KRviator

Beautiful work - but where's the wing spar going to go?!?

When you absolutely, positively want to win the Red Bull Flug-tag...

We live within spitting distance of the threshold of a Council runway, that is both lit and has an instrument approach to that threshold. Our home insurance I think it is with Allianz but would have to check, covers impact by aircraft, and also views our good-sized hangar as a typical workshed. They seem to view our property as a standard residential risk, notwithstanding the airport proximity or the fact we have private taxiway access to it.

Note, it doesn't say what frequency you must be monitoring, be it Area, a nearby CTAF, 123.45, 121.5, 122.7 (for possible gliders) or trying to get a nearby AWIS to broadcast the QNH so you're complying with the AIP. Definitely more than one way to remove the epidermis from a feline. The thing that troubles me about that is the RPT seemed to "expect" the survey job to get out of its' way. Captain Fourbars ain't paying for his fuel the way the survey operator is. Try that with me when I'm out and about and you'll get a not-so-polite reply. RPT does not equal right of way, though, I will try to help commercial operators out where I can, I object to them telling me to do so because they think they're better than everyone else by virtue of skippy on the tail. Damn good question - but one better directed at CASA - since they ae banking on GPS availability by allowing sole-means GNSS navigation for IFR in IMC with no backup!

Properly maintained, I'd have no problem flying a B35 Bonanza - a model that first took flight nearly 70 years ago! Same for their Brand C or P equivalents, too. The only downside to aging aircraft is lack of parts or manufacturer support for critical items and it'd be something like that that would stop an older aircraft flying, not because the fuselage fell apart. Maybe its' time for CAsA to consider something like the Transport Canada "Owner Maintenance" régime? But that's another topic! @skippydiesel LVA = Lachlan Valley Aviation, methinks...

Add to that the risk of a broker discounting potential purchasers as legitimate and either ignoring, or simply overlooking responding to them, as this thread shows. There's (potentially) two Bonanza's and a Debonair listed through brokers that could have been sold much earlier and for a higher price had the broker actually responded. The Deb is still listed over 3 months since I first made contact with the broker, however I am led to believe the Bo's did go but much later than my first enquiry to the respective brokers, and probably for a lower price given the extended time on the market. After my email seeking the W&B back in March, I waited several weeks and followed up with the Deb broker to ask where the details were, and the excuse was "the photos were still sitting in my outbox" - he didn't even check to see if they were sent! And you as the vendor are paying for this kind of service. As above, ISTR this particular aircraft was initially listed at $124K, was dropped to $119K and it is now $115K... So that's at least $9,000 this particular broker has cost the seller - and that's not counting his fees on top of that! I think a big problem with brokers and the "he's a tyrekicker" train of thought is the laziness brokers put in to their ads. Let's consider the Deb that's advertised on PlaneSales that I'm interested in, as a case study: What year was the engine overhauled, topped & had the bottom end done? What is the BEW & CG? Who manufactured the tip tanks? ISTR there were at least two, and both had different MTOW's & capacities... What is the MTOW with the tiptanks? What is the total fuel capacity? "Long Range with Tip Tanks" means sweet FA as the Deb's had optional in-wing LR main tanks, as well as the tips. "140Kts at 50LPH" - is this KIAS, KTAS, CAS or GS (Yes, I've seen that advertised...) and at what altitude & power setting?!? (Since found out it is KIAS @ 6,500 - otherwise I'd be thinking "Bugger me, that Deb has something wrong with it, it's sooooo slow" - given most cruise speeds are measured & described in KTAS) "PROP OVERHAULED 2017 1900 HOURS TO RUN" - What make and model is it? The Flottrop propellor listed on the CASA register, a Hartzell installed under an STC? McCauley? Will it have repetitive hub inspections required? "Dual Nav/Comm" - what make & model is it? Mode C Transponder - What make & model is it? GPS AirMap 2000? What about the Garmin GPS100 that's installed in the panel and (hopefully) interfaced to the CDI? When were the wing-bolts done? AIUI this is a kinda-really-important thing for Bo's & Debs, with 5 yearly inspections and mandatory replacement at 15 years. This isn't an overly comprehensive list of questions, but basic descriptive information for that particular aircraft that should be included in any description - if only to save a bunch of calls to the broker seeking that information that then reveals that Deb isn't actually suitable for the potential buyer. As a seller, it's stuff you can put in your PlaneSales ad rather than having the broker-vendor-buyer ping-pong chasing this kind of stuff.

