Looking at a plane in Florida

Morgan3820

Morgan3820

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El Conquistador
Found a PA 28R-200 in Florida, and of course corrosion is a concern. So the question is, is an effective corrosion inspection possible during a prebuy? I am talking about the hidden stuff like the steel wing attachment plates, wing spar under the luggage area and behind the fuel tank. No one myself included would allow pulling the fuel tanks for inspection. It looks like, from the pictures on the SB that to get at the wing attachment, the flap has to come off, but who would do that on a prebuy? Also isn't there another area of concern at the stabulator bearing mount?
 
Morgan3820 said:
Found a PA 28R-200 in Florida, and of course corrosion is a concern. So the question is, is an effective corrosion inspection possible during a prebuy? I am talking about the hidden stuff like the steel wing attachment plates, wing spar under the luggage area and behind the fuel tank. No one myself included would allow pulling the fuel tanks for inspection. It looks like, from the pictures on the SB that to get at the wing attachment, the flap has to come off, but who would do that on a prebuy? Also isn't there another area of concern at the stabulator bearing mount?
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Best to simply to move on..
 
What part of Florida?
Do the logbooks mention any corrosion repair or treatment?
Repairs could indicate a potential problem, but treatments could indicate good maintenance.

Personally, I think the corrosion issue is overblown. Yes, I have seen a few planes that were junk because of corrosion, but they were usually junky looking all over and reflected poor maintenance.

I would have no concern selling my Florida based plane to loved ones, but then I know my plane pretty well.
 
Tom-D said:
Best to simply to move on..
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All the planes in Florida are about to fall out of the sky from corrosion. Best to look on the coast of The Carolinas, or maybe Texas. They are immune.
 
Why don't you buy something more exciting ? PA-28, that's like the Ford Taurus of the skies, gaurunteed you're gonna outgrow it by your second X/C.
 
Art VanDelay said:
Why don't you buy something more exciting ? PA-28, that's like the Ford Taurus of the skies, gaurunteed you're gonna outgrow it by your second X/C.
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Some of us like Tauruses. Or as I call mine, the Honda Civic of airplanes.
 
I was told this..." you can take a plane from Florida, but you cant take Florida from a plane".
 
Art VanDelay said:
Why don't you buy something more exciting ? PA-28, that's like the Ford Taurus of the skies, gaurunteed you're gonna outgrow it by your second X/C.
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I certainly agree, I am open to suggestions. But first, I am 6'3" 250 lbs.., so no Mooney. Can't afford a Bonanza. Thought of a C-182 but nice ones are few and beyond my means and not any more exciting than the Arrow IMO.

???
 
I seriously considered a Luscombe in southern FL at one time... but the thought of corrosion scared me off. It had been stored outside.
 
Morgan3820 said:
I certainly agree, I am open to suggestions. But first, I am 6'3" 250 lbs.., so no Mooney. Can't afford a Bonanza. Thought of a C-182 but nice ones are few and beyond my means and not any more exciting than the Arrow IMO.

???
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Have you sat in a Mooney? I know 6'9" owner who has no problem.
 
TB-9/10 or just get a Maule... stylish or fun.... avoid the chare-junk-key


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Morgan3820 said:
I certainly agree, I am open to suggestions. But first, I am 6'3" 250 lbs.., so no Mooney. Can't afford a Bonanza. Thought of a C-182 but nice ones are few and beyond my means and not any more exciting than the Arrow IMO.

???
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Honestly I don't think you're going to be all that comfortable in the Piper either. Seems like they designed those planes for the then standard 150 pound weakling.
 
I'm standing with Florida ,some of the best flying in the country year round. Proper maintenance is no different in Florida as any other state.
 
My AP said stay out of coastal planes, probably a biased statement since the nearest coast from here is about 1500 miles away. But I don't know jack poop about planes, so I am filtering out coastal planes, narrows my search quite a bit. And anything that I can find is either out of price range, or sold before I could reach out or exorbitant ly priced.

