There is only one rental plane left in my area. Work on my Champ has came to a hault (another long story for another day)
This leaves me with nothing to fly until I get more gainfully employed and can part with the money I have set aside. I want to stay current but I think I may just not renew my insurance and wait until I buy. I will need some time in type with an instructor for whatever I buy (Maule) and also want to work on my instument rating with a CFII. So, I am not worried about not flying for a few months (gasp) and then not being proficient when I get back to it since I will be doing some dual time right off the bat.

The reason for my decision is the plane I have been renting, and the guys I have been renting it from. Nice enough people I guess, but the airplane is suffering abuse and every time I use it there seems to be stuff out of place, broken, or otherwise INOP. In the 150 hours I have in it, I have had 2 bad mag checks, a seat track fail, the trim jammed in the nose down (as in all the way down) position but the pointer close to take off. That one scared the crap out of me, turns out the pointer broke loose and the last person who flew it had cranked it all the way nose down for some reason. I also had an alternator failure and came in with no radios or lights at dusk.

I live on the side of a very large canyon. Aircraft coming from the south, or entering the canyon fron the east often fly past my house. I have heard the little C150 screaming by at 130 MPH and sounding like it was far past redline many times. I look at the rental log and it is always one of two guys who do it. One flew it through power lines and then lied about it a few years ago, yet he still is allowed to rent it.
I have a bad feeling about that airplane, and I think it is time to just stay away from it.
Anyone have thoughts or simular stories? I would love to hear them.

David

Normal airplanes are scary. Rental planes are even worse . Think rental cars and how those are treated .

Well you have some points but for all that the most dangerous thing in any plane by far is the pilot

What's the difference between a BCP plane and a rental plane? There're some things you wouldn't do with a BCP plane

I've rented quite a number of airplanes over the years, but I've never rented a "bad" one. It's true that renters tend to treat airplanes with less care than owners do, but ultimately it's up to the organization to ferret out the ones who really do the damage, and in the meanwhile fix whatever they break. If that organization isn't doing its job, then it's time to quit being a customer.

That being said, I've rented some really doggy appearing airplanes that were excellent mechanically. One of my favorite rides for years was an awful looking 182, with torn upholstery, pukey looking faded yellowish paint, a horribly bent panel visor from someone pulling on it to help move the seat up--but the engine was excellent, it flew like a sweetheart, everything worked, and I knew if I took off for some far off location, it would bring me back. The owner refused to fix cosmetics, but instead put his money into maintenance.

Cary

I rented a touchy turbo retrac for awhile that I shared with a rich kid that shouldn't have been using it. When Daddy ran out of money, he went away and the plane is flown by good responsible guys now. Pouring in quarts of oil during pre-flight is a little unsettling. When I rented 172's, everyone always wanted the plane on the same day and there was always the pressure to get it back because so and so needed to fly it, when it should have sat out a squall overnight.

1990, Grand Junction, CO. Decathalon engine failure on takeoff, first solo trip after tailwheel sign off. Good thing there is 10K feet of pavement there is all I have to say.

My rental classic was a nice looking Cessna 150 that I rented for an overnight trip. Departing Addison in the afternoon heat of Texas for the return trip, I requested that the tower let me climb in the pattern due to the poor climb performance. After getting enough altitude to glide somewhere, I flew from airfield to airfield to get home, with an absolute ceiling of about 4000 feet. NO climb rate beyond that. Upon arrival at the home airport, I was told by the mechanic that Delta Papa was 1300 hours past TBO. No instructors would get into it, because it might not lift two. It was my first and last rental from that FBO. Those were the days! Ignorance and invincibility!

KB

Don't worry too much about being not current -- it wont take much to get back there and adding type and instrument training will get you more than comfortable. That said, yes limited good rental aircraft is a problem. The last place I rented/taught at was all owner rent backs with owners that flew them all the time. Nicest airplanes I have ever flown. G1000 C-172's for $140 hr.. in Long Beach, CA.

You are making a smart move to not rent that plane, you want to wake up to fly another day.

I too want a Maule and am plane (cash) poor.

I used to rent a Cessna 210. It was a relative bargain for that type of airplane, but the FBO refused to fix things. On a dark, hazy night over the mountains of western Pennsylvania, I lost the vacuum pump. The turn coordinator was already inop. A few minutes later, the compass cocked itself up at a 45 degree angle and froze. I was staying upright by keeping the moon, visible through the haze, in the top left corner of the windshield! The plane had an autopilot that never worked, and little things like interior lights would not be replaced no matter how often I requested that the FBO do so. Oh, and more then once, I had to tie the right hand cabin door shut because the latch was broken. That inspires confidence in passengers who are new to GA.

