By Lisa Turner, EAA Lifetime 509911/Vintage 724296
This piece originally ran in Lisa’s Airworthy column in the June 2025 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
Becky and Ron exited their camper early on the first day of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The morning air was cool and crisp, with no hint of the heat to come. They both inhaled the smells of cooking breakfasts and brewing coffee, and enjoyed the sound of airplanes being started and taxied. It was all a delicious mix of cacophony and delight. They looked at each other and smiled in anticipation.
“I wish we had an airplane to fly in,” Ron said. “We could camp next to it instead of driving.”
“We will. I know you have your sights on a Stearman, but there a lot of things to think about.”
“I’m hoping we can get our answers in the next few days.” Ron shouldered a pack, and they started out toward the displays. “I don’t know where to begin.”
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Many of us dream about owning and flying an older aircraft. The pleasures of flying vintage include the motorcycle-in-the-sky feeling along with that wow factor when you land and onlookers can’t wait to come up and see and touch your airplane.
The word “vintage” conjures up Gipsy Moths and Wacos, but we sometimes forget that the category now includes airplanes we might have grown up with, such as the Cessna 120 and 140, and the 180 from the 1950s and 1960s, and the older Piper Cubs.
When I say “vintage” in this context, I’m referring to those in the Antique or Classic category, which would be anything manufactured before 1956. These amazing airplanes are wonderful to fly, but they also offer some challenges in ownership in the form of maintenance and safety unknowns.
If you have your sights set on a vintage airplane, here are the top three airworthiness traps and how to avoid them.
All You Need Is a Really Good Prebuy Inspection
You already know that a prebuy inspection is critical on any airplane, vintage or not. But even a thorough inspection on an old aircraft may not identify all the issues.
What to do. Become a historian. In addition to your prebuy inspection, trace the ownership of the airplane and draw up a “family tree.” Interview as many of the pilots and owners as you can. The reason you want to do this is to identify gaps in maintenance and any problems or mismatches in the maintenance history. If the airplane has been through a restoration (or multiple restorations), dig into the paperwork and find out where it was done and by whom. Your prebuy won’t include this kind of examination because the prebuy expert’s job is to concentrate on the airplane’s condition.
If you see “hours since complete restoration,” or “hours since complete re-covering,” flags should go up. The restoration or re-covering could be 100 percent fine, or it could be hiding things. You have to find out, or risk a systems or structural failure. In the shop, when we tear something down to the frame for restoration or re-cover, we expect about 60 percent of the aircraft to have serious hidden damage. When the owner flies it in, they say, “It’s in great shape; the cover is just a little ragged.” Then we tear the cover off and are shocked.
Similarly, when you see extensive repairs on metal aircraft, you want to know what was done (and not done) in the areas you cannot see.
We had a Cub come into the shop for a complete re-cover. The owner said that the aircraft had had a full re-cover 15 years prior. When we tore the fabric off, we discovered that the frame had not been inspected or repaired. Some brackets had been left on, leaving corrosive holes underneath them. When we removed the brackets, there were voids and cracks in the tubing. Over time, these would have resulted in structural failure. The fabric was literally holding the airplane together.
Once you collect the history, work with your prebuy expert to inspect and evaluate areas of concern.
Assuming the Paperwork and Maintenance Records Are All Fine
Are they? I have seen enough mismatches of registration information and data tag information to think it happens as much as 20 percent of the time. Your prebuy will turn this up, but it may not reveal missing items in the logbooks.
We finished up a restoration of a 1930 Fleet Model 1 many years ago. The owner had a “fully restored” engine that he sent to us. When we started the engine, it blew a cylinder head immediately. Surprised, we looked at the engine logbook. After the word “overhaul,” it said, “Needs run-in.” That was it.
Make sure logbooks are detailed and accurate. A good engine shop should have all the details of the overhaul listed. It will have run and tested the engine in accordance with the manufacturer’s run-in specifications.
What to do. Along with your research, make sure the logbooks are for the airplane you are buying, that everything matches, and that the documentation is thorough and complete.
