Can anyone do a pa-28 annual in WI/MN?

cowman

cowman

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Cowman
I'm based at KEAU.

I had an annual scheduled for next week but they just called me and told me they are no longer doing Piper annuals. This really blows because my annual is due this month and I have a trip planned from after Christmas through January.

Aircraft is a 78 Archer II PA-28-181. I've already been through one annual with it and gotten all the new owner stuff fixed and I am not aware of any problems with it so I would anticipate it being a pretty simple one.

Gonna try a few more contacts but so far everyone I know is busy through the month. I'm not above flying out somewhere and staying there for a night or two if need be.
 
If you want to fly across the state, try Airworthy Aviation out of KSBM. I called them about doing a pre-buy inspection on a Cherokee towards the end of October and Troy was able to do it the next day.
 
I've got a "maybe after the 17th" from a retiree mechanic in Boyceville...
 
That's odd, I wonder if they are becoming a specialty shop like a cirrus only or a Cessna Service center. Did they tell you why they won't do Piper's any more.
 
AdamZ said:
That's odd, I wonder if they are becoming a specialty shop like a cirrus only or a Cessna Service center. Did they tell you why they won't do Piper's any more.
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What they told me was that their manuals had expired and since they didn't do very many Piper annuals it wasn't worth the cost to update them.

They were just bought out a couple of months ago and I've just heard the new owners aren't very interested in doing maintenance on piston singles anymore which seems more likely to me. If that's the case it kind of ****es me off seeing as how I scheduled this in advance over a week ago and they put me on the calendar. If they'd told me then I would have had more time to find another shop.

The guy I just talked to was confused by the expired manuals and told me he just does everything to 43 cfr. I'm a little worried about him though not being able to get to me until after the 17th... with Christmas coming up and him being a small retiree operation I can see getting a part if we need it being a problem.
 
I was just looking at 43 CFR... I guess there's no provision for the annual like the 10 hour grace period for the 100 hour is there. That woulda eased my schedule worries...
 
cowman said:
I was just looking at 43 CFR... I guess there's no provision for the annual like the 10 hour grace period for the 100 hour is there. That woulda eased my schedule worries...
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If there is nothing wrong... a A&P should be able to knock it out in 10 hours or so.... Owner assisted goes ALOT faster...:yes:......;)
 
TC's Air Care - Mechanic Services
Tom Cunningham - (608) 355-0850

KDLL
 
cowman said:
I'm based at KEAU.

I had an annual scheduled for next week but they just called me and told me they are no longer doing Piper annuals. This really blows because my annual is due this month and I have a trip planned from after Christmas through January.

Aircraft is a 78 Archer II PA-28-181. I've already been through one annual with it and gotten all the new owner stuff fixed and I am not aware of any problems with it so I would anticipate it being a pretty simple one.

Gonna try a few more contacts but so far everyone I know is busy through the month. I'm not above flying out somewhere and staying there for a night or two if need be.
Click to expand...

I have the 2009 manuals that I can email you. As for the ADs, you can download all of them from the FAA website. As for the cancellation, I'd call them or drive over and talk to the new owners. Explain that they made a commitment to you, a business commitment, and that you made very expensive plans based on their commitment to you. Do not let them off the hook.
 
murphey said:
I have the 2009 manuals that I can email you. As for the ADs, you can download all of them from the FAA website. As for the cancellation, I'd call them or drive over and talk to the new owners. Explain that they made a commitment to you, a business commitment, and that you made very expensive plans based on their commitment to you. Do not let them off the hook.
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Agreed 100%....

Hold their feet to the fire...:yes:

Or at least, lay a huge guilt trip on them...;)
 
cowman said:
I'm based at KEAU.



I had an annual scheduled for next week but they just called me and told me they are no longer doing Piper annuals. This really blows because my annual is due this month and I have a trip planned from after Christmas through January.



Aircraft is a 78 Archer II PA-28-181. I've already been through one annual with it and gotten all the new owner stuff fixed and I am not aware of any problems with it so I would anticipate it being a pretty simple one.



Gonna try a few more contacts but so far everyone I know is busy through the month. I'm not above flying out somewhere and staying there for a night or two if need be.
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Wisconsin Aviation in Watertown WI is an excellent shop. It is a factory-authorized Service Center for several makes including Piper. The shop is surprisingly large and busy for a town of that size. It attracts plenty of customers from nearby states, including me.

http://www.wisconsinaviation.com/index.php/General-Pages/Aircraft-Maintenance.html
 
Several good suggestions here and in PMs.. I've got a few calls to make in the morning. Thanks to everyone.

As for holding the original shop's feet to the fire... well. First from what I know of what is going on over there, I'd be yelling at people who probably didn't have anything to do with the decisions. Second, with all their commercial operations I get the impression they don't care about little guys like me anymore. I'd rather go support the business of someone who does care at this point.

So for now I'll do the worst thing I can think of at the moment to them. For anyone who didn't look it up and connect the dots.... The outfit that left me hanging was Hawthorne(formerly Heartland) Aviation at KEAU Eau Claire, WI.
 
cowman said:
I was just looking at 43 CFR... I guess there's no provision for the annual like the 10 hour grace period for the 100 hour is there. That woulda eased my schedule worries...
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Getting a ferry permit for a plane just out of annual probably will be a non-issue.
 
murphey said:
As for the cancellation, I'd call them or drive over and talk to the new owners. Explain that they made a commitment to you, a business commitment, and that you made very expensive plans based on their commitment to you. Do not let them off the hook.
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That's about the LAST thing I'd want to do. You piff off the folks doing your annual, you are going to wind up with the most EXPENSIVE annual you've ever seen or had in your life. "See that little scratch on that close tolerance bolt? $75 a bolt and you've got four of them." "Oh, we'd NEVER let one out of the shop with less than 70/80 compression. And you've got four of them too."

Get my drift?

Jim
.
.
 
weirdjim said:
That's about the LAST thing I'd want to do. You piff off the folks doing your annual, you are going to wind up with the most EXPENSIVE annual you've ever seen or had in your life. "See that little scratch on that close tolerance bolt? $75 a bolt and you've got four of them." "Oh, we'd NEVER let one out of the shop with less than 70/80 compression. And you've got four of them too."

Get my drift?

Jim
.
.
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Just another reason I DISTRUST A&P /IA FAA certified mechanics......

Thank god for experimentals and holding the repairmens certificate..:):):)
 
Going down the list.... waiting for some callbacks.

So far the chorus of "Wish I could help you but I'm swamped" has not been encouraging. Then of course, there's the whole matter of finding VFR conditions to get it there whatever day they're free... but let's not jump into that pool of despair just yet.
 
N801BH said:
Just another reason I DISTRUST A&P /IA FAA certified mechanics......

Thank god for experimentals and holding the repairmens certificate..:):):)
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I trust independent A&P/IAs a lot more than I trust any other mechanic in this world. They won't be around for long if they do **** work or screw people and it's easy to ask around to get their reputation. Also if they screw up in many different ways they lose their career.

If your car mechanic screws up he just says too bad and charges you to fix it.
 
Phil Jankowski at Birchwood WI has impressed me as an efficient but careful mechanic. He has a dedicated trailer - (if you have access to a warm place or he may too)
 
Well Thunderbird Aviation in Crystal, MN said they can get me in on the 15th but no guarantee it's done by Christmas. Best offer I've had yet.... now I just gotta find a VFR day and get it over there.

:blueplane:
 
weirdjim said:
So he says in response to a post from Jim Weir, A&P /IA FAA certified mechanic :rolleyes2:

Jim
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Now Jim... I have the utmost respect for you , your skills and the fact you welcome owner assisted annuals...... But you did say shops /mechanics will screw over owners who vent their opinions.... I am 99% sure you are not that type so ease off on me sir... :cheers:
 
Try Twin Cities Aviation, they have a couple of Warriors and are based at St Paul airport in the St Paul Flight Center and another base at Anoka County airport where I am.

http://www.tcaviation.com/
 
N801BH said:
ease off on me sir... :cheers:
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Sir, sir is a subservient word conceived in the surly days of old Serbia, when certain serfs, to ignorant to remember their lord's names, yet to servile to blaspheme them circumvented the situation by the adoption of the convention sir, by which I now address a certain senior corrupted enough to think I was subservient enough to use the term sir after every word I said, sir.

:D

Jim
 
Well they want me to get it in by Mon morning if possible but.....

TAF KMSP 111735Z 1118/1224 22006KT 3SM BR OVC005
FM112000 20005KT 4SM BR OVC008
FM120600 17007KT 2SM BR OVC004 TEMPO 1209/1213 1SM BR VV002
FM121700 16007KT 4SM BR OVC005=

Next couple days don't look terribly promising either. :mad2:
 
weirdjim said:
Sir, sir is a subservient word conceived in the surly days of old Serbia, when certain serfs, to ignorant to remember their lord's names, yet to servile to blaspheme them circumvented the situation by the adoption of the convention sir, by which I now address a certain senior corrupted enough to think I was subservient enough to use the term sir after every word I said, sir.

:D

Jim
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I am speechless.....:redface::redface::redface::redface::redface:
 
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