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The Owner Assisted Annual

What to expect. What you can do. What NOT to do.

by Norman Echtinaw

Everyone wants to mitigate the cost of aircraft ownership, and an owner- assisted annual can help you attain that goal If your local IA is willing to work with you. Some small shops are willing to let you participate in maintenance tasks on your airplane while large structured shops can not be so flexible. Repair stations are severely limited by their operations manual. Other shops may have a liability concern, or their insurance carrier simply will not allow them to let owners participate. Inquire of your mechanic about assisting in the annual, and ask what he will expect of you. Mechanics generally want their customers to learn about their airplanes because it helps communication when something needs attention. The more you know, the better you can describe the problem, and that may lead to fewer shop hours for troubleshooting.

There are several things you must seriously consider before getting involved in the hands on portion of the annual inspection. Is it economically feasible for you to take time from your work to help with the process? Can you handle mechanical things beyond the simple tasks? Are you willing to go home very dirty? Some of the tasks involved can get pretty nasty and your wife may not let you in the house before taking a shower; bad news in a cold climate. Give yourself an honest evaluation, and if there is doubt in your mind, your best option may be to simply let the shop personnel do the job. Another factor may be if you need supervised training it may not be cost effective for your IA to work with you because his shop may suffer the consequences of lost income while you are in training.

There is a course that owners can take that will provide them with the knowledge to be in control of the maintenance of their airplane, and many mechanics recommend you take it, because you will learn some of the inner workings of your aircraft that will better help you control maintenance costs. Let’s face it. It is easier for us mechanics to deal with informed owners than with those whose knowledge stops at the fuel tank and ignition switch. Even simple things like using the wrong screw can strip a nutplate and result in costly problems down the line.

OK. You have determined you are not dangerous with a screwdriver, and can change a light bulb without help. So, where do you go from there? A visit with your IA is in order at this point to discuss your qualifications and see if he will permit you to help with the tasks required to complete the inspection. If he is willing, and your mechanical skills are up to par, you may even be permitted to perform some repairs. As you show your capabilities, and the IA is convinced your skills are worthy, and your work is of the quality required, you will likely be permitted to do more as you progress. Your IA may also ask you to sign off your work in the logs. Part 43 requires the name, signature, and certificate number of the person doing the work. The IA will then inspect your work and if it’s satisfactory he will approve the aircraft for return to service. Appendix A of Part 43 has a list of things considered to be preventive maintenance. You may legally do any of the listed tasks, and you must sign them off in the logs. Finally, be prepared to bring your own tools. Mechanics have a substantial investment in their toolbox. If you have doubts, get on the tool truck and begin pricing things. If tools are loaned, and are at your hangar when the mechanic needs them, time is lost, and shop revenues go down the drain.

Where are you likely to begin?

Even the grizzled “gray beard” mechanics started at the bottom, and worked their way up the ladder. We were first handed some cleaning equipment and given tasks to complete. Airplanes do get dirty, and the first task to be completed before the inspection starts is cleaning the plane. It’s impossible to inspect if it is covered in dirt and grease, and while it’s not the most desirable job in the world it must be done. If this, and preferably the whole annual, can be done in your hangar, some money can be saved because your plane hasn’t tied up space on the shop floor, and your IA can come to your hangar to perform the inspection and look things over when you have it all back together. Those are some of the considerations he needs to give you a price break.

Ordering parts:

Some parts, such as oil filters, can be purchased for less from suppliers like Spruce and Chief. Your shop will likely have these on hand anyway, and the markup is nominal. If the shop does not make a small profit on parts they will not survive. Labor rates in aviation are generally lower than at your neighborhood auto dealer, and parts sales are needed to keep the doors open. Keep in mind that if you order the wrong part you are stuck with it. If the shop does that it’s their baby, and they must sit on it till another opportunity to sell it comes along. Granted; some aircraft parts are pricey, but limited production is more the cause of that than a company making huge profits from them. Some exhaust systems, for example, are so pricey shops are almost embarrassed to mark them up; but if they must run them through their books they will lose money if they sell them at cost.

The bottom line is that when the airplane has been signed off it must be in compliance with the FAR’s and be in safe condition for flight. Your life depends on that, and we wouldn’t want you to settle for anything less.