Surprises and Details Have You Feeling in Over Your Head
You may have thought through all the details of owning a vintage-era aircraft, deciding you will address and overcome each issue as it arrives. When we feel that flow of enthusiasm, nothing can stop us.
It’s a wonderful energy that goes a long way in modulating the ups and downs of aircraft ownership. But there may be enough surprises — not good ones — that take us to the brink of our patience. In that moment, you have the “what have I done?” feeling. It’s not pleasant, tangling us up in disappointment and anxiety.
The trigger for this feeling of being overwhelmed is made up of multiple unexpected surprises and events. I’ve seen this happen with builders, experimenters, and owners of all types of aircraft, so it’s not unusual across the spectrum. But I have seen it more with people restoring or purchasing a much older aircraft. For example, owning an airplane with a radial engine will require an understanding of hydraulic lock procedures on starting.
What to do. The way to avoid this condition is to anticipate and reduce the number of unknowns. Here are some tips.
Make sure this is really the airplane you want. Fly this type of airplane and get enough hours so you know if you love it or not. To do this, contact the type club. The clubs are very helpful. If you’re totally in love with the airplane, any extra issues with it may not burden you so much.
Go through your purchase checklists a second or third time and notice if you have any lingering or vague feelings of concern. This is a tipoff that you might need to dig deeper. Rather than avoiding the feeling, stop and identify what is causing it. If you can confirm positive answers on the checklists with confidence, then things are less likely to make you feel like you fell off a cliff.
It’s not just financial. We may think that if we have the financial piece under control, everything else will fall in place. However, affordability is just a small piece of what can cause concern. A few of these may include where you’re going to keep the airplane, who is going to service it, and how you feel about your piloting skills.
Your ability to be comfortable flying the aircraft will influence the airworthiness of the aircraft and your safety. I’ve heard new owners say, “I’ll figure it out.” Then they hit the runway lights upon landing or ground loop the airplane and realize they need more training time.
I’ve seen owners get wrapped around the axle, worried about their purchase decision. One thing that may make you more comfortable is knowing that there’s a healthy market for vintage aircraft. When you sell, your aircraft may have appreciated over the time you’ve had it if it’s been well cared for.
Should you consider a “flying basket case” or an airplane that hasn’t had an annual recently to save money, and then have the airplane annualed/restored/painted/upgraded? You can, but if you do this, you’ve added an extra layer of complexity. This choice may end up costing you more because of the extra surprises it could contain.
Can you do the work yourself? Yes, but unless you are already an A&P/IA mechanic, you will need to find someone qualified to supervise your work. If you do have access to an A&P/IA willing to help you, it could be an amazing opportunity. If you go in this direction, realize that the unknowns multiply, and it will take longer and cost more than you thought it would.
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Becky and Ron spent days with their checklists doing the due diligence. It was arduous. Several times they reconsidered whether the choice was a good one. They flew multiple Stearmans that were for sale at the show and made a commitment on one of them.
They knew that this was just the beginning. The owner understood what they were doing and why. It would take multiple inspections, some research, and carefully drawn up paperwork to complete the sale. They knew if everything checked out, they would be in the wonderful world of Stearman, and they were cautiously delighted.
I like what the Vintage Aircraft Association says: “Vintage aircraft are more than just living museum pieces; they’re fully functioning time machines, immersing pilots and passengers in the sights and sounds of eras gone by. Whether it’s a classic like a Cub, an open-cockpit biplane, or a one-of-a-kind early airliner, these aircraft tell the story of aviation, live and in-person.”
Lisa Turner, EAA Lifetime 509911/Vintage 724296, is a retired avionics manufacturing engineer, an EAA technical counselor/flight advisor, and A&P mechanic. Lisa has authored six books. Dream Take Flight details her Pulsar building and flying adventures. For the Love of an Airplane is the biography of Jerry Stadtmiller, a man who restored more than 100 antique aircraft to flying condition. Learn more at DreamTakeFlight.com. Write Lisa at Lisa@DreamTakeFlight.com.