Aero-Tips!

A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of "there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.

Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner, master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us -- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we might never have considered before, or something that didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for the practical test.

It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow them to soar magnificently through it.

Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips. Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this together.

Aero-Tips 03.15.06

A reader wrote: "Thanks for the great article" on returning a an airplane to service after maintenance (Aero-Tips 3.09.06).

The reader continues: "Now on to the other side of the operation... paying for the work. Owners just can’t seem to understand the other guy’s view and most think the mechanic is ripping them off... (well I have to agree with some of them as some FBOs really soak 'em for nickel and dime things that really didn't need fixing). But then again the mechanic hates to be intimidated and so he too gets real selective about which people’s planes he will work on."

My response

You're right, a few pilots give owners a bad name when it comes to paying for legitimate work done on an airplane. The truth is that I can get a Beech Baron repaired here in Wichita for about two-thirds the hourly shop rate as my car at the local Chevy dealer. There's a certain sense of obligation by some pilots to have the airplane serviced at 1980s shop rates.

I attended the very first of Mike Busch's Savvy Aviator seminars. The course teaches owners to develop a working relationship with maintenance professionals. One important idea from the course is that owners should ask mechanics for an itemized squawk list, with dollar estimates for repairs. This list should identify which items are required for airworthiness, and which are optional on the part of the owner. The owner then authorizes what is and is not done. The owner pays shop rates for the preparation of this list, because the mechanic should be compensated for his/her time. The intent is to open lines of communication, to avoid surprises when the bill comes, and most importantly to get owner and mechanic to work together as a team.

Almost every state has laws that require just that process for automobiles; similar procedures are the hallmark of a truly professional aviation maintenance facility, and frankly aircraft owners should demand that level of cooperation and service. I think if done properly it works best for everyone.

Aero-tip of the day: Properly maintaining an airplane is a team effort by the owner and the mechanic. Both should understand where the other is coming from, and work together to keep planes flying as inexpensively as safety allows.

FMI: Aero-Tips