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Bw I am 6.2 , 230 lbs, so in similar shoes as u. That 230 lbs is all rock solid muscle, even though most people who have seen me disagree

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Last time I went to look at a plane in FL, it was cute. '95 model with 650TTAFE... appropriate for a lot of MXT's... except there was a 15 year gap after 90hrs and it actually had 724 on the tach when I got there.


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weirdjim said:
Florida is a big state. Sort of like saying that if it is a California airplane it will have ocean salt rot, even a couple of hundred miles inland in the middle of the Mojave desert.

Jim
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It may be a big state, but the state is surrounded by water on three sides with widespread swamp areas in the center. Unlike California, the conditions are pretty widespread throughout the state.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Found a PA 28R-200 in Florida, and of course corrosion is a concern. So the question is, is an effective corrosion inspection possible during a prebuy? I am talking about the hidden stuff like the steel wing attachment plates, wing spar under the luggage area and behind the fuel tank. No one myself included would allow pulling the fuel tanks for inspection. It looks like, from the pictures on the SB that to get at the wing attachment, the flap has to come off, but who would do that on a prebuy? Also isn't there another area of concern at the stabulator bearing mount?
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Flight school airplane?

If it was a flight school airplane, odds are it spent a lot of time outside. Best to move on.

If it was personally owned and operated and kept in a nice hangar, then it might be worth pursuing.
 
I'd imagine most, if not all, arrows out there have been a flight school plane at some point
 
Fearless Tower said:
It may be a big state, but the state is surrounded by water on three sides with widespread swamp areas in the center. Unlike California, the conditions are pretty widespread throughout the state.
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it's the continuous high humid, in the hangar or not.
 
Tom-D said:
it's the continuous high humid, in the hangar or not.
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Hangars protect against:
Dew
Thunderstorms
Sun
Animals

Cars seem to do just fine judging from many older cars, but cars or planes that sit outside show deteriorated paint, rubber seals. And the extreme heat,sun not good for leather or plastic interiors.

I would check logs to see if corrosion protection applied periodically, good indication if plane was cared for.
 
teejayevans said:
Have you sat in a Mooney? I know 6'9" owner who has no problem.
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Sitting in it isn't the problem. Getting in and out of it is.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with an Arrow. I stepped up from a fixed gear Cherokee to an Arrow and it took me lots of places at a purchase price and annual opex that fit the budget just fine at the time. I eventually replaced it with a Dakota because I wanted more useful load, but the Arrow was better value for the entry price by far.
 
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Art VanDelay said:
Honestly I don't think you're going to be all that comfortable in the Piper either. Seems like they designed those planes for the then standard 150 pound weakling.
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That's nonsense. I'm 6ft 4in tall and weighed more than 200 lbs when I bought my first Cherokee. Owned a succession of them, including an Arrow and a Dakota, before moving to a twin. They are easier to get in and out of, and not as cosy once in them as a Mooney (and the baggage compartments are more useable).
More headroom than a Bo because you aren't sitting ON the spar.
 
Tom-D said:
it's the continuous high humid, in the hangar or not.
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Depends entirely on the hangar. Not all hangars are equal.

I have seen airplanes that came from FL that were very clean inside and out, but they were in good hangars.
 
GRG55 said:
That's nonsense. I'm 6ft 4in tall and weighed more than 200 lbs when I bought my first Cherokee. Owned a succession of them, including an Arrow and a Dakota, before moving to a twin. They are easier to get in and out of, and not as cosy once in them as a Mooney (and the baggage compartments are more useable).
More headroom than a Bo because you aren't sitting ON the spar.
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Have to agree with this. I have never found PA28s to be uncomfortable, even the one I ferried coast to coast a couple months ago.
 
simtech said:
I was told this..." you can take a plane from Florida, but you cant take Florida from a plane".
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afraid so....I too was bit by a Florida plane. Never again for me. I made the trip to do a pre-buy on a 172. It was a total mess with corrosion. The tail needed a total reskin. I've never seen anything that bad around here.... :rolleyes:

On the PA-28 make sure you inspect the tail well. The top stringer is prone (looking in from the outside tail cone and up), the inside of the elevator can rot (center ribs outward), behind the fuel tanks - spar, and checkout the low areas in the fuselage (where water or moisture collects).
 
