Buying a Used RV
From Matronics
The following tips were posted on the Matronics RV List.
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General Strategies
- Ask the owner/builder to send you photos of the "worst areas" of the aircraft
- Have someone who built one go with you to inspect it. Ideally, the one they built should also be available to you to inspect, for comparison.
- Read "AC 43.13-1B Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices, Aircraft Inspection and Repair."
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Specific Items to Check
- Check the condition of the cowl attachment features. Are there any broken eyelets, fasteners with elongated holes, etc?
- Are there wrinkles in the firewall? (Suggests hard landings.)
- Are the weldments behind the firewall the later (thicker) versions? Photos and dimensions of both versions would be useful.
- Look for asymmeterical main gear, suggesting that one may have been bent.
- Check for cracks around rivets in the elevators and rudder.
- Was the rudder constructed with 0.016" or 0.20" skin?
- Does the aircraft have the long or short gear? Longer is newer.
- Have the Vans Service bulletins been complied with?
- Slosh used to seal fuel tanks should be avoided or inspected carefully if used (this has been know to flake off and block fuel delivery in extreme cases.