Not yet. I still check the various websites a couple times a day though! Emailed those Q's from a page or two ago to Bunbury about their Twin-Co and waiting to hear back. The contact in the ad is a guest of hotel quarantine at present, and said she'd get back to me when she is released by her jailers. I also still like that Deb that's listed as well, being a single, Mogas-capable etc, and am trying to track down a FB account for the owner to email him directly with the questions the broker ignored. If anyone knows a David Addison from Ballarat, let him know to fire his broker!

It turns out it is not only aircraft brokers who don't seem to give a phlying phuck about potential customers. New car sales staff are the same. Well, some anyway... We wanted to buy a new Prado for the KRviatrix, and so the search began. One salesman from Singleton Toyota basically told us "I don't want to let you test drive the car here, because you could then go and buy it somewhere else!", but relented when he realized we would actually accept the wait (3-6 months) if we couldn't find a car in stock. Incidentally, this dealer also failed to send through the promised quote until we chased him up asking where it was, and was still $1,600 more expensive than the cheapest quote we got anyway. After spending the better part of an hour looking at a Prado at Gosford a couple weekends ago, the sales rep there promised to send through the relevant spec sheet via email as they didn't have any printed brochures for potential customers (WTF?!?) and a Toyota-specific form to confirm eligibility for fleet pricing. Reckon he did? Nope. A follow-up call to that dealer yesterday was met with the "That salesman is on an RDO today, but I'll send him a message and he'll contact you when he gets in tomorrow morning", which I followed up with my own email to him with a couple more specific questions. Think that has been replied to? Then there's the sales staff at Lismore Toyota, Lander Toyota and Ryde Toyota, all of whom have yet to have their sales staff return a call. Two different salesmen from Penrith Toyota basically said "I'm looking at the computer and there's no unallocated Prado's of that spec anywhere in NSW, there's one in Adelaide, and one in Hobart"...But of course, "we can order one in for you". I eventually found the vehicle I want in Canterbury - a 5 hour one-way trip - after the salesman there said "We just brought one out of storage this morning, hang on and I'll confirm it's what you want", and called back about 5 minutes later. We agreed on a price, he emailed the contract, I signed it, and they've been paid in full via Osko less than 2 hours after I called him. Probably the easiest sale he's ever made. I'll pick it up around 1500 tomorrow and be home in time for a late dinner. No less than 37 dealers were called, from as far north as Ballina, west to Dubbo and south to Sydney looking for this specific vehicle. Most were fairly open "No, we don't have one, and you're looking at at least a 2 month wait", a couple said "We don't have one in stock, but do have an unallocated one enroute, due 3/5/7 weeks" but a special few, 4 in total, promised to call back, either because all their sales staff were busy, or the sales rep was going to check availability, etc. Four out of 37, or more than 10% of those called couldn't be asred actually doing that! I'll never know if they had a vehicle in stock, nor will they ever know they could have sold one today simply by picking up the phone. As a sales rep, I would have thought it is almost your duty to follow up each and every potential lead to achieve a sale for your employer - and your bank balance. Guess I'm wrong about that - or my work ethic is higher than a car salesman...

The RVs have an even simpler one, a piece of standard fuel tubing. Bent to sit a bees d!ck off the bottom of the tank, a flared fitting on one end, squashed flat at the other, with a series of thin hacksaw cuts partway through it. I couldn't imagine anyone flying without something to catch the bigger contaminants before they reach (and/or) block the filter.

Reading it doesn't worry me. I, effectively, built a plane in my back shed. A plane that I have flown to 10,000', down Victor 1 at 500' and based it at what can be considered a marginal airstrip. That being said, I don't believe in risk aversion so much as risk management. When we flew Victor 1, we both had our life jackets on, I routinely fly wearing a tactical vest filled with survival goodies and a PLB in one of the pockets, and we fly in an RV-9, that - short of flying it into a cliff face - any crash landing should be survivable if not actually injury-free, so long as it is under control. Given that the next phase of our flying is likely to involve NVFR, it makes sense to consider something like a Twin-Co, a light twin it may be, but again, it should climb away (slowly) on 1 engine at our normal operating weights, it is powered by arguably the most reliable piston engine going, and it is by its' nature a twin, with a reasonable SE service ceiling, making NVFR flights safer. Flying isn't inherently unsafe, but failing to address those known, and 'known unknown' risks is what creates the hazards.

