Washington DC Area Mechanics

[JC150]

Trying to help a friend who just bought a Piper Lance and is planning on keeping it at Manassas, Virginia. Can anyone recommend a mechanic there or around the DC area? And yes i've done the google search, doesn't seem like there's much to offer on the field. Looking for someone who is fair and knows pipers well.

 

[GeorgeC]

Try searching or asking on the dcpilots yahoo group.

 

[weilke]

Dulles aviation has done a good job for us on routine maintenance. Unfortunately they closed their maintenance shop last month as the city wasn't willing to phase the west ramp rehab in a way that would have allowed Dulles to keep operating. They may reopen, I suspect most of their good techs will find other employment and not come back.

Capitol on the east side stinks. Not sure they are even still in business.

HEF is a desert when it comes to maintenance. Mostly the result of inept management of that aspect by the city.

 

[wsuffa]

Dulles aviation has done a good job for us on routine maintenance. Unfortunately they closed their maintenance shop last month as the city wasn't willing to phase the west ramp rehab in a way that would have allowed Dulles to keep operating. They may reopen, I suspect most of their good techs will find other employment and not come back.

Capitol on the east side stinks. Not sure they are even still in business.

HEF is a desert when it comes to maintenance. Mostly the result of inept management of that aspect by the city.

I would second on Dulles, unfortunate that they had to close the MX shop. I used to use them, too. I've gotten the impression that the city has been trying to push them out for a while - not like the glitzy guys on the east ramp. City has been fat and happy with the kerosene guys and Feds. City took over the west T-hangars, too rather than renewing the contract. I hear that Leesburg is better.

Capitol is gone. About time - there are any number of horror stories about them.

I also used to use an independent down at Warrenton, but he's long gone, too.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

My recomendation is Plane Care ( planecarellc.com ) at KHGR Hagerstown Maryland. Might be a hike but the guys there are wonderful. This was formally Alphins years ago.

 

[flyingron]

The guys at Dulles Aviation have done small things for me, but for most of my major work I've used Kevin Woodside down at Culpeper.

Capitol deserved to be gone. What a disaster that place was.

 

[weilke]

I would second on Dulles, unfortunate that they had to close the MX shop. I used to use them, too. I've gotten the impression that the city has been trying to push them out for a while - not like the glitzy guys on the east ramp. City has been fat and happy with the kerosene guys and Feds. City took over the west T-hangars, too rather than renewing the contract. I hear that Leesburg is better.

I shouldn't say inept. Outright hostile is probably a better description.

This year the city stole the east T-hangers from their owners. Every time I taxi past the 'build your hangar here, land for lease' sign I have to laugh. Why anyone familiar with the airport would invest money with them is a mystery to me. I guess the fed contractors don't care. They just put their facility cost into the cost+ contracts and don't care what happens a day after the contract is up.

 

[weilke]

My recomendation is Plane Care ( planecarellc.com ) at KHGR Hagerstown Maryland. Might be a hike but the guys there are wonderful. This was formally Alphins years ago.

We go to Chesapeake, VA for anything beyond an oil change (used to to go to Pittsburgh). I have heard good things about the shop in Hagerstown.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

We go to Chesapeake, VA for anything beyond an oil change (used to to go to Pittsburgh). I have heard good things about the shop in Hagerstown.

I do all my own work...but use Clairence for avionics. He’s been around and knows what it takes to get it done.

 

[JC150]

I shouldn't say inept. Outright hostile is probably a better description.

This year the city stole the east T-hangers from their owners. Every time I taxi past the 'build your hangar here, land for lease' sign I have to laugh. Why anyone familiar with the airport would invest money with them is a mystery to me. I guess the fed contractors don't care. They just put their facility cost into the cost+ contracts and don't care what happens a day after the contract is up.

So are there no more T-Hangars you can buy? Everything is rent from the city?

 

[weilke]

So are there no more T-Hangars you can buy? Everything is rent from the city?

Yes, there are hangars for sale, but anyone thinking about buying them has to realize that their $95,000 investment may turn to $0 in five years when the ground lease comes up for renewal and the city decides to take your property without compensation.

 

[JC150]

HEF is a desert when it comes to maintenance. Mostly the result of inept management of that aspect by the city.

So the city takes your hangar and there's no maintenance facilities on the field? What a great place to keep a plane it sounds like.

So hagerstown and chesapeake is what people recommend? Do you rent a car once you drop the plane off? how do you get back?

 

[weilke]

So hagerstown and chesapeake is what people recommend? Do you rent a car once you drop the plane off? how do you get back?

Hagerstown shouldn't be a problem to get a rental car at the airport. We got to Chesapeake for the annual and the mechanic lets us borrow a little old jeep that he has sitting around.

 

[hankrausch]

I have used Aero Engines at Winchester for years and I think Nick, Art, and Tom there are top notch. Highly recommend them.

 

[wsuffa]

So the city takes your hangar and there's no maintenance facilities on the field? What a great place to keep a plane it sounds like.

So hagerstown and chesapeake is what people recommend? Do you rent a car once you drop the plane off? how do you get back?

There may be maintenance, just not much. HEF is sitting pretty as about the only towered GA airport inside the SFRA, and the only one I'm aware of with 2 runways. They extended the longer runway a couple of years ago to get more jet traffic. It and JYO are the most convenient GA airports to DC on the Virginia side - GAI is about as convenient in MD but more packed-in to housing and nimbys.

As such, airport management pushes to get the kerosene crowd.

I used the predecessor of the folks in HAG and it was a good experience. Because HAG has commercial service, there are rental cars available at the terminal.

I have used Aero Engines at Winchester for years and I think Nick, Art, and Tom there are top notch. Highly recommend them.

Aero Engines also has a great reputation, and OKV is a nice airport. Rental cars are a pain though (HLE or Enterprise - not sure whether either is on-site, they have and have not been over time).

 

[flyingron]

HGR, not HAG.
Aero Engines at OKV has done some small stuff for me, too, as well and the regular maintenance shop there (no relation), Aero Services or whatever has done good work for me as well.