GrummanDude
Joined: 15 Jan 2006
Posts: 926
Location: Auburn, CA
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 Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 1:07 pm Post subject: Finally, an annual under $900. |
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I've been doing owner assisted annuals on this particular plane for 5
years now. Each year, as the major stuff gets sorted out, the annuals
have gotten cheaper. Last year it was under $1200. The year before
was under $1800. This year's annual would have been about $400 cheaper
had a lot of little repairs to things been required. Next year, who
knows.
As some of you know, those who have seen my 16 page annual check list,
I keep a pretty good record of what has been done and what needs to be
watched. By doing annuals on the same plane year-after-year, the plane
gets to the point of being "maintained" and there really is very little
to do.
Since I moved to Auburn, I've had mostly new customers. I've seen a
lot of really junky planes (and, that's saying it nicely). One plane
was a 75 Tiger and had completely debonded over it's life time. There
were no bonded joints left. It was wrecked 15 months ago and put back
together. And, not just put back together. It had an additional
$30,000 thown at it . . . why?
I think you heard about the $10,000 annual with the birds nests in the
wings, broken aileron brackets, rudder cables twisted around the
aileron cables, . . . the list goes on. IF . . . that plane comes
back, I'd be surprised if the annual is over $1500.
I had another annual, just prior to that one, on a Tiger from the East
coast that had had $500 annauls for the previous 10 years. It was
really rough. That annual, with a new prop (the McCauley was not
serviceable), was around $8500. "TOO MUCH" the owner cried (maybe I
should write a novel . . . ) so, this past November, it got another
$500 annual from somewhere. (Actually, there is a good chance the
annual was done by the same folks who twisted the rudder cables around
the aileron cables on the other plane)
So, it can be done.
Do you want cheap annuals?
(1) Do an owner assisted annual
(2) Keep up on all the little things you don't want to spend money on
now; you'll pay for it sooner or later. Later costs more.
(3) Keep a very detailed log of everything you do to the plane. And,
not on scraps of paper thrown in a box.
(4) Keep a record of when each and every replaceable item is replaced;
including part numbers and serial numbers.
(5) Know your plane. Like the plane I get every year that the owner
complains of leaking fuel. Each year, I tell the owner it's streaks of
Corrosion X on the bottom of the plane and if he'd wash the plane, it
wouldn't be there.
(6) Wash your plane and wax your plane once in a while. Like, you
know, at least every 5 years!
(7) Vacuum the plane. Every year I get the same plane that is just
filthy. Fast food trash, dog hair, money (coins, I keep the tips), and
lots of just mud, dirt, and sand. I charge $80/hr to vacuum your
plane. (I also charge $80/hr to wipe the grease off the bottom so I
don't get covered in it during the annual)
( Look for cracks and missing hardware.
(9) well,
--- There . . . that should get you started.
Oh, by the way, the paperwork on the plane with the November annual?
It consisted of a box of scraps of paper with notes scribbled on them.
It took me 6 hours to sort though the bullshit. That was 6 hours I
"didn't" charge for.
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Gary
AuCountry Aviation
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