Prebuy-Turbo Arrow lll Dallas/McKinney Texas Area
Seeking recommendations for a reputable shop familiar with the Piper Turbo Arrow, preferably in or around the areas listed above. This is my first airplane purchase so any help is appreciated. Thanks
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Hi ward337,
Might be hard for folks to reply over the holidays but in the meantime, I could offer the following since this is your first airplane purchase.
One of the most important things you can do as an aircraft owner is building a working relationship with your A&P/IA. Yes, it begins with a local recommendation, but only you can determine the best fit consistent with your goals, and your wallet. It is not uncommon over the life of ownership to change shops for any number of reasons; shops moving, YOU moving, shops going out of business, becoming too expensive, not seeing eye to eye on things, abrasive personalities, sloppy workmanship; after more than 40 years of ownership I have experienced my share of these.
You can do some legwork to visit some of the shops in your area personally to see their facilities, talk to their people, and get an initial impression. Are they charging by the book, fixed time and task, or are they flexible? In other words If it really took them 30 minutes to change the oil will they book you a standard 1.6 hours? By the way, learning to change your own oil will save you over the course of your ownership. How does the shop feel about showing you the proper way to do this? How do they feel about owner participation in the annual inspection? Not only to perhaps save some hours of labor but also to learn more about your aircraft? Lastly, when you think you have found a shop you can work with, it helps if your first experience with them is not an annual inspection. Having a smaller job, like a tire change, oil change, perhaps new plugs, checking mag timing, etc. will give you a better idea of their work flow and billing practice before that annual major event 😉
Regards,
Mike
Ward337;
Agree 100% with everything Mike said. Have owned my plane for 27 yrs and have run into many of the scenarios Mike listed.
I only have 1 addition; make sure your pre-purchase inspection is done at a different shop than the current owner uses. You want a different set of eyes inspecting the plane/engine, and you want someone who is very familiar with turbo Arrows. He/she may find things that the person who sees it all the time may miss. Made that mistake myself when I was a brand new owner. It cost me 2 jug replacements at my first annual. Ouch$$.
Jim "Doc Griff" Griffin
PA28 - 161
Chicago area
Get with your A&P/IA for recommendations on what to check. Bear in mind, there is no set "pre-buy" inspection, so each shop does their own thing. If you have things you know you want checked/done, make sure the shop you hire is told. Also, if you want anything beyond some panels pulled to look for corrosion, make sure the current owner is okay.
As a pre-buy mechanic, I work for the buyer, and the buyer gets the report, but I can't pull a jug to borescope a camshaft.........
Tom Jackson
PA28RT-201, N3022U
Tappahannock, VA (KXSA)
A&P/IA, Private Pilot, IR/A
I appreciate you guys taking the time to respond and share your experience.
Wise words, I learned a lot in a few lines! Thank you so much for share.