Expert: Jeff Davis - 1/31/2010

Question
Hello, Mr.Davis. My name is Kathryn, and I'm eventually going to get my pilot's certification.

My main question/problem is what to look for when buying a plane. My dream plane to own would be a biplane, so what do I need to be wary of? Also, do you think that www.barnstormers.com/ is an all right site to buy from? (It sort of looks like to me a craigslist for planes). I really have no idea how to find biplanes in my area for sale. Are projects/kits basically a DIY sort of deal?

Also, on a side note, when I eventually (sometime in the near/distant future) when I get a biplane, let's say that the previous owner had the plane painted in a color that I didn't like. How would I repaint it?

And, one final question, what do you think would be the best way for me to learn about the mechanics of a biplane (or a plane in general) as I'd be interested in eventually making my own repairs as I'm sure they're expensive.

I appreciate your wisdom in advance! Thanks!

~Sincerely,
Kathryn

Answer
There are a lot of practical reasons for the virtual disappearance of biplanes from the aviation fleet, and you may re-think your choice when you study it further.  Their main advantage is that they are way cool, and the other pilots/owners who run them down are inwardly jealous.  Since almost all of them are homebuilt, they require a bit more scrutiny than a factory airplane when purchasing.  Beware of prices that look too good, remember that you're betting your life that it was well-built.  Some of them were put together by people who just didn't have enough expertise for the task.  I would recommend having a trusted mechanic (i.e., your friend, not the seller's friend) go over any airplane before buying, but especially a homebuilt.  There aren't really any problem areas specific to biplanes that you need to look for, just bring along a mechanic who knows that type of airplane.  Most of them have fabric skin, so make sure your mechanic has some experience with fabric, it's a whole different world from the aluminum skins on the ships the jealous pilots are driving around.  Next question: Barnstormers is fine, also try Trade-A-Plane (on line or the yellow newspaper you see lying around at the local general aviation airport) and finally, globalplanesearch.com.  There are others, but those three are my favorites.

Yes, projects/kits are a DIY venture.  "Project" is a nice way of saying "builder started and found he was in over his head."  Not recommended under any circumstance.  Even if the builder ran out of money, lost interest, or died, it still isn't a good idea to take over a project that was started by someone else, you're asking for trouble.  Starting your own kit is great, but only if you have the time, knowledge, skill, workspace, tools, and patience to do it.   I would love to build an airplane, but I don't meet any of those requirements.

Paint: You can paint over fabric, but that's kind of a shoddy way to do things, it's most often done to hide flaws in the fabric or to skimp on money.  You can infer from this that a plane with painted-over fabric is probably not one you want to buy.  The right way is to start over with new fabric, as the color is meant to soak into the fabric rather than to be slopped over the top of the old surface.  It's a big project and most mechanics don't want to mess with it, you're better off buying one that looks the way you want, or to learn to love the color it comes in.

Finally, many community colleges offer aviation maintenance programs, and you should look into that.  The FAA puts pretty strict limits on what type of maintenance you can do without an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license, so you still can't do a lot of your own work without getting the license, which is a pretty demanding course of study.  If you learn enough to know what you're doing, some licensed mechanics will sign off work that you do under their supervision, but they're assuming a great deal of liability every time they sign their name, so most of them are understandably careful about who they'll sign for.

Finally some advice you didn't ask for: Biplanes are generally harder to fly (especially the takeoff and landing portion) than the less-cool planes.  Keep that in mind and be realistic in your goals, but if you really want to be a biplane pilot, don't let the naysayers scare you away.  The Army and Navy taught thousands of 19-year-olds to fly Stearmans in WWII, and you can learn too, it's just a matter of finding a sufficiently experienced instructor.  Good luck with your endeavors, and please feel free to ask more questions as you go along, I'm always happy to entertain thoughtful questions like yours.