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New Aviator DISCOVERING THE JOY OF FLIGHT
Performing Your Annual Inspection
We know that in order for us to stay healthy, we need regular checkups. Our airplanes are no different. Annual inspections of light, general aviation aircraft or their progressive inspection equivalents are required by regulation. The cost may be high when expensive parts have to be replaced and repairs are labor-intensive, but as pilot in command, you have a responsibility to make sure the airplane you fly is safe. And a big part of that process is to make sure your airplane has at least received an annual inspection within the past year.
Why? The simple reason is that airplanes shake and break. The hidden pieces that work together and make up the systems that keep the airplane safe are subject to degradation.
There are a surprising number of critical parts that must be checked to make sure the effects of time and vibration have not created unacceptable cracks, breakage, or wear beyond design limits. These checks help assure safe flight for pilots and passengers.
While most pilots don't want to fly airplanes that have been poorly inspected, you may not know just how well your aircraft has been checked unless you know what's involved in the various inspections your airplane gets.
If you've never been through an annual, the process may seem complicated and intimidating, but it's not. An annual inspection is just a thorough examination, and where necessary, repair, of your airplane's components.
It's important to note that avionics repair is not part of an annual inspection.
If there is a radio problem with the aircraft, that problem has to be taken care of separately. An owner who asks the repair station, "How come you didn't fix the radios?" has expressed an unfortunate bit of ignorance.
As part of the annual inspection, there will be a review of outstanding airworthiness directives, which are required to be complied with in order for the aircraft to be considered airworthy.
Outstanding service bulletins, however, are not required to be completed. The result is that not all annuals are the same. At the end of the process, the owner should be presented with a detailed invoice and a "to do" list of items that will need to be addressed in the future.
Here we take you through some of the steps of a typical annual of a single-engine, fixed-gear airplane.
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Double Checking Your Inspector
It's a good idea for a pilot to get to know the reputation of the person or facility performing the annual inspection. Pilots should look for thorough and careful technicians who understand the ethical and legal responsibility that goes along with signing off an aircraft, and who carefully review each item.
Just as pilots use checklists, an organized inspection program will document every item that needs to be inspected ahead of time.
Depending on the age of the aircraft, certain items may have to be inspected that do not come up every year. Knowing what has to be inspected requires organization and expert knowledge. Some shops specialize on particular aircraft while some use manufacturer-supplied checklists for this purpose.
If you are renting an airplane, you still need to pay attention to the inspection status of the airplane you fly.
Pilots have every right to look at the logbooks of the planes they are about to fly. An annual inspection must have been completed within the past 12 calendar months and the aircraft documented to be in an airworthy condition.
Some operators schedule the inspection after the expiration of the 12 calendar month limit. In that case, the inspection will take place while the aircraft is grounded or a ferry permit has to be issued to take the airplane to a station where the annual inspection can be performed. This 13-month annual is perfectly legal provided the pilot is not superstitious.
The calendar month expiration of annuals creates a surge of business for repair shops at the end of the month. As a result, annuals are generally scheduled a month or two ahead of time by appointment. |
—Richard Orentzel
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