Should I avoid an airplane used for instruction when buying?

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Baron62

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Baron62
I am shopping for my first airplane and have just reviewed logbooks for a 1983 Piper Archer with 3600TT. I would say 3/4 of that time it was used for instruction with 100hr inspections. I know that students are rougher on airplanes than owners. The plane appeared to have recurring nose wheel shimmey repairs as well as many tire and brake repairs. Should I avoid this airplane or consider this low risk? I know that when I fly I am real gentle on the nose wheel and brakes to avoid the wear.

The airplane has newer paint, interior, and a fresh engine so it looks good. It did have what appears to be hail damage because the upper wing skins, upper stabilator and other tail cone skins were replaced IAW piper procedures.

Thanks for the guidance,
 
For PA28 the odds are some (or a lot of) training time is almost a given. So is the nose wheel shimmy which is why you hold back pressure and taxi 'less fast'. <- RTOT

Card has the right idea. Prebuy. If it's been mistreated the Prebuy should show it.

Fun plane.
 
Sounds like these items should not scare someone away from this plane as long as it inspected.
 
You just described my airplane before I bought it. I'm happy and with the proper look over by a good mechanic, you can be too.
 
I've owned two planes that were used for instruction, and four that were not...you wouldn't have known the difference in owning/flying them (I did have a prebuy inspection done by my A&P on all of them). Actually, my current plane, a Piper Cherokee 140 with only 2000 hours, was never used for instruction, but is the only plane I've ever owned that has damage from landing...it has a slight "waffle" in the skin near the right wheel strut, that my mechanic took a good look at before I bought the plane.
 
Nope, wouldn't bother me at all. Flight school aircraft tend to be taken good care of, as far as mantainance is concerned. As mentioned, get a thorough pre-buy.
 
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Does anybody have a good IA name for me at the Oklahoma City/WPA Wiley Post airport? Home of the FAA :-)
 
With low TT, doubt all that much training was done in it.

Also I've flown with hobby pilots in their own personal planes who prang the crap out of them, I'd treat this like anything else, presume it's a pile of crap until a prebuy proves otherwise.
 
May look a little beat up but a lot of flight schools are some of the best maintained.
 
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