Another expensive annual this year

Our first annual last year increased our plane ownership cost by 50%
(engine overhaul, prop governor overhaul + few other big ticket
replacement parts + labor). When Rick and I tallied up all the things
we want our AP to do this year, it looked like we have to reach deep
into our pockets again.

Here is the list

1. Replace the dry vacuum pump with an Airwolf wet pump + Air/oil
separator(~$2500 not including labor - our AP estimated 1-2 days!). Our
original plan was to get a new dry pump (the existing one has been
spewing some carbon) + Precise Flight backup pump. Since we intend to
get instrument rating and may attempt IFR traveling (probably mostly
soft IFR), we think that the wet vacuum option would be a wiser choice
and may even out the initial cost in the long run.

2. Replace all side windows and the back window. The windshield seems
to be in good shape although our AP thinks that we will not like it as
much once the other windows are replaced! Of course, we will also want
to use the opportunity to add a photo window. This will most likely
cost at least $1K not including labor (luckily our AP allows
owner-assisted manual).

3. Replace the passenger seatbelt with shoulder harness/seatbelt. We
replaced the pilot/copilot belts last year. The cost will be reasonable
($250 or something) but probably will take a bit of labor (will try to
this ourselves again).

4. Install a cigarette lighter with multiple plugs. Probably will not
cost much but this is something we must ask our AP to do.

5. Replace the two wingtips and one stabilator tip: ~ $1K in part. Not
sure about labor. We can either do this now during the annual or let
the paint shop do it. The same goes with the nose bowls. Our AP patched
them up a bit last year but more extensive restoration will be required
for the new paint job. One of the paint shops gave an estimate of $1K
for the nose bowl job.

6. Miscellaneous stuffs: Attempt to reinstall the door bracket. Our AP
tried it once but a previous repair attempt left some rivets in the
wrong place so he had to pop the new bracket out.
Pitot/Static/Transponder check: just hope that we don't have to replace
anything else! Not sure of the cost. Last summer, Rick got the plane
weighed (after we replaced some avionics and added thermal/sound
insulation) and had the prop rebalanced. I was surprised to learn that
it cost over $500 to weigh the plane but less than $200 for prop
balancing. Replace the throttle control (again, just hope that it would
be a minor job with minimum cost). Our annual is scheduled for Feb 15.
I'm pretty sure we will think of few more items by then.

The list above and the paint job (current estimates ranging from
$10-$12K) will pretty much preclude us from taking any expensive
vacations this year. There go most of our dive trips this year. Just
hope that my 92 Honda Accord with over 230K miles will last few more
years. A Garmin 430 is most likely on the list for next year. I am
trying to convince Rick that with two pilots in the family, we don't
need 'no stinking autopilot' ;-). Not sure whether this argument will
hold when we face turbulent in IMC after getting our instrument
tickets. Speaking of IFR training, I had thought of doing either a West
Coast Adventures Trip with Field Morey or an East Coast
IFR Trip with Dough Stewart.

http://www.ifrwest.com/
http://www.dsflight.com/about.html

No doubt that either one will be a tremendous learning experience and
we will be much better pilots (and hopefully with instrument ratings)
but those trips ain't cheap either.
Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket ;-)

Hai Longworth
N30703

wrote in message
oups.com...

years. A Garmin 430 is most likely on the list for next year. I am
trying to convince Rick that with two pilots in the family, we don't
need 'no stinking autopilot' ;-). Not sure whether this argument will
hold when we face turbulent in IMC after getting our instrument
tickets.

Unfortunately your typical GA autopilot will be the first thing to quit in
turbulence. Still the single best IFR accessory you can have though.

-cwk.

In article . net,
"Colin W Kingsbury" wrote:

wrote in message
oups.com...

years. A Garmin 430 is most likely on the list for next year. I am
trying to convince Rick that with two pilots in the family, we don't
need 'no stinking autopilot' ;-). Not sure whether this argument will
hold when we face turbulent in IMC after getting our instrument
tickets.

Unfortunately your typical GA autopilot will be the first thing to quit in
turbulence. Still the single best IFR accessory you can have though.

I agree. Even a simple one which can do nothing more than hold heading
is extremely useful. Most planes will do a pretty good job of holding
altitude on their own (if you get the trim set right), but will slowly
turn one way or the other if you let go of the controls for more than a
few seconds.

Having something that can hold heading means you can re-fold a chart,
dig out an approach plate. or copy down a clearance without wandering
all over the sky. It also means you can think about big-picture stuff
like evaluating a decaying weather situation or estimate the effect of a
re-route on your fuel state.

it cost over $500 to weigh the plane

$500 to weigh your plane? Yikes!

You need to cultivate a relationship with your local EAA chapter.

Those guys usually have scales, which they will usually part with for a few
hours in exchange for a reasonable "fee".

