Maintenance: Legal vs. Safe

My motivation to write this right now is that my Cessna 340 is at the shop getting its annual. This year I chose what is arguably the best Twin Cessna maintenance facility in the world, TAS Aviation in Defiance, Ohio. Yes, Defiance is a long way from my Santa Fe, New Mexico home base-about 1100 NM and two legs, in each direction-but, I chose this shop for good reasons having far more to do with safe than just legal.

Editorial Staff

Sunday, November 18, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Aircraft maintenance often presents a conflict between merely meeting legal requirements and ensuring true safety, with the latter demanding greater attention to detail and potentially higher costs.
Pilots should prioritize safety and expertise over cost when selecting an aircraft maintenance facility, even if it means traveling further or paying more for specialist knowledge.
A strategic approach to aircraft maintenance can involve alternating between competent local mechanics for routine annuals and highly specialized shops for thorough, "nothing-slips-by" inspections to catch subtle issues and build long-term confidence.

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Often the concept of legal versus safe arises in terms of applying the regulations to flight. The classic example, of course, is instrument currency where legal doesn’t necessarily equate to safe. However, one can also apply this to aircraft maintenance.

My motivation to write this right now is that my Cessna 340 is at the shop getting its annual. This year I chose what is arguably the best Twin Cessna maintenance facility in the world, TAS Aviation in Defiance, Ohio. Yes, Defiance is a long way from my Santa Fe, New Mexico home base—about 1100 NM and two legs, in each direction—but, I chose this shop for good reasons having far more to do with safe than just legal.