Hallo Everyone!
I am following a Meridian acquisition, we are now at the point where we need to do a pre-buy.
I need to find an alternative to Piper Germany for the prebuy, since they were the ones mantaining the aircraft: any suggestion of people / companies located in the proximity(netherlands, Belgium, northwest germany and central germany)?
Thanks for the help
Lowandslow
Maybe try to ask https://porta.aero/en/
Smets Aviation Service in Genk, BE
I think https://www.hangar-one.eu/ maintains PA46T planes; that would make them qualified to do a pre-buy?
@sebastian_g might have a suggestion?
+1 for Porta air service
You might also consider https://www.air-craft.biz
BUT please note this. I did witness several PA46 pre buys and some of them also at shops mentioned here. The problem is the shops know how to maintain the aircrafts very well and do a nice job at doing so in the hangar.
But a pre buy is a completely different matter. In maintenance you go through all the security related items on the ground. On a pre buy you want them to work down the list in order of decreasing cost. And that is the problem. I did get get a discrepancy list once listing tires and other cheap stuff and they forgot to even look at the heated front window which is 30k to replace. Besides the turbine borescope it is essential that you check all the systems are working, especially the entire deice system. Those are the crazy expensive items. Windshield 30k, heated stall sensor 5k, deice boots 30-40k a set, autopilot isssues etc.. Besides the hangar pre buy you HAVE to perform a detailed test flight checking all systems. Pressing all the buttons, going all the way to FL280 (or even FL300 if you can get a short non RVSM clearance) etc. flying an ILS/LPV on autopilot etc. Bring a thermometer to see if the aircon really reduces the air temperature in the vent (very hard to feel by hand on short notice). Bring some portable ADS-B receiver to see if the ADS-B out is working.
Even an a plane maintained by the very best PA46 shop on earth in the US I found a list worth more than 5k during the pre buy test flight right out of maintenance.
Thank you all for your suggestions
What shall we budget for a prebuy (excluding fight) with boroscopic?
thx
lowandslow
You’re going to need a new username
Based around the same situation of Sebastian’s excellent advice, when I tried to buy a Bonanza I quickly realised that I didn’t have the knowledge and skills for the flight test element.
I went on to source a highly skilled and knowledgeable Bonanza owner to accompany me (actually to fly it and put it through it’s paces)
You may be fully up to speed and extremely knowledgeable, in which case please disregard my post, but on the day, it was lovely to have that level of back-up for me.
