1st airplane shopper and overhauls

P

pete

New member
Hello folks. I'm new here. I've been lurking in these forums for a while and thought I'd poke my head up.
I'm a low time 172 renter that's shopping for a Citabria. My first plane. Probably a 7ECA to be used mostly for local flying on the cheap (I hope). I'm looking for a mid 1970's with a recent recover and overhaul. Something under $50K.
I'm seeing a lot of Citabrias advertised with x hours STOH. Should I be wary of top overhauled engines with 50% of TBO remaining? Also, I spoke with a mechanic who said that a recover should be expected about every 25-30 years with a hangared ship. That makes my mid 70's Citabria ripe for a recover if it has not been. Correct? Or can I stretch (no puns here) the fabric life out further than that?
I'm beginning to get cold feet after reading some nightmare stories in this and other forums about how a new plane would have been cheaper than the massive costs incurred by purchasing a mistreated and/or poorly maintained older airplane.
Thanks,
Pete
 
Pete,

Happy hunting, the fabric is not the real factor its the finish that breaks down by fading, cracking, pealing on and on. You need to worry about the material under the fabric like, tubing, wood, hardware, gables that are hidden by the fabric and need to be looked at.

Most engines if maintain properly and flown 50-100 hrs a year will go past the OH time but usually all require a top overhaul at half life.

Just make sure that you have an A&P/AI that knows tube & fabric look at it, he will see past the paint scheme, interior and that 495 GPS on the panel.

mikek
 
Just do your homework and have a good inspection done. You don't have to buy a new airplane to get a good one that's not trashed out.

Good luck,
Doug
 
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