Aircraft Pre-Purchase

Jakes AIr Repair Aircraft Services, Maintenance & COnsulting

Pre-Buy Inspections, Ferry, Flight Training, Sales & Maintenance

The "Pre-Buy" Inspection: What it is, what it entails & cost

Pre-Purchase Inspection

A Pre-Buy Inspection, or Prebuy Inspection, or Pre Purchase inspection is a common and recommended practice for anyone buying an airplane. This evaluation brings in an independent third party to evaluate the airplane on any number of levels in an attempt to establish a value of the airplane or aircraft, and to pick up on discrepancies and items that have been neglected or missed in prior inspections. This is best performed by an experienced mechanic, pilot and airplane owner. You don't just want a part time guy to go through your investment and just check boxes on a check list. You want someone with experience maintaining that type of airframe who can focus their attention right away on the critical and problematic areas. We are the guys to do this type of work. As professional mechanics, professional pilots and aircraft owners ourselves, we have experience with SO MANY types and know so many people with these airplanes that we have many additional resources that we can use to offer additional insight.

I should say that "inspection" is not the right word. The FAA defines what inspection is and a pre-purchase inspection does not meet that criteria. An evaluation is more encompassing of what should be done prior to buying or even selling an airplane. I like to say the best money spent, is on money that saved you from NOT buying a particular airplane. Since a pre-purchase evaluation is not spelled out in any official manner, it is up the the seller, buyer and evaluator to determine what will and won't be done. Anything short of a full annual or conditional inspection does leave the possibility to miss issues with the aircraft. It is strongly recommended and advised to perform an evaluation by a party no associated with the aircraft in the past. Such as the maintenance shop that previously maintained the aircraft, or anyone affiliated with the seller.

Sometimes that just isn't possible for a number of reasons. A lot can be learned about the aircraft by a review of it's complete records alone. Not just "log books".

Most evaluations we perform take place in a single day and with the potential buyers direct involvement. Having the aircraft brought to our facilities or traveling to visit the aircraft and evaluating its condition can help a potential buyer opt out of a purchase due to any issues the seller did not disclose or not know about. Jake's Air Repair travels to any number of airports in order to perform a pre-buy / pre purchase evaluation. Some nearby Northern California & Northern Nevada locations can be reached quickly by air or driving. We also travel further and frequently travel great distances. We're willing to go the extra miles for our customers! Literally! However the best bang for your buck is if you can bring the aircraft to our facility in Columbia, CA (O22). Here we can put a team on it and get more done in less time. That saves you money and gets more done.

Call and lets discuss the airplane you are considering buying. There is a lot to know, and we love to share what info we can to help you make an informed decision. We are glad to give you a half hour of time over the phone loaded with tips, tidbits and tings to know or consider. We are sure after a half hour phone call, you'll feel that Jake and his team are the right guys for the job.

Its also important to find a pre buy evaluator / mechanic well before entering into a contract to buy an airplane. Most sales contracts give you 10 days to close. Most shops and especially Jake's Air Repair are often booked up more than 2 weeks at a time. Call BEFORE you sign to buy. there is a lot to know before entering into a contract to buy an airplane. That's another thing you get with Jake's Air R[pair. You get more than just a mechanic looking for oil leaks. You get someone who knows the ins and outs of aircraft acquisitions.

Quick Opinion. $150 This is hardly a hands on inspection or evaluation, but for $150 you send us as many pictures and log book scans or pictures you have and based on what is provided, we will write up a list of any discrepancies noted that could potently be an issue or a concern. We can talk on the phone about it or we can write you a report. This is often the first step in seeing if proceeding with travel to a destination for further "in person" evaluation. (1 HR)

Lunch Time Special $500 - This inspection has you bring us the airplane to our hangar where we will send you off to lunch with a car to enjoy the immediate area, or you're encouraged to stay and look at the airplane with us! We will remove cowlings and various panels, and look over the aircraft for general condition. Compression checks, oil sample, and a brief audit of log books will provide a generalized sense of what the aircraft issues may be, and what the aircraft may need. (Approx. 4 hours)

Hourly Inspection. $140/HR Most of our evaluations are done this way. We spend a few hours to a few days looking the airplane over and making a general determination about the airplane, what it may need, and how much those repairs might cost. We will write up a report outlining all the discrepancies noted, including minor ones and an estimate for repairing each item. This will aid you in your negotiations with a seller. Our objective is to keep the costs down as much as possible, and we stop looking once we find a deal breaker or prohibitively expensive items.