Like a case of good beer, or a fine bottle of Scotch... ;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

wrote in message
oups.com...
Our first annual last year increased our plane ownership cost by 50%
(engine overhaul, prop governor overhaul + few other big ticket
replacement parts + labor). When Rick and I tallied up all the things
we want our AP to do this year, it looked like we have to reach deep
into our pockets again.

Here is the list

1. Replace the dry vacuum pump with an Airwolf wet pump + Air/oil
separator(~$2500 not including labor - our AP estimated 1-2 days!). Our
original plan was to get a new dry pump (the existing one has been
spewing some carbon) + Precise Flight backup pump. Since we intend to
get instrument rating and may attempt IFR traveling (probably mostly
soft IFR), we think that the wet vacuum option would be a wiser choice
and may even out the initial cost in the long run.

2. Replace all side windows and the back window. The windshield seems
to be in good shape although our AP thinks that we will not like it as
much once the other windows are replaced! Of course, we will also want
to use the opportunity to add a photo window. This will most likely
cost at least $1K not including labor (luckily our AP allows
owner-assisted manual).

3. Replace the passenger seatbelt with shoulder harness/seatbelt. We
replaced the pilot/copilot belts last year. The cost will be reasonable
($250 or something) but probably will take a bit of labor (will try to
this ourselves again).

4. Install a cigarette lighter with multiple plugs. Probably will not
cost much but this is something we must ask our AP to do.

5. Replace the two wingtips and one stabilator tip: ~ $1K in part. Not
sure about labor. We can either do this now during the annual or let
the paint shop do it. The same goes with the nose bowls. Our AP patched
them up a bit last year but more extensive restoration will be required
for the new paint job. One of the paint shops gave an estimate of $1K
for the nose bowl job.

6. Miscellaneous stuffs: Attempt to reinstall the door bracket. Our AP
tried it once but a previous repair attempt left some rivets in the
wrong place so he had to pop the new bracket out.
Pitot/Static/Transponder check: just hope that we don't have to replace
anything else! Not sure of the cost. Last summer, Rick got the plane
weighed (after we replaced some avionics and added thermal/sound
insulation) and had the prop rebalanced. I was surprised to learn that
it cost over $500 to weigh the plane but less than $200 for prop
balancing. Replace the throttle control (again, just hope that it would
be a minor job with minimum cost). Our annual is scheduled for Feb 15.
I'm pretty sure we will think of few more items by then.

The list above and the paint job (current estimates ranging from
$10-$12K) will pretty much preclude us from taking any expensive
vacations this year. There go most of our dive trips this year. Just
hope that my 92 Honda Accord with over 230K miles will last few more
years. A Garmin 430 is most likely on the list for next year. I am
trying to convince Rick that with two pilots in the family, we don't
need 'no stinking autopilot' ;-). Not sure whether this argument will
hold when we face turbulent in IMC after getting our instrument
tickets. Speaking of IFR training, I had thought of doing either a West
Coast Adventures Trip with Field Morey or an East Coast
IFR Trip with Dough Stewart.

http://www.ifrwest.com/
http://www.dsflight.com/about.html

No doubt that either one will be a tremendous learning experience and
we will be much better pilots (and hopefully with instrument ratings)
but those trips ain't cheap either.
Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket ;-)

Hai Longworth
N30703


I don't see an annual inspection anywhere in the list.

" wrote:

I was surprised to learn that
it cost over $500 to weigh the plane but less than $200 for prop
balancing.

It cost me $60 to have my Cessna weighed about 11 years ago.

George Patterson
The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.

Dave Stadt wrote:
I don't see an annual inspection anywhere in the list.

Dave,
We don't expect the annual inspection by itself cost more than $500
or so with an owner-assist annual. We pretty much had all the
airworthy stuffs taken care off at last annual and throughout the year
(for example, we found a cracked muffler pipe while opening the cowling
to rotate the spark plugs last month and had our AP replaced it).


Jay,
Yep, we did not know our AP had a guy flown in from LI to do the
weighing. He charged something like $150 just for the travelling cost!
If we had known that, we would have checked around for a more
reasonable price.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:bRGGd.10570$IV5.417@attbi_s54...
it cost over $500 to weigh the plane

$500 to weigh your plane? Yikes!

You need to cultivate a relationship with your local EAA chapter.

Those guys usually have scales, which they will usually part with for a
few hours in exchange for a reasonable "fee".

Like a case of good beer, or a fine bottle of Scotch... ;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"


Hi Jay...
Our chapter BOUGHT NEW DIGITAL SCALES last year
and spent 1200 bucks or so on them. 4 pad unit for
race cars, nice stuff. I can't believe the prices folks get to do this.

Scott.

It all sounds like good stuff but it's more of a set of small upgrades
than an annual.

