Airplane Repo

[usafcap1]

CAP? I was watching the TV show Airplane Repo today and towards the end I noticed an aircraft that looks like a CAP plane.

Thought I should share.

[Eclipse]

Looks close, might be one of the few sold that had the decals removed but kept the CAP paint scheme.

Are those dual wing struts?

[usafcap1]

Looks close, might be one of the few sold that had the decals removed but kept the CAP paint scheme.

Are those dual wing struts?

Yes. I think it mite be one of the Maule's.

[Eclipse]

Is this supposed to be real?

These guys do a lot of trespassing and B&E on camera.

[Eclipse]

OK - "select dramatizations employed".

Two questions -

Could / can a pilot who's never flown a given aircraft just get in one and fly it legally without some kind of check ride, first?

More importantly, they routinely show airport security supposedly chasing them down the ramp.  Wouldn't the
tower at those bigger airports simply refuse permission, and if so, wouldn't that pilot be in hot water for taking off anyway?

[Mitchell 1969]

OK - "select dramatizations employed".

Two questions -

Could / can a pilot who's never flown a given aircraft just get in one and fly it legally without some kind of check ride, first?

More importantly, they routinely show airport security supposedly chasing them down the ramp.  Wouldn't the
tower at those bigger airports simply refuse permission, and if so, wouldn't that pilot be in hot water for taking off anyway?

I have no doubt that some of the repo scenarios may have or could have happened as depicted. In Nigeria, Philipines, Bolivia, maybe. In the U.S., not so much. In other words....it's about as real as "Lizard Lick Towing."

[a2capt]

Thats a Maule, they didn't repaint them, or any other aircraft they sold off. Flying club that I was part of at one time had two aircraft that were prior CAP.

One came from MIWG, a 172 w/180HP, and another that had been used locally in CAWG, a 182.

The 172 is still putting around, the 182 got flipped off the end of Fallbrook. Short, narrow runway .. and the power of "too's".

Too little runway left.
Too much power remaining.
Too much altitude under the plane.

Should have went around.

The one from MIWG was another unique bit. The year I went to RSC, I had gotten to talking with someone in my seminar .. (the point of the thing I guess ..and turned out he was the aircraft manager for that, before they sold it off, due to downsizing and the interior was just beat to heck. So rather than put money into it, they sealed bid auctioned it. Externally, and engine wise, it was a great aircraft. So we both had flown the same one, at different ends of the country, and I had even used it on some CAP missions at the end of the Member Owned era.

The interior got all new plastics, carpet and headliner, the seats were still good, just dirty, so a steam cleaning and it was really nice after that.

[Mustang]

Could / can a pilot who's never flown a given aircraft just get in one and fly it legally without some kind of check ride, first?

Depends on the airplane.  Anything less that 12,500 lbs or turbojet powered simply requires the pilot to be certified in category and class (e.g., airplane multiengine land), and possibly a complex, high performance or tail wheel endorsement. Anything over 12,500 lbs or jet powered requires a type rating in the specific make and model. The guy repossessing the jets is probably type rated in a handful of different models.

Insurance is another matter and they probably pay a hefty premium for low recency of experience across whatever aircraft types they fly (to say nothing of possibly questionable maintenance for the airplanes being repo'ed).  I've noticed on a few episodes that they will sometimes find a local pilot that is current and qualified in the aircraft type to fly it out for them.

[a2capt]

As far as the FAA is concerned, Tail wheel, high performance and complex, for those aircraft that are 12,499 or less. Insurance is a different matter. My guess is if you're hopping in a plane for  someone, you're on your own. You better check the paperwork out, and who knows what you're flying.

My experience with these types has been they don't seem to give a crap. They show up, with a pilot amongst them, and if it starts, they fly it away.  Or determine they can't. I've been at the airport when they've shown up. When you see a plane you know has not moved in a while suddenly surrounded by a few buff guys, sometimes with bolt cutters and a wad of keys.. and a headset on a handheld radio.. you can pretty much figure out whats going on.

Airplane bounty hunters.

As for the tower, airport security, etc. What usually happens is someone stays behind and confronts, usually with paperwork, and it's explained to ground/tower over the air. Typically similar to how law enforcement knows that a car is going to get repo'ed that day, so when someone calls it in to report their car stolen, it's really not stolen.. I've seen planes get repo'ed the towered airport during the day.  Around here they typically hop over to the next airport and secure it inside an arranged hangar until they move it again.


Though I have not watched this show, I suspect it's a lot like Storage Wars.. where things are not as they are always presented. Lizard Lick Towing is a good example.

[JeffDG]

Could / can a pilot who's never flown a given aircraft just get in one and fly it legally without some kind of check ride, first?

Legally, yes.

I have Private Pilot, Airplane, Single-Engine, Land certificate.  I also hold high-performance and complex endorsements.  I also have <200h of PIC time total.

That said, I can jump into any single-engine land plane (no floats, no twins), and so long as it has a nosegear (don't have the tailwheel endorsement), and is <12,500 pounds max gross takeoff weight (planes larger than that need type ratings), I can fly it legally.

So, anything from a C-150 to a PC-12 are legally within my grasp as a pilot.  DISCLAIMER:  Legal <> Smart

[a2capt]

I have a "fun" thing in my log book, endorsement wise.

When I've rented tailwheel away from home, they typically (if they bother to !!!) look in the back of the book. The premise is I'm not old enough looking to have the grandfathered in tailwheel endorsement.

..and "where's your tailwheel endorsement, I don't see one here."

Take a look at the beginning of the book, where that tab is. My PPSEL check ride is my endorsement.
That's so much fun. With 3 exceptions, the first 150 hours of flight entries are all 7ECA and then 7GCAA. After that it's a mix of both, with a slant on 172 time, which happens when you buy one...

[jimmydeanno]

Looks close, might be one of the few sold that had the decals removed but kept the CAP paint scheme.

Are those dual wing struts?

The pic looks like they blurred the tail number and decals, like the do with license plates, etc. 

[a2capt]

Tail # blurred, yes. There's no decals on it to blur. It's no longer a CAP aircraft.

[AALTIS]

At the airport where my unit is located the major business there purchases aircraft and resells them.  In recent months, we had 4 prior CAP aircraft on the ramp all with their markings removed.  Its kind of cool to see. 

[Critical AOA]

Airplane Repo is a highly dramatized, fictionalized version of the real thing. It doesn't just border on the absurd; it clears it by a mile.  You cannot trespass or engage in breaking and entering to repossess.  The repo man must take possession in the public accessible area of the airport, i.e. the ramp of most GA airports.  They cannot enter into the SIDA if there is one without proper authorization.   Breaking through the aircraft fence will earn you a stay in federal prison, not a fat paycheck.  Breaking into a hangar and using someone else's tug to move airplanes around to gain access to the repo aircraft will get you in very deep water as well.  Flying an aircraft without ascertaining its airworthiness will possibly get your pilot's license yanked.  Also in most states I believe that repos of any sort must be done without breach of peace so the tatted up moronic goon on that TV show cannot lay a hand on anyone or threaten to or he would be arrested.