The Annual Inspection. $140/HR This is often referred to as the best pre-buy, and while most people will absolutely agree that the most through inspection that can be performed is an annual inspection, it is often difficult to incorporate the two into one event. An annual inspection as a pre buy assure the most thorough inspection / evaluation is completed. The issue lies in the fact that at EVERY annual, there are items that need repair. If discrepancies are found that kills the interest of the buyer, the seller is now left with the burden of spending money out of his pocket to correct those issues. Sellers don't often want to spend that money as finances may be the reason for selling the aircraft. This puts the maintenance shop or mechanic in a precarious position. It is not impossible and can be done, but with through planning and thorough understanding and agreements between the seller, buyer and mechanic inspector/evaluator. If this is what you would like done, we can still make it happen call us and we will be glad to talk through any concerns you might have.

Travel to our Location. (Columbia, CA O22)

We love it when you can bring the airplane to us! You get a lot more "bang for your buck" if you bring it to us. We are able to put more mechanics on opening the airplane apart and can dig in a lot deeper and quicker, as well as having all the right tools at our disposal.

Travel to your Location.

We do offer mobile to your location service. We typically charge shop rate for travel time, (what it takes to drive from Columbia, CA) however it is best to contact us by phone and we can some times make exceptions or reductions to this fee.

Pick the best evaluator for you!

Why pick Jake's Air Repair over the the other guy you are considering?

Many mechanics that will perform a pre buy are just repair mechanics. There is a lifetimes worth of knowledge and experience that goes into evaluating an airplane. Some run of the mill shop or new A&P's don't always have the experience to see beyond the topical condition. You may chose a low time pilot to help you along in your training, but why let a low experience mechanic make the call on weather or not you should spend your life's savings on such an investment? The team at Jake's Air Repair utilizes years of experience, knowledge and even call in outside help to answer questions to make sure we provide the buyer with the most through evaluation possible.

It is important to know that an evaluation is just an evaluation. You are paying for an opinion of condition and value. It is NOT a fully encompassing inspection and a buyer is very likely to discover items down the road. It is foolish to think one guy can evaluate an airplane in its entirety in one or two days. The only way any mechanic / evaluator could catch all discrepancies and issues would be to restore the airplane! There are no warranties or guarantees issued or implied by hiring us or any other individual that performs an aircraft evaluation. But we try out best to make sure nothing critical goes unnoticed.

"The best money spent is on a plane that you DON'T buy!" -Confucius; probably

These Discrepancies were found on Pre-Purchase Inspections

Cracked Engine Case

This case was cracked. It was likely caused by over torquing of the alternator bracket. It was impossible to see because of the oil leak surrounding it!

Cracked Fuel Tank

Cracked Engine Case

This fuel leak had existed on this airplane for years because the owner and mechanic thought it was a non issue. Turns out the fuel tank was cracked and the leak had caused corrosion on the spar!

Cracked Fuselage

Cracked Engine Case

Worn Out Fastener

This crack should have been seen in most inspections. We don't want to find the cracks after you buy the airplane! Its not a guarantee that issues wont be found on any inspection or evaluation, however we hope to find them and that's why you have a pre-buy completed!

Worn Out Fastener

This bolt was not of the correct type or part and was moments from failing.

Improper Repair

Worn Out Fastener

Imminent failure!

Was this repair done correctly? Turns out It wasn't, but we were able to get engineering data to determine this repair although incorrect, was sufficient enough and did not need to be re-done.

Imminent failure!

Worn Out Fastener

Imminent failure!

This cowling latch had been digging into the rocker box cover! It has been covered over with tape by the owner to "Prevent chafing" and hide it from the buyer and mechanic.

Pre-Buy Inspections, Ferry, Flight Training, Sales & Maintenance

The "Pre-Buy" Inspection: What it is, what it entails & cost

Pre-Purchase Inspection

These Discrepancies were found on Pre-Purchase Inspections

Cracked Engine Case

Cracked Engine Case

Cracked Engine Case

Cracked Fuel Tank

Cracked Engine Case

Cracked Engine Case

Cracked Fuselage

Cracked Engine Case

Worn Out Fastener

Worn Out Fastener

Worn Out Fastener

Worn Out Fastener

Improper Repair

Worn Out Fastener

Imminent failure!

Imminent failure!

Worn Out Fastener

Imminent failure!

Photo Gallery Some pictures of items discovered on Pre-Buy Inspections