According to schedule, I anticipate to be in the market for something like
an Archer II (most likely) or an Archer III around the end of the year.
I've been drooling on various shoping rags for about a year now. As such
I have several questions. Hopefully you won't mind answering!

Is plane shopping in any way (down south - Texas) influenced by season?

You're in luck! It's hurricane season!

What type of lead time should I expect in shopping for a plane? Is this
typically a one month effort or so or possibly many, many months trying to
find a good deal on a good plane?

Hurricane season generally runs June 1 to December 1. However, the most
common months for hurricanes to reach landfall on the Gulfcoast are
August, September and October. Generally, the insurance companies will
shop the affected aircraft within a couple weeks after they can gain
access to the storm struck area. This is subject to FEMA restrictions.

I figure in a state as large as Texas (with OK, and LA not too
far away), on a fairly common plane like an Archer, finding one shouldn't
be too hard. Am I being naive here?

Search the FAA database for the model aircraft you are interested in.
You can usually tell by the owner registration in what city they are
located. Or, you can visit any of the airports in a given area. If you
see any you like, record the N-numbers so you can locate them quickly on
the insurance company lists.

While there seems to be a wealth of plane information, I'm having trouble
finding information on various avionics. Is there a place you guys can
point me? What brands to stay away from? What brands are preferred? I
know enough to know I want a plane that already has the avionics I want.
The problem is, I don't know enough about the brands to have any sense of
general worth or reliability.

Don't worry, avionics can pretty much fit in any airplane. This is where
walking around the ramp at airport and looking in the airplanes to see
what avionics they have in the stack comes in. If you see some nice
avionics you are interested in, again, record the aircraft N-numbers and
watch the insurance lists. It's a toss up as to whether high-wing or
low-wing aircraft will provide more protection from the elements after a
hurricane blows them around a little.

Another pilot offered to give me a plane buyer's book of some type which
talks about the over all process. As I get a little closer I figure I'll
get the book which talk about buying a Piper PA28 series of planes. I'll
have to google for the book name. This all sound like I'm heading down
the right path?

When it comes to salvage, those books don't mean a thing. The insurance
company usually will accept 10% of what they paid out. For those prices
you can buy a couple and make one good one out them at a substantial
savings over what you would pay a private owner for.


My father is an experienced plane buyer so I won't be doing this alone.
Just the same, I want to learn as much as I can. This sound like I'm
heading in the right direction?

How much experience does he have dealing with insurance companies?