Seeking C-305 Inspector for annual/pre-buy (split topic)

How to keep the Cessna 170 flying and airworthy.

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pilot135pd
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2022 10:35 am

Seeking C-305 Inspector for annual/pre-buy (split topic)

Post by pilot135pd »

I've owned many category of aircraft so I've been around pre-purchase inspections a while. I know how good they can be and how bad they can turn out. I also lost my civilian job some years back because I stood up to the company president after discovering a few pencil-whipping inspections and refusing to fly the helicopter with passengers on board (BTW I did win the lawsuit against them 2 years later with a great windfall).

I also know that even when you take a qualified IA to do one you can still come up with a big $$ repair list afterwards. In this story of what happened to me a year ago and another just a month ago, I'll leave out the names of the people involved to protect the "not guilty, yet".

This is also the reason I joined this group, because I'm looking at a 305a (O-1/L19) to buy in North Texas and another in South Florida, and need to find someone to do the inspection on it before I buy it.

Here's my 1 of 2 pre-purchase inspection story:

I had just sold my RV8 due to a serious back injury 16 years ago that got highly aggravated 2 years ago due to another incident (neither of them aviation related). So I decided I needed something comfortable to get in and out of. I found a 1968 Cardinal with 180hp and C/S prop and STOL. Recent paint, engine overhauled, new prop, new avionics, it all looked great but since I've never owned a Cardinal I got an IA who owned one and maintains a couple of them to go look at my future plane. When she arrived she started finding things like it had a 3 blade prop when that year model the only props authorized were 2 blades. The engine mounts were loose at the firewall, the plane had a annual inspection signed off 2 weeks prior (and you could tell the cowling hadn't been removed in months), the carb was leaking, the airbox was torn, the muffler was cracked in a few areas, the STOL wing leading edge part was missing rivets, the oil & fuel hoses looked like they were original 1968, the list goes on and on. The pre-purchase inspection discovered I had about $5,000 worth of repairs just to make it airworthy.

The seller was a retired Air Force officer and an IA, and since I'm 38+ year retired Air Force myself so I believed the guy was as straight an arrow as I am, what a lack in judgement on my part!

So I agreed that if the seller flew it to my IA's shop I would buy it there and drive him back, because nobody wanted to fly that plane the way it was. We also agreed on a $10,000 discount off the asking price. So I bought the plane.

I told the shop I wanted everything fixed so it was safe for me to fly, and after 3 months the invoice got to almost $11,000 !! It I had requested a complete inspection it might have cost me additional $$$ but I would have known what else was still needing to get fixed and would have negotiated a bigger discount. Yes EVERYTHING was fixed even if it was just cosmetic and I was charged for it but at least I have a great plane I've been enjoying and now that my back is better I can sell it and honestly tell the potential buyer that he's getting a great plane and I won't worry about any pre-purchase inspections derailing my sale.


My 2 of 2 pre-purchase inspection story just last month:

About 20 years ago I owned my pride and joy Pilatus P3 (Experimental-Exhibition because it’s certified in Switzerland) . I then found out I had a daughter on the way so since I couldn’t afford a daughter and a plane I sold the plane. Fast forward 20 years and I’ve always loved the idea of buying back my plane and after contacting the current owner, he agreed to sell it to me. I bought a one way ticket from Texas to Wisconsin and after flying the plane found it as awesome as I remembered it, plus they upgraded the avionics and the engine.

During the flight I was able to lean the mixture to bring back that thirsty GPH but was quickly limited by the turbine temps while CHTs were in the low 300s. Well the TIO-540 engine upgrade might be good for cold northern temps or to always fly about 8,000’ but wasn’t going to be good to my wallet down in the Texas heat. Still I wanted to buy it because it was my old plane.

During the logbook inspection I found a few important items that hadn’t been taken care of and after speaking with the IA who maintains it, I found out his views on complying with FAA Service Letters and with foreign government’s ADs on this airplane wasn’t in accord with my beliefs. One AD was in the tail attachment, which he had never even looked at, and the other one was on the main wing bolts that had to removed once, look for corrosion and magnaflux to look for cracks. If no corrosion or cracks then reinsert and never look at them again. The previous day he had told me he hadn’t removed the bolts because the plane had never been left outside of the hangar in rain. Today when asked he told me he had removed them, found no corrosion so reinserted them again. If he went through the trouble to remove them, why not maganflux them? I didn’t like the “new version” he gave me, and what else is he not telling me? That gave me a sinking gut feeling and since I was going to be flying it back home, I decided to pass on the purchase. 2 weeks later there was another one for sale on Barnstormers that looked very nice and when I asked the seller who did his maintenance and he told me the same guy, I said thanks but no thanks.



So back to my issue today:

1- I need to find someone with Birddog experience in the North Texas area and another in the South Florida area to inspect 2 planes for me. Does anyone know who could do it?

or if I can't find that

2 - Does anyone have a checklist I can use to get it inspected since local mechanics in those areas I've spoken too up to now tell me they can use the 170 checklist, but I don't feel that's good enough.
hilltop170
Posts: 3481
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 6:05 pm

Re: Why Annual inspection is the ONLY, valid pre-buy inspect

Post by hilltop170 »

Randy Long, 325-625-5495, at Long's Aircraft in Coleman, TX (30mi south of Abilene) has rebuilt L-19s and knows them as well.
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
pilot135pd
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2022 10:35 am

Re: Why Annual inspection is the ONLY, valid pre-buy inspect

Post by pilot135pd »

hilltop170 wrote:Randy Long, 325-625-5495, at Long's Aircraft in Coleman, TX (30mi south of Abilene) has rebuilt L-19s and knows them as well.
Thanks you. I'll contact him for the Texas plane. If I can't get anyone else for Florida here maybe he can recommend someone. Hard to believe there aren't many Birddogs currently in Florida.
Last edited by pilot135pd on Tue Jul 05, 2022 5:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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n2582d
Posts: 2808
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 4:58 am

Re: Why Annual inspection is the ONLY, valid pre-buy inspect

Post by n2582d »

If you look at the FAA registry database you'll find addresses of C-305 owners in Florida. It looks like Aerial Banners, Inc. owns three of them.
Gary
pilot135pd
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2022 10:35 am

Re: Why Annual inspection is the ONLY, valid pre-buy inspect

Post by pilot135pd »

n2582d wrote:If you look at the FAA registry database you'll find addresses of C-305 owners in Florida. It looks like Aerial Banners, Inc. owns three of them.
Great news, thanks. I'll call them in the morning too.
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