Is AirVenture Oshkosh a good place to buy a plane?

[[email protected]]

The subject header pretty much says it all. I'm in the market and was
wondering whether good deals can be found among those hundreds of
planes.

Thanks,
Mike

[Kyle Boatright]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> The subject header pretty much says it all. I'm in the market and was
> wondering whether good deals can be found among those hundreds of
> planes.
>
> Thanks,
> Mike

I would say it is a good place to look at planes and benchmark the value of
various aircraft with their owners. You might even create a follow-up list
of owners/aircraft you'd like to talk with once they go home. The idea of
*buying* an aircraft at the show seems a bit of a stretch, because you
really want to have someone conduct a pre-purchase inspection and have
someone else search the title. I'm not sure you'll find those services
there.

KB

[Dan Luke]

> wrote:

> The subject header pretty much says it all. I'm in the market and was
> wondering whether good deals can be found among those hundreds of
> planes.

New or used?

It's a great place to buy a new airplane, all the mfrs. are there and
dealing and people are buying. It is a wondrous experience to watch a guy
write about a half-million dollar check for a new airplane as casually as if
he were paying for his groceries.

As for used airplanes, there are always plenty for sale. Hell, if you've
got the whip-out, you can fly mine home--I'll catch a NW flight.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[Michael]

Kyle Boatright wrote:
> The idea of
> *buying* an aircraft at the show seems a bit of a stretch, because you
> really want to have someone conduct a pre-purchase inspection and have
> someone else search the title. I'm not sure you'll find those services
> there.

Actually, A&P's are thick on the ground at Oshkosh - not too many
'professional' A&P's, but lots of long-time owners who got the ticket.
If ever there was a place to find an A&P who has actually owned and
worked on (for years) the same make&model airplane you are looking to
examine, Oshkosh is the place.

What's more, an experienced and mechanically inclined owner can tell
you in about an hour (and with no more tools than a flashlight and
whatever it takes to open the cowling) whether the plane is a dog and
not worth your attention. Most planes for sale are dogs. The ones at
Oshkosh will be no different, but there you can go from one to the
other, eliminate the dogs, and maybe even do a full-bore prepurchase
inspection right on the field.

Usually, however, people who buy at Oshkosh do their own prepurchase.
A few of them are actually qualified to do so. Most are not. The
outcome is predictable.

Michael

[[email protected]]

But there are plenty of planes for sale?

Michael wrote:
> Kyle Boatright wrote:
> > The idea of
> > *buying* an aircraft at the show seems a bit of a stretch, because you
> > really want to have someone conduct a pre-purchase inspection and have
> > someone else search the title. I'm not sure you'll find those services
> > there.
>
> Actually, A&P's are thick on the ground at Oshkosh - not too many
> 'professional' A&P's, but lots of long-time owners who got the ticket.
> If ever there was a place to find an A&P who has actually owned and
> worked on (for years) the same make&model airplane you are looking to
> examine, Oshkosh is the place.
>
> What's more, an experienced and mechanically inclined owner can tell
> you in about an hour (and with no more tools than a flashlight and
> whatever it takes to open the cowling) whether the plane is a dog and
> not worth your attention. Most planes for sale are dogs. The ones at
> Oshkosh will be no different, but there you can go from one to the
> other, eliminate the dogs, and maybe even do a full-bore prepurchase
> inspection right on the field.
>
> Usually, however, people who buy at Oshkosh do their own prepurchase.
> A few of them are actually qualified to do so. Most are not. The
> outcome is predictable.
>
> Michael

[Dave Stadt]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> But there are plenty of planes for sale?

Every plane is for sale. The nice thing about OSH is the prop cards give
you most everything you need to contact the owner. don't let the lack of a
'For Sale' sign slow you down.