Finding a Good A&P

As hokey as it sounds, my first criteria is the condition of the shop floor.
The shop which does my work has two hangars both with pristine white floors.
The shops I didn't choose have dirty unpainted floors. I believe there's a
correlation between clean/neat facilities and competent work, but maybe I'm
just fooling myself.

I also reviewed the comments on airnav. It's sometimes hard to tell a shill
from a real customer but I found the comments to be fairly accurate. And
once you find a shop, post it here, you'll likely find someone who's been
there before. You can also ask other owners at your home base. Most are
fairly candid about such things.

When I made my choice, I was lucky enough to do a trial with some simple
maintenance (if something major breaks you may not have this option): I got
an oil change and a strut refilled, and also talked to the mechanic about
some plug fouling issues. My chat with the mechanic convinced me that this
was a competent individual whom I could rely on in the long term. To be
honest, though, I don't think you can really know until your first annual,
which is a sort of test of how thorough your mechanic is.

Finally, I resolved to become more knowledgable about my aircraft. I joined
a type club, acquired the parts and maintenance manuals, and did some
independent research each time I had a squawk. I suggest you do the same,
regardless of where you get your maintenance done. You'll feel much better
if you can do some high-level problem determination on your own and compare
with what the shop wants to do to the plane. A type club is also great for
guessing where your next problem might be, and provides some hints as to
what your mechanic should be looking for.

best of luck,
mark

"O. Sami Saydjari" wrote in message
...
OK, I have a controversial question. How does one find a good A&P
mechanic. I just bought a Piper Turbo Arrow III recently and I want to
find a mechanic in my area (Central Wisconsin) that I can trust and is
competent. I am interested in hearing about how folks find the good
A&Ps out there, other than by pure luck.

I have had a couple of disappointing experiences with A&Ps where they
missed some pretty significant problems. I found one through word of
mouth. The other, well, I found the closest Piper Service Center near
me (figuring that they had special knowledge and expertise with Pipers
-- turned out to not be so).

-Sami

Mark Astley wrote:

As hokey as it sounds, my first criteria is the condition of the shop floor.
The shop which does my work has two hangars both with pristine white floors.
The shops I didn't choose have dirty unpainted floors. I believe there's a
correlation between clean/neat facilities and competent work, but maybe I'm
just fooling myself.

You are fooling yourself. This sounds more like a personal comfort issue.
There is an FBO with a fairly large Maintenance shop with pristine
floors and a lousy reputation. They look good but there quality of
service is lousy. They are also the most expensive in the area. Guess
that must be the time they spend cleaning the floor.

An A&P I used to work for could not keep the place clean if they wanted
to. THey were too busy fixing airplanes.
When the airport had issues after 9/11, the Shop moved outside the ADIZ
and many of the based aircraft went with the shop. Now that's loyalty!
Michelle

--

Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P

"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)

Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic

Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity

I also reviewed the comments on airnav. It's sometimes hard to tell a shill
from a real customer but I found the comments to be fairly accurate. And
once you find a shop, post it here, you'll likely find someone who's been
there before. You can also ask other owners at your home base. Most are
fairly candid about such things.

I have found the airnav comments to be nearly useless. Almost all of
them relate to the FBO ramp service and whether the receptionist greeted
them with a smile or not. I have seen precious few on the competence of
the A&Ps. Also, I think people are reluctant to make negative postings.
It is hard to tell the difference between true incompetence and an
honest mistake. Who wants to trash someone's business so publically on
the basis of one experience? I know I am reluctant to make negative
postings even though I have had three negative experiences.


When I made my choice, I was lucky enough to do a trial with some simple
maintenance (if something major breaks you may not have this option): I got
an oil change and a strut refilled, and also talked to the mechanic about
some plug fouling issues. My chat with the mechanic convinced me that this
was a competent individual whom I could rely on in the long term. To be
honest, though, I don't think you can really know until your first annual,
which is a sort of test of how thorough your mechanic is.

Well, unfortunately, I am not knowledgable enough yet to really tell the
difference between someone who sounds like they know what they are
talking about and someone who actually does. I am learning, but it is
not a quick road to travel.


Finally, I resolved to become more knowledgable about my aircraft. I joined
a type club, acquired the parts and maintenance manuals, and did some
independent research each time I had a squawk. I suggest you do the same,
regardless of where you get your maintenance done. You'll feel much better
if you can do some high-level problem determination on your own and compare
with what the shop wants to do to the plane. A type club is also great for
guessing where your next problem might be, and provides some hints as to
what your mechanic should be looking for.

