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Old 01-09-2013, 06:34 PM
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JamesNoBrakes
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Joined APC: Nov 2011
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Originally Posted by wjl408 View Post
Thw aircraft was on a 135 certificate with a company that I worked for that closed it doors after 58 years. I would be getting the aircraft with 0 SMOH on the engines 0 SPOH, fresh paint and annual. The price of the single engine 135 certificate is really cheap currently operating with a Piper Arrow, the corporation that owns the certificate has no debt no violations with the FAA and in good standing with the local FSDO. I think I will contact our local FSDO tomorrow, I appreciate your reply
Ask the FSDO, but realize there's a wealth of info they can't answer, because it depends on the aircraft. There's all sorts of stuff you might think you know about the aircraft, but unless you are an A&P and really know the aircraft, you could be getting a neverending nightmare. Who rebuild the engine? Approved parts? Serial numbers? Are there any unapproved parts or improper maintenance? The aircraft may be perfectly "airworthy" in a mechanical sense, but due to how the maintenance was done, it might be a can of worms. While this is important and may or may not be a big deal, it will be a big deal if you don't catch any inconsistencies and technicalities before you start operating.

Some FSDOs won't let you add an aircraft to a certificate due to their workload. They'll kind of put you on a "wishlist" and get to you when they can get to you. It's under staffing and not having enough money to support all that we want to support at once. Just like a pilot, we have to prioritize and try to win the battles that we can win, until we can make room for something else.

Have you calculated engine-reserve, cost per hour, recurrent training costs, hangaring, reoccurring maintenance events, insurance, fuel costs, etc?

Changing the operating certificate, different FSDOs, operating in that area overwater and possibly IFR, and adding a new aircraft all add a lot of complexity to this issue. If you were just "taking over" with the same aircraft, that would be a different issue IMO.

It sounds like you are on the right track by asking the FSDO. Remember, they can't give you other people's operating certs or opspecs to copy, but they can tell you if it's feasible to add aircraft, take over, possible changes, etc.
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