"Peter" wrote in message
...

"Denny" wrote

N registered aircraft are required to have all work recorded in the
airframe and powerplant logs, what you apparently call maintenance
records... I have no idea why you would think otherwise... My 1957
Apache came with an armload of logbooks going back to day one... In
this country a plane that does not have a complete set of logbooks
suffers a significant drop in the value of the aircraft...

Logbooks yes. I have the logbooks. But logbooks don't contain the
*details* of work done. They should contain references to other
documents. For example a logbook might say that a 100hr check was
done. What it won't say (unless the engineer felt like writing it in
there) is that the landing gear gas seals had to be replaced and two
instrument panel light had to be replaced, etc; that will be in a
separate file which is referenced in the logbook.

It sure should say that. In fact, very often light bulbs and other things
are replaced with no log entries, either at the FBO or anywhere else.
Sometimes the owner replaces light bulbs. There is usually no written entry
anywhere when someone adds a quart of oil, either, or if they put air in the
tires, or clean bugs off the prop.

At the very least, though, the logbooks should contain the same details as
any records kept by the FBO, such as they are. Mine do.