Cessna 182 - looking for maintenance

Can I ask you why you are searching the UK? If you are based in Germany there are others which are closer that could do this as well?
Are you going to transfer from D reg to G reg?

D reg avionics testing can be done outside Germany as well, and still be able to meet the German requirements. These are no more expensive than avionics testing in The Netherlands or in the UK.

Air Training Services Ltd is a Cessna Authorised Service Facility at Wycombe Air Park – just north west of London:

http://www.atsengineering.co.uk/

I can highly recomend AST as one of the best engineering companys in the UK.

When checking out maintenance companies, it is important to ask aircraft owners (who use the company) who are technically fussy.

Most aircraft owners could not tell if a company stripped half the screws in the aircraft – so long as the screws don’t cause the cockpit trim to fall off and hit them on the head, or cause the wing to fall off. That is normal – most owners are not going to be looking over the engineer’s shoulder.

That is how so many companies stay in business.

Of course one could make exactly the same comment about the famous British builders and for exactly the same reason i.e. most people can’t tell the difference

You could say: who cares? If the aircraft keeps flying, who cares? The problem is that you pay for bad work indirectly. You pay for it by having to replace a lot of airframe parts which are damaged, or worn out through incorrect/missing lubrication. And you pay for it years after the bad/nonexistent work “was” done, so in most cases you cannot tell who or which company was responsible.

Maintenance is a difficult business, not made easier by many owners demanding work to be done on the cheap. Often these are the same owners who drive up in a €100k car…

the aircraft is G-Reg but every maintenance shop in Germany is trying to push their roughly EUR1.000 avionics check

1000 € sounds excessive. Most companies charge per avionics device, around 50 €. That means you have a huge stack of avionics subject to testing? Note that you can do the avionics test independent from the ARC. I do my ARC in July and the avionics test in November. This means you could keep your shop for airframe/engine and do the avionics check as part of a trip to the UK. It’s a simple job anyway, just hook up the testers and pretend you’re doing serious testing… For the 700 € I pay per year, I get 90% blabla and 10% running the test program — something I could do just as well myself.

Is it really cheaper in the UK? The test requirements should be identical. I wonder why the German avionics test mafia is able to charge so high prices — no matter where you go.

I don’t see how they can come to an amount on 1000 Euro, it seems insane. All avionics testing can be done in other countries, so your solution is a good one.

Sure you would be welcome to stop by at EHMZ. Avionics work could be combined with regular mechnical maintenance as well.

Is it really cheaper in the UK?

I am really amazed about these high prices. Even 700 Euro’s a very high number (for just testing without leaking finding). Leak finding can be very time consuming and therefore expensive. On a typical aircraft the test takes about 1 our for very simple aircraft, upto 3 hours for high complex IFR aircraft with all equipment redundant and a ceiling of 35.000 Ft.

I would think it would be less expensive in most countries.

I get 90% blabla and 10% running the test program — something I could do just as well myself.

You mean the “blabla” part, right ?