March 2005-
There are a lot of reasons you should consider finding a shop that will let you help with your aircraft’s annual inspection. And saving money isn’t one of them.
Two words strike fear into the heart of every aircraft owner: Annual Inspection – the yearly ritual that’s just slightly less dreaded than a visit to “Dr. Jellyfinger.” But, as they say, you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do if you want to keep flying.
The biggest reason that owners have developed such a phobia of annual inspections is that they can become a literal ‘black hole’ of expenses, sucking in money for all kinds of things. To help control costs many owners have tried their hand at an owner-assisted annual.
On the surface they sound good enough. You put some sweat equity into the project by doing some of the more mundane parts of the annual yourself instead of paying a professional to do them.
The problem is, somewhere along the line some owners began to use owner-assisted annuals to carve deeper and deeper into the already slim profit margins of their maintenance shops, virtually forcing a growing number of shops to quit offering the program.
“We don’t do them anymore at all,” one shop owner said. “It’s not worth it. We have to carry all the liability for the work and the owners didn’t want to pay us for it. It got to the point where owners were buying parts on the Internet and asking us to help install them—for free.”
Value beyond money
While a growing number of maintenance shops take a less than encouraging view of the owner assisted annuals, many maintenance professionals see them as actually providing a valuable service to owners.
“I’m all for it if the owner approaches it with the right attitude,” explained Matt Thurber, editor, Aviation Maintenance magazine who is also an A&P with an IA. “Their attitude has to be that this is a learning experience and not a way to save money. If they think they’re going to save money, I’m afraid that they will be in for a rude awakening.”
Bob Pasch, Director of Maintenance for Frederick Aviation—one shop that still offers an owner assisted annual program—agreed with Thurber’s comments and added, “Our program is designed to do two things,” he said. “The first is to give the owner an education in their own airplane. A very distant second is that they may—and I stress may, save some money. But most don’t.”
So how did this myth of huge money savings get started? “Some owners see a mechanic doing something simple like taking an inspection panel off of a wing,” Thurber said. “And they think, ‘Golly that’s so easy to do. Why am I paying this guy $60 or $70 dollars an hour to do that when I can do it myself?’ Well, the reason isn’t always that simple to see.”
“In the case of the inspection panel, would you know what to do if one of the screws wouldn’t come out of the panel? Do you know how to take it out without ruining the screw or the wing itself? Or how to make sure it won’t get stuck again next year?” he continued.
“Those are the elements that a trained professional knows how to deal with without costing you more money in the long run.”
“The ‘X-factor’ in any owner assisted annual is the owner himself,” Pasch added. “I start every program off by explaining that the eventual savings or non-savings on this inspection is entirely up to them. They are their own quality control. If they are mechanically inclined and can work well with minimal direction they may save some money. If not, it will probably cost them more money due to extra time the technician will have to spend watching over them.”
Pasch explained that Frederick Aviation’s owner assisted annual program attracts owners from as far away as South Carolina and New York to their Maryland location. He said they do 18 to 24 owner assisted annuals a year and most of them are on the simpler single engine models like Archers.
“I have one owner who has been doing owner assisted annuals for about 25 years with us,” he continued. “This guy really doesn’t need much help from us. We give him space to work and he knows what needs to be done. Along the way, either my chief inspector or I will check out his work. He’s very educated and has great mechanical ability.”
“We’re confident in his ability to follow proper procedures,” Pasch said. “Whatever work he can’t do is done by our technicians. He saves around $600 on his annual every year.”
Since all things in nature seek balance, Pasch said that while this owner is very competent in his work, there are those that when they come into his shop he’s afraid that they will stick a screwdriver in their eye.
“There’s such a wide variety of skills and knowledge, there’s no way to know what a person can do until we see him do it,” he said. “What the owner is allowed to do is ultimately determined by the technician that I pair him up with. But with minor guidance, most owners are capable of doing the preventative maintenance items spelled out in FAR Part 43.”
Because this is a learning-by-doing kind of thing, Pasch says that if an owner will stick to it routinely, his skills will grow and so will his opportunities to save on the final cost. “The first year or so an owner probably won’t see any savings,” he said.
