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Condition Inspection: How long

N184DA

N184DA

Well Known Member
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Just curious,

How long (roughly), does it take any of you who care to respond, to perform the CI on your RV?

I’m knee-deep into #21 for my RV4,, which has a carb/FP which can’t get much simpler. I go through this mental exercise every year (and admittedly, I am kind of AR,,, so there’s that,,)

Before I embarrass myself with how long it takes me, I’d like to see where the community lands in the spectrum.

Thanks!
 
Depends on what you find. I did one in my RV-4 in four hours... I started an hour ahead of the A&P, and after I got everything taken apart, I followed him around and put things back together. However, he was familiar with the plane already and there was nothing that had to be fixed.

On the other hand, my last RV-9A condition inspection required new tires, tubes, brakes, pad, and master cylinder overhauls, and other things. That one took weeks...
 
Nothing to fix, just plugs to gap, timing to check, filters to clean, bearings to grease, in addition to taking a look at things? 8-10 hours for me.

But there are usually a couple of things I want to dig into a little deeper, so it usually takes 10 hours one weekend, a few hours the next week, and another half day the second weekend.
 
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Keep in mind that a condition inspection is not a preventative maintenance interval event (though preventative maint. usually is competed at the same time).

This may sting a bit for some, but a lot of people do preventative maint. condition inspections. That is a problem I see with the repairman's certificate policy (though I would not want anything to happen to the freedoms we currently have as home builders).
It is a simple fact, that building an airplane, in reality, provides very little training towards actually inspecting an aging aircraft.

Case in point... when we as a company issues a Service Bulletin or notification about a specific detail that should be inspected, there is often quite a few people that then mention that they detected the issue on their own aircraft. Did every one of those people have that issue only become detectable since the last condition inspection? Possible but not likely. More likely is that the detail had been missed. Maybe on multiple inspections.

It is actually rare, though it does happen occasionally, that someone detects a problem and notifies us, before we were aware of it, and then it ultimately becomes an S.B.

So back to the original question... the responses you get regarding times for completing a condition inspection may be meaningless without knowing details about how the inspection was performed.

Here at Van's, a condition inspection (we have to actually do 100 hr inspections because of our certification, but it is the exact same inspection regardless of interval), if done by a single person, typically takes about 2-3 days depending on the airplane model, and then approx. an additional day for any preventative maintenance, ground check, and return to service test flight. So call it 25 - 30 hrs. I think you would find this to be pretty typical if you took it to a shop where a professional was doing the work to the level that it should be.

For anyone that might be interested, you can access a power point presentation that I have given numerous times over the years, on how to properly complete a condition inspection.
https://www.vansaircraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Whats_Your_Condition_Inspection.pdf

I think Vic has a good presentation that can possibly be found on line as well.
 
rvbuilder2002 said:
Keep in mind that a condition inspection is not a preventative maintenance interval event (though preventative maint. usually is competed at the same time).

This may sting a bit for some, but a lot of people do preventative maint. condition inspections. That is a problem I see with the repairman's certificate policy (though I would not want anything to happen to the freedoms we currently have as home builders).
It is a simple fact, that building an airplane, in reality, provides very little training towards actually inspecting an aging aircraft.

Case in point... when we as a company issues a Service Bulletin or notification about a specific detail that should be inspected, there is often quite a few people that then mention that they detected the issue on their own aircraft. Did every one of those people have that issue only become detectable since the last condition inspection? Possible but not likely. More likely is that the detail had been missed. Maybe on multiple inspections.

It is actually rare, though it does happen occasionally, that someone detects a problem and notifies us, before we were aware of it, and then it ultimately becomes an S.B.

So back to the original question... the responses you get regarding times for completing a condition inspection may be meaningless without knowing details about how the inspection was performed.

Here at Van's, a condition inspection (we have to actually do 100 hr inspections because of our certification, but it is the exact same inspection regardless of interval), if done by a single person, typically takes about 2-3 days depending on the airplane model, and then approx. an additional day for any preventative maintenance, ground check, and return to service test flight. So call it 25 - 30 hrs. I think you would find this to be pretty typical if you took it to a shop where a professional was doing the work to the level that it should be.

For anyone that might be interested, you can access a power point presentation that I have given numerous times over the years, on how to properly complete a condition inspection.
https://www.vansaircraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Whats_Your_Condition_Inspection.pdf

I think Vic has a good presentation that can possibly be found on line as well.
Click to expand...
Thanks Scott.

No, I wasn’t expecting anything “scientific” regarding answers and I am certainly aware of the many variables involved.
I was just looking at a “stab”.

For example, when my CI cones up, I automatically block (wait for it,,),, two weeks from the calendar.
And yes, that includes inspection, service, and any additional issues.
My CI inspection checklist is quite long (can we say: AR?? :)
Sometimes I can get it done in a shorter period, but that’s my worst-case allotment.
And I do have a day job so I can’t just “cram” it out in a marathon session.

Again, just looking for rough estimate.
I must be the worlds slowest mechanic (err, “repairman”)!!

Thanks!
 
N184DA said:
For example, when my CI cones up, I automatically block (wait for it,,),, two weeks from the calendar.
And yes, that includes inspection, service, and any additional issues.
My CI inspection checklist is quite long (can we say: AR?? :)
Sometimes I can get it done in a shorter period, but that’s my worst-case allotment.
Click to expand...
No need to be self-conscious, mine can take that long, as I like to take my time and not wear myself out spending long consecutive days at it, and always do some preventive maintenance. Besides if it's in the winter, I probably won't be flying anyway.

In the past few years I have taken to doing progressive inspections that spread it over a month or more and includes maintenance and maybe upgrades. That way my plane is usually buttoned up and ready to fly whenever I leave the hangar. As I understand it (and someone can correct me) you can just start early, take as long as it takes (but finish by the time it's due), and sign it off when you do the last bit. Frankly I don't think too much about how long it takes. What matters is that the plane is in the best shape I can make it.
 
It is suppose to be fun, so why stress over a schedule, or how long it takes. I am also of the opinion that it is an inspection time not a fixin time. An aircraft should be 100% airworthy all the time, or correct it. The CI I feel is more in "ritual" if the airplane is always without deferred items. I look at it as nice days fly, not so nice days as an opportunity for progressive inspections, maintenance, or tinkering....all while keeping a "fun" perspective...
 
larryMar said:
It is suppose to be fun, so why stress over a schedule, or how long it takes. I am also of the opinion that it is an inspection time not a fixin time. An aircraft should be 100% airworthy all the time, or correct it. The CI I feel is more in "ritual" if the airplane is always without deferred items. I look at it as nice days fly, not so nice days as an opportunity for progressive inspections, maintenance, or tinkering....all while keeping a "fun" perspective...
Click to expand...
No stress,
The post was kind of a personal “tongue & cheek” sort of thing. At the same time, I was curious. Fun-Meter is always pegged with this stuff,, and I enjoy the challenges and deep-diving into the weeds.

Thanks for the input!
 
The engine takes me 4-5 hours. The air frame takes maybe 6-7. Repacking the wheel bearings takes the longest, followed by removing the spar cover and rear bulkheads for inspections. There is nothing difficult about any of it.
 
I have a 7A and I am the builder. I remember the first inspection took me 7 days mostly I believe because I didn't know what to look for. I have successfully honed that number to about 4 days.

Undercarriage 8 hours. Included panels under wings removed and inspected
Firewall forward 8-10 hours
cockpit area and aft of rear bulkhead 8 hours
rest of fuselage/tail and above the wings 8 hours
 
 
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