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#1
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Are You Flying a "Beater?"
AvWeb is reporting that "an alarming number of aircraft" are in poor
mechanical condition. I must admit that their assessment matches my own observations. Some of the planes I see regularly flying are almost scary -- and some of the planes I've seen in hangars and on ramps I can only pray never take flight under their own power. As a renter, I flew planes that (on occasion) had doors that wouldn't latch, lorans that didn't work, had sticky throttles, questionable radios, and leaky fuel caps -- and those were just the defects I, as a new, renter pilot, could detect. God only knows what was going on under the cowl. I once flew a rental plane on a long cross-country that did not have any valve cover gaskets installed on the right side of the engine. Oil covered the plane, and scared the bejeesus out of us when we landed. (The A&P's helper who "forgot" to install them was summarily fired for this, BTW.) As an owner, I have endeavored to keep my planes pristine, with only the best maintenance and accessories. IMHO, this is the only way to treat a machine that carries my family several thousand feet into the sky -- yet, it is obvious that there are many pilots and owners who don't see it that way. I personally know a pilot who keeps his automobiles and motorcycles maintained to perfection -- yet scrimps and cheats on his airplane maintenance. He's an otherwise "normal" individual, yet he seems to take pleasure in running his engine way over TBO, and flying around on upholstery that has metal sticking through the mesh. His panel is mostly non-functional, the paint is long gone, and all plastic parts are badly cracked and chipped. It's almost as if he feels like he's beating "the system" by scrimping like this -- he likes to brag about how little it costs him to fly -- yet most of us on the field just think he's acting irrationally. How about it? Are *you* flying a "beater?" Or do you know anyone who does? What's going on here? -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#2
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In article nN_xc.23080$HG.18275@attbi_s53, Jay Honeck wrote:
How about it? Are *you* flying a "beater?" Or do you know anyone who does? What's going on here? Flying a beater is a false economy - or rather, it's a false economy to skimp so it becomes a beater. The trouble is once it becomes a beater, it's vicious circle - often it costs more to keep it running as a marginal beater than it would cost if it had been kept in good condition all along. Of course, the cost to turn a beater into a nice plane is so high, once a plane's a beater, it's unlikely it will ever be anything other than a beater. -- Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net "Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee" |
#3
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"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:nN_xc.23080$HG.18275@attbi_s53... AvWeb is reporting that "an alarming number of aircraft" are in poor mechanical condition. I must admit that their assessment matches my own observations. Some of the planes I see regularly flying are almost scary -- and some of the planes I've seen in hangars and on ramps I can only pray never take flight under their own power. snip As an owner, I have endeavored to keep my planes pristine, with only the best maintenance and accessories. IMHO, this is the only way to treat a machine that carries my family several thousand feet into the sky -- yet, it is obvious that there are many pilots and owners who don't see it that way. While I agree with your perceptions, keep in mind that the article focuses on owners who THINK the airplane is sound, when it really isn't. |
#4
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Keep in mind that not all owners can write off their aviation costs as business expenses. ;-)) For many, the cost of ownership takes a good portion of their disposable income just to cover the minimum annual charges (basic annual, insurance, oil changes, tie-down/hangar) and is set aside as a monthly budget item. I suspect the rise of insurance and fuel costs in the past several years has siphoned off some of the money that previously went toward maintenance and repair. |
#5
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Keep in mind that not all owners can write off their aviation costs as
business expenses. ;-)) True. But it 'tweren't always this way. For many, the cost of ownership takes a good portion of their disposable income just to cover the minimum annual charges (basic annual, insurance, oil changes, tie-down/hangar) and is set aside as a monthly budget item. Understood. However, IMHO these things shouldn't be considered "optional." Doing so is folly, as Dylan already pointed out -- and the risks are grave. Finding the line between frugality and reckless disregard for basic maintenance is not easy. But I've seen too many that have crossed that line, IMHO. From a renter's standpoint, the system can be stacked against you. As a renter you have almost no leverage to make changes for the better. Sure, you can bitch and turn in squawk sheets -- but in many communities there is only one FBO, and one place to rent. If you don't like their maintenance, you simply can't fly. I suspect this fact has turned more renters into owners than any other reason. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#6
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Don't be fooled by the outside appearance. I know several guys here who
take pride in the fact that their planes look like ****boxes. Bad or no paint, crappy interior, etc. That's just how they like it. But they are in perfect mechanical shape. And that's all that really matters. "Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:Cc7yc.29163$Sw.5688@attbi_s51... Keep in mind that not all owners can write off their aviation costs as business expenses. ;-)) True. But it 'tweren't always this way. For many, the cost of ownership takes a good portion of their disposable income just to cover the minimum annual charges (basic annual, insurance, oil changes, tie-down/hangar) and is set aside as a monthly budget item. Understood. However, IMHO these things shouldn't be considered "optional." Doing so is folly, as Dylan already pointed out -- and the risks are grave. Finding the line between frugality and reckless disregard for basic maintenance is not easy. But I've seen too many that have crossed that line, IMHO. From a renter's standpoint, the system can be stacked against you. As a renter you have almost no leverage to make changes for the better. Sure, you can bitch and turn in squawk sheets -- but in many communities there is only one FBO, and one place to rent. If you don't like their maintenance, you simply can't fly. I suspect this fact has turned more renters into owners than any other reason. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#7
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I treat/maintain our airplane just like my scuba gear..
Both "life support" systems.... Dave On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 18:50:57 -0600, "Newps" wrote: Don't be fooled by the outside appearance. I know several guys here who take pride in the fact that their planes look like ****boxes. Bad or no paint, crappy interior, etc. That's just how they like it. But they are in perfect mechanical shape. And that's all that really matters. |
#8
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In article , Newps
wrote: Don't be fooled by the outside appearance. I know several guys here who take pride in the fact that their planes look like ****boxes. Bad or no paint, crappy interior, etc. That's just how they like it. But they are in perfect mechanical shape. And that's all that really matters. I was going to make a posting about shiny new paint jobs attracting aircraft/parts/avionics thieves. Look out on the ramp, which would you be more attracted to and think the better equipment? The one with the nice shiny paint job? Or, the one with faded, flaking paint? |
#9
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"EDR" wrote in message ... In article , Newps wrote: Don't be fooled by the outside appearance. I know several guys here who take pride in the fact that their planes look like ****boxes. Bad or no paint, crappy interior, etc. That's just how they like it. But they are in perfect mechanical shape. And that's all that really matters. I was going to make a posting about shiny new paint jobs attracting aircraft/parts/avionics thieves. Look out on the ramp, which would you be more attracted to and think the better equipment? The one with the nice shiny paint job? Or, the one with faded, flaking paint? I dunno...I was looking at a early 80's model F33 a while ago that was pristine on the outside, and had an old analog DME on the inside. mechanically it was okay. |
#10
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I dunno...I was looking at a early 80's model F33 a while ago that was
pristine on the outside, and had an old analog DME on the inside. mechanically it was okay. IMHO, it's sorta like gutters on a house. You can often tell more about a home owner from his gutters than from his resume. In my experience the outside of the plane usually matches the inside -- unless it's a new owner in the midst of upgrades. Avionics are an entirely different animal. I've seen absolutely pristine aircraft with totally antiquated, out-dated avionics, simply because that's what the owner knows and feels most comfortable with. But I have yet to find a bug-encrusted, oil-covered, bald-tired plane that wasn't questionable mechanically. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
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