I was reading a forum discussion from back in March that got me thinking about my plane. I've bought my plane in mid-May, and I've only flown it for 7.4 hours. Not that I knew what to expect, but my experience with maintenance hasn't been quite what I thought. First, I waited almost two months, for a new battery, getting the air bled out of my brakes, and getting a new cylinder to adjust my seats. This did not seem like a 2 month job, especially since I was only charged for 5.0 hours of labor. Fast forward to August...I took my plane to get some extensive avionics upgrades and an autopilot. It was quoted for 140 hours of labor, which sounds like a lot. It has now been 45 days (32 working days), since I dropped my plane off. I stopped by the shop 3 weeks ago and all of the old equipment was stripped, the new tray for the avionics had been made, and I saw all of my new equipment. I reached out last week and I was informed that they were running behind because the lead mechanic on my plane had quit after my visit. So it sounds like my plane sat for awhile in early September. Every time I reach out to the shop, they get back to me with the details which is great, but last week they told me, "a few more weeks", because of personnel changes, needing to do some extra fabricating and for the relocation of my battery. I am trying to be patient, but I ended up completing my instrument rating while waiting on my plane to get finished, so I was spending money on my plane and my rental plane. I am still renting in the meantime to stay sharp, but I need to be perfecting my skills in my plane.
I didn't get a deadline/due date for when my project will be completed, and since this was my first big project with a big company, I figured they would knock things out quickly.
I am a math teacher by trade, so I think of things in terms of numbers. I figured 140 hours of labor is about 18 days of work. It has now been 32 working days x 8 hours per day = 256 working hours they've had my plane. So if it's a 140 hour job, that's an extra 116 hours if my arithmetic is correct. Now another "few" weeks, could be mean 1, 2, or 3 weeks additional weeks, which would increase the previous calculations. What kind of timeline should you expect for a 140 hour job? While we are on the subject...what kind of timeline can you expect from an engine overhaul? (I will eventually need one in the next 100 - 400 hours)
I didn't get a deadline/due date for when my project will be completed, and since this was my first big project with a big company, I figured they would knock things out quickly.
I am a math teacher by trade, so I think of things in terms of numbers. I figured 140 hours of labor is about 18 days of work. It has now been 32 working days x 8 hours per day = 256 working hours they've had my plane. So if it's a 140 hour job, that's an extra 116 hours if my arithmetic is correct. Now another "few" weeks, could be mean 1, 2, or 3 weeks additional weeks, which would increase the previous calculations. What kind of timeline should you expect for a 140 hour job? While we are on the subject...what kind of timeline can you expect from an engine overhaul? (I will eventually need one in the next 100 - 400 hours)
