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.
