Past Inspection Findings

If looked over, corrosion can ruin an airplane faster than you will realize. Often looked over in hard to reach or see places, especially in older aircraft with spring steel landing gear. Rodents are another big red flag when it comers to corrosion, often if droppings or nesting material is found, best look close as urine corrodes aluminum extremely fast.

Engine health is usually easily made apparent by inspecting an oil filter for debris or sending out an oil analysis. BUT, these will not always tell the truth about an engines current state. Cylinder cracking and cam wear is easily noticed with a good magnifying glass, or with a good borescope inspection of the interior of an engine, the alternative to the old school "pulling a jug" to inspect the internals.

Known as "silent but deadly" carbon monoxide poisoning is no joke in reciprocating engines, as the heat from the exhaust is normally used to heat the cockpit of most single engine aircraft. Often looked over, mufflers, exhaust stacks and collectors often will crack due to vibration and should be dealt with immediately.

Aircraft logbooks, while essential to an airplane's monetary value, can also tell you almost everything about it. For example, was it is a flight school? Has it been damaged? Has it had a prop strike? Has maintenance been performed on time? Has it been actively flying or has it been sitting? Have the compressions been stable? All of which can be answered by a detailed inspection of the aircraft logbooks.