We are talking about the same CAR 208 are we? A CAO is drafted under authority of (IIRC) CAR 5, not 208... Nonetheless, RAAus, under authority granted by CAO 95.55, is exempt from any obligation to comply with CAR 208. Nowhere in CAO20.16.3 does it exclude RAAus, nor limit its' applicability to certificated aircraft only. It's quite clear that it applies to "Application: This section applies to all Australian registered aircraft."

Two places does not limit it to two occupants. That must be clearly understood. # of seats /= # of occupants. I suggest you re-read the relevant CAO's and tell us if they say "Single-Place" / "Two-Place" or "Two-Passenger". The devil is in the detail - and like an awful lot of people found to their detriment about my RAAus RV-9, what they think it says and what it actually says are not the same... The C172 is a "4 Place" aircraft, per the Type Certificate, however, you can legally carry 5 people in it in accordance with CAO20.16.3 - which also allows you to carry 2 adults + an infant in an RAAus aircraft, if you can stay within the W&B limitations.

Nothing wrong with 3 people in an RAAus bird if one is an infant or two are kids under 77Kg total. RAAus Ops manual says a passenger endorsement allows the carriage of "passengers" plural not "a passenger". CAO20.16.3 says it applies to "all Australian registered aircraft" and in turn, that a 2 seater can have 1 excess passenger. So Mum, Dad + Infant in an RAAus aircraft? Rare, but legal. Good on 'im for knowing the rules and getting his rugrat airtime.

Wholeheartedly agree! I'd rather lose the 5-10K extra I "might" get by using a broker but most of that would be lost in their fee anyway. I'd sooner get an email from a genuine potential buyer and be able to call them and answer their questions directly but more importantly accurately! Hell, I recently listed a LandCruiser for sale and uploaded 27 photos including one of the auxiliary electrical busses and accessories we installed! And that's just for a car! Looks like it's sold too, sight unseen to a bloke in WA who'll fly over, do the deal, and ship it home next week, he called, we had a half-hour chat, and he paid the deposit when he got off the phone. I can only wonder just how many people do call to enquire about something like THIS Bonza or This one that doesn't even have a photo. Really...? It'd be an interesting conversation should one of these muppets I've been trying to deal with make contact when I list the RV-9..."Well, you didn't reply to my emails or calls when I was a potential buyer, why should I believe you won't do the same to anyone else when they enquire about my plane??" Though one of the brokers, the one who'd been ignoring me since 03rd May finally replied last night "Oh, for some reason the emails weren't going through, but I've taken a deposit on -KMT"...Except he uses a Gmail account (another turn-off for me, you don't even use your business domain for brokerage emails?!?), so the chances of those emails not going through? Pretty bloody slim, methinks.... That's a great question, I'll definitely add it to things to ask the LAME with whatever I buy! 👍

Some good advice there. Especially with the internet there is a phenomenal amount of info out there for most aircraft, ranging from POH's to planning apps and forums discussing maintenance squawks and fixes. The tough bit about VH registered birds though is there ain't an awful lot you can do, outside Schedule 8, unless you can convince CAsA to approve a CAR42ZC authorisation. I sent a THIRD email to a broker today, basically saying 'if you don't want to give me the detail I've asked for, or if -KMT has been sold, at least let me know and I'll take it off my shortlist". Wonder if I'll get a reply to that one?? Still no answer from the other two brokers about the Bonza or Deb either. Idongeddit.🤷‍♂️ I'm going to flick an email to Bunbury about that TwinCo later this week, covering off the list in the previous post. A few more $$ to run, but could be the best candidate.

