Tom, I’ve got bad news for you,” Brian says when I answer the phone.
The phone call isn’t a surprise. I’ve expected the call every time my airplane was in the hands of a mechanic during the last year or so, but it isn’t welcome.
Airwork: Time to Pull the Plug?
Cessna Cardinal, with almost 450
hours passed TBO and 20 years since
it was overhauled, may have reached
retirement age. Tom Benenson
Key Takeaways:
- The author's aircraft engine, well past its recommended overhaul time but previously performing reliably, began experiencing intermittent rough running issues that proved difficult for mechanics to consistently diagnose.
- Despite the engine's good "on-condition" performance history, mechanics, citing the engine's high time and safety/liability concerns, recommended an overhaul or replacement rather than attempting to fix an elusive problem.
- The author faces a significant financial and personal dilemma, weighing the investment of $30,000-$40,000 from retirement savings for a new engine against the challenges of selling a non-airworthy aircraft in a depressed market, and ultimately questioning the overall cost-benefit of aircraft ownership.
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