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Permalink Reply by Matt Pope 2 hours ago

I wasn't able to find someone to do a pre-buy for me, and it was my first airplane purchase, so I made some mistakes. Here are some things I wish I had done: 

Look closely at the wiring behind the panel (take a video with your phone if you're not very flexible). Make sure aviation grade wires and connections were used, and that it's not an incomprehensible rat's nest. Ideally, things should be labelled, and there should be a wiring diagram that you can follow. 

Also check the logbook to see if maintenance was done by an A&P or by the owner, and cross check the notes by looking at things like the dates on the ELT batteries, because it's easy for someone to "pencil whip" an annual inspection, especially if they don't have a licence or a reputation to worry about. 

Check for wear on rudder and elevator cables. There should be plastic wear plates anywhere a control cable rubs against something.  

You didn't say what engine it has, but engines typically have recommended lifetimes for certain parts. It's not mandatory to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, so you can get a sense of the owner's maintenance philosophy by educating yourself about these things and then asking him if he's replaced/checked them (or if he's even aware of them). 

You can get a $30 borescope from Amazon to look around in places where you can't stick your head. If the wing struts are steel tubes (not upgraded to extruded aluminum), check for corrosion inside them.

Ask about the horizontal stabilizer attach brackets. Zenith put out a safety letter about checking for cracks in those. 

Price out fixing/replacing anything you think is a safety issue and use that in your negotiation. 

Don't fall in love with an airplane before you buy it. There will be others!

Cheers

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