Hi guys,

I'm hoping to tap into the BT hivemind to organise a pre-buy inspection for a PA-42 Cheyenne III. Any recommendations where to go / who to talk to?

Many thanks!
Chris

https://www.friendaircare.com

Might try these guys.

Friend is well known and well respected for Cheyennes. Epps at PDK is too.

Big thumbs up to Friend AirCare. Used to bring King Airs there but they specialize in Cheyenne’s. Formerly called Cheyenne Air Service but wanted to get away from the brand specific name as they are skilled with other name brands.

Big thumbs down to Epps. Very dishonest in my experience and with others.

Have to defend Epps. As a based customer, I have long, non-hearsay, non-anecdotal experience with Epps. It has maintained with the same crew chief my Cheyenne for 23 years, 15 during my friend/seller’s ownership, 8 during my ownership. Both of us have had very satisfactory experiences with Epps’ care of the aircraft. My friend now entrusts a Citation V to them. Fifty-five years as a full service FBO, with customers who stay with them for decades, tells you much about Epps’ integrity. That is my experience. I have never heard anyone else suggest otherwise, much less allege the excessive “very dishonest”. Cheyennes are frequently in the Epps maintenance hangars for their Events inspections and other maintenance.

Have to defend Epps. As a based customer, I have long, non-hearsay, non-anecdotal experience with Epps. It has maintained with the same crew chief my Cheyenne for 23 years, 15 during my friend/seller’s ownership, 8 during my ownership. Both of us have had very satisfactory experiences with Epps’ care of the aircraft. My friend now entrusts a Citation V to them. Fifty-five years as a full service FBO, with customers who stay with them for decades, tells you much about Epps’ integrity. That is my experience. I have never heard anyone else suggest otherwise, much less allege the excessive “very dishonest”. Cheyennes are frequently in the Epps maintenance hangars for their Events inspections and other maintenance.

Another rousing endorsement for Friend Air Care. One of the few around that still have folks with lots of experience on the model. We were a Cheyanne Service Center back in the late seventies and eighties and often exchanged ideas and parts with both Friend, then known as Cheyanne Air Service and Columbia Air Service in Groton, Con. Columbia moved on to Socata, TBM but Dave Friend still stayed strong on Pa 31 and 42 models.

You do need to find someone like Dave Friend as there is little support on these from Piper, they can supply some parts but anyone who was around when the 31/42 was in production is long gone and the best you can hope for is some youngster reading the manual to you.

Steve Magginetti is still around on the West Coast for technical help, Steve was the Piper Corepak Service advisor when Piper was selling these airplanes. Steve worked as our service manager for many years before heading off as a expert witness and providing technical support for some of the Cheyanne's.