Approximate cost of a 100 hourly on a Cessna 172 and Piper Aztec
 

This request was from an operator of the above types in the Central Pacific region of Kiribati. He is trying to get a handle on maintenance costs in Australia.

Ten years ago I allowed $5000 for no-drama annuals on the Aztec and that was pretty close most times.......until I let a jerk-off fly it who insisted on slamming the flaps out at 150kt. Then it tripled.:eek: Then he ran the engines at 450 CHT and it went up by a factor of 10X.:{

There really is no way to predict a 'first' 100 hrly. Could be minimal....could be more than the worth of the aircraft.:sad:

Depends on may factors.

I would have guessed a bit under $3,000 for a C172, unless something comes up.

If the LAME's found metal in the oil figure on a cost of say $20,000 which would include a bulk strip.

Often LAMEs outside of major cities are less expensive. Sometimes I think if a LAME doesn't have much work they are more inclined to find problems to fix, which soon becomes expensive.

I have done many annuals and 100 Hrs on both types.

As we probably can all see they are many variables, some of which have been covered.
Location, Utilisation, Type of hangar, age and condition of aircraft, Owner related issues, even how and where the aircraft is stored can all come into play.

It would be impossible to put a monetary figure on such a question. While more than the aircraft is worth is a possibility you would hope it would only be a very slim one.
I have seen it once though. Especially with a new purchase where you may have bought someone else's junk.

The owner would be very happy to see a first time up bill of $2000 for the C172 and possibly about $4000 or so for the Aztec.

It depends very much on other due maintenance also. Out of Phase items may be due and will add more. Then we have the Bulletins, any AD's and preventative maintenance.
Kiribati is a fair hike from Aussie, if the aircraft are up there then it would be easier to send a LAME up. Licence issues could be a drama down in Oz.
I hold a Kiribati licence E17 I think so there would not be that many floating about. Converting up there would not be a major issue.

If the aircraft are down in Aussie then a trend could be gained from the previous shop visits.

An engineer would have a pretty fair of what was involved after two hours... time for a good look at the log books and Flight Manual and then a once-over of the machine.

If it is the Aztec that's been sitting in the open at Bonriki for the past 7 years (N-registered), it definitely won't be "average", or cheap.

AFAIK that aircraft has not turned a blade in that time. Exposed to all that salt and moisture, the engines won't be pretty, and I'm guessing the airframe will have plenty of "coastal cancer" too.

Thanks CW. As is so often the case it may well have been a loaded question.
You would have to imagine that is the aircraft in question..
There may be a couple of choices though,-

N98WA Piper PA-23 Apache/Aztec Search For One, Inc. - A.S.I.A.-Asia Sky Image Archives

Private Piper PA-23-250 Aztec

Often it comes down to the regulators impressions also.
I don't want to mention corruption but in some smaller countries things can all of a sudden become difficult. Especially if the aircraft could be used in competition with a relative of someone's machine.

Aztecs are not the easiest of Pipers to work on, more of the exception in many ways. Pilots like them, engineers not quite the same fondness.

So really, don't stick it in a hangar, don't store it.

FLY the basticle!!!

I like the concept :ok:

Oops, it doesn't read as clearly as I intended.
I meant what kind of FBO, MRO or similar. What type of maintenance hangar and how they conduct their business.

It will be interesting to see how these aircraft get sorted.

:hmm: Hmmm ... last Aztec we did came to over $70K. 'Twas the first time we'd seen it. It had "coastal cancer" (good term that one CW - I like it), U/C rigging problems, & a heap of overdue stuff. Poor owner didn't know what hit him, but he bought it with out a pre-purchase inspection.

Many thanks for the replies which were most helpful. I passed them on to the operator in Kiribati. He said thanks a million.

Folks,
Big message there, couple of grand and walk away, is really cheap insurance, the best money you will ever spend. Don't ever skimp on the pre-purchase inspection, and make certain it is done by somebody who (1) knows the type, and
(2) has no relation to the seller or his/her/its LAME.
Tootle pip!!

Wow, that would make your eyes water, still I know what you mean, just finished working on an aeroplane that should be about half that, but wont end up costing the customer any where near that, its hard when working on an old long time stored aircraft to find a good medium between what the actual cost should be and what you can realistically charge.:ouch: