Have you ever wondered about how well general aviation aircraft are maintained? General aviation aircraft are privately owned planes that are not used for commercial flight, such as my 1967 Piper Cherokee, or Cessna’s.

general aviation aircraft are maintained? General aviation aircraft are privately owned planes that are not used for commercial flight, such as my 1967 Piper Cherokee, or Cessna’s.

A GA aircraft must undergo a thorough inspection annually. The items to be inspected are listed in the Federal Aircraft Regulations 14 CFR Appendix D
The inspection is thorough and is very time (and money) consuming. Most shops will quote you a flat rate for your inspection based on what type of airplane you are flying. This is just the beginning though. Any issues that come to light during the inspection must be remedied by a certificated airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic. The needed parts, and the labor to repair or replace them are what make the annual inspection so expensive.

I am writing this post now because I am at the tail-end of my annual on 4257J. Over the past several weeks I have been involved in an owner-assisted inspection. This is a great way for a pilot to become more familiar with his plane, and be aware of any possible issues that may arise. This year I needed a new spinner on my prop, fuel sending unit repaired (above), and a new carburetor. I also opted to have the wheel pants on my nose wheel, as well as the nose bowl part of the cowling, repainted due to lots of chips in the paint.

We are almost finished with the job. The new carb will be installed this week and I’ll be good to go for another 12 months. The annual inspection, when done correctly, is a huge job. I only assisted on the weekends and wasn’t present for much of the activity. If you are interested in finding out just how in-depth the process is, please click on the link in the second paragraph. Have a great week!