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Consider establishing an escrow fund for maintenance to pay for engine, propeller, avionics, and airframe overhauls. You'll also need to consider storage, insurance, and fuel costs.
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What kind of flying do you realistically do? And what can you easily afford? Each of the aforementioned planes is terrific, but to decide which Cessna best fits your travel or mission needs and comfortably suits your checkbook , examine your flying profile, honestly assess your requirements and talk to a few Cessna owners and pilots.
Decisions like these are the best problems to have. Between and , more than 20, Cessna s were built. Cessna was always ready with something bigger and better, and the was born in Introduced in , the carried four adults at good speeds mph and would land and takeoff literally anywhere you could imagine.
Climb performance was phenomenal, and the airplane was a true workhorse. A hp engine became standard in Production lasted until for the C and for the The idea was to offer a faster , using the same engine but gearing it up to go faster and gearing the prop down to stay within its limits. The net result was an engine doing a lot more work than it was originally designed to do, and it showed in much higher maintenance costs and a lower TBO.
Like the Ford Edsel, some owners swear by them, but most mechanics swear at them. Best to avoid this low-production Cessna model in favor of a or Cessna This Cessna has a virtual cult following. Cardinal buyers want only a Cardinal; they will accept nothing else. The Cardinal was introduced in as a sleeker and sexier This wider airplane sat lower to the ground and the pilot had terrific visibility only in the Skymaster and the Cardinal does the pilot sit in front of the wing.
Cessna quickly replaced the powerplant in with a hp O engine, and a new wing design arrived in A retractable-gear version was added in Production ceased in for both models. An important note: Many Cardinals have been successfully outfitted with hand controls for disabled pilots. Cessna Feeling the need for speed? Want a roomy and comfortable six-seater that an average pilot can fly?
Need decent short-field performance, good climb, good mountain performance and a stable IFR platform for a reasonable price? Look at the The was born in as a retractable-gear to compete with the V-tail Beech Bonanza. The major model changes for s were: for the rear window; for the hp engine; for optional turbocharging; for elimination of the wing struts; for the larger fifth- and sixth-seat area and tubular gear; for the hp engine; for optional full deicing; and for the hp engine.
The key to a successful ownership experience on the and all older, high-performance retractables is who has been doing the annuals and whether the owner was willing to spend the extra money to properly maintain the airplane. On early s, be sure to have a competent mechanic check the gear-actuating mechanism. The most problematic years for the gear were through , but Cessna has good fixes for most of the gear issues.
Rates and terms have never been more favorable. Friendly aviation bankers are eager to help you get a loan. I once bought a plane with all ADs complied with, according to the logbooks When I discovered this after the sale, the seller's response was that the ADs had been done on the plane when it left him, which to me implied that I needed to prove otherwise. Okay, I got burned. I did turn the information over to his FSDO just so that they knew about it, but that didn't get the work done on my plane.
Now let's talk about damage history and inspections. To me, damage history is not a deal breaker if it has been properly documented, properly repaired and the price has been properly adjusted.
Allow me to give you an example. I just sold a twin for a client. It was a model. In it had a nosegear collapse that was documented and repaired by the factory.
It has been flying like that for 34 years. The same aircraft suffered a prop strike no sudden stoppage in The engines were torn down by the factory in accordance with the manufacturer's AD and the props were replaced with new.
The buyer knew about the damage, was satisfied with the documentation and carried out an extensive pre-buy, including a borescope inspection of the crank and cam which confirmed that they were indeed in good shape. I'm sure he spent a fair amount of money on that pre-buy, but the plane was discounted significantly more than he paid for the inspection.
Inspections are another hot button for me. You will see the words "fresh annual" in a lot of ads. But if it's not signed off legally, the plane isn't legal to fly; if you have a problem, your insurance may not cover it and your certificate may be in jeopardy. The records must include— i A description or reference to data acceptable to the Administrator of the work performed; and ii The date of completion of the work performed; and iii The signature, and certificate number of the person approving the aircraft for return to service.
If the AD or safety directive involves recurring action, the time and date when the next action is required. There's more, but the main point that the logs are your responsibly as the owner, not the mechanic's. If you are selling, a good set of logbooks proves you aren't trying to hide anything. If you are buying, and the logbooks you receive are a collection of work orders and yellow tags thrown in a 9x12 envelope, maybe you want to buy a different plane.
Title and escrow companies Rule number three: Whether you are a buyer or seller, insist on using a title and escrow company. I use Aero-Space Reports and have done so for 25 years. They will run a title search. Do not—I repeat, do not—buy a plane with a lien or an encumbrance on it. I don't care how old it is. You should insist on a clear title from the seller. Most title companies provide a service to clear up old liens. Yes, you can do it yourself, but it is time-consuming and expensive.
Let the professionals handle it. The escrow company will execute the details of the sales agreement. If the agreement says that the aircraft must pass a pre-purchase inspection and it doesn't, you have a vehicle to get your money back—without going to court most of the time.
Sales agreements Rule number four: It is imperative that you have a good sales agreement. There are lots of them out there, but in general a good agreement will state that the buyer pays for the pre-purchase inspection; the cost to get it to that inspection; and, if the sale falls through, to return the aircraft to its original airport. See Resources for a link to a customizable purchase agreement provided by the author. The seller is responsible only for the airworthiness of the aircraft, a clear title and all logs and records.
As a seller, you really don't want to sell an aircraft that isn't airworthy, anyway.
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