I was reading recently about the trials and tribulations of a the Embraer Legacy 600 that was manufactured in South America, had a mid-air collision with another jet and had to be refurbished in a sense. The jet was reported to be recovered and repaired:
The Legacy 600–now registered as N965LL–was recovered by a mobile repair team from Cleveland-based Constant Aviation, which was hired by the new owners of the Legacy to recover and repair the jet.
This is an extraordinary story about a jet that will be owned by someone and used as a private or business aircraft, but it also brings to mind man questions in my mind. The idea that this damage has occurred to this aircraft makes me wonder what other aircraft had endured over their lifetime. I think it is imperative that when purchasing an aircraft that each potential owner has a clear picture of the maintenance of the aircraft and the repairs that have been made. Not every aircraft has has had the type of history that this Embraer Legacy 600 has had, but it is important to learn about a jet’s history. It is important that you use a company that is trusted in the industry. Some of the repairs that this jet endured were reported:
The Legacy had a damaged left elevator and the left wing was missing its winglet. “Some structural repairs had to be done to get it in a position to where we could fly it,” Maiden said, “even on a ferry permit.” This included replacing the horizontal stabilizer before the Legacy left the airbase.
The humid jungle environment in Brazil was not kind to the airplane, which sat outside for a year-and-a-half after the accident, and all of its Honeywell avionics displays had to be replaced, he said. The fuel tanks were clean and the Rolls-Royce AE3007 engines had been preserved–although they hadn’t been run, they were in good shape. “We did extensive boroscoping and testing to verify the validity of the engines,” he said. The airframe was also free of corrosion. “We had a team of 10 people,” he said, “and we spent three weeks doing testing and analyzing all the systems to make sure it was a safe airplane to put back in the air.”
Not every private aircraft has a story of this one but each previously owned aircraft has a history. Make sure you work with a company that can help you learn about that history, make informed decisions, and of course buyer beware. L&L International has been doing business in this area for a number of years and they can assist you in every facet of your research and can guide your buying process.