Mechanic Costs

I guess I wil put in my two cents here! Plumbers here are getting $100.00 an hour +. If they screw up. your house may flood. But will not fall out of the Sky...

There is really no easy way to get a idea of costs, Most shops will not allow the owners to do anything other than to drop off the plane and write a check, a independent IA might be willing to have the owner open the plane up and close it up after, Some might let the owner do the services that the FARS allow a owner to perform, such as oil change, tires and brakes. For myself, I base it on the owners abilities, I prefer to have the owner around and involved, they learn more about their plane and even pick up some new skills. For those that do owner performed maint, keep a separate logbook for the time you spend working on your plane and what you have done, Why would you want to do this, because with enough time in your maint book, you could get enough time and experience to apply for a A&P.. One other factor in what is charged is the location, Where I am, most of the GA airports in the area do not like independent mechanics and try to make it very difficult for them, such are requiring $1,000,000 car insurance to drive on the field, requiring liability insurance, not to cover the mechanic but to cover the city, Those 2 items alone could add $10K or more a year the mechanics costs. I don't perform enough side jobs to cover an expense like that, and if I was forced to pay that, it would add about $2000 or more to each annual just to keep the airport happy.

Matt Gunsch
No I'm not trying to start a war.  Although, maybe a good ole "price war" like we had at gas stations back in the '70s might be interesting.  (JUST KIDDING  ). 

I'm just asking out of curiosity more than anything else.  We ultimately pay what we have to pay and the mechanic charges what the market will bear.  But, I thought I'd ask since a young/new pilot considering his first purchase asked me and I had no good answer.  So, I thought I'd put the question out there for y'all to answer.  I'm just trying to get an idea of what basic maintenance costs around the country.  I know where I bought my Ercoupe (NE GA) the IA was $60/hr.  Mine in Central AL is $65 or 70 depending on which one you use.  I hear of some who charge $50/hr and some at $100/hr.  Annuals (basic cost) run the gamut. 

As to our birds:  Ideally we would all have access to a A&P/IA with multiple years of Ercoupe specific experience.  But that's not possible.  We non-A&P owners have to rely on the expertise we have available.  I'd love to have mine inspected by someone with a vast amount of time inside of a 'Coupe, as I'm pretty sure would most other 'Coupe owners.  But, I don't have that luxury.  Heck, the last time I needed Ercoupe-specific work, I had to fly it 6 hours away and spend a week in a motel waiting on it (while also getting to help do the work).  So, a wealth of Ercoupe experience is not easily and readily available.

So, Not trying to start a war...no punches being thrown...no he said/she said.  Just a straight forward question (regardless of GA aircraft make/model), "what are the "ADVERTISED" shop rates for A&P/IAs out there?"
 

trying to start a war ? prices vary I am doing a coupe right now that had a $200 annual, aka a ray Charles, (it feels like a plane) most shops are over a $100 a hr for labor and they do not know coupes so you are paying for THIER education, if they will accept the plane at all, and most will not have the tech data needed for them. I normally charge $1800 for the annual, and $85 a hr for squawks, it sounds like a lot, but I can have 5-10 or more hours trying to make heads or tails of past work. take AD 2012-08-06, there are 10 sections of compliance, some are one time, others are repetitive, and those vary between yearly, hourly, 3yrs, and 4 yrs, some of it requires a inspection with a endoscope or pulling the wings and I have to guess what the past IA was thinking when he signed it off as C/W. I do not know everything about Coupes, I am learning everyday and with every Coupe annual I perform, but what I don't know, I can use my 30+ years of GA maint and Warbird restoration experience to get me thru. If anyone has trouble sleeping, I can write a article explaining ADs, how they should be documented and signed off, it will put anyone to sleep, but it is need to know information. BTW, I have a day job, all the work I do on Coupes are on my time off, much to the dislike of my cars and my own Coupe which seems to be the last to be worked on and the least flown of the residents of Coupe Corner.

How much per hour are y'all paying for A&P/IA for maintenance?