GUIDEEvergreen · ClearProp editorial

Pre-buy red flags — what a listing ad won't tell you

Engine and logbook tells that separate good buys from hangar queens

In the ad text

"Fresh annual" without the shop name — ask which shop and call them.
"New engine" vs "0 SMOH" — a rebuilt engine advertised as SMOH has its own clock; our copilot panel catches this mismatch automatically.
"All ADs complied" — ask for the list and dates, not a yes.
Numbers that don't match the registration — the FAA card on each listing cross-checks what the seller claims.

Corrosion in the camshaft/lifters on an engine that sat is a top-five budget breaker.
Pencil-whipped logs: entries backdated, same pen for years, no weight-and-balance updates after panel installs.
Undocumented 337s: major repairs without field-approval paperwork can ground an otherwise perfect airplane.

If the seller resists the inspection or the escrow, walk. A legit seller has nothing to hide from an A&P and an escrow agent.

Put the data to work