pa28pilot

I received a regular electronic mail message from my dealer today. One of the links inside led to this piece of propaganda.

I can understand their not wanting to see revenues eroded by DIY work, or people going about it uninformed and damaging their vehicles, but this seemed rather patronizing and condescending to me.

sosh

Not condesending at all. Informative for those that are uninformed. Hope you keep your fingers out of your little PA28 there is a reason why A and P's should only work onit.

pa28pilot

Actually, the consensus seems to be the owners who perform (appropriate) maintenance tend to be safer in that they have a better understanding of exactly what their airplane's condition is. Even if it's not something like an owner-assisted annual, there's a lot a conscientious owner can do to monitor and fix small things in the course of normal wear-and-tear.

The sorts of pilots who buy an airplane, treat it like an appliance and don't bother to learn about systems, will get what they deserve in time.

By the way, I sent a note to my dealer's "sales@" address with some comments and a suggestion that when money is tight, they might gain favor with customers by empowering them rather than scaring them. The rep who responded indicated that he felt much the same way I did when he read the article and thanked me for my constructive criticism.

sosh

I agree with you that the pilot/owner of an aircraft should have a good knowledge of the condition and the systems but doing an oil change will not give you that. To get that in a simple basic airplane like the Cherokee you need to do a compression check, know what work has been done prior and in fact do a complete inspection. I do believe that an oil change is OK for a non A and P to do per the FAR's but what about pulling the screens, safety wiring everything back up, etc. Try to get an advanced rating or type rating without kbnowledege of the systems and you will fall on your face. I spent 30 years in the corporate aircraft business as a dealer buying and selling used jets and turboprops and having a dealership for a line of corporate turbine aircraft made by the people that built your Cherokee. I also flew for an air carrier. I think I know what I am talking about. I do not have nor would I want an A and P but I do have many type ratings and advanced ratings with about 20000 hours PIC, most in turbine aircraft.