does not have excessive shimmy. You can check all modes of autopilot operation. The list goes on and on.
 
I didn’t. After hours-long conversations with the owner, mechanic, and pouring over logs, I felt confident enough. No issues.
 
PlasticCigar said:
That’s a great list, but I’m not sure why I would be better at identifying those issues than anyone else. I had my plane professionally ferried to a shop that specializes in this type of airplane, had a prebuy (which turned into an annual) done and both the ferry pilot and shop flew the plane and reported the results.

Not sure how flying halfway around the country and back would have added to my comfort level in purchasing the plane. First time I saw it was when the ferry pilot showed up and we pushed it into the hangar.
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You had your airplane test flown. The test flight does not need to be the purchaser and in many cases a professional is better.
 
The two 2-seat airplanes I've owned I flew with the seller before buying, the four single seaters, no.
 
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