On 20 Dec 2006 09:30:34 -0800, "Robert M. Gary"
wrote:


wrote:
On 19 Dec 2006 20:02:13 -0800, "Robert M. Gary"
wrote:
The "factory service centers" I deal with now don't have the staffing
nor the insurance to keep trained crews available to fly customer
aircraft.

The "factory service centers" I used to deal with would NOT fly any
aircraft that I was responsible for-it was bad enuff when I was forced
to let them perform maintenance.

My experience is mostly with Mooney shops. However, I've worked with
several. Not a single plane goes out of any of them for anything more
than an oil change w/o a test flight by a 'test pilot'. In fact they
all do pre-annual test flights before starting the annual.
I know the Cirrus shops are the same. I've not worked with Cessna or
Piper though. Perhaps they don't fly their own airplanes.

We used to do the same thing. After I alllegedly got my ticket, I was
able to do the before/after inspection or maintenance flight without
somebody to make it legal sitting in the right seat. But this has
nothing to do with a 91.407 "test flight".

Also, as I've indicated previously, if the service facility considers
a .407 flight necessary, it must write it into the maintenance record
sign-off as such, and the bird is not approved for return to service
until after that flight is performed and duly noted.

TC