A Ford Pinto has more front seat room than a PA 28 ! Yes the Piper is more comfortable than a Mooney but so is an MG Midget ! You guys have to keep it in perspective - my "work" airplane is a 777 so about the only single engine GA airplanes I find to be comfortable are the Cirrus because of the side stick arrangement. Next in line would be just about anything with a tandem cockpit because of the elbow room.
 
Oh please...all this hate for FL-based planes. I had a Cherokee for a while down here, previous home was in Alabama. Properly maintained and ZERO corrosion issues. It was even tied-down outside the entire time, not in a hangar.

You don't have to be a hangar snob to take good care of your planes. Proper inspection, treatment and just flying the thing will help keep the parts free from any major issues.

What I would look for in a plane based in FL though is how often it's flown and the last time it had a major overhaul. You absolutely can't put a plane outside in this state and not fly it for months on end. You do that and absolutely you will have some things to address.
 
I really like my Cherokee. Ive taken it on my fair share of longer ish xc's and I can haul a lot, fit comfy, and it is stable in IMC. Doesn't cost a lot to maintain and while not the fastest out there , for the cost you cant be it. You would have to spend a good bit more to get something faster and maintain just to get you there 20 minutes faster. Faster planes really depend on mission. For a regional plane a p28 is hard to beat..not too mention it can haul over 1000lbs useful load. And yeah I've had 3 full size adults in my plane and for over 2 hours and back seat person didn't complain.
 
Each airplane is it's own science project when it comes to corrosion. Last year I sold my 1980 Warrior that lived in the Lakeland area all its life. I had it painted the year before and VERY little corrosion was found. About 10 years ago I bought a new Lycoming IO-360 that sat in the factory box with NO long term preservation for 17 years. I bought it factoring in a teardown for corrosion inspection and repair. On arrival we first took the cylinders off and found absolutely NO corrosion. Put it back together and made a LOT of money selling it!
 
Art VanDelay said:
Honestly I don't think you're going to be all that comfortable in the Piper either. Seems like they designed those planes for the then standard 150 pound weakling.
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Actually, I currently own a Warroir. I'm fine with the fit. The upholstery quality is more of an issue for XC IMO.
 
simtech said:
I really like my Cherokee. Ive taken it on my fair share of longer ish xc's and I can haul a lot, fit comfy, and it is stable in IMC. Doesn't cost a lot to maintain and while not the fastest out there , for the cost you cant be it. You would have to spend a good bit more to get something faster and maintain just to get you there 20 minutes faster. Faster planes really depend on mission. For a regional plane a p28 is hard to beat..not too mention it can haul over 1000lbs useful load. And yeah I've had 3 full size adults in my plane and for over 2 hours and back seat person didn't complain.
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This is where my mind is. I have given this a huge amount of thought for over a year. I understand the Piper product. My mechanic understands/likes the Piper product, is not a fan of Mooneys. My Wife likes the Warrior, just wants get places faster, further. High wings give her vertigo. So Piper, for all of its perceived short comings, is it. Unless I win the lottery, then....


The question remains. Is it possible to do an effective corrosion inspection during a prebuy.
 
Salty said:
All the planes in Florida are about to fall out of the sky from corrosion. Best to look on the coast of The Carolinas, or maybe Texas. They are immune.
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Lol, right!

Just check it over, passing on any plane from FL is about as dumb as not checking for corrosion on any plane from TX.


If you like pipers I'd also check out a PA24, very similar but a little more refined and handles better.
 
Having done some amount of analysis for Coast Guard Aviation.....if an owner located on the gulf/water doesn't have an aggressive corrosion prevention program.....I'm not interested.
 
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