The Dreaded Annual Inspection

There seems to be some bloody football game on that a lot of people care about. I clicked in for a few seconds and all I saw were some lizards dancing to "Thriller." Now there is a reference that's not going to grab people under 40.

It was a really nice day here. The small airport I fly out of was pretty busy, busier than I have seen it in a long time. There was some haze, but it was a great day to fly. It might be my last for awhile, as the airplane goes in for its annual inspection.

"Annual inspection," also known as "the annual" are words that strike terror into the heart and wallet of every aircraft owner. What you do is you turn your airplane over to the mechanic, who has the manuals and inspection checklists from the manufacturer of the airplane. There are some basic sanity rules I've learned over the years.

First, if you fly a piston-single engined airplane, never ever ever take it for an annual to a repair shop that also works on turbine engined airplanes. They are guaranteed to have a different view of what is expensive from you.

Second, communication is key. You need to make sure that the mechanic knows your level of tolerance for financial pain. And make damn sure that you understand the difference between stuff that has to be fixed and stuff that you can defer. For instance, if your airplane has two radios and one of them craps out, if you fly IFR, you are going to want to get the second one fixed. If all you do is fly VFR, maybe not so much.

Third is to plan. One way to keep the cost down on the annual is to keep up with the little things. Also make sure that you have a handle on what needs to be fixed and if something doesn't work, give the mechanic more information than "it no workie".

A good way to save, if you're handy, is with a shop that will let you assist. You can save a fair amount of money by taking off all of the fairings and access panels that need to come off, and then putting them back on. Some shops claim their insurance won't permit it, which may be true, or it may be an excuse to keep you out of the shop.

If you are new to an airport, ask around. You may have to go of the airport to find a shop whose maintenance philosophy is in tune with yours.

But remember, it is your butt that is in the seat and will be in the seat if things go sour. so if you need to spend cash on safety-of-flight items, find a way.