Aircraft documentation requirements

dutch_flyer wrote:

For example, I wonder…

Practically speaking you should rather ask yourself: Why not keep something?

You can’t be that shelf space limited that another 10cm of shelf space will kill you – so keep everything. I keep my documentation in two parts: One is the 10cm that I regard as “legally required” (which includes mandatory documentation, the STCs for everything in my plane, the major and minor change files, etc.) and then the other about 60cm that I would not consider legally required but that I just store chronologically. If at some point in time a potential buyer would be interested in if the shop has replaced the spark plugs during the annual in 2013? More than welcome to dig in the invoice from that annual.

From a buyer perspective this is a strong signal for “nothing to hide”.

From a buyer perspective this is a strong signal for “nothing to hide”.

I agree; just chucking stuff into a box is very easy.

What amazes me is how many people are selling a plane with basically no records. I cannot think of any reasonable explanation for that. I mean, we have been told for decades to never buy a car without a service history I know great many people live their lives without being “engaged in reality” (basically, live hand to mouth, and the main interest is going down the pub, etc) but how many of them can grind their way through a PPL and then buy a plane and fly it? So I think a lack of records must have a serious explanation, and it will be either dishonesty (possibly, to conceal long hangar queen periods), or the owner let the maint company keep it all and they went bust.

You can get a pretty good idea of where a plane has been (and not been) from a google on its reg.