April 1993 - American Bonanza Society

engine, and tend to cause them to wear out before their
rated TBO.
Wben was tbe prop last overbauled, and how many hours
have elapsed' A prop that was overhauled 19 years ago is
well overdue for service. Are there any problems noted as
recurring, for example, a jug that has been pulled for rework
again and again?
Do all tbe radios and l1avigtlfion equipment llKlrk'Check
to make sure that there are not any circuit breakers that are
open or refuse to reset. Try all the switches and breakers on
the panel to assure that each will operate properly.
Remove the gust lock , and after assuring that you will not
bump anything, move the controls Ib .. ougb their fit/I range of
travel. Feel for any binding, and insure the control wheel
will return to the center position after the ailerons have been
deflected.
Finding one problem is not an indication of chronic
neglect, but if the troubles start to add up, then perhaps it is
time to look towards another airplane. If you choose to
continue to consider the plane for purchase, at least lower
your bid to a level that will allow you to correct the deficiencies
without busting your budget.
If the seller walks, then you are probably better for having
seen through his plans. I have yet to run into someone
who was trying to honestly sell their plane who objected to
an inspection of the plane or logbooks. By the same token,
do nO! allow a seller to badger or shame you into a purchase.
Such pressure tactics are designed to goad you into
buying and are not conducive to a good decision.
Once you feel that you want the plane in question, take
it to a respected facility that is well versed il1 Beechcrafl
equipment and obtain a thorougb inspection and A.D.
compliance check. By doing so, you will have a better idea
of what you are buying before you pay for it, and will
hopefully avoid having to learn the hard way later.
Before you buy any airplane-let alone a Bonanza or a
Baron-you should become familiar with the model in
question. Undoubtedly, your best source of infortnation on
Beech airplanes will be good Beechcraft mechanics and a
number of books, most notably Colvin s Comer.
I can honestly state that if you read ornl Colvin's book
from cover to cover, you should be able to gain an understanding
of problems that have besieged the Bonanza
and Baron line over the years. Thus armed, you will be
able to recognize those same foibles in the ajrcraft you are
looking at.
Doing it the hard way
To purchase an aircraft without having a Beech proficient mechanic inspect it is to invite disaster.
As someone who had only heard of ABS and not of
Norm Colvin, 1 took a different approach when I purchased
my Debonair. Buying on a shoestring, I found
a plane that was in flyable shape, but it was nO! in the best
of condition. Instead of investing in a good prepurchase inspection
at a Beechcraft shop, I went for a $l(lO mistake at
a local FBO.
The FBO assured me that he knew what he was looking
for and took my check with a smile. To his credit, he did
check all the Airworthiness Directives against the logbook
and verified that the engine compression was within limits.
The retraction check went without a hitch. My Sl(lO mechanic
told me that the plane looked great, and that he
thought it was well worth the price. Three months later, I
learned the hard truth.
At the suggestion of David Constantine--owner of
Dwight AjrpoI1, as well as a well preseIVed E55 Baron-I
took my plane over to Elliott Flying Service in Moline for
some routine maintenance. He had helped me compile a
laundry list of items to be checked, including fuel strainer
screens, and other often missed items in the airframe, during
an annual perfonned by a non-Beech shop.
Tom James, Service Manager at Elliott Flying Service,
took a personal interest in my aircraft. He perfonned a
walkaround with me, and in doing so identified some interesting
problems.
James first pointed out that the elevator paint was peeling
and the magnesium underneath was corroding. If I did
not have it taken care of soon, I would end lip re-skinning
the elevator. He also noted that the inside of the airframe
was clean and free of corrosion, but found some problems
with the control cable tensions. Finally. he wid me that
one of my elevator horns was magnesium, something my
non-Beech FBO had been unable to do.
The landing gear on my Deb was so free of grease stains
that it looked as if it had nO! been lubed in years. I had
asked the folks at Elliott to give it a good grease job, and
they set to the task. Remarkably, all the zircs took grease.
The staff at Elliott performed the retraction check, and
then noted that the gear had been over-retracting by pointing
out the small dimple in the skin above the wheel well
on the upper side of the wing. A slight adjustment eliminated
the problem.
Then the A&P performed a curious test: curious [0 me in
that I had watched my prepurchase inspection and it was
nO( perfonned at that time. The mechanic checked the
down-lock tension on the landing gear.
The mechanic uses a recording spring pressure gauge,
and pushes it up against the torque knee to see at what
pressure tl,e gear knee breaks with the gear down and locked.
The left main and nose gear went without a problem, being
well within tolerance. The righl main was another story.
Down lock tension is set by adding or removing washers
from the spring pack on the individual landing gear retract
rcx:ls. Since the tension on the right main seemed to be too
high, the mechanic figured he would have to remove a
washer. The washer packs were the same on each side,
(cOlitinued on page 3271)
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, APRIL 1993
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