Warmi wrote:I am curious why people are even considering purchasing planes used for flight training.
There is no significant discount there since , say a 2008 Evektor will cost about the same regardless if it comes from a flight school or a private owner - the only difference is that the one from the flight school will have something like 1500 hours vs a more typical 300-500 hours for a privately owned one.
There is nothing to be gained since , despite best intentions , school airplanes will have really hard landings , sometimes even undetected , especially if the plane is available for rent.
I guess I just don’t see any upside for buying a plane like that ...
My Tecnam P92E was Lockwood’s trainer. It had just over 2000 hrs on it with the engine recently done by them. I bought it from a broker in clearwater and spent around $15-20k less for it than comparable privately owned planes. Many of the other planes in the same year range and price had the 1500 hr Rotax with the case fretting issue unresolved. If the issue was addressed, they wanted $20,000 more for the plane.
I came to the conclusion that an airplane with all service performed, all issues addressed every 100 hours, with $15,000 of engine work recently done for a savings of $15,000 or more was a good deal.
Of course, I had a Tecnam mechanic of my choice fly to it and do a proper pre-buy.
Two years/annuals including rubber replace later, nothing but normal wear and tear has been found.
Both annuals were at Tecnam service centers and both commented on the great condition of the aircraft.