This time, we review the Cessna 182-series of aircraft to give you a complete buyer’s guide. We’ll discuss everything you need to know from its history and model differences, performance specs and ownership costs, maintenance gotchas and ADs, and look at the current market and pricing. If you’ve ever thought about buying a Cessna 182, you won’t want to miss this!

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Boy, do we have an excited episode planned for you! Today we are talking about the Cessna 182-series of aircraft—by far one of the most ubiquitous aircraft in the skies today. In fact, it is one of the most common aircraft we help our clients buy. The Cessna 182 is a simple, reliable, and safe aircraft easily accessible to pilots of all skill levels. It’s packed full of utility and performance with excellent parts support and a ton of upgrade options. The 182 has a lot of history, with its roots dating back to the mid-1940s and almost two dozen iterations. The Cessna 182 also fits a wide variety of mission profiles. However, despite its success, not all Cessna 182s are created equal. In just a moment, we’re going to take a deep dive into the history and specs of the Cessna 182 series, including model differences and performance specs. There’s so much here that I have to break this down into two parts. So, in part 2, which will air in February, we’ll get into ownership and maintenance costs, current pricing and inventory, and more to give you a complete Cessna 182 Buyer’s Guide.

This time, we interview A&P/IA Dean Showalter to get an introduction to aircraft maintenance for airplane owners. We’ll cover everything you need to know about maintenance from inspections and overhauls to preventative and owner-assisted maintenance, to upgrades and STCs. Plus, how to save money with your aircraft’s maintenance. If you’re an airplane owner or plan to become one, you won’t want to miss this!

This podcast is all about aircraft ownership. Like it or not, maintenance is an inevitable part of ownership. Unfortunately, maintenance is often the most expensive and misunderstood aspect of ownership. It is often the source of anxiety, frustration, and contention. However, with the right knowledge and a good team on your side, it doesn’t have to be that way…

The truth is your aircraft requires maintenance regardless of how much it flies. All aircraft must comply with scheduled inspections such as annuals, phases, or letter checks. They must also comply with the replacement of life-limited parts such as landing gear assemblies, engine components, and safety equipment. Of course, aircraft will inevitably require unscheduled maintenance such as troubleshooting, component replacements, and servicing. In other words, there’s no way around aircraft maintenance.

For most, aircraft maintenance is overwhelmingly mind numbing. It can be both complex as well as convoluted. Some maintenance is only performed on condition, while in other cases, it is accomplished on a specific schedule such as hourly, by calendar date or by cycles. Likewise, some maintenance events are required by regulation while others are mere recommendations. Knowing what maintenance to complete and when, is vital to keeping your aircraft safe, compliant, and airworthy.  

The next hurdle to overcome is finding a qualified, capable, and competent maintenance provider to perform maintenance on your aircraft. Some maintenance providers are certified by the FAA as a Repair Station under FAR Part 145, while others operate under the less restrictive FAR Part 43. How do you know which shops you can trust and which ones to run away from?  

In today’s discussion, we are going to cover everything you need to know about maintenance as an airplane owner. We’ll help you understand what maintenance is required versus what is recommended, show you where to find maintenance and inspection information for your airplane, demystify some common terminology used in aircraft maintenance, give you advice on how to select a quality mechanic, and show you ways to save money on your maintenance with preventative maintenance as well as owner-assisted maintenance, plus a lot more.

Our guest today is Dean Showalter. Honestly, I can’t think of a better guest for this topic. I consider Dean a great friend of mine; he’s probably the nicest A&P/IA I know and is also extremely knowledgeable and experienced with it comes maintaining GA aircraft. Dean has been fixing and flying a large variety of piston-powered airplanes in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia for 27 years.  As an A&P/IA and pilot who loves planes and people, Dean has found there's an endless supply of adventure and inspiration in general aviation.  He hosts the Airplane Owner Maintenance podcast, which has put him in touch with so many amazing people around the country and beyond. In fact, I met Dean through his podcast, so I’m really excited for our conversation today. So, without further ado, let’s get into today’s interview.

This time, we interview the owner of a Piper PA46 Malibu to get a detailed review of this impressive aircraft. We’ll cover everything you need to know about the Malibu from its strengths and weaknesses to performance and specs, and cost of ownership. Plus, how to use an airplane in your business as a tool to increase productivity and a crazy horror story about an engine overhaul.

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I’m very excited for today’s interview as it’s sort of a part 2 from our last episode where we got a 30,000-foot view of the entire PA46 lineup from our friend, Joe Casey. If you missed that episode, be sure to go back to hear episode 89. Today, I’m interviewing Tyler Hayes to get his outlook on buying and flying the Piper Malibu, also known as the PA46-310P, a 310-horsepower, six-place pressurized piston single. Tyler is an experienced pilot/owner of the Malibu, so he has excellent perspective as well as some interesting stories, including a horror story about his engine overhaul that you won’t want to miss. Without further ado, let’s catch up with Tyler.

This week, we catch up with Joe Casey of Casey Aviation to find out everything you need to know about the Piper PA-46 lineup. We’ll dive deep into the entire lineup from the early Malibu to the present-day M600 and everything in between. If you’ve ever wondered if the PA46 is the right airplane for you, stay tuned to find out.

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Today we’re diving deep into the entire Piper PA46 lineup, from the first-generation Malibu to the second-generation Mirage, the unpressurized Matrix, and the latest M350. We’ll also unravel the turbine PA46s, including the JetProp, Meridian, M500, and M600. The Piper PA46 is one of my favorite aircraft, but it is often overlooked by many prospective buyers. In my interview with Joe Casey of Casey Aviation, we’re not only going to discuss the features, benefits, specs, and performance of each model, we’ll also shed some light on the common problems and shortcomings so you can decide whether the PA46 is the right choice for your mission. We’ll also demystify transition training, cost of ownership, and a lot more. I’m really excited for this interview; without further ado, let’s catch up with Joe Casey.

