I am considering purchasing a 79-year-old aircraft. It has a current 8050-3: Registration Certificate and annual inspection, and 8100-2: Standard Category Airworthiness Certificate. I have flown it, so this is really just a documentation question.

It has a clean, unencumbered title and everything it’s supposed to… Well… I think it does. I just don’t want to discover after-the-fact that I missed something that’s required.

It also has the original and latest revisions of the appropriate TCDS; A copy of a letter from the manufacturer stating the aircraft’s operating limitations; and individual forms authorizing each FA and STC. The TCDS “maximum operating weight” makes it SP eligible and there have been no STCs to increase the “maximum takeoff weight.”

There is a laminated single sheet with a list of airspeeds, a bank / stall speed chart, a signed weight and balance report, a weight and balance worksheet, and tables including, ASC-510: takeoff landing and climb data, ASC-511: airspeed and range data, ASC-512A: temperatures, pressures, and settings. It even has a ten item combination checklist and starting procedure list, and four item emergency checklist.

The logs go back to a complete restoration in the late 90’s, and include paper copies of 337s filed with the FAA up to the point of that restoration. A cursory review indicates that all ADs have been complied with, and that an A&P signed each 337 and the log book for each STC and FA that a record exists for.

The aircraft has a few FA’s and STC’s that I care about. I have always thought that those changes were “permanent,” in the sense that the FA that permitted different seats and contains plans for the construction of same, makes those seats a permanent part of the aircraft unless and until some future owner wants to put an original 1942 seat up front. Then another 337 would have to be filled out to make that change "permanent."

I thought it was the same with an STC. That having an A&P sign the logbook and a 337, made the larger baggage compartment for instance, a “permanent” part of the airplane until someone had another A&P remove it and sign a 337 to that effect.

But the auto gas STC has some odd wording in it. It states that the STC document itself must be signed by a certificated mechanic. The LOG and a 337 were signed, but not the STC document. It also says that the STC is valid only for the purchaser and is not transferable. I assume that means the particular serial number engine the STC COPY was purchased for and it isn’t transferable to another serial number engine.

Thank you for reading all of this all comments are welcome.

Lisa

Probably the best one to ask these questions to would be the A/P/IA you will be using to maintain the aircraft if you buy it.

Correct and legal data plate? Several years ago I made a deposit on an Aeronca 7AC project that the seller had lost the data plate for. I was ok with that as long as he provided a letter to the FAA stating the circumstances of losing the data plate. Then he found the missing data plate, but it was a reproduction of an Aeronca data plate and as such was not legal (only the type certificate holder can produce a replacement when authorized to do so by the FAA). The seller was unable to certify what had happened to the original. So I ask for and was returned my deposit. My clue was that the data plate said Lunkin Airport, Cincinnati OH, 7AC's were produced after Aeronca moved to Middletown OH. 11AC's were produced in both depending on date of production I believe. Just one more thing to watch for.

Tim

Sounds like the mogas STC is the only iffy thing?
Easy to fix-- a new mogas STC from EAA or Petersen will cost you $1.50 per horsepower.
BTW in my experience a mogas STC is actually two separate STC's--
one for the engine & one for the airframe.