“But a guy who has been doing it for a few years can probably cut five or more hours out of the technician’s time and that’s what he gets billed for.” But, he stressed, “It’s not always about saving money, but it is always an education.”
Do your homework
Like a good Boy Scout, smart owners will “Be Prepared” before they take a screwdriver to their beloved airplane. “Actually there are a few really good things an owner can do to increase their knowledge of what goes on during an annual,” Thurber said. “Aircraft Technical Books Company just put out a very good video that explains what goes on during the annual inspection of an engine. It’s a great overview of what a mechanic does during the inspection. Well worth the money.”
“Another thing an owner should do is buy and read the maintenance manual for his airplane,” he continued. “Especially the first few chapters that talk about general maintenance practices. Service items such as lubrication, inspection procedures, and the annual inspection checklist. Most manuals will even give advice on how to inspect a particular airplane—what to look for and where.”
Thurber said that a lot of the things described in the manual are things an owner can do himself between annual inspections—that could add up to considerable savings. “Things like the lubrication procedures,” he said.
“That can help keep their airplane in better condition and it is something that most mechanics would just as soon have the owner do as long as they know how to do it correctly.”
Even if you never pick up a grease gun, reading the maintenance manual for your airplane is time very well spent.
“The more any owner knows the better,” Pasch said. “That’s another benefit of the owner-assisted annual. The owner will come away with a better working knowledge of the systems on his airplane, however simple they may be.”
“When a person takes something apart and opens access panels to see trim cables and chains he will better understand when things are not right,” he continued. “And, getting back to the savings concept, that knowledge will make him better communicator with his mechanic when there is a problem—and that allows the mechanic to find and fix the problem faster.”
See no evil, Find no evil
Another very important role that you can play in making your next annual as painless as possible—even if you don’t want to get your hands dirty—is to prepare a detailed list of everything that you think may be amiss with your airplane before you deliver it to your technician’s shop.
“There are two kinds of people when it comes to an annual inspection,” Pasch explained. “Those who don’t want us to find anything wrong—because they don’t want to have to pay to fix it and those who want us to find and fix everything down to the burnt out light bulb on their instrument panel that lights up their Hobbs meter.”
“The more information they can give us up front the better and faster job we can do for them,” he continued. “Some items are mandatory and have to be fixed and others are more negotiable. Remember, it’s not my airplane, it’s yours. If you don’t tell us what’s wrong we may or may not find it. You have the right to know what’s going on inside your airplane all the time. It’s not about money, it’s your and your family’s safety we’re dealing with.”
Savings? Zero. Knowing what goes on inside your airplane? Priceless!
The simple truth is, becoming a proactive part of your airplane’s next annual is one of the smartest things you can do. You may or may not save any money, but even if you do nothing more than prepare the detailed ‘squawk’ list for your technician to use as a guideline, savings are secondary to the invaluable learning experience you will receive. And that knowledge will pay off many times over as long as you’re an aircraft owner.
So how can you find a shop in your area that will let you take part in your annual? It is getting harder – out-of-control liability insurance costs are seeing to that, but with a little effort you will be able to find a shop.
“Call around and talk to other aircraft owners on your field,” Thurber said. “Then pay the shops a visit and ask them if they are willing to let you do some of the work. Explain that this is about learning more than saving money.”
The bottom line is you are going to have to pay for the annual anyway, you might as well get as much out of the process as you possibly can. Who knows, once you get your hands dirty exploring the inner workings of your airplane, you may just begin to look forward to those annual inspections. Just don’t tell Dr. Jellyfinger.
For more information:
Frederick Aviation
Ph: (301) 662-8156
Web: www.frederickaviation.com
Aircraft Technical Book Company
Ph: (800) 780-4115
Web: www. www.actechbooks.com/annual_inspection_powerplant.htm
Approach Aviation Educated Owner Videos
Ph: (978) 567-9909
Web: www.approachaviation.com
Dale Smith has been in love with airplanes and flying forever. A prolific aviation journalist, Dale is also a principal partner in Flying Boat Creative Services, an advertising agency specializing in aviation.
