AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 98

RUDDER & WRENCH
This process didn't save any money.
In fact, the annual cost me many times
more than annuals past, and it took longer
than any annual in the history of
single-engine piston airplanes, but I got
my money and time's worth out of it in
vastly improved systems knowledge.
And perspective.
Lions and hyenas
Guilty as charged. I'm the guy who
taught a FAASTeam program about
owner/mechanic relations that I titled
" Lions and Hyenas. " To my credit, I
didn't specify which aviation breed
I thought represented which animal
breed, but....
Since being fully immersed in the
98
mechanic world, I've come to better
appreciate the reasons behind why
mechanics act the way they do, and insist
on doing the things they insist on doing. In
the past, as a non-mechanic pilot-owner, it
always seemed to me that the mechanics
were taking advantage of me and my
dwindling wallet. But as an " apprentice "
airplane mechanic, I came to better appreciate
just how much can go wrong with
our aircraft, the high standards to which
mechanics hold themselves, the complex
regulations they have to follow to protect
their hard-earned certificates, the
approved tools, techniques, and materials
they must use-and the incredible responsibility
they have.
It isn't about the money
Simon says he's a supporter of ownerassisted
annuals, and other supervised
maintenance, " as long as owners understand
that they are still taking up a
substantial amount of the mechanic's
time when they do this. " It's not just
the required supervision, points out
Simon. Giving advice, answering questions,
and even idle chatter eat into the
mechanic's valuable time. " So, " says
Simon, " owners should expect-and
insist on-paying the mechanic for their
fair time in the process. "
So, it's a myth that an owner-assisted
annual is a great way to save money on the
mandated yearly inspection. First off, as
Simon points out, if you are going to take up
someone's billable time, you should expect
to pay for it, although he does note, " With
time and experience working together, trust
will be built and the cost will go down. "
But that's OK. Money saved is not
where the value of the owner-assisted
annual is. Instead, the real value comes
from increased understanding of your
aircraft and its systems that you gain
by working on your aircraft on a deeper
level. As O'Brien likes to say, " You can't
operate a machine properly unless you
know how it operates. " . William E.
Dubois is an aviation writer who holds
commercial pilot, drone pilot, and ground
instructor certifications, and is now contemplating
adding an A&P cert to his
otherwise empty wallet.
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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2021

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