4RJN Posted April 3, 2021 Report Share Posted April 3, 2021 Hi All, I see that there is a 2007 ctsw on trade a plane and I was wondering if anyone had gone to look at it. In particular I am really curious why it hasn't been sold since I see it has been on there for a long time, has low hours, and a reasonable price. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrassStripFlyBoy Posted April 3, 2021 Report Share Posted April 3, 2021 Don't know a thing about it, but have seen this advertised a long time (year plus), in fact this is the one I thought CTDan was buying last year - he found another similar low time SW in the northeast. You can search his account on that story, it required some service bulletin catch up / lack of maintenance type stuff, and I believe he has a decent final outcome but the money outlay became more than anticipated - so make sure you confirm all the things that are in SB's and such. There are lists available on Flight Design websites: SERVICE DOCUMENTS - FLIGHT DESIGN FORMS-MANUALS « flightdesignusa A quick way to discern shape of plane is to understand who has been doing the maintenance, a shop that does mainly GA aircraft can point to things being behind & overlooked, whereas a shop that knows Rotax and FD (say FD USA was doing the maintenance) is a much better situation. And the low hours of that plane might mean owner has not been flying it, so spending money on maintenance is not a priority either. Main questions I'd start with are: How long has airplane been tied down outside, decals on one side look pretty crispy, that is a bad sign for things. Not just the appearance, but corrosion everywhere within airplane and deteriorated foam core on the composite structure. These airplanes often have electrical issues with connections and stuff, this might take things up a notch. What are the times on major items (Rubber change, Chute repack, Rocket replacement). How's autopilot function, any EFIS issues (legacy Dynon have frequent display and operating issues), plan on these being pain points. If major items are due soon, the price is way off. That price is about market for that plane if everything is tip top. Consider this one, I've seen it and a lovely airplane, 20k more but no gremlins to sort out BARNSTORMERS.COM Find Aircraft & Aircraft Parts - Airplane Sale, Jets, Helicopters, Experimental, Warbirds & Homebuilt Or understand what is needed in a very thorough pre-buy, say by FD USA, and bake that in the offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RJN Posted April 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2021 Thanks for the input. I have been in contact with Steve the owner of the one you linked to. If I had the extra money right now I would definitely check that one out but sadly I just don't have that much money right now. I guess I will continue to save. Thanks again you were very helpful. Take Care, Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandpiper Posted April 6, 2021 Report Share Posted April 6, 2021 Spending more for a quality plane may save you money in the long run. Darrell mentioned CTDan. You may want to PM him to see if he will talk about his experience. If $79K is a stretch for you, consider (very carefully) a partner. Partnerships can work but you have to have the right chemistry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted April 6, 2021 Report Share Posted April 6, 2021 I took a look at the one on TAP. Unless the pad it is sitting on is not level it has a bent gear leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennM Posted April 7, 2021 Report Share Posted April 7, 2021 Those are easy to fix. Just get a torch and heat it up and hit the end with a big hammer until it sits level. You can get some big hammers at Ace Aviation. Of course, I am only kidding. Everyone knows you cut out the bent part and reweld it 180° out until it sits level. Oops, again, kidding... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted April 7, 2021 Report Share Posted April 7, 2021 Just around one aviation unit to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrassStripFlyBoy Posted April 7, 2021 Report Share Posted April 7, 2021 Or just do some hard landings on the other side that sits high, I think that is why the Dynon has that nice long horizon line - it's like a built in level! Seriously now, if you're shopping on a budget don't rule out the bird - just don't be surprised by unknowns. These are pretty simple machines structure wise, price in the required fixes and a gear leg is not a big deal - many of the SW's have had a new one (or five) installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Meade Posted April 7, 2021 Report Share Posted April 7, 2021 4 hours ago, GrassStripFlyBoy said: Or just do some hard landings on the other side that sits high, I think that is why the Dynon has that nice long horizon line - it's like a built in level! Seriously now, if you're shopping on a budget don't rule out the bird - just don't be surprised by unknowns. These are pretty simple machines structure wise, price in the required fixes and a gear leg is not a big deal - many of the SW's have had a new one (or five) installed. Darrell, I'm always interested in a statement such as this. How many is many? Where do you get your information? This is good stuff to know if one is shopping and anyone would like to see hard facts and the source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrassStripFlyBoy Posted April 7, 2021 Report Share Posted April 7, 2021 In talking with my insurance broker the very first comment she shared around SW's was check damage history, with her seeing a high number of claims & history on the gear legs. Now in fairness, she insured at least one college flight school, private owners are probably a different story. I also recall someone here (Al Downs?) who does rental talking about having a trash can collection of multiple legs. When I was shopping probably 50% of the birds I looked at had nose gear replaced too, that seemed equally common. Granted, I was looking at the lower price point older SW's, which is probably part of the correlation. Those are the data points I'm basing the comments around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted April 7, 2021 Report Share Posted April 7, 2021 I've replaced 3 or 4 gear legs on CTSW's over the years, and 1 or 2 CTLS. I've seen a couple bent motor mounts, one with composite damage. Twice I have had customers roll in with CTSW's that I told they had a bent gear leg as soon as they pulled up. They had no clue until I pointed it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RJN Posted April 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2021 I really appreciate the input so far. This is going to be my first plane so I obviously do not know much. I have been considering and saving money for several years but now that I am getting close to having enough I am getting inpatient. I know that is not a great thing so I will continue to keep my ears and mind open to people that have been through it. Thanks, Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTDan Posted April 11, 2021 Report Share Posted April 11, 2021 @4RJN Id be happy to speak with you about my experience. I responded to your message with my phone number & a short description of my painful purchase. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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