Just like a high-mileage car, an aircraft with high airframe time is worth less, and for many of the same reasons. Total time on the airframe affects the value only in respect to the average time on similar models of the same year: i.e, if most 1979 Skyhawks have 2500 TTAF, one with 1000 becomes more valuable, and one with 4000 becomes less so.

If you purchase a high-time aircraft, keep in mind that it will be a higher-time aircraft when you sell, and you will be forced to discount it accordingly. While your initial investment will be lower, your annual inspections will be more costly, and the aircraft is more likely to require expensive replacement parts as the airframe ages. Unless you're an experience aircraft owner, it's best to avoid these aircraft if possible.

Scanning a few issues of Trade-A-Plane will not give you a reliable average airframe time for the year/model you're considering- the sample size is just too small to produce any meaningful results. Also, in our analysis of these averages, we found that they sometimes differ dramatically depending on production year! (It's best to use our online QuickQuote service or Aircraft Appraisal software for these figures.)

While you should strive to locate, and be willing to pay a premium for, a "low-time" aircraft, there are cautions to be observed here also. Aircraft that sit idle for long periods of time are more susceptible to corrosion, rubber rot, and pitting of the cylinder walls and camshaft than those which are flown on a regular basis. If you locate a "low-timer", find out why. Was the airplane flown only a few hours per year on a regular basis, or did it sit idle for years (as in an estate settlement)? Examine the logbooks- the airframe time is (almost) always entered at each annual inspection. Simple subtraction will tell you how many hours this plane flew each year.

Total time is one of the items you should specifically ask your pre-purchase inspection mechanic to verify, as errors in addition are quite common in aircraft logs. Check the books for the installation of a new (or used) tachometer or hour meter, and cross-check the engine log entries with the airframe log.

Our Aeroprice Appraisal Software tells us the average total time for a 1976 Skyhawk is 3,185 hours. Since the advertised Hawk is 15% above that average, the software makes a $607 deduction.