Deep dive

If the option is available, joining a shared ownership of an aircraft or being part of a flying club is a great choice for a first-time owner, as it takes much of the mystery out of the process and offers an opportunity to learn from other owners, making things less overwhelming. Whatever the situation, your airplane’s annual inspection is a great learning opportunity for you.

As an owner, one of the most important things you can do is to learn as much as possible about the airplane you own, its parts, and how they all work together. Getting hands-on in preparing for the annual will benefit both you and your airplane.

You can save money and your IA’s time by working with him or her to remove things like access panels, cowling, carpet, fairings, (and the many, many screws holding all this together which then need to be organized for replacement later); give the airplane and engine a good cleaning; and remove all equipment that is not part of the airplane, such as GPS or camera mounts, loose charts and flashlights, or that empty water bottle or baseball cap. This is also the perfect time to give the airplane a good look over for signs of leaks, unusual marks, wear and tear, or anything that looks out of place, and mention any findings to the IA up front. If you’re new to this stage of the process as well, you can ask a friend with experience for their help or offer to assist someone who is preparing for their own annual.

In addition to this basic prep, pilots are allowed to do some preventive maintenance tasks on their own, such as greasing wheel bearings, or changing oil and spark plugs. Regulations are clear that although pilots can perform these preventive maintenance items concurrent with or in preparation for the annual inspection, they cannot help with any part of an annual inspection itself. The important difference between maintaining and inspecting means that it is technically not “owner-assisted annual” but “owner-assisted maintenance during and/or preliminary and incidental to the annual.”

Asking an A&P or another owner if you can shadow them as they do preventative maintentance tasks is the best way to build these skills to prepare for your own annual. Trying your hand at small tasks under their supervision will have you better equipped, and if your IA is comfortale with you shadowing the annual, you can learn even more about your airplane's guts.

Annual inspections don’t have to be a thing of mystery. Use this time to get acquainted with your airplane, ask questions, and observe how all the parts fit together and integrate functionally. Getting involved in maintenance and preparation for your aircraft’s annual will gain you more knowledge about how your airplane works, which will give you more confidence as a pilot and make you better prepared for real-world flying.

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