Craig found N2516B on wingswap.com and contacted the owners immediately to see if it was available and start the pre-buying inspection process. The plane was in good shape, “started right up,” with only minor cosmetic issues. The inte­rior was in great shape, compared to many of the Tomahawks he had seen, and the avionics were simple but functional.

Further, the sellers were wonderful. Craig shared that they were “helpful, accommodating and just a joy to do business with.” Craig had looked into purchasing a Tomahawk once before, but the sellers were polar opposites. He walked away from the sale rather than deal with the owners. “My advice to anyone shopping for any kind of plane; if the person you are dealing with gives you bad vibes, trust your instincts and find another plane!”

Easy to Repair and Upgrade

After purchasing N2516B, Craig made some updates and changes. He upgraded the engine oil temperature and oil pressure gauge to an Electronics International digital dual gauge – which he loves. The digital gauge, with its colored LED display, is much easier to read. The older Tomahawk OEM gauges are not only impossible to find, they’re unreli­able and susceptible to electronic interference. He also added a Steve’s gascolator, one of the least expensive and easiest ways to make the airplane fly a bit safer.

In 2023, Craig replaced the engine. He and other pilots us­ing the plane had noticed a reduction in its engine power. They did a travel check on the valve push rods and discov­ered a couple of the cam lobes were worn, which they then confirmed with a borescope. Craig was fortunate to find an engine from Aerotec Engines in Nova Scotia, which shipped the same week.

The only other major work he did was related to bringing the tail structure into compliance with the Airworthiness Di­rectives, though he has also been pricing out and consider­ing getting rid of the vacuum system and adding new Nav/comms, a transponder, and GPS – possibly installing AV-30s or Garmin G5s. Down the road, Craig also plans to put in all new plastic fairings, new interior plastic, and add a little more padding when he refurbishes the seats. If his daughter has her way, the plane will also be pink when it gets a new paint job!

“Surprisingly, Tomahawks are very easy to work on and even the AD’s that are on it are fairly simple to complete.” He’s only run into two repair snags along the way. He broke his rudder lower fairing, which was not a serious problem because he planned to install a Knots2U replacement any­way. And they’ve done two wing spar STC’s on their Toma­hawk fleet at the flight school. The first one was rather dif­ficult, but once they worked through it, the second one was a breeze.

The Advantages of Simplicity

When asked what else he likes about this plane, Craig said it’s easy to handle, responsive and has great visibility. “I found it fits me well and I was more comfortable flying the Tomahawk than a comparable Cessna 150/152, which is what I started my flight training in back in 2002.”

He also appreciates how economical it is to maintain and fly, because of its ever-reliable, mechanical simplicity. Hour­ly fuel consumption for this aircraft is about six gallons per hour. With an engine and maintenance reserve factored in, it costs about $58-$62 per hour to fly. And, because it’s small, he finds it easy to move around on the ground, even if he’s moving it alone.

There are just two things he would change on N2516B. He would put 6×6.00 tires on it and add an oil cooler.