Hello,

I have a question for owners of newer aircraft (5 years or less).

We have a '76 Lance that our club purchased about 9 years ago and it appears
to have been somewhat of a lemon then. I don't think much thought went into
the purchase but I think the price what right. Over the last several years
we have run into some very expensive annuals. We put 250-300 hours/year on
it. Some of the items have been just due to use and worn-out parts that I
don't expect to replace again any time soon. And there are some of the
items that were due to age like belly corrosion, cracks and electrical
quirks. Plus we just has a cracked mount which was just one of those
things.

My question for you new aircraft owners is, what type of high dollar repairs
have you had to deal with even though age is not a factor for you. My
thought is that many of an aircraft's components are life limited and will
have to be addressed at regular intervals even on a new plane. I'm thinking
of items like, vacuum instruments and pumps, starters, alternators, gear
motors, and even radios have issues over time. So if you put the same
250-300 hours on a newer plane, you'll still have some expensive annuals.
(Warrantees excluded)

Am I right to think that? If so, what have you had to replace that
surprised you?

I'm trying to see what can be benefited by swapping out for a newer model
plane, if anything, given the extreme cost difference in price and what we
could get for ours. Not to mention the extreme amounts of money that we've
already put into fixing up what we have that we'll probably never see in a
sale. My gut tells me that aircraft ownership is expensed no matter the age
of your aircraft. I'm sure that our age based items will all be resolved
soon and annuals will be back to average...but when? But if not, just how
long and you justify putting money into an old airframe?

I am very interested in reading about some personal experiences.

Thanks in advance,

Tony