Can anyone recommend a shop or someone who can help me do a pre purchase inspection on a TB20 in Belgium?
I have emailed you my mechanic’s details. He is an A&P/IA and EASA66.
There are several well-reputed shops at EBAW Antwerpen, though I do not know how well they are acquainted with the TB20. PM for more details.
For a prebuy, you must use somebody who is not normally working anywhere near where the plane for sale is based or being maintained.
I once arranged a prebuy (not a TB) for a friend, done by a mechanic who I worked with back then. This mechanic worked at the airport where the plane was sitting. He almost instantly established the plane was a POS (e.g. the oil filter rusted right through and oil was leaking out of it) and was promptly threatened by the maintenance company on whose apron the plane was parked (who was trying to sell it on behalf of the owner who had apparently vanished for some years, possibly housed at Her Majesty’s Pleasure) and had to walk away as quickly as possible.
A TB is a simple plane, for the most part.
Thank you all, once I am through the purchasing journey I will share my experience.
Wingman, i am living in Belgium. If I can assist, just let me know.
Where in Belgium is the aircraft?
Our base at EBKT has a very good engineering shop with reputable mechanic. Send me a mail if you require more info.
If you already know where your new aircraft will be maintained, you could also ask an engineer from that company to do the prebuy.
The danger with that is that the prebuy verdict is likely to be “buy it” 
One important thing with prebuys is to not commit to significant hassle in travelling there, otherwise there is a huge “buy it” pressure. Happens all the time. I bought a car like that once, on the end of a long train+taxi journey, with quite a few expensive issues. And I’ve seen it with plane prebuys. People chuck away all caution.
I sold a car once to a bunch who came over from France. They were viewing about 10 cars… so no great pressure on them to buy the one.
Peter wrote:
One important thing with prebuys is to not commit to significant hassle in travelling there, otherwise there is a huge “buy it” pressure. Happens all the time. I bought a car like that once, on the end of a long train+taxi journey, with quite a few expensive issues. And I’ve seen it with plane prebuys. People chuck away all caution.
So true. I have two first hand experiences :
A few years back I was selling a “project” Cessna 140. It was in bits and had no engine so the buyer had to collect it with a big trailor rig. I had a “prospect” come over to check it out with a whole crew a truck & trailor coming some 500 Kms. I laughed when when he started to try to negociate on the asking price – no way he was going to drive all the way back home empty handed !
At about the same time I saw an advert in Barnstormers for a VERY low time Cessna 140 in 100% original condition. Only problem was that it was HUNDREDS of miles from ANY civiliasation in the upper East part of Washington State. Only took a heart-beat to realize that any sort of pre-buy survey by myself or even someone else was going to cost a significant % of the asking price. So I just threw the dice and bought it “sight-un-seen, where-is, as-is” !
What a shock when it finally arrived in a 40 ’ container: it was BETTER than advertised !
