RFT 057: Aircraft Prebuy Inspector Don Sebastian
Don Sebastian started his aviation career flying airplanes at an army aero club in the morning and then jumping out of airplanes in the afternoon. After finishing his military service, which included combat in the Caribbean, he completed his aeronautical ratings, and has been flight instructing for five decades. He now combines his pilot skills with his A&P certificate to conduct prebuy inspections for airplane purchasers throughout the world.A prebuy inspection is, as Don succinctly describes it, "the only time you will get free maintenance on your airplane". Don goes over all aircraft documentation, which can run from a few hundred pages to several thousand, and checks compliance with every Airworthiness Directive (AD) and maintenance requirement. Then he conducts a complete inspection of the airplane, either in person or via Skype video with the owner's mechanic performing the hands-on work.Once the groundwork is complete, Don conducts a flight check, usually from the passenger seat with his monitoring equipment, such as his altimeter to confirm proper performance of the pressurization system, if applicable. He provides a flight profile to the pilot (usually the owner or owner's pilot) to confirm airplane performance characteristics.When the prebuy inspection is complete, Don advises the prospective buyer of any outstanding issues, which may require a price adjustment, or, in some cases, may be a deal-breaker. He performs prebuy inspections on everything from J-3 Cubs to airliners. Don can be reached at 910 5287769.Don has appeared in other podcasts:
http://www.airplanegeeks.com/2015/02/11/airplanegeeks-336-airplane-pre-buy/
http://thelogbookpodcast.com/39-the-rest-of-the-prebuy/
http://privatejetpodcast.com/41/
http://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/the-logbook/episodes/26-pre-purchase-mach-tuck/pophttp://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/the-logbook/episodes/39-the-rest-of-the-prebuy/pophttp://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/the-logbook/episodes/veteran-s-special-2015/pophttp://airlinepilotguy.com/apg-248-lots-drunken-tomfoolery/