The wet pump thing is something I considered. I did get a Precise
Flight backup system (not pump). Consider that I got 900 hours out of
my dry pump before a precautionary replace with a rebuilt. My thinking
is that getting a wet pump and a PF backup system is like belt and
suspenders - a very good thing given the possible consequences. But
having a dry pump and a PF backup is essentially the same thing. The
only failure I've had in my vac system was the AI - nothing that vac
backup can do anything about. Perhaps any delta between a dry and wet
system would be better spent towards an electric AI.

What kind of a/c do you own?

wrote:
Our first annual last year increased our plane ownership cost by 50%
(engine overhaul, prop governor overhaul + few other big ticket
replacement parts + labor). When Rick and I tallied up all the things
we want our AP to do this year, it looked like we have to reach deep
into our pockets again.

Here is the list

1. Replace the dry vacuum pump with an Airwolf wet pump + Air/oil
separator(~$2500 not including labor - our AP estimated 1-2 days!). Our
original plan was to get a new dry pump (the existing one has been
spewing some carbon) + Precise Flight backup pump. Since we intend to
get instrument rating and may attempt IFR traveling (probably mostly
soft IFR), we think that the wet vacuum option would be a wiser choice
and may even out the initial cost in the long run.

2. Replace all side windows and the back window. The windshield seems
to be in good shape although our AP thinks that we will not like it as
much once the other windows are replaced! Of course, we will also want
to use the opportunity to add a photo window. This will most likely
cost at least $1K not including labor (luckily our AP allows
owner-assisted manual).

3. Replace the passenger seatbelt with shoulder harness/seatbelt. We
replaced the pilot/copilot belts last year. The cost will be reasonable
($250 or something) but probably will take a bit of labor (will try to
this ourselves again).

4. Install a cigarette lighter with multiple plugs. Probably will not
cost much but this is something we must ask our AP to do.

5. Replace the two wingtips and one stabilator tip: ~ $1K in part. Not
sure about labor. We can either do this now during the annual or let
the paint shop do it. The same goes with the nose bowls. Our AP patched
them up a bit last year but more extensive restoration will be required
for the new paint job. One of the paint shops gave an estimate of $1K
for the nose bowl job.

6. Miscellaneous stuffs: Attempt to reinstall the door bracket. Our AP
tried it once but a previous repair attempt left some rivets in the
wrong place so he had to pop the new bracket out.
Pitot/Static/Transponder check: just hope that we don't have to replace
anything else! Not sure of the cost. Last summer, Rick got the plane
weighed (after we replaced some avionics and added thermal/sound
insulation) and had the prop rebalanced. I was surprised to learn that
it cost over $500 to weigh the plane but less than $200 for prop
balancing. Replace the throttle control (again, just hope that it would
be a minor job with minimum cost). Our annual is scheduled for Feb 15.
I'm pretty sure we will think of few more items by then.

The list above and the paint job (current estimates ranging from
$10-$12K) will pretty much preclude us from taking any expensive
vacations this year. There go most of our dive trips this year. Just
hope that my 92 Honda Accord with over 230K miles will last few more
years. A Garmin 430 is most likely on the list for next year. I am
trying to convince Rick that with two pilots in the family, we don't
need 'no stinking autopilot' ;-). Not sure whether this argument will
hold when we face turbulent in IMC after getting our instrument
tickets. Speaking of IFR training, I had thought of doing either a West
Coast Adventures Trip with Field Morey or an East Coast
IFR Trip with Dough Stewart.

http://www.ifrwest.com/
http://www.dsflight.com/about.html

No doubt that either one will be a tremendous learning experience and
we will be much better pilots (and hopefully with instrument ratings)
but those trips ain't cheap either.
Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket ;-)

Hai Longworth
N30703

Maule Driver wrote:
It all sounds like good stuff but it's more of a set of small
upgrades
than an annual.
MD,

The most likely real annual job is the vaccum pump replacement. With
the expected life of dry pump being 500hrs and the fact that they
sometimes die without any advanced warning steered us toward the
2000hrs-life wet pump instead of getting a new dry pump + the Precise
Flight backup system.

You are right that these are more of a set of upgrades than what
needed for an annual but an annual downtime is a good opportunity to
'upgrade' and fix little things which are not exactly airworthiness
issue but can give us a peace of mind such as adding shoulder harnesses
to the backseat, going with a more reliable pump etc..

When we first looking into buying a plane two years ago, we never
thought of having to continue pumping greenbacks to it. It's almost
like an addiction, you keep having the urge to feed the habit ;-) I had
thought of delaying the paint job until next year so that we could
spend on the IFR trips. Last weekend in seeing little flakes of paint
came off while we were cleaning snow and ice of the poor Cardinal, I
swore that I could hear our pet bird crying "I need a new plumage"!
Hai Longworth