7000 hours on airframe

blueskyMD

blueskyMD

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Its a 1978 Lance. yesterday my tach went past 7000 hrs. So how old is too old? I got this plane with 5800 hours and was told that most of the first 4-5000 hours on this plane was as airtaxi operations. Hopefully at higher altitudes and in smooth air. What do I need to worry about ? How about the valuation of airplane ? If you were in market for a Lance and come across a plane with 7000 hours with good maintenance history would you go for it or just walk away because of high TT?
 
blueskyMD said:
Its a 1978 Lance. yesterday my tach went past 7000 hrs. So how old is too old? I got this plane with 5800 hours and was told that most of the first 4-5000 hours on this plane was as airtaxi operations. Hopefully at higher altitudes and in smooth air. What do I need to worry about ? How about the valuation of airplane ? If you were in market for a Lance and come across a plane with 7000 hours with good maintenance history would you go for it or just walk away because of high TT?
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I would absolutely go for it, as long as it has been flown more than 50 hours revolving on a YoY basis. 10K is where I start shying away, especially the newer vintage ones, since that does certainly means it's done a lot of revenue work and put away wet. Granted, also recognize I'm gonna ask for a discount, but that's just par for the course (meaning, engine time or avionics would trigger similar discounts). At any rate, at least for me 7k is not an outright show stopper in the least.
 
Our Pawnee has over 12,000 hours, one of the gliders is over 15,000 hrs.
Both have been reconditioned, hours mean not much.
 
Yes some will walk away. They want something lower in time. Nothing wrong with that. It's a personal preference. Maybe not based upon science (I don't think high time, well inspected and cared for GA aircraft are falling from the sky) , but pilots do lots of things based upon emotion or instinct.

Others will not reject the aircraft but will discount the offer price by some amount, due to high hours. This also is reasonable, imo. Each subsequent buyer over the ownership history of a high time a/c will then later sell in a market which discounts such a/c or has a smaller buyer pool - so they won't offer as much as a comparable low hours a/c.
 
My 182 has over 11k on it. It flies straighter and faster than most out there. I'm more concerned about how it was flown over its life than the amount of hours it has.
 
I bought a higher than average time for its vintage twin because I didn't want one that had been parked and sitting for extended periods in prior years. Too many planes like that. I bought one that had always been flown consistently.

And everything worked on the plane the day I closed the deal.
The next day? And the day after that? Well that's another story... ;)
 
The Cessna 152 I took my check ride in had 11,000 hours on it - in July 1996. That plane is still on the line today..
 
I purchased my Arrow with 7800 hrs,ever had a problem.
 
I flew right seat in a 18k hour 172. Fastest 0-300 powered Skyhawk i've ever ridden in.

Proper care and feeding is more important than total time and low hours on old airplanes is not always a good thing. Our Cherokee only had 2100 or so hours when we bought it and had only flown a few hours in the previous 5 years, after a little TLC and 300 hours in the last 2 years it flys and runs much better.
 
The A&P school I went to had a C-150 donated to it that had over 25,000 hours. The most damage that plane received was after the students "worked" on it. Last I heard it was purchased with the intention of putting it back in the air.
 
Ameriflight operated a bunch of Lances, many of which are now up around 20,000 hours. If their longevity is an indication of what these airframes will take I'd say you're in fine shape assuming the airplane hasn't been poorly maintained or abused.

As these airframes age and accumulate hours their value will diminish. How much will depend on how it has been cared for.
 
From the net:

"N18121 c/n 1997 is a DC-3-201, and formerly Eastern Airlines ship “341” is not the oldest but it does have more time in the air than any other DC-3, 91,400.2 hours. It was delivered 25 October 1937. On 8 June 1942, it went to the war Department, and became C-49G USAAF 42-56630."
 
The only thing that would concern me about a high time airframe besides the normal stuff, is if there are any life limited components about to time out or any overly extensive maintenance work coming due per the manufacturer’s books.
 
mondtster said:
Ameriflight operated a bunch of Lances, many of which are now up around 20,000 hours. If their longevity is an indication of what these airframes will take I'd say you're in fine shape assuming the airplane hasn't been poorly maintained or abused.

As these airframes age and accumulate hours their value will diminish. How much will depend on how it has been cared for.
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20000 hrs !!! That is very comforting to know. I guess there is lots of life left in my gal.
 
GRG55 said:
I bought a higher than average time for its vintage twin because I didn't want one that had been parked and sitting for extended periods in prior years. Too many planes like that. I bought one that had always been flown consistently.

And everything worked on the plane the day I closed the deal.
The next day? And the day after that? Well that's another story... ;)
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I did the same thing
When I purchased Lance there was one available with much lower time but was sitting out side in coastal FL for many years and not cared for very well.
 
Our R182 has over 7K....mostly by the Fed's. Really wasn't a major issue in the purchase. Good mx and records of same counted for more with us.

Jim
 
I would not back away from a 7K TT airframe. I would mention the high hours when bargaining for the purchase.
 
Brad Smith said:
From the net:

"N18121 c/n 1997 is a DC-3-201, and formerly Eastern Airlines ship “341” is not the oldest but it does have more time in the air than any other DC-3, 91,400.2 hours. It was delivered 25 October 1937. On 8 June 1942, it went to the war Department, and became C-49G USAAF 42-56630."
Click to expand...

That airplane was parked for many years at my former home field in Vancouver WA.

Screen Shot 2018-05-12 at 8.28.44 AM.png Screen Shot 2018-05-12 at 8.28.59 AM.png

It's now based at Aurora, Oregon. http://www.airliners.net/photo/Eastern-Air-Lines-Blue-Skies-Air/Douglas-DC-3A/2694849

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker himself took delivery of NC18121 at the Douglas plant in Santa Monica in 1937, and flew it back to Eastern's home base. Later it flew for Provincetown-Boston Airlines, registered as N136PB. It was featured in the 1985 PBS/Nova program "The Plane That Changed The World" (you see it in the opening sequence as the counterpoint to the DC-10 at BOS; and in a closeup of the PBA operation, with interviews of the pilot and of the company president, starting at the 49-minute mark in the video):


... and in the 1987 classic 12-hour BBC documentary "Reaching for The Skies":


Its total time is over 91,690 hours now, and still going. Flightaware shows activity within the past month.

https://www.daksovernormandy.com/aircraft/dc-3a-n18121
http://dc3dakotahistory.org/dc-3-stories/high-time-dc-3-12181/
 
Last edited:
blueskyMD said:
Its a 1978 Lance. yesterday my tach went past 7000 hrs. So how old is too old? I got this plane with 5800 hours and was told that most of the first 4-5000 hours on this plane was as airtaxi operations. Hopefully at higher altitudes and in smooth air. What do I need to worry about ? How about the valuation of airplane ? If you were in market for a Lance and come across a plane with 7000 hours with good maintenance history would you go for it or just walk away because of high TT?
Click to expand...

7000 hours on your tach? I want that engine.
 
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