IA in North/East Texas area

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Pilot135pd

Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2020
Messages
7
Location
Vaca Moo Airport TA37
Hi, I'm new to the forum and I used to own a 7ECA many decades ago and loved it. Fast forward to today where I'm now retired and own a nice grass runway airport in East Texas (TA37) for people to come and camp or just hang out and use all my facilities for free.

I've owned many aircraft in my lifetime and now I'm currently interested in buying a 1970s Super Decathlon from one of the members here and I need an EXPERIENCED local(ish) A&P - IA for the pre-purchase inspection and then after that for my regular maintenance and future annual inspections in the North/East Texas area.

I see many wood spar planes, some ex-military, and also many fabric planes around here and someone has to be inspecting and fixing them.

Anyone you can recommend?
 
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As much as I wanted to buy a Citabria/Decathlon I never could find an experienced mechanic who could do a wood spar inspection so I left to go search for a metal plane. 5 months later I couldn't find what I wanted so I've been searching for a Citabria again.

I found a couple nice ones in the San Antonio, Texas area and in the Shreveport, Louisiana areas, and have spoken with both sellers. Any IAs with experience in these areas of the country that I can pay for a pre-purchase inspection and when I buy it can do my annuals?
 
No mechanic can do the inspection properly without uncovering the wing. But you can look yourself before purchase.
You are looking for compression damage - it is difficult to spot, so study photographs. Then get a really good TV style inspection device (no longer all that expensive), open up the inspection rings, and have a look. Most important area is just outboard of the strut attach.
There is nothing magic about being an A&P - they cannot identify a compression crack any better than you can. And the AD - since it is impossible to do correctly - breeds complacency. You will be more critical because it is your $40 grand.
Any IA can do the annual. There is no such thing as a fabric airplane IA.
 
Thanks. I understand there aren't fabric airplane IAs but after reading hours and hours of forum posts everywhere I know that unless they know where to look they won't find something that an IA with experience in fabric planes will know what to look for and see.

I have one of those laptop based inspection cameras, I'll take it with me, thanks.
 
None of this is rocket science. The engine is the part you want the mechanic to check. The fabric, steel tubes,and spars - you can look yourself. Good fabric generally looks good. Be prepared to accept some cracks here and there in the paint. The steel tubes - take a good look with a high powered flashlight near the tail.

All the rest - tires, brakes, control cables, hinges - same as a metal airplane. Any competent mechanic.

A Champ owner, like a Cub owner, needs to become knowledgable with fabric and spar inspections. Read Ed's posts - there is a guy who is doing it right. He gets a whole lot of advice, then digs in and does it his way. He now has just as much expertise as anybody here, and he did it all in six months.
 
Thanks. I went to see it and I'm going to pass on this one. It has a 150hp and constant speed prop and the STC says "aerobatics prohibited" ! If I can't legally do simple rolls and loops then I can't buy that specific Citabria.
 
If the price was right and the airplane good, you could always undo that STC and sell the prop/governor.
 
Pilot135pd said:
Thanks. I went to see it and I'm going to pass on this one. It has a 150hp and constant speed prop and the STC says "aerobatics prohibited" ! If I can't legally do simple rolls and loops then I can't buy that specific Citabria.
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It is a Decathlon with a cs prop that can’t do acro? That’s odd
 
I think he said Citabria. Bet he could sell the prop and governor for more than a new fixed pitch would cost.
I wonder if the C/S STC does anything at all for the Citabria. Hull speed seems to be 110, no matter what.
 
Back to your orginal post....might just come visit someday soon. Currently in process of getting my 7GCBC from Virginia to Texas - will likely be late May/early June. I'm based at 1F7 (Airpark East), only about a 20 min flight. I think there's a A&P/IA at Caddo Mills airport. Going there today to check it out. Will let you know what I find out.
 
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