Piper 1967 I am putting my beloved 1967 Piper Cherokee 140 on the market (N9868W, S N: 28 23386)..
Item specifics
| Condition: | Used | Make: | Piper |
| Model Year: | 1967 |
- 2499 hrs SMOH (if you know anything about the O-320"s, they regularly go past 3200+ hours)
- 485 hrs Since Top Overhaul
- Compressions all in high 70"s/80
- All logs SNEW
- $4k in improvements and parts in the last year, alone
Point being: This is a VERY healthy and strong engine, and you will get another 3-500 hours out of it, easily, before having to overhaul. Just a wonderful airplane.***No, insurance does not care how many hours are on an engine. I am addressing this explicitly because people have asked and have been told speculative suggestions otherwise. Insurance companies only care if the aircraft is airworthy (which has to do with annual inspections) and that you are following all FAR"s during operations. Don"t believe me? Call them, you"ll see. They don"t even ask how many hours are on the airframe or powerplant.***
I routinely change oil at 25-30 hours with oil analysis. I have not had any unusual trends come back with metal in the oil. Again, the engine is in great shape, despite being higher time.
Oil Burn: ~1 quart/ 10 hrs
This is a very good burn rate. Take it from me, when someone tells you that their engine doesn’t burn oil, they are either 1.) lying to you, or 2.) the engine isn’t getting lubed. If it isn’t a problem, it will be. Moderate oil consumption is a good thing. I use Aeroshell 15-W50 with a bottle of Aviation Camguard added to each oil change.Avionics: The avionics in the aircraft are fairly straightforward-
KA 134 TSO is the selector board. It works very well.KY 97A is a COM-only radio. It works very well, also.KX 125 NAV/COM is a radio with an integrated VOR/Localizer in it. I have navigated with it on numerous occasions and have even shot the occasional Localizer instrument approach procedure. It take a little getting used to, as well, but I actually like it a lot because it provides more feedback than a traditional localizer gauge.Northstar M1 LORAN: Let’s be honest, these things were amazing until they instantly became paperweights. I haven’t taken it out of the airplane yet but you could put a nice VFR GPS in its spot very easily. I need an IFR GPS, and that isn’t going to cut it for me.Narco AT 50A Mode C Transponder: This works well, also. I fly in controlled Class-B, C, and D on a regular basis. Just had this re-certified in October, 2015 for its 24-month certification.Battery: I recently put a brand new Concorde RG-35AXC sealed battery in ($300). She cranks over like a champ with all of those cold cranking amps.Exterior: Outside (2/10): The biggest factor about the airplane that would turn people off is the paint. I am a function over form kind of guy, so it doesn’t bother me. And this winter seemed to do some work on it. As you can see from the pictures below, whoever did the paint on the aircraft the last time, didn’t do a very good job. A professional painter looked at the aircraft within the past month and stated that he suspected that the last painters used crappy paint application techniques (aka, didn’t acid etch the metal before primer application). So while the airplane got frost on it, the water got underneath the paint and lifted it off of the metal one night a few months ago. It was pretty disappointing to see, but at least you can see that there is no corrosion underneath. That’s a great thing. So, I initially thought to repaint it and that was going to be my summer project. But since I am going to sell it instead, it makes no sense for me to paint it a way that I would like, and someone else wouldn’t. If you want a project to do, you can paint it. Otherwise, you can find quotes as little as $5k to redo it all. I’ve also seen as high as $17k, but that is insane. It’s not hard to do yourself, but just takes a bunch of time and effort and about 1/5 of the price of someone else to do it (you’re paying for labor, mostly). Truth be told, if you’re looking for a pristine-looking airplane from the outside, this is not it. To me, paint doesn’t make an airplane fly, but it sure is nice to have. I can’t fly an airplane that isn’t a good flying machine, which this one sure is. Paint is an afterthought for me.
Interior: The interior of the airplane is in great condition. I only give it a 7.5 instead of an 8 because I accidentally ripped the one side panel cover one day. Other than that, there are no rips or tears in any of the furniture. I have flown with 3 adults in the airplane comfortably (and I’m a big guy). The door latch works great and seals very well while in flight. All of the air vent controls work very well. Additionally, if you have the heat on in winter, it’ll make you sweat bullets until you turn it down. Again, the interior is very clean and in good condition with comfortable seats.
MOGAS: This airplane received an STC in 1984 for the use of ethanol-free auto gas. I actually think that the airplane runs much better on Auto Gas, and since there is a gas station next door to the airport that carries it, I routinely buy it, filter it and burn it in my airplane. The airplane burns cleaner and, best of all, it’s cheaper! That isn’t to say that I don’t burn AVGAS, as I burn that all the time as well. But this also saves you about $300 for the STC and gives you another option.
Cover & Plugs: The cover and plugs in the airplane keep out all, and I mean ALL, rain and moisture. I bought them custom from Bruce’s covers in Salisbury, MD. Even if you choose not to buy this airplane, do yourself a favor- buy a Bruce’s Cover. They are the single best investment I have made in this airplane. They have the tail number embroidered onto the cover and cowl plugs. Total, they’re worth around $460 new. The best part? You can send them back in in a few years and, for $25, he will completely overhaul the covers. They are amazing.
Accident HX: To be forthright with you, there are two type of aircraft owners in this world- those who want nothing but accident-free airplanes and those who don’t care as long as the repairs are made properly. I fall into the latter. This airplane, according to the NTSB records, was involved in a short-field incident where it landed short of the runway and went through a fence when it was only 9 months old in March of 1968 (if my memory serves me correct). The engine was sent back to Lycoming for teardown and rebuild (hence the lower OH time than the airframe), repairs were made, and the aircraft was returned to service. Regardless, I had my trusted mechanic look it over and made sure that it was in serviceable condition. It is, and you wouldn"t even notice. And after 48 years of great flying since then, it is a non-issue for me, personally.Aircraft Acceptance/Shipping- You can either pick up/accept the aircraft at KEZF (Shannon Airport, Fredericksburg, VA), or I can fly it to you at your cost up front (Based upon $4.39/gallon AVGAS and rental car/commercial air home).
*** Important Note: This item was listed prior to this listing. Another person, eBay name asapautotrader16, offered me a fraction of the worth and became angry when I declined his offer. He then clicked on "Buy it now" in order to make me pay a listing fee, drop the listing, and put me through a bunch of trouble with no intention of purchasing my aircraft. Then he left negative feedback. He has been blocked and reported to eBay. No money was exchanged. Any attempts like this will result in the same. I"m a stand-up guy and expect the same from others. Thanks a bunch!*** Current date: 2016-04-25