Group, enjoying my RV so much I am considering building a spare (Laughing). I was offered an RV9 kit which is partially finished but the builder has lost or has no access to the build logs. He has all the receipts and comes off very sincere so this is not a scam of any kind. Logs were online (Cloud?) from many years ago and he can no longer retrieve them.
The poor guy is under the impression that his kit is not marketable without the logs. My sentiment is that it is probably not a big deal and he should probably talk to a DAR. My local DAR (Who has been super helpful is retired and I do not wish to bother him.
Has anyone come across this? Canit be rectified?
Thanks!
Kirk
No problem my friend. He is thinking of LOGS as in a flying planes Prop, Engine and Airframe logs for maintenance. Even those can be reconstructed.
If this aircraft has not been competed, received operational approval and registered, the buyer can finish it and apply for builder (repairman certificate). Keep in mind Van's sells Quick Build kits that meet the 51% rule, even with the wings and fuselage done. Why?
The systems, prop, engine, fuel, instrument panel, electrical, brakes, baffling, cowl, controls, million finishing details.... Is 51%, even if you did not build the majority of the airframe or even any of it.
Yes his work was not documented at the TIME. So? If he can from MEMORY create a (to best recollection), Approx dates. If his work area shop is still set up or aircraft in that work shop.... Take pictures. Not saying stage pictures, but document what you can now. If someone says they built an RV in their garage and they don't have sheet metal tools, rivet gun, bucking bars, rivet sets, squeezer, tin snips.... I know they did not build it, unless they sold their tools... ]He knows when he bought it, Approx or exact date it arrived from shipping papers, when he opened the boxes, about when he finished the empennage, wing, fuselage... WRITE IT DOWN. Estimate hours for each major section or span time, write it down. Have him sign it, date it, put Pilot Cert # down... He is certifying he did the work. This will take some effort but you don't have to get granular. I see people record down to the minute how much time they did to install a part. I personally never have time for that. I work for weeks or month then document it.
Here is an example. There were or are "builder assist" programs, where a builder gets someone to build the plane WITH THEM (theoretically). FAA has been somewhat uninterested in or hit/miss in enforcement of the letter of the 51% rule/Reg. As long as the owner/builder is working side by side with the assistance they recognize it fulfills the REASON for EAB aircraft, LEARNING, but also the quality will be better. However for hire "assistance" that does all of the build, owner/"builder" has done NOTHING but write a check, is a no no. There have been some cases where the FAA said no and cracked down. It was obvious and blatant. It is hard to prove who built what, and anyone can fake pictures and logs... I AM NOT SUGGESTING TO DO THAT... Be honest, you bought a kit that was less than 51% compete and next builder starts logging their work. I would be a tad more meticulous with the final builder log than typical.
This log stuff is a honor system. So once you recreate a log it is almost as good as if you did it contemporaneously. It's a signed log, with task, dates. Even certified aircraft service log books for: prop, engine, airframe logs can be recreated (and FAA has ways they accept). It has to be done in good faith. We are not talking fraud or made up out of whole cloth. It is not a big deal.
So there is nothing but VALUE here if you the workmanship is good. So the value would be Van's kit price plus a premium for finished work, based on how much was finished and how well done. Clearly he should get all of his money out (especially with inflation and kit prices going up), plus a little more. However I would not expect to get rich. He wants to sell it, sell it at current kit price, plus any cost of extras and labor? Labor is negotiable, but realistically it will be zero to a few bucks an hour. No one is getting rich off of partially complete kits. Now if he finished it and it was nice yes there would be value. However I recall my RV when I sold it I estimate I "made" $10 an hour for my labor to build the plane. Ha ha. I am laughing because that is pretty good.
Next owner starts builders log and finishes it, apply for repairman certificate. Even if the plane was basically finished, "turn key" you could still register it, but may not be able to apply for repairman certificate. I am not FAA or DAR so some may be very sensitive and persnickety about this builders log topic. Others may be ambivalent.
When the next owner/builder goes for your inspection you present all all your work, which will be VERY well documented showing how much work it was. BTW sometimes the DAR or FAA barely look or care about builder logs. Other times they get out a magnifying glass and do forensic CSI investigation. It will be clear this is an amateur built plane. The only question is who built 51% of it. I doubt the DAR/FAA will say, no you only built 49% not 51% In the end the price of a partial kit is all over the map. It depends on the buyer, quality of work, how much work was done... any extras, etc.
