Dream Aircraft or Nightmare.

brien23

brien23

Cleared for Takeoff
Joined
May 31, 2005
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Oak Harbor
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Display name:
Brien
It's hard to believe people buy a aircraft and have no idea of what they are getting into. How do you tell someone that bought his dream aircraft that he now owns a bottomless money pit. Broker made deal with seller took A&P to look at aircraft his note was they cut the air conditioner belt to free the compressor and everything was still their, after removing the cowling nothing was their compressor and mount gone. So it looks like they did not even look. The plane sat for 10 years no use and after that another 10 years of Annual sign off with nothing fixed or noted just annual sign off year after year. The Piper turn buckle AD was never done and was found with stripped out threads in one end of one of them, other AD no idea of if they were done or not. On the good side the data tag is still on the aircraft and engine.
 
FB comments are the prime example of people buying airplanes that have no idea what they are doing. Just laugh and don't fall into the trap out of desperation for an aircraft.
 
Kinda depends on the price and the buyers intent doesn't it?

If the buyer doesn't understand what as-is-where-is means and thought we was flying it home for many years of bliss, that's sad.

If they wanted a project plane and paid for one, good for them.
 
jbarrass said:
Kinda depends on the price and the buyers intent doesn't it?

If the buyer doesn't understand what as-is-where-is means and thought we was flying it home for many years of bliss, that's sad.

If they wanted a project plane and paid for one, good for them.
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The owner did get the plane $30K less than asking.
 
brien23 said:
It's hard to believe people buy a aircraft and have no idea of what they are getting into. How do you tell someone that bought his dream aircraft that he now owns a bottomless money pit. Broker made deal with seller took A&P to look at aircraft his note was they cut the air conditioner belt to free the compressor and everything was still their, after removing the cowling nothing was their compressor and mount gone. So it looks like they did not even look. The plane sat for 10 years no use and after that another 10 years of Annual sign off with nothing fixed or noted just annual sign off year after year. The Piper turn buckle AD was never done and was found with stripped out threads in one end of one of them, other AD no idea of if they were done or not. On the good side the data tag is still on the aircraft and engine.
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I've seen this personally many times, often by the owners that can find someone else cheaper. They ignore the listings our local FBO broker finds for them, decide to cheap out on the pre-buy, then are shocked the first time they have it annualled and are mad at the shop doing it. More often than not they go for the cheap airplane with a fresh paint job that looks really nice, just to find it is a corrosion nightmare, or the logbooks are a wreck.
 
Ok, I gotta know...what is this "dream aircraft"?
 
Been watching too much "Jimmy's World" on youtube?
 
"Jimmy's World" makes sense. In a manic, weird, bouncing off the walls sort of way.
With booze.
 
Easy to dream. You should dream. But it takes a lot of work to make reality.
 
Prebuy inspection, their is no standard it could be anything from a quick look under the hood, or a full 100hr inspection with everything on the Cessna or Piper checklist. Should you get a full Annual or 100hr inspection, might be money well spent and at least you get a checklist of things someone checked.
 
brien23 said:
Prebuy inspection, their is no standard it could be anything from a quick look under the hood, or a full 100hr inspection with everything on the Cessna or Piper checklist. Should you get a full Annual or 100hr inspection, might be money well spent and at least you get a checklist of things someone checked.
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New owner gets a 'great deal'!

First proper annual confirms that new owner did not get a good deal. At all.

Buy a plane itis can be fatal to your wallet.
 
FancyG said:
First proper annual confirms that new owner did not get a good deal. At all.
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^This. Unless the mechanic who will maintain/inspect the aircraft for the owner is involved in the review prior to purchase it will always be an unknown what they will find/accept at that 1st annual.
 
brien23 said:
his note was they cut the air conditioner belt to free the compressor and everything was still their, after removing the cowling nothing was their compressor and mount gone.
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If this actually reads that the A&P stated that things that aren’t there are there, the buyer may have some recourse on that one.
 
MauleSkinner said:
If this actually reads that the A&P stated that things that aren’t there are there, the buyer may have some recourse on that one.
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AOPA has a good line on buying a lemon, depending on the state of sale, probably not worth the cost of legal action, if you get anything over legal cost or anything at all.
 
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