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hours since Hot Section Inspection (which means the HSI is 400 hours past due on that side) yet the report did not flag that item as overdue! The engine logbook, however, showed the HSI was done 400 hours ago. This happens all the time; data entry mistakes are common. Numbers are transposed or entered in the wrong field and it goes downhill from there. Garbage in, garbage out. In a typical pre-buy inspection, if there’s a computerized report, I use it as a starting point. I comb through it and make a list of everything I don’t see, or that doesn’t make sense. When I finally see the aircraft in person, I jump all over those logbooks to get the real story. Almost always, I find revelations in the logbooks that did not appear in the computerized report. I found an engine logbook missing on a King Air that had been advertised as a cream puff in every way, including all paperwork. I found a high-time and high-cycle King Air that looked pretty good on paper, but the logbooks revealed it had spent 20 years in the Philippines so corrosion became a huge concern.
Pushback on Maintenance?
Looking back at when the King Air 200 hit the market, Beech couldn’t make them fast enough. The 90 models were already a huge success. Getting into a King Air was the thing to do; getting into a bigger one was even better. Owner attitude on maintenance was
very agreeable, even though the maintenance program then was comparatively stringent. Back then a Phase Inspection was required every 100 hours, but the owners did not hesitate. The interval between phases was later extended to 150 hours and ultimately the factory decided on what’s currently used – 200 hours between phases with all 4 phases complied with in a 24-month period.
Somewhere along the line, I began to feel pushback from owners regarding required maintenance. More and more I would hear “I’m Part 91, is that really necessary?” Owners and pilots began to question the necessity of every item on the checklists. I was not alone. My colleagues have noticed the same thing. I mentioned this in my presentation last September at King Air Gathering IV. Is it just a reaction to the high cost of everything aviation-related? I completely understand keeping an eye on the bottom line. I would gently caution the bargain shoppers not to lose sight of safety. Proper maintenance of any aircraft is going to cost money.
Throughout my career I worked very hard to save my customers money. I would troubleshoot to isolate the problem. I would always repair instead of replace, if possible. I shopped around for pricing on exchanges and PMA parts. I gave warning when high-ticket items were coming due so customers could be prepared and took care not to gouge on labor. Aircraft maintenance is not an easy business; if it were, everyone would be doing it.
FEBRUARY 2020
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 15