by Mike Busch | Jun 1, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
When it comes to maintenance problems, the FAA might be able help you but only in very limited ways. My April column, titled “Booted Out of Annual,” related a true story of a Bonanza owner who put his plane in the shop for its annual inspection, got into a...
by Mike Busch | May 5, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
THERE ARE NO LONGER ENOUGH A&PS TO MAINTAIN OUR GA AIRPLANES “The annual I scheduled more than a year ago got cancelled on a five-week notice,” read a recent post to the Beechcraft Bonanza Owners Facebook group. The unhappy owner went on to say that it was going...
by Mike Busch | Apr 1, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
This unfortunate aircraft owner was placed in an untenable position by an unreasonable maintenance manager Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I’m going to change the names—I’ll call the aircraft owner “Oliver” and the A&P/IA “Isaac” and the shop...
by Mike Busch | Mar 1, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
Should you have to pay for work or parts that don’t fix the problem? “Mike, I have an ethical question for you: How should an aircraft owner determine fair compensation to a mechanic for parts and labor that were unnecessary?” The email was from a 1947 Piper PA-12...
by Mike Busch | Feb 1, 2023 | AOPA Pilot Magazine, Magazine Articles
How far does your IA have to go to verify that your aircraft is airworthy? The subject line of the email got my attention: “Annual gone wrong…please help!” The author—let’s call him Morrie—identified himself as a first-time airplane owner. “I have my Citabria in for...