One day, another renter loaded up the 210 with 5 of his buddies and they went on a fishing trip to the outer banks of NC. On the way home that night, they augured in, killing all on board. Weather may have been a factor as there were isolated thunderstorms along the part of the route where the accident happened. The pilot was not IFR rated, or at least not current. I don't remember exactly. But, other traffic passed through the same area right before and after the 210 crashed without incident.

Since most accidents are the result of many factors, I always wondered if the minor, seemingly unimportant, squawks might have contributed to, or even caused the accident. It's not hard to imagine a non IFR pilot, finding himself in turbulent clouds at night, hunting around in his flight bag for a flashlight to check the map because the FBO refused to spend a couple bucks to replace the map light built into the yoke, looking up and getting disoriented.

Maybe I'm just a perfectionist, but even if I'm getting a bargain price, I want everything to work. After that accident, I bought my own airplane and stopped renting for good.

Best,
O-2

Don't worry about losing currency for a few months or even longer. It comes back pretty quickly, finding a well maintained airplane us much more important.

Unless it shows evidence of some extreme neglect, I would probably stay current as much as your budget will allow. That said, it pays to remember that they renter who damaged the aircraft by a hard landing, engine abuse, nicking the prop, etc isn't usually the one who discovers the damage...it's the next unfortunate renter who hasd the engine failure, or finds the buckled firewall. The abusive pilot slinks into parking, looks around to see if anyone saw his technique, leaves quietly, and says later "It wasn't like that when I flew it!"

Like the damage walk-around required by rental car companies, make your pre-flight meticulous and slow. I've known folks who have walked right by a prop with a curled tip, wrinkles on cowlings and the like. The more familiar you are with that particular plane, the more likely you may not notice damage.

Mike-

I agree with those who say to move on from this aircraft. The FBO also has an over all sense of neglect. As in no pride in what they do. Dirty floors, dirty bathrooms, no flat surface left uncluttered, years of crap and junk with no use to anyone piled on top of piles and sprinkered with little piles of dog shit (no, really, actual dog shit)

I am not worried about losing currency. I may be taking a job where I will be working on Beavers on foats and some 207's. They have 3 locations for their part 135 operation and I am most likely going to get some rides. Even time in the right seat with a seasoned pro in the left helps and teaches.
I will also be at a busy airport most of the time. There are a few late model rentals, and also much more opportunity to buy a quick fixer upper project, or a share in club aircraft if I can't find my dream Maule (afford it more than find it) right away.

I do need to make ownership a priority. I am pretty sure this job may work well for me long term and it is a 3 hour commute from my home. I will get an apartment and also looking at liveaboard boat situations, but will keep my home east of the mountains. My wife and I have a lot of time in our house and gardens, she sells real estate here, and it is just all too nice to walk away from. I am working out a 2 weeks on 1 week off deal with them, but will leave thing flexable at first.

David

In most cases, almost all, an accident or fatality is preceded by several mistakes or problems, generally three to four, that have been either overlooked, covered up, or ignored, I think it works much like a crap table, if the table is hot it’s a good time to step in, if its losing and you step in, you will most certainly lose your money. If a machine exhibits a series of events, this is broken, this is intermittent, this just failed, it’s a real good time to step away, it is very likely that there is going to be a major event. It is far better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than being in the air wishing you were on the ground. The problems that you are describing are the exact reason I own my one aircraft, and play a major role in maintains and repair. If it don’t feel right don’t fly it.

172heavy wrote:In most cases, almost all, an accident or fatality is preceded by several mistakes or problems, generally three to four, that have been either overlooked, covered up, or ignored, I think it works much like a crap table, if the table is hot it’s a good time to step in, if its losing and you step in, you will most certainly lose your money. If a machine exhibits a series of events, this is broken, this is intermittent, this just failed, it’s a real good time to step away, it is very likely that there is going to be a major event. It is far better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than being in the air wishing you were on the ground. The problems that you are describing are the exact reason I own my one aircraft, and play a major role in maintains and repair. If it don’t feel right don’t fly it.

That is exactly what I was thinking. It is always a chain of events, no one single thing. With the issues the 150 has, I can't point out any one that is that serious by itself, but combined and added into one or two small missteps on the pilots part, weather, or any number of other factors your chances at this crap table go way down.

I may also be a bit critical of other peoples maintenance. I am a control freak/perfectionist.

D.

