RUDDER & WRENCH 4 STEPS TO PURCHASING YOUR FIRST AIRCRAFT 1 2 Understand your financial picture. 3 4 Apply and get approved. Why are we doing this? We went over the shop's discrepancy list and repair estimates with the owner line by line, offering him suggestions as to the items that really ought to be repaired and those that could be prudently declined or deferred. Generally, we encouraged the owner to approve those items that clearly needed to be done and/or that were inexpensive to do, and to decline or defer work that was not demonstrably necessary (particularly if it was costly). For instance, the shop wrote up a substantial number of costly maintenance items not because any actual discrepancy was found, but because the items were " due " according to the maintenance manIt's your shop's job to find and document every discrepancy it can and to write up every maintenance task the manual calls for. Negotiate the purchase. Close on your first aircraft. Then it's your job to go over the list. Call for a quote today! 1.844.674.2761 AOPAFinance.org/FirstTimeBuyer ual. The word " due " is one of the most expensive words in the world of aircraft maintenance. Part 91 (non-commercial) operators are never required to perform maintenance just because the manufacturer says it's due (unless it's something mandated by an airworthiness directive or airworthiness limitation). We almost always recommend that such work be performed strictly on-condition rather than on the fixed timetable provided by the manufacturer. If something is working fine but the book says it's " due " for replacement or overhaul, we usually suggest telling the shop " No thanks. " The Cirrus Service Center cited the propeller and governor were due for a five-year overhaul costing nearly $4,000. Additional five-year replacement items- fuel vent lines, gascolator seals, fuel 96 AOPA PILOT / September 2022http://www.AOPAFinance.org/FirstTimeBuyer