In today’s episode, we are going to find out what it’s like to buy, fly, and own a King Air 90. We’ll be talking about the pros and cons of King Air ownership, from how to buy one and get proper training, to insurance and ownership costs, plus a whole lot more. Our guest, David will also explain the differences in the King Air 90 models, popular modifications, and important maintenance considerations. Even if you’re not in the market for a King Air, our guest, David Miller, is going to share a ton of tips that apply to all pilots, buyers, and owners of any airplane.

While I’m pretty excited for today’s topic, I’m even more excited for today’s guest. David Miller is a long-time columnist for Twin & Turbine Magazine. He’s owned a lot of airplanes over the years and currently has a King Air C90. I’ve been reading David’s articles for years, so I was pretty thrilled when he agreed to come on the show. I really think you guys will enjoy today’s interview. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.

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Our guest today is Seth Lake. Seth is the owner of VSL Aviation, a flight school located in the Arkansas River Valley, specializing in multi engine training from private pilot to ATP. Seth is also a designated pilot examiner and U.S. Air Force C-130 instructor pilot. Seth is not only an experienced aviator, he’s also a great guy and experienced airplane owner.

Seth and I are going to discuss everything you need to know about buying and flying a piston twin aircraft from getting your initial multi-engine rating to stepping up into larger twins like Beech Barons, Cessna 340s or Piper Navajos. We’ll also talk about how to buy a piston twin, why the piston twin market is very different from single-engine airplanes, cost of ownership, gotchas, and common mistakes.

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Today is a sad day for aviation, and to be honest, it’s a very sad day for me, too. It is with regret and a very heavy heart to report to you the original Prebuy Guy, Don Sebastian, my good friend and mentor, passed away peacefully in his sleep over the weekend after a long, yet tenaciously fought battle with cancer.

Don took me under his wing when I was a young A&P when I got out of the military. I’ll always remember the drive I made to meet him for the first time from Florida to North Carolina. My relationship with Don truly changed my life. He taught me just about everything I know about prebuy inspections, aircraft ownership, and even fixing and flying airplanes. In fact, he practically invented the word prebuy. Don was basically a walking and talking aviation encyclopedia, recognized by AOPA, EAA, and NBAA along with many other organizations for his innovation, knowledge, and willingness to share his passion with others. 

On a personal level, Don helped jumpstart my civilian career in aviation and as many of you long-time listeners already know, he was instrumental with the inception and production of this podcast. More importantly, however, I’ll always appreciate Don for treating me like an equal, despite our gap in both age and experience. I believe I owe a lot to Don, both professionally and personally. He always treated me with respect and was excited to watch me grow. He helped me make many important decisions throughout my career and encouraged me to keep going when things seemed uncertain or impossible.

Don truly loved aviation; it was undoubtedly his one true passion in life. I’ll always remember Don’s eyes light up and the upward inflection in his voice whenever we’d talk about airplanes or working together on a new aviation project.

Don’s absence will leave a hole in my heart and a permanent void in the aviation community… Don, you will be sorely missed by myself, our faithful podcast listeners, and the entire aviation community. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.

And now I ask everyone listening to join me in a moment of silence…

Thanks again everyone for joining me today and for your continued support. Normal podcast episodes with resume in the coming weeks.

Until then, please stay safe and take care.

This week, we interview the owner of several popular light jets to learn to the pros and cons of jet ownership. He’ll share a ton of advice and compare features and benefits of some of today’s most popular private jets plus a lot more. If you’re thinking about flying or buying a jet, you won’t want to miss this!

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I’m very excited for today’s guest, Mark Hangen. Mark is an extremely interesting guy and experience jet pilot and owner. I think you’ll really enjoy our interview as well because we cover a lot of common questions and topics from folks looking to step up into their first jet. We will cover a lot of ground during our interview such as how to buy a light jet, including mission and market considerations, how to train and build time in a light jet to combat today’s tight insurance climate, the pros and cons of dry-leasing a jet rather than owning one outright, as well as managing and maintaining your new jet in the most cost-effective and efficient manner. We’ll also be comparing the features, performance, and mission profiles of the most popular light jets on the market – the Citation Mustang, 550, 560, and 525 Citation Jet series and why they remain competitive and desirable among owners and pilots despite increased competition from the Embraer Phenom, HondaJet, and Pilatus PC-24.

Today, we’re speaking with Mark Hangen, the founder of an innovative commercial ice machine company based in Michigan called Easy Ice. Mark knows ice almost as much as he knows airplanes. Mark has flown and owned a wide variety of aircraft throughout his career, including piston singles, light twins, and large turboprops like the Turbine Commander. Mark’s not only the CEO of Easy Ice, but also its Chief Pilot. Today, Easy Ice operates multiple light jets including the Citation 500-series, Citation Mustang, and the Citation CJ2.

One of the most widely asked questions we get is, “What will it cost me to own and fly this airplane?” Along with other important factors, having a good idea of what it’s going to cost you to fly, maintain, and own a particular airplane is critical to your success as an aircraft owner or operator. Remember, the purchase price of an airplane is just the cost of admission… While you may be able to afford purchasing the aircraft, there are other ownership cost variables to consider including total acquisition cost, annual fixed costs, and variable operating costs.

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I’m very excited for today’s guest, Adam Meredith, the President of AOPA Finance. We interviewed Adam back in episode 47, but a lot has changed since then. Adam is going to break down why you might want to consider financing an airplane as well as what financing options are available. Adam will then walk us through the process of financing an airplane so you can avoid some common mistakes. Finally, Adam will give us an update on used airplane market trends and share some interesting tips of aircraft buyers and owners.