I was coming out of Moose Creek in a rented 172 with pax (my own mom), and a mag dropped out just as I was above the trees and headed downstream to climb out. I ended up at tree-top level right over groups of rafters, making all those tight turns between the trees and canyon walls. My mom got hopelessly airsick, and I reached back, grabbed a couple sleeping bags to put on her lap, unlatched the doors, cinched the belts as tight as I could, kept the airspeed at Vy, and looked for a river bar that might appear suddenly to decide on whether to stuff it onto or continue downstream. Just before Selway falls, the mag kicked in again. I was able to go from negative climb rate (descending with the Selway), to 400 fpm in seconds. I circled to climb at the confluence watching the RPM's and contemplating what to do.

I made it back. I told the owner. I was still hyped up over the whole thing.

I saw the plane start up with a couple guys the next morning after a long crank, went to look for the owner to try and figure out what was going on, and shortly thereafter, the plane came taxiing back "because of that fuel problem or something".

The mag failed from a loose wire, and it is a mystery why it came back at all. Others had experienced the same thing on the plane for weeks and reported it as a possible fuel problem rather than the mag. The remaining mag was so far out of time that I lost more RPM than required to maintain level flight. The run-up did not indicate an issue at all for the mag with bad timing at the lower RPM I had used to avoid rock pits at Moose Creek.

I decided that renting was for the birds.

DavidB. wrote:

172heavy wrote:In most cases, almost all, an accident or fatality is preceded by several mistakes or problems, generally three to four, that have been either overlooked, covered up, or ignored, I think it works much like a crap table, if the table is hot it’s a good time to step in, if its losing and you step in, you will most certainly lose your money. If a machine exhibits a series of events, this is broken, this is intermittent, this just failed, it’s a real good time to step away, it is very likely that there is going to be a major event. It is far better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than being in the air wishing you were on the ground. The problems that you are describing are the exact reason I own my one aircraft, and play a major role in maintains and repair. If it don’t feel right don’t fly it.

That is exactly what I was thinking. It is always a chain of events, no one single thing. With the issues the 150 has, I can't point out any one that is that serious by itself, but combined and added into one or two small missteps on the pilots part, weather, or any number of other factors your chances at this crap table go way down.

I may also be a bit critical of other peoples maintenance. I am a control freak/perfectionist.

D.

People, friends, call me an anal nerd, but in a nice way, what ever happened to perfectionist? Then I take the time to look around and sum things up, I have fast toys and an airplane, Hmm I think that’s why I’m still alive.
I think all good pilots and aircraft owners are control freaks and perfectionists!

172heavy wrote:

DavidB. wrote:

172heavy wrote:In most cases, almost all, an accident or fatality is preceded by several mistakes or problems, generally three to four, that have been either overlooked, covered up, or ignored, I think it works much like a crap table, if the table is hot it’s a good time to step in, if its losing and you step in, you will most certainly lose your money. If a machine exhibits a series of events, this is broken, this is intermittent, this just failed, it’s a real good time to step away, it is very likely that there is going to be a major event. It is far better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than being in the air wishing you were on the ground. The problems that you are describing are the exact reason I own my one aircraft, and play a major role in maintains and repair. If it don’t feel right don’t fly it.

That is exactly what I was thinking. It is always a chain of events, no one single thing. With the issues the 150 has, I can't point out any one that is that serious by itself, but combined and added into one or two small missteps on the pilots part, weather, or any number of other factors your chances at this crap table go way down.

I may also be a bit critical of other peoples maintenance. I am a control freak/perfectionist.

D.

People, friends, call me an anal nerd, but in a nice way, what ever happened to perfectionist? Then I take the time to look around and sum things up, I have fast toys and an airplane, Hmm I think that’s why I’m still alive.
I think all good pilots and aircraft owners are control freaks and perfectionists!

I have built some very fast no dollar spared race bikes. Some guys bikes may have been faster here or there, but mine never broke. I think my A&P training for that. I also "pre flight" everything I use before I use it. I have been to the far reaches of north america on 2 and 4 wheels and can't really recall any failures due to lack of maintenance. I hardly even pull my tool kit out once I'm on the road. I want to keep that track record going with airplanes.

D

DavidB. wrote:..... Work on my Champ has came to a hault (another long story for another day).......

OK, it's another day. What's up with the Champ?

I used to rent this Cub after I soloed in it. Then, one day, I couldn't get the door to latch. I squawked it and never rented it again.



PS: Sadly, this is the Cub I soloed in high school. The tornado was not too kind to it. However, I see it on the registry even now. You can't keep a good data plate down.

YB