Cheap Annual Inspection

denverpilot said:
Digital signatures, man... I'm tellin' ya... computers are coming... :) :) :)
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Each A&P-IA has a paper file at FSDO, with their activity filed (337s etc) and that can be used as a comparison to signatures in question. we are required each 2 years to send in an activity sheet to gain renewal, that tells FSDO which aircraft you have completed an annual on. So, when the investigation is started on the smoking hole, and the A&P-IA is asked did you sign off the annual? the activity sheet best not reflect you did.
 
Ron Levy said:
Use of a checklist, which is specified in 43.15(b), not Appendix D. In addition, 43.15(a) says the inspection must ensure the aircraft "meets all applicable airworthiness requirements," which may go beyond AD's, and may, for example, require reference to type certificate data to determine limited life component status.
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Now you are talking about two different issues, scope and detail of the annual and how it is signed off,

43-D is the minimum the FAA will accept as an annual. and has nothing to do with how it is to be returned to service.

43-11/13 deals with that, and has nothing to do with scope and detail.

I can comply with the annual and not include the airworthiness, and that is where your implication is directed.
 
Remember all.....

I can inspect your aircraft and declare it UN airworthy and give you a list of discrepancies and the aircraft does not have to be returned to service by me..
 
Ron Levy said:
Well, I'm pretty sure if you hadn't done it, they would have.
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One upon a time at an airport near here I place a annual sticky in a owners log and did not sign it as I expected the owner to comply with my request to repair a few discrepancies,

he simply flew it away and did nothing for a year, at next inspection I took one look at the log book and told him to go away.
 
This thread leaves one with a few things to consider:

1. You get what you pay for.

2. As the owner, if someone works on your aircraft be certain he has the proper credentials (ask to see them). Remember as the owner/operator you are responsible for the maintenance performed as well as insuring the proper sign offs are entered into record.
 
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As an A&P-IA we must know the smarter the owner the safer your ticket..

Stupid owners are our worst nightmare.
 
dmccormack said:
Exactly -- $100 is actually fine for the inspection IF the owner removes all inspection plates, cowling, carpet, etc.

It's what's found during the annual that runs up the bill....
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No it's more than that really. The IA has several hours of research to do the first time he annuals a plane. $100 would cover the time looking at the typicalplane though.
 
Tom-D said:
Name one, besides the compliance with part 39, I'll give ya that one.
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I was hoping by now that some one would come up with the answer to this question.

The ICAs of the components installed, such as the prop, and battery, the aircraft can't be considered airworthy with out their compliance.
 
Henning said:
No it's more than that really. The IA has several hours of research to do the first time he annuals a plane. $100 would cover the time looking at the typicalplane though.
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Computers have reduced that time to a couple minutes. The time required to actually verify that in fact the AD are complied with needs a lot more time than 1 hour in many cases.

some aircraft not so much.. my 24 has no active ADs
 
Tom-D said:
Remember all.....

I can inspect your aircraft and declare it UN airworthy and give you a list of discrepancies and the aircraft does not have to be returned to service by me..
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I took one of those once from a very overpriced FBO...and a ferry permit to a known reasonable maintenance shop. The "estimate" was $17,000 for the annual of a BE-36TN(in my avatar). The SAME list was done for about 5k...line by line
 
Tom-D said:
Computers have reduced that time to a couple minutes. The time required to actually verify that in fact the AD are complied with needs a lot more time than 1 hour in many cases.

some aircraft not so much.. my 24 has no active ADs
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...or the owner subscribes to an AD list and has each one printed out with the corresponding entry.
 
Most new CFI know very little of required maintance requirements other than 100 hour inspection and a Annual inspection. Progressive or form 337, field approval, AD compliance one time or repeditive, SB, Continued airworthness requirements or part 43 required items for an 100hr or annual inspection might as well be in Latin as they have no idea. If the CFI don't know how in the world are they going to pass it on to their students?
 
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Just curious, but, how many renters have asked the FBO/owner for the logs, so they can verify the plane is actually legal to fly? I'm willing to bet that not many renters ever have, unless they needed to prove it to a DPE.
 
Tom-D said:
Computers have reduced that time to a couple minutes. The time required to actually verify that in fact the AD are complied with needs a lot more time than 1 hour in many cases.

some aircraft not so much.. my 24 has no active ADs
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Right, this is part of the research I was talking about. I remember every time a "new" plane came to the shop all ADs "C/W"s were verified. Some planes have a substantial AD sheet. I remember the first time I was handed the list for a Beech 18...:yikes:
 
Henning said:
Right, this is part of the research I was talking about. I remember every time a "new" plane came to the shop all ADs "C/W"s were verified. Some planes have a substantial AD sheet. I remember the first time I was handed the list for a Beech 18...:yikes:
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And don't forget you can't just go to some website and type N5327K and get a list of the airworthiness directives and other issues that apply. You need to go over the equipment list and STCs and check all the appliances that are in place as well. Of course, once you've done it the next time around you have an easier time (or if you're willing to trust such an investigation done by another mechanic).
 
flyingron said:
And don't forget you can't just go to some website and type N5327K and get a list of the airworthiness directives and other issues that apply.
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That can be done, but it isn't cheap..
 
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