That’s the best part.

Couldn’t say it better ! What a great story, what a great way to make new friends and glad to know Jim is itching for Jet-a too!

Practice with a garden hose, it makes the transition to receiving information from a fire hose easier...!

Where are you training?

Jim and I had a lot of fun. 10 hours of Citation flying last week! I was glad he could fly in the Lancair IV too.

Me too. I had a lot of reservations initially (as you could probably tell), but it seemed a good, honest airplane when kept in the middle of the fairway as we did. That's definitely not an airplane for me, though. I'll stick to the big ones.

The Bacon program is non standard, and is filed for individually for each owner.

Mike C.

Over 10 years of ownership, the Bacon program is $26,000 when adding up initial and recurring fees.

That seems sufficient to try a program that basically lengthens a few inspection intervals and otherwise keeps the Cessna program intact.

I pay experts to do things I can't do, not to hide trivial secrets of how I could have done it myself.

Mike C.

I'm pretty motivated and I spent a ton of hours going back and forth with my FSDO to get a simple change made to the AIP on my Conquest. To say it was a frustrating exercise in futility would be a huge understatement. The FSDO people could not have been less interested in helping me out and in the end they came up with some regulation that prohibited what I wanted to do. Had I spoke to someone who actually gave a s**t in the first place, at least I would not have wasted countless hours and 9 months of work. I totally hear you and if you have time time and INFINITE patience you could probably do it yourself. But here's one thing I learned. You can't just take the existing AIP, make a few tweaks and submit it (that's what I tried to do). They wanted me to completely rewrite the AIP even though 99.99% would be unchanged and then bring it up to current standards which would have meant adding a bunch of other stuff that's not in the old AIP. Bacon has developed the magic combination of meaningless paper that makes FAA types happy, and there is some value in that. It sucks they are trying to turn it into a recurring revenue stream but they do have something with value. If you want to do it yourself I am sure it can be done but you will spend A LOT of time doing it.

Over 10 years of ownership, the Bacon program is $26,000 when adding up initial and recurring fees.

That seems sufficient to try a program that basically lengthens a few inspection intervals and otherwise keeps the Cessna program intact.
Mike C.

Hey Jeff,

Training in Statesville with Doug C. from E.F.T..............

Say hello to Jeffery!!!

That's true of all inspection programs, even when you select the manufacturer's program. Once selected, you are not required to update it during your ownership. If Cessna/Textron updates the inspection program or adds SIDs, they do not apply to you.