Plane has not been in use - check out or pass?

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MountainDude

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MountainDude
A plane has sat for 2 years in a hangar.
The engine needs OH, so there is no problem there.
Is there any problem with the rest of the plane due to non-use?
Thank you
 
What region has it been sitting in?
 
Brake lines, maybe, any hydraulics, if it has them. Critters crapping/peeing in it, starting corrosion. Tires and tubes, of course. Wasp/hornet hives, other insect taking up residence. Gas struts need looking at likely. Anything that moves, like pulleys and cables, that haven't moved in two years, anything that needs lube, of course.

It needs an annual, so be there with it, look in all the access panels, control terminations/swag fittings. good luck with it!
 
No harm in checking it out -- it might be fine, or it might be a money pit. Hangared is much better than parked in the open, of course -- what part of the country is it in? Your odds are better in Phoenix than in West Palm Beach, but you never know for sure. Can't hurt to have a look though. Unless it's a significant trip to where it is, I guess, in which case I'd start by asking for a lot of detailed pictures.
 
As long as the price reflects that it's been sitting and you're prepared to deal with the extra hassle it can be just fine. Some people LIKE going through an entire plane and replacing everything and knowing that stuff should work right.
 
What type of plane is it?
 
If it needs an OH *before* it's flyable, then be prepared to trailer it home or that engine will need an unbolt/crate/ship/pay/ship/uncrate/re-bolt wherever it's sitting.
 
It's a 182. They say the engine is run out and needs an overhaul. It is in Abilene, TX. Has not moved in 2 years. I will pass.
 
I bought a Lance that sat for three years. Just get a good inspection on it and discount for the unsatisfactory findings.
 
There are worse places. Abilene is pretty dry, so you might be ok on the corrosion front. Anything rubber (hoses, etc) could still be roasted.
 
In the book of Steingar an airplane 2 years out of annual is scrap aluminum and isn't worth one penny more. If the seller really wants it sold he or she can deal with getting back into annual, and I'm going to want to see the logs and the world's most careful PPI before I even think of it. There are lots of airplanes for sale, and there truly are no bargains in aviation.
 
When I see threads like this, I tend to think "if you have to ask..." then the plane is probably not a good investment for you. For folks who know what they're looking at and have minimal sunk costs for the travel to check it out (think someone with non-rev privileges and an A&P certificate, or Tom Downey and his RV) it might be a nice barn find, but for first timers, or heck anyone who'd rather be flying than wrenching, it's probably not a good deal.
 
This was the plane. There is no ad now, must have sold.
 

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steingar said:
an airplane 2 years out of annual is scrap aluminum and isn't worth one penny more
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I used to fly a C-207 that sat upside down for two years on the tundra outside Barrow, AK. It wasn't a sweet flying plane, but it was no where near the worse I have flown. It was worth it to someone to have it helicoptered to the airport, repair it and put it back into service.

Now bear in mind it was used for revenue, not a personal plane.
 
steingar said:
In the book of Steingar an airplane 2 years out of annual is scrap aluminum and isn't worth one penny more.
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That's so wrong on so many issues, but it does demonstrate how out of touch with the industry you are.
 
steingar said:
In the book of Steingar an airplane 2 years out of annual is scrap aluminum and isn't worth one penny more. If the seller really wants it sold he or she can deal with getting back into annual, and I'm going to want to see the logs and the world's most careful PPI before I even think of it. There are lots of airplanes for sale, and there truly are no bargains in aviation.
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Narrow vision.
 
Tom-D said:
That's so wrong on so many issues, but it does demonstrate how out of touch with the industry you are.
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Baloney. An airplane without an annual inspection is no more legal to fly than your Jeep. You have no idea what it would take to get it into annual. What is even more important to me is if the seller couldn’t even be bothered to get it in annual upon sale, what kind of treatment did it get while it was in use? To me if a vehicle isn’t clean and in good working condition upon sale it isn’t worth a first look. Our vehicles are fragile and can easily kill us. One should look with the most jaundiced eye when considering a purchase.
 