But the problem with that clause is the broker is saying you cannot rely on what is written in the logbooks should you want to sue. " An extreme example might be the Vans SB for HS cracks in the RV series. @skippydiesel reviews the logbooks, and finds the following "SB 16-03-28 c/w, crack found, stop drilled, doubler installed IAW SB". He thinks, "great, they've done the SB, found & fixed the problem, all's well!", when in reality, someone CBF inspecting the wing and just wrote it off as done, the aileron bracket fails with the aileron departing the airframe. @skippydiesel rolls inverted and augers in, and can no longer work as a result of injuries sustained. He goes to sue the vendor for multi-squillions for lifetime care, et al, who points to the sales contract and says "Sorry, @skippydiesel, your fault entirely. You should have physically checked that SB was complied with, rather than relying on a logbook entry that says it was, because the sales contract you signed says you acknowledged you can't rely on what's written in the logbooks! Tough titties!" If the agent or vendor won't warrant the logbooks are accurate, they're worthless, and the price should be adjusted downwards significantly to reflect their (meaningless) value if they want to make a sale. Oh, and expect the aircraft to be disassembled to confirm compliance with SB's and AD's as applicable by the buyer's L2/LAME.

No, @440032 is right. I didn't think he was and went looking. CAO95.55 fliers are exempt from pretty much ALL the CASR's and only a few of the CAR's. Contrary to popular belief, I like being wrong - I'll learn something that way!

If it is a PVT strip, do what the owner said. For all you know they've got fences or something on the grass, put out their X's and the cows have trampled them into the ground. There could be a myriad of reasons you've been told to use the sealed strip, and you won't be likely to get PPR a second time if you landed on the grass after being told the sealed strip. Just remember CASR 91.410, that makes crashing illegal. If you land on the grass, even if you greased it on, and you somehow crash, you're a criminal as it wasn't suitable.

Yeah, the broker can f&*k that right off. You are legally entitled to rely on what is disclosed in the logbook, and for him to try to weasel out with that kind of jargon is enough to make me think twice too. IF he won't budge, then there's more fish in the sea, it just might take you a bit longer. IF you want an RV-9A I can do you a deal when I've signed off the 100-hourly! 😛 It's not that they can't be relied on by the broker, but the broker saying, in effect, they cannot be relied upon, and you have no claim either way because of that. About the only possible reason I can think of putting that in there is the logbooks saying something like "GTN-750 Installed 01/01/2019" and old mate finding he didn't like it and so removed it and put a GTN-650 in and forgot to log it, or a typo along those lines, there's a -650 installed, but someone typed -750. There's a $10K claim right there. I like @facthunter's idea though, "You're saying I cannot rely on what is written in the logbook, that being the case, the logs have no value and the price needs to be adjusted downwards accordingly...Here's a bank cheque with my new and final offer"

That's not necessarily true in my case, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we're in the Upper Hunter, 5 hours from Sydney Airport, 2 from Newcastle and 2 from Tamworth, there's no RPT service within cooee for us. Due to that, in the time taken to drive to Sydney, park, check-in and get to the gate, we could have pushed a Twin-Co/Bo/Deb out of our hangar at home, flown to Townsville and be taxiing to parking. Secondly, I've flown Jetstar once and would never do it again. The seat pitch and service is woeful. For a family of four it is $400pp Sydney-Townsville 4 weeks out, so $3,200 return with Jetstar, $470pp with RedRat, plus parking, fuel & airport travel time. 5.5 hrs at 155KTAS at 60LPH x 2 =a total 660L of fuel at $1.60-2.20/L. The Deb has a Mogas STC available, but even without, the total Avgas cost is still less than the one way cost of airfares for 4. (Un)fortunately, both the rugrats do like flying and regularly want to go after school, so it's not as simple as thinking "buy a 4-seater for the KRviatrix & me". We do need a 4 seater to carry 4 of us routinely. Thirdly, with the airlines, you're limited to flying when they want to go and where they want to go. Certainly I agree with GA you're weather-constrained, but good (safe?) planning takes that in to account. We haven't had to be somewhere on a certain date and left it too late that we had to fly in iffy weather. For that, we do fly RPT, but if it's going to Townsville to see the Cowboys play we leave a day or two in advance and enjoy a 2-day stay in Townsville before the game. If we do get held up, we've still got that 24-48 hr margin before the game. We do the same with QF anyway, making sure we get there the day before lest they cancel the flight. It's happened before (to a good mate) and he made it to the game by less than a bees d*ck. I have, yes, but I haven't thought it necessary just yet. Given there's several potential candidates advertised through these brokers I 'thought' there might be a suitable aircraft among those listed. The tough part is finding out as none of the asshat brokers will bother to reply to you, hence this thread. The other option I've seriously considered is going through the likes of AirHistory, JetPHotos, etc to find those Comanches/Twin-Co's/Bonanza or Deb's with tip tanks and penning a letter to their owners directly. VH-ADD for example is just down the road, and has been owned by the same bloke since 1972! My logic (flawed it may be) would be he's gotta be getting close to hanging up the headset, and would he like to see his plane kept flying, rather than becoming a hangar queen?

