"Marco Rispoli" writes:

Is it all metal? On trade-a-plane that's what one of the sellers is
claiming... Never seen one up close and in fact before you guys
mentioned it to me I didn't even know it existed before today ...

You're about to spend a lot of money on an airplane. I know that many
owners are spending twice as much on their avionics upgrades as you
will be spending on your whole plane, but it's *still* a lot of money,
and the real cost is not the purchase but the yearly upkeep and
operating costs. I also know how excited and impatient (and nervous)
you must feel.

Still, I suggest that you slow down a bit. Spend some time walking
around airports (to the extent you're still allowed to do that down in
the U.S.), looking at planes and talking to pilots. Go on the
aircraft-type mailing lists and you'll probably find people willing to
take you up for rides in different aircraft types (you can offer to
pay for the gas, but they probably won't let you). Owners aren't
exactly modest or unenthusiastic when you start asking them questions
about their planes. Also, read the magazines, and go to Amazon and
order a few books, including aircraft reference books like Jane's.

Once you've narrowed it down, you might consider buying an owner's
manual or POH/PIM for the planes you're considering. You can often
find them on eBay for $10 or $15, or you can order many of them new or
in reprint from Essco:

http://www.esscoaircraft.com/


All the best,


David