As I mentioned a year ago in the last post about the 2009 Annual, "Nobody ever claimed that flying GA aircraft is an inexpensive pastime." Still, with the final invoice in hand for N631S's 2010 Annual Inspection at about $4,800, I don't feel badly.
As pointed out last year, the inspection consists of that which is specified in Appendix D to Title 14 CFR 43 - no more and no less. As with most shops, Three Wing Flying Services has a flat rate for the Annual Inspection. For a Cessna 182 like N631S it amounts to 17 hours at $85.00/hour, a total of $1,445.00.
Beyond the scope of the Annual Inspection defined by Part 43, there are a number of maintenance actions that normally get accomplished in conjunction with the inspection but that are charged for separately. Such as:
- Service the spark plugs; $97.70
- Change the oil; $276.78
- Check and re-time the magnetos; $68.00
- Service the flight controls; $68.00
- Service the tires, brakes and battery; $68.00
- Service the landing gear and wheel bearings; $246.50
- Service various filters & screens; $73.95
- Dress the propeller blades; $59.50
That adds up to $958.43 for maintenance items. To this, add a number of "inspections" that need to be done but fall outside the scope of the "Annual". That's another $229.50. And, there is the research necessary to confirm AD compliance and to ensure correct parts are ordered. That's $187.00 - we're up to $2,820 and we haven't fixed anything as yet.
As for the "fixing" part, there were a few items, either identified before the Annual or discovered during the inspection, that required corrective action. In the first category (i.e., "squawked" when the aircraft was presented):
- Lube prop control cable to relieve "stiffness"; $76.50
- Replace (cracked) right main gear leg fairing; $395.27
The successful fix on the prop control cable was a major save. If that hadn't worked, a new cable assembly would've been needed to the tune of about $625 plus a couple of hours of installation labor.
Items revealed by the inspection and corrected included:
- Install Brackett filter to replace worn paper filter; $95.59
- Replace forward engine vibration isolation mounts; $406.09
- Replace alternator belt; $79.20
- Reseal aft window; $102.00
- Replace inop Cyl #5 CHT probe; $157.75
- Assorted minor corrective actions; $416.74
That all adds up to about $1,725 in corrective actions, bringing the total for inspection and repairs to about $4,550.00. Add in charges for consumables, freight and the Airport Utilization Fee (2% here) and you get up to $4,800. The total labor charged was 46.20 hours and the total for parts was $618.52. I can't complain.
Oh, by the way...both the flight from KVKX north to CT on last Monday morning, 4/19 and the return flight on Friday evening, 4/23, were uneventful. The latter trip was quick and a bit bumpy, but unremarkable.
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