I've seriously considered a 182Q, and it's like the RV-10, not great at anything, but good at everything, but...using the figures from the Redcliffe Aero club's 182 (simply the first one I found), shows it has a useful load of only 1,000lbs, or 217Kg after loading full fuel. A Comanche C I missed out on by a weekend could load full fuel (90USG), 305Kg of people and 29kg of baggage and not be overweight or out of balance, and blow the doors of a 182 for next-to-no difference in fuel. A 206 would be good, but the few for sale are all mega $$$ or mega hours. There's no in between. While I'm not planning flying IMC routinely, NVFR is definitely on the agenda. Hence me considering that Twin-Co, even though I'm not twin rated yet. For the same reason I'll be installing an EFIS in whatever I do end up getting. The Dynon (and Garmin equivalent) provides massive safety benefits over the standard 6 pack, in addition to ADS-B out and EMS functionality - as well as spoken "gear down, d*ckhead!" alarms in your headset if you forget to dangle the dunlops. And to bring this back on the initial topic, it's now the 24th May, making it 4 days since I left a voicemail asking a broker to call me back, 6 days after I replied to another broker's email seeking some more info on a Debonair, and 6 days since I sent an email to a third broker following up an email I'd originally sent on the 3rd May - so that's now 3 weeks since I initially enquired about a plane he has listed, with no contact from him. At what point does it transition from laziness to incompetence? 🤨

I could put a C146 GNSS in the -9 and fly IFR no problems, but it doesn't solve the 4 seat issue.

Nope! FIKI is definitely not on the agenda. Too much added weight and complexity for something that's not needed. If the weather's that bad, I'll drive. Or wait it out.

The listing shows LH Propeller TSO 80.1 due 2024 & RH propeller TSO 0.0 due 2029. If it has the 'standard' props on a Comanche, I thought the overhaul period was 2,000hrs or 5 years, however, CAsA AD/PROP/01 says a 2,000h or 10 year TBO if I've read it right. IT's got the following that I'd probably keep: GNS430 - but they don't say what suffix, so it might be a 'straight' -430 or a -430A (and thus only TSO-C219) or it might be a -430W (TSO-C146) which means I can use it for sole-means navigation in IMC It has what looks like an STEC-50 autopilot and; An Icarus SAM GNSS steering module. Everything else is straight from the 1960's. I have a quote to put a full Dynon installation in a Comanche 260C that was about $50K including autopilot, but without the AP it would likely be around $30-35K for EFIS & EMS, so I'd probably go for that. I have the full Dynon setup in the RV and love it. The only thing I would lose if I go that route is Heading Hold, and Alt Capture, as the Dynon won't talk to the STEC. I would have wing-leveller and Alt Hold, as well as VOR/GPS Nav which is suitable. The big question is whether it will meet book speeds & endurance, but with 120USG of fuel testing endurance might be a big ask! 😆

Following on from the above, since I can't edit the post, what am I missing or what other info should I request for a Twin-Co? Date of last 100 hourly? Compressions at last 100-hourly Date of engine overhauls? 500h magneto overhaul due when? Last flown? 1000-hr L/G AD complied with? (Comanche specific) Gear trunnion NDT / AD? (Comanche specific) Gear bungees last done? (Comanche specific) Conduits replaced? (Comanche Specific) BEW & ARM? Fuel capacity? (Pretty sure it has the 120Gal tanks from what I can make out of the fuel cal card, but want to check) On oil analysis? GNS 430/W/A? Any current unserviceability’s? Nacelle corrosion AD c/w & date? Autopilot type? (STEC 50 by the looks, but want to confirm) Speed or performance mods installed? ADS-B? and finally; Any damage history? It's a fairly comprehensive list, and I'll end up emailing it to the vendor, I've found her direct email address, so she can get the answers in her own time and get back to me.