An annual inspection makes for a fine pre purchase inspection to me. I did that once. Spent 2 AMUs to get it inspected with a punch list of squaks of various degrees. Best 2k I've ever spent on an airplane, and it was happily "in annual" after.
 
steingar said:
Baloney. An airplane without an annual inspection is no more legal to fly than your Jeep.
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What does that have to do with value.
Don't try to spin it.
Value has to do with material condition. not the legally of airworthiness.
Your original quote is still way wrong.
 
steingar said:
You have no idea what it would take to get it into annual.
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That is a case by case issue, not a flat statement.
I care for 2 aircraft that have been in storage a lot longer that 2 years, both only require an annual sign off.
 
I once completed an annual as a pre-buy on a 210 that had been stored 5 years, I could find no airworthy issues with it.
I've also found old aircraft that I refused to be involved with.
So making flat statements like you have done, demonstrates a lot about you, not the aircraft.
 
An out of annual airplane isn't legal to fly. As such it is nothing more that a pile of aluminum, some fancy radios, some fabric and tires. This is the opinion of Steingar. Do as you like.
 
steingar said:
An out of annual airplane isn't legal to fly. As such it is nothing more that a pile of aluminum, some fancy radios, some fabric and tires. This is the opinion of Steingar. Do as you like.
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Odds are high that your aircraft has been out of annual at least once it its lifetime. Better stop flying it.
 
I wouldn't go as far as saying an airplane 2 years out of annual is scrap aluminum but it's certainly worth not more than one with a run out engine. I rather sickly enjoy watching e-bay ads that people pitch as being a "steal of a deal" go unsold because of their unreasonable expectations. You can get a flying older Bonanza, Comanche, Mooney, 4 seat pipers and many others in the 30k range with old radios. If the airplane they are selling needs an engine and still has old radios it's a 6-10k airplane simple as that. Otherwise go buy the flying one for 30-40 with 200 hours on the engine.
 
Easy peasy to get upside down on an airplane. Lots for sale. No reason to buy something out of annual. None at all.
 
If you want to restore one to new then sure buy the cheapest one you can find. If you want something to fly you are better off buying one in annual than one that hasn't flown in years. Of course there will be success stories of people who bought one under market value and didn't have to do anything other than typical maintenance stuff but there are many more that get burned. I was the lucky one, my airplane sat 17 years and other than some fuel, hydraulic, and a few electrical gremlins it has been solid. On the other hand it could have started making metal and I would have dropped 40k into an overhauled engine.
 
If I passed away my wife would let the annual expire before she got around to selling the plane and she wouldn’t know to get it annualed first. It’s in great shape, you’d be a fool not to consider buying it.

Just one example of many.
 
Some times we find beautiful old aircraft that deserves to be restored.
and the price is more than right.
 

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steingar said:
An out of annual airplane isn't legal to fly. As such it is nothing more that a pile of aluminum, some fancy radios, some fabric and tires. This is the opinion of Steingar. Do as you like.
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I flew my "out of annual" airplane to my IA's shop once. The special flight permit granted by the FSDO allowed my "out of annual" aeroplane to be legal to fly. It never made my radios fancy, unfortunately.
 
Bobanna said:
So, you told her to sell it cheap when you kick? Could you post some pics and info about the plane?

Just kidding! @Salty, I don't want you going anywhere, but you get credit for considering estate planning.
oh, I'd still like some info on the plane.

Stay safe and be blessed.
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Lol. My story was more of a parable. She has clear instructions on what to do as a couple friends on how to help her
 
steingar said:
This is the opinion of Steingar.
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And shared by very few.
You'd walk by a very nice aircraft because it wasn't annulled yet you advocate an annual as a pre-buy
 
Steingar needs to relax a bit...... all I’m hearing is a bit of :sleep:
 
I think skipping an out-of-annual plane for sale is very good advise for a neophyte. Once experience (and the matching financial dismay from mistakes :) ) is gained, you can start to sort wheat from chaff -- even for planes out of annual -- and you can infer what the prior owner's maintenance philosophy (and resources) may have been.

That said, I bought my first plane out of annual, having sat 2 years in northern Wisconsin and being ignorant of the risk and danger I undertook. It did fine, somehow, and I got my private in the thing before returning home to LA. That was probably one super happy seller. :D

Many of us are flying 50 year old planes. I doubt that they have all been flown consistently and evenly throughout their entire lives. It's not like disuse causes permanent damage. Just fleeting wallet damage.
 
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