{"id":21455,"date":"2020-12-10T16:01:33","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T20:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/?p=21455"},"modified":"2020-12-10T16:01:33","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T20:01:33","slug":"buying-a-used-airplane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Buying your own airplane is an exciting prospect. It\u2019s also a big commitment that requires plenty of research and planning. If you\u2019re considering a used airplane, one important step is the pre-buy inspection.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a pre-purchase inspection? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

A pre-purchase inspection, sometimes called a tech appraisal, involves examining the aircraft for any damage, wear, and maintenance issues that may arise in the foreseeable future. This step usually happens when a buyer is serious about an aircraft, but before the transaction is final. A pre-purchase inspection doesn\u2019t need to be as extensive as an annual inspection, although it can be. It\u2019s usually up to the buyer to decide how much they\u2019re willing to invest in the process.<\/p>\n

What to check<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Buyers will often work with an A&P mechanic to inspect the airplane from tail to spinner, checking all systems: the engine, propeller, wings, landing gear, fuel tanks, and so on. If the plane was left outdoors, it\u2019s smart to inspect for unseen corrosion damage on the airframe and propeller. The pre-buy inspection is also a good opportunity to check for internal cracks and leaks, for example, in the propeller hub.<\/p>\n

Along with a mechanical inspection, it\u2019s important to review the aircraft logbooks and records of servicing, maintenance, inspections, and Airworthiness Directives to ensure everything is in order. AOPA provides a printable aircraft condition checklist<\/a> to assist buyers in the pre-buy inspection.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s best to choose an A&P who\u2019s experienced with the type of aircraft and knows what common problems to look for. After completing the inspection, the mechanic will provide a written report of the aircraft\u2019s condition. If serious damage is uncovered, the buyer may negotiate a reduction in price or walk away from the deal.<\/p>\n

Considerations for homebuilt aircraft<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Buying a pre-owned homebuilt aircraft can be appealing. Homebuilts generally offer low maintenance costs, a unique appearance, and fun flying. Once you own a homebuilt, you can choose to make modifications<\/a> and personalize the plane to your personal tastes.<\/p>\n

When buying a used homebuilt, a thorough pre-buy inspection is even more essential. If you\u2019re buying one of the popular kitplanes<\/a>, it shouldn\u2019t be difficult to find an A&P familiar with the type. But if you\u2019re looking at a more obscure experimental airplane, it can be a little trickier. Consider connecting with online communities for experimental builders, owners, and pilots to seek out a trusted, well-qualified mechanic.<\/p>\n

Why is a pre-purchase inspection so important?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A pre-purchase inspection can save used aircraft buyers a lot of time, money, and headaches down the road. It\u2019s well worth the upfront investment to avoid unpleasant maintenance surprises and feel confident that your aircraft is safe to fly!<\/p>\n

Do you have a question about propeller maintenance, repair, or conversions? Contact the experts at Hartzell Propeller<\/a> \u2014 we\u2019re happy to speak with you.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buying your own airplane is an exciting prospect. It\u2019s also a big commitment that requires plenty of research and planning. If you\u2019re considering a used airplane, one important step is the pre-buy inspection. What\u2019s a pre-purchase inspection? A pre-purchase inspection, sometimes called a tech appraisal, involves examining the aircraft for any damage, wear, and maintenance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":923,"featured_media":15921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[105,13,82,56,240,136,17,532],"class_list":["post-21455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-aircraft","tag-aircraft-propeller","tag-aircraft-tips","tag-airplane-propeller","tag-prop","tag-propeller","tag-top-prop","tag-used-airplane"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBuying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter - Hartzell Propeller<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thinking about buying a used airplane? Here's why you don't want to skip the pre-purchase inspection before making a deal.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter - Hartzell Propeller\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thinking about buying a used airplane? Here's why you don't want to skip the pre-purchase inspection before making a deal.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hartzell Propeller\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HartzellProp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-10T20:01:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mottier.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1726\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"838\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"evelyn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@HartzellProp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HartzellProp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"evelyn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"evelyn\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ddade027dbcd56e7b4ddf9f971cd471d\"},\"headline\":\"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-10T20:01:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":495,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Mottier.png\",\"keywords\":[\"aircraft\",\"aircraft propeller\",\"aircraft tips\",\"airplane propeller\",\"prop\",\"propeller\",\"Top Prop\",\"used airplane\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/\",\"name\":\"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter - Hartzell Propeller\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Mottier.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-10T20:01:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ddade027dbcd56e7b4ddf9f971cd471d\"},\"description\":\"Thinking about buying a used airplane? Here's why you don't want to skip the pre-purchase inspection before making a deal.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Mottier.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Mottier.png\",\"width\":1726,\"height\":838,\"caption\":\"Hartzell: Built on Honor\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/buying-a-used-airplane\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hartzell Propeller\",\"description\":\"Airplane Propeller and Aircraft Propeller Systems\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ddade027dbcd56e7b4ddf9f971cd471d\",\"name\":\"evelyn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/12a3e84e6b8ef429766372e78e10d8f8b37587914edd2a2489716362593e31e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/12a3e84e6b8ef429766372e78e10d8f8b37587914edd2a2489716362593e31e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/12a3e84e6b8ef429766372e78e10d8f8b37587914edd2a2489716362593e31e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"evelyn\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/author\\\/evelyn\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter - Hartzell Propeller","description":"Thinking about buying a used airplane? Here's why you don't want to skip the pre-purchase inspection before making a deal.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter - Hartzell Propeller","og_description":"Thinking about buying a used airplane? Here's why you don't want to skip the pre-purchase inspection before making a deal.","og_url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/","og_site_name":"Hartzell Propeller","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HartzellProp","article_published_time":"2020-12-10T20:01:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1726,"height":838,"url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mottier.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"evelyn","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@HartzellProp","twitter_site":"@HartzellProp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"evelyn","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/"},"author":{"name":"evelyn","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ddade027dbcd56e7b4ddf9f971cd471d"},"headline":"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter","datePublished":"2020-12-10T20:01:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/"},"wordCount":495,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mottier.png","keywords":["aircraft","aircraft propeller","aircraft tips","airplane propeller","prop","propeller","Top Prop","used airplane"],"articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/","url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/","name":"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter - Hartzell Propeller","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mottier.png","datePublished":"2020-12-10T20:01:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ddade027dbcd56e7b4ddf9f971cd471d"},"description":"Thinking about buying a used airplane? Here's why you don't want to skip the pre-purchase inspection before making a deal.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mottier.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mottier.png","width":1726,"height":838,"caption":"Hartzell: Built on Honor"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/buying-a-used-airplane\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Buying a Used Airplane? Here\u2019s Why Pre-Purchase Inspections Matter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/","name":"Hartzell Propeller","description":"Airplane Propeller and Aircraft Propeller Systems","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ddade027dbcd56e7b4ddf9f971cd471d","name":"evelyn","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12a3e84e6b8ef429766372e78e10d8f8b37587914edd2a2489716362593e31e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12a3e84e6b8ef429766372e78e10d8f8b37587914edd2a2489716362593e31e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12a3e84e6b8ef429766372e78e10d8f8b37587914edd2a2489716362593e31e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"evelyn"},"url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/author\/evelyn\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/923"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21455"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21456,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21455\/revisions\/21456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}