Thorp Air Command - T18.net

I am looking at a couple of thorps both have higher time on the engines. My question is how would you feel about purchasing with engines in th 1500-1600 hr SMOH time frame. All other things off the table and solely on engine hrs? Neither is a show plane and both are mid 30k$. What I have been seeing over the last yr has thorps going up a bit in price. Rvs have skyrocketed, but that is why I am wanting a thorp ( and its a cool plane).A buddy got a really nice t18 o320 electric trim. Steam gauges 1000 engine hrs and got it 35k a year ago. Thinking he really lucked out as I have not found the same deal. Been a few nice ones but either they went so fast I couldn’t even call or they had o290s. Not thatit isa bad engine just parts are getting hard to come by. Any suggestions would be appreciated

Inflation is real. When the government prints money like they did throughout the pandemic, inflation is guaranteed, but there is a lag. We have surpassed the lag time and is why we are seeing inflation.

Remember that inflation is not increasing cost. Rather it is the devaluation of the currency. So it takes more units of currency to purchase the same item. Whether that is bread, beef, cars or airplanes.

As a result all airplanes have seen a rise in the price to be paid for them.

As far as engines, my novice OPINION.

hours on the engine are less important than their activity. Lack of use is a killer of engines. The passage of time between overhauls is more of a facto than the amount of hours on them. Recency and use of the aircraft I would suggest are more important for two reasons. 1) frequent use the engines often make it to or beyond TBO. Rust and corrosion are the killers of engines. Steve Wittman stated that engines will rust out before they wear out. Secondly, a plane that fly's often is most likely a good airplane that performs and handles well. A home built that has only few hours on it COULD suggest that it doesn't handle well, the pilot is not up to the proficiency needed or perhaps it was build by a builder who loves to build, and not as much a flyer.

Bottom line. I would rather have a higher time engine on an aircraft that is flown often and recently over a lower time aircraft and/or engine that has sat idle for years.

Oh, the curve or reliability on an engine. High time engines (in regular use) have a LOWER failure rate than newly overhauled engines. Of course engines cannot run forever and never be overhauled, but the first couple hundred hours after overhaul have a much higher incident rate than mid time or higher frequently used engines. This makes some sense. As bugs have been worked out of the engine. Also even new parts have a statistical manufacturer failure rate. While low, it still exists the chance that a brand spanking new part will fail.

This being the case, it may be less risky for a higher time engine on a frequently flown plane, than one that is within the first couple hundred hours after rebuild. ALso buying the higher time engine, will allow you to decide when to overhaul and who and what you want done, and have control over the rebuild quality etc. So it may save you money, allow for pilot transition to the new aircraft, and also allow you to have the engine built up to how you want it when you decide you can afford it.

Just my opinion. others may have different thoughts.