Quote:
Originally Posted by afterburn 549
The horrible thing about civilian aircraft is no maint records are made to follow it.
Not like military.
Albeit you may get some .
It is a crap shoot looking at the history
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It is normal, and expected, for an airplane to come with complete maintenance logs.
First page in my airplane's logs has the factory test pilot's signature, and everything from tire changes to every year's annual inspection is listed and signed.
Sure, it is legal to sell/buy an airplane with incomplete logs, but the value is greatly diminished.
One of the first steps in buying an airplane is to request scanned copies of the logbooks.
If sections are missing, the value of the airplane drops by 25% or so.
No maintenance logs at all? Plan on losing 40% of the price vs. the same plane with complete logs.
With no logs, the airplane is not legally airworthy, as there is no record that it has had it's annual inspection within the previous 12 months.
Before the airplane can fly, a licensed A&P with IA (Inspection authorization) must verify all ADs have been complied (a daunting task to research without logs) and the aircraft is in the exact condition of it's Airworthiness Certificate. Any modifications require the proper FAA paperwork, or the airplane is not legal.
It is normal when buying an experimental that is comes with the original construction drawings, builder's log/notes along with complete maintenance records.
Another advantage of Experimentals- The owner can modify at will, with no more than an entry in the maintenance logs. No need to research what is allowed, buying permission from the STC (supplemental Type Certificate) holder, and sending the Form 337 off to the FAA.
If a major change is made to an experimental, like an engine/prop swap, or anything that may change its flight characteristics, it will require going back to "Phase 1" testing before carrying passengers.