Yes, good suggestion. This newsgroup is very helpful in that regard. I
have also joined the Piper type club. Everytime I learn more, I become
even more disappointed in the service I have had.


best of luck,
mark

"O. Sami Saydjari" wrote in message
...

OK, I have a controversial question. How does one find a good A&P
mechanic. I just bought a Piper Turbo Arrow III recently and I want to
find a mechanic in my area (Central Wisconsin) that I can trust and is
competent. I am interested in hearing about how folks find the good
A&Ps out there, other than by pure luck.

I have had a couple of disappointing experiences with A&Ps where they
missed some pretty significant problems. I found one through word of
mouth. The other, well, I found the closest Piper Service Center near
me (figuring that they had special knowledge and expertise with Pipers
-- turned out to not be so).

-Sami

Mark Astley wrote:
As hokey as it sounds, my first criteria is the condition of the shop floor.
The shop which does my work has two hangars both with pristine white floors.
The shops I didn't choose have dirty unpainted floors.

It doesn't just sound hokey, it is hokey.


I believe there's a
correlation between clean/neat facilities and competent work,

There ain't.

Mark Astley wrote:

I believe there's a
correlation between clean/neat facilities and competent work, but maybe I'm
just fooling myself.

I have found that to be not the case, but I have found a direct relationship
between neatly painted floors and the size of the final bill.

George Patterson
Love, n.: A form of temporary insanity afflicting the young. It is curable
either by marriage or by removal of the afflicted from the circumstances
under which he incurred the condition. It is sometimes fatal, but more
often to the physician than to the patient.

Me too on the other hand my last annual was at a dirty shop int the country.
A cylinder needed to be repaired. The invoice claimed 9 hours and thirty
minutes to remove and replace it! Theft or incompetence is alive and well
everywhere.

--
John Purner
Editor - The $100 Hamburger
http://www.100dollarhamburger.com
"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...


Mark Astley wrote:

I believe there's a
correlation between clean/neat facilities and competent work, but maybe
I'm
just fooling myself.

I have found that to be not the case, but I have found a direct
relationship
between neatly painted floors and the size of the final bill.

George Patterson
Love, n.: A form of temporary insanity afflicting the young. It is
curable
either by marriage or by removal of the afflicted from the
circumstances
under which he incurred the condition. It is sometimes fatal, but
more
often to the physician than to the patient.

In article , G.R. Patterson III wrote:
I have found that to be not the case, but I have found a direct relationship
between neatly painted floors and the size of the final bill.

The one time in my life I took my plane to a place with spotless floors,
I was 800 miles from home when a magneto decided to no longer be attached
to the crankcase. I didn't have a gasket or a timing tool with me, so
I had to take it to a shop (Southern Jet Center in Raleigh). They
replaced the gasket, timed both mags, cleaned the engine, and had me on the
road again in an hour. For $100.

I've always been wary of clear-floor shops, but there are good ones out
there that charge a fair price.

Of course, by the time the 6 quarts of oil that were spread all over my
belly dripped off, their floor wasn't quite so clean.

Tina Marie
--
http://www.tripacerdriver.com "...One of the main causes
of the fall of the Roman Empire was that, lacking zero, they had no way
to indicate successful termination of their C programs." (Robert Firth)

As hokey as it sounds, my first criteria is the condition of the shop
floor.
The shop which does my work has two hangars both with pristine white
floors.
The shops I didn't choose have dirty unpainted floors. I believe there's
a
correlation between clean/neat facilities and competent work, but maybe
I'm
just fooling myself.

I felt the same way, but soon found that the "clean white floors" were also
considerably more expensive. They were the corporate shop, that "punched
in" on your plane at 8 AM, and "punched out" at 5 PM -- regardless of
progress or results.

My current mechanic is a long-term EAA and AAA (Antique Aircraft
Association) member who works a full-time job (a chief mechanic for Airborne
Express) as well as running his own shop, and is building his own plane
between jobs. (When? God only knows....) As a result, there is usually
some major sub-section being worked on, with all the associated clutter and
fuss scattered about.

This bothered me, at first, till I found out that Keith did twice the work
in half the time of the "white floor" shop. With better results, too.

So, it's a good rule -- but not universally applicable to all A&Ps.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"