cost of annual with owner assist

Yeah, that is what I am finding out. On the Ercoupe, the annual and maintenance is more, but the insurance is less and the instruction becomes an issue.

That is why I am trying to figure gather more info... being somewhat new to all of this, it is hard to get a clear picture. But it is coming together... slowly.

The help has been great!

Keep in mind the first annual you have done will most likely include inspection/confirmation that all applicable ADs have been complied with, not only for the airframe but the engine and accessories also. That in itself takes time which equates to money. There are many discussions online about what constitutes an "annual". If one is referring just to the inspection portion, that is only a small part of the big picture as there will be servicing and maintenance that is required as well as Matt mentioned.

I suspect insurance on an EAB Sonex will be quite a bit more expensive than on a 'coupe for the same coverage. Getting training in a Sonex also could be more challenging.

As far as owner assist, for me it depends on how much you can assist. If all you do is open and close panels, that is not much off the annual. If you are able to do servicing such as cleaning gapping and testing plugs, oil change, airframe lubing, then that is a help. The last Owner assist Coupe annual I did was costly as we had to replace a wing due to exfoliation corrosion. Most seem to think that because a Coupe is small, it is a simple plane to annual and think that one day is more than enough time. When I do the annual on my own Coupe it is on average of 3 days.

I've been gong back and forth between buying an Ercoupe  or a Sonex. One variable that weighs in is the cost of insurance and the annual.

To help me with my decision making,  I called a nearby FBO and they gave me a rough guess-timate of $1,800 - $2,000. Just for the basic inspection.   Looking online I've seen everything from $400 - $2000.

At $400-$500, an Ercoupe would make sense.  At $2000 + repairs, if have to put it off a while. 


I know it's going țo vary by area, mechanic,  etc. but,  what would seem reasonable for an owner assisted annual on an ercoupe?

Anyhow,  let me know if anyone has any thoughts.  

Jeffery