Need Advice - What to check when renting a plane?

Hi All, as new licensed pilot I am looking else where for plane
rentals. As you know that the price is a great concern. For a C152 it
can be from $59/hr (wet) to $90/hr (wet). big differences.

My question is, when you first go to a FBO, what to check when seeing a
plane that you never flew on. How do I know that this plane is
maintained well?! Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Lo

My question is, when you first go to a FBO, what to check when seeing a
plane that you never flew on. How do I know that this plane is
maintained well?!

A few things come to mind, and they are far from foolproof. But the
first thing I'd evaluate is the FBO. How are the -other- planes? Look
at the squawk sheets - how do squawks get addressed? Talk to the
maintanance people - get a feel for their attitude.

Is this particular plane a leaseback or owned by the FBO? (neither is
in itself good or bad, but it will give a sense as to how much of the
initial feeling carries over to this plane). If it is leased back, talk
to the owner.

Do a thorough preflight, and bring up any concerns. Gauge the response.

Go over the manintanance logs. This of course requires that you know
what you are looking at, which isn't always that easy). Talk to the
instructors there; maybe have one with you as you go over the logs, to
explain things to you. Don't take his explanations at face value, but
get a sense from it and them about how seriously they take things.

Not all squawks indicate a problem with the airplane. Some (many?
most?) may be pilot ignorance. (I've had people squawk inop electric
trim, when the problem was the previous pilot switched it off and the
next pilot didn't even know there was an off switch).

Post questions about the specific FBO here; some pilots may have
experience with them and be willing to share.

In the end, there are some things you'll only learn after you've flown a
plane for a while, and seen what happens.

Jose
--
There are more ways to skin a cat than there are cats.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

My question is, when you first go to a FBO, what to check when seeing a
plane that you never flew on. How do I know that this plane is
maintained well?! Any advice would be appreciated.

1. Look at the planes. Ask to see the rentals. Sit in them. Examine
their general condition. Is the interior tattered? Are the
instruments tired looking? Is the paint faded and old? All of these
point to less-than-wonderful maintenance.

2. Turn on the master switch. Listen to the gyros spin up. Hear any
grinding noises? Turn the radios on, listen to the external speaker.
Hear any static? Switch from radio to radio. Does the audio panel
work right? *Is* there an audio panel? Check the tach time. Is it
in 5 digits? Look at the tires. Any tread? Look for leaks around
the plane(s). Check the condition of the plastic parts. Cracked?
Old? Hangar rash on the wing tips? All are clues.

3. Observe the FBO. How's the place look? Are there people around?
Check the magazines -- are they five years old? Use the bathroom. Is
it a pit? Is someone taking pride in the condition of the place, or is
it a dive? All are indicators.

4. IF everything above appears satisfactory, ask to see the aircraft
logbooks. (No sense in wasting your time if the first three items are
bad.) Make sure everything is there, going back to the date of
manufacture. If you want to be really anal, get a list of all ADs for
that model plane, and make sure they've all been complied with. (This
will take HOURS.)

5. Get checked out. Remember, you are checking THEM out as much as
they are checking you out. If the instructor is too casual -- or too
strict -- you may have trouble. See how the planes fly -- are they
straight and true? Can you fly them hand's off without too much rudder
trim?

We rented for four years, and during that time flew some real dogs. We
also flew some real cherries -- so be careful which one you pick.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

wrote:
Hi All, as new licensed pilot I am looking else where for plane
rentals. As you know that the price is a great concern. For a C152 it
can be from $59/hr (wet) to $90/hr (wet). big differences.

My question is, when you first go to a FBO, what to check when seeing a
plane that you never flew on. How do I know that this plane is
maintained well?! Any advice would be appreciated.



General appearance is a clue. If it looks ragged out, it probably is ragged
out. If they've paid attention to the appearance of the aircraft, the chances
are the rest of the aircraft is maintained as well. There are no guarantees, of
course, but they won't stay in business long if they only rent out POS.

As for what you're getting when you rent a new bird, I am VERY interested in the
avionics. If possible, go sit in it and look around for a while before you add
it to your rentable list.

One other thing: if there's a bird that doesn't get rented much, there's
probably a reason. It could be as simple as too much money, or it could mean
it's a dog. Caveat emptor!



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi All, as new licensed pilot I am looking else where for plane
rentals. As you know that the price is a great concern. For a C152 it
can be from $59/hr (wet) to $90/hr (wet). big differences.

My question is, when you first go to a FBO, what to check when seeing a
plane that you never flew on. How do I know that this plane is
maintained well?! Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Lo


Four things I would do:

Ask to see the maintenance logs for the aircraft in question.
Ask for phone numbers of others who frequently rent there.
Ask for the name and Phone number of the mechanic who does the FBOs
maintenance.
Search the NTSB website for the N number of the plane in question to try and
determine if there has ever been damage serious enough to warrant an NTSB
investigation.
Take one of their instructors or FBO management with you for a hop. Worry
if they hesitate or decline and start sweating...


I'm sure others will have some suggestions as well.

There are no guarantees, of
course, but they won't stay in business long if they only rent out POS.

Depends on the price.

Jose
--
There are more ways to skin a cat than there are cats.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

I was going to respond in detail to this,
then I saw that Jay Beckman had said pretty much everything that I was
going to say.

So - do everything that Jay said.
Then stop worrying and go fly.
FBO aircraft are not falling out of the sky every day.
Checkout instructors are not suicidal nuts who will fly planes held
together with adhesive tape.
You are not an A & E so you can't tell anyway - you have to trust or go
rent a car instead.
Or buy your own plane.

Don't overanalyze this.
Check the books,
Do a decent walkaround
and go fly.

That's my best advice

Tony

--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

In article .com,
wrote:

Hi All, as new licensed pilot I am looking else where for plane
rentals. As you know that the price is a great concern. For a C152 it
can be from $59/hr (wet) to $90/hr (wet). big differences.

My question is, when you first go to a FBO, what to check when seeing a
plane that you never flew on. How do I know that this plane is
maintained well?! Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Lo

Jay Honeck wrote
...
4. ... If you want to be really anal, get a list of all ADs for
that model plane, and make sure they've all been complied with. (This
will take HOURS.)

Impossible for a renter. Maybe even impossible for an IA. Unless the FBO
will allow you to disassamble the engine and airframe. g

Jay Honeck wrote:

3. Observe the FBO. How's the place look? Are there people around?
Check the magazines -- are they five years old? Use the bathroom. Is
it a pit? Is someone taking pride in the condition of the place, or is
it a dive? All are indicators.

Good advice, except for most of the above.

I happen to know be very familiar with a high-quality FBO who operates
in a city-owned, badly maintained, RENTED facility, built in 1936. His
aircraft are in great shape, and his mechanics are high-quality on all
levels. The place is orderly, neat, and organized, but the building is
a pit.

4. ... If you want to be really anal, get a list of all ADs for
that model plane, and make sure they've all been complied with. (This
will take HOURS.)

Impossible for a renter. Maybe even impossible for an IA. Unless the FBO
will allow you to disassamble the engine and airframe. g

Well, okay, unless it's something obvious, you can't really check to
see if the AD work was actually done. But you *can* check to see that
it was signed off as having BEEN done.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"