First annual with my new plane - what would the FAA say?

I witnessed a lot of "1st" annuals over the years, assisted in my own as well.
Mine was on a '56 172 we bought for $5000 and had to prop start it to get it to it's new home. There was no prebuy, and thankfully we expected to find more issues than we did.

A certain 421B that a car dealer brought to us after he did his own prebuy comes to mind. He failed to realize the aircraft had a gear up landing, and the repairs were atrocious. He was contentious before the purchase, citing how our staff won't see anything more than he will, when approached to allow us to inspect it. Once they had it opened up and on jacks, they stopped until the guy came out to see for himself what he bought. That was a nightmare that guy did not soon forget.

Um... @N747JB? :eek:
 
That was over 30 years ago in Grand Junction CO. No Idea what serial number...
 
I can't speak for the Axis powers, but I had a 1971 TR-6 as a daily driver in the mid 80's. It never let me down, but it needed to be watched carefully so problems could be identified and rectified before they became stranded on the side of the road type problems. Airplanes are about the same - hammer reliable for the most part, but you need to keep your eyes open for signs and take action when you see something amiss.

I had a 1976 MG Midget back in 1983/84. You did not walk up to that car without a wrench or a screwdriver in your hand. It was a pure mechanics delight. There was a shop in Santa Clara that specialized in selling old MGs that had a bumper sticker that I should have bought and put on that car. "I'll have you know that the parts falling off this car are of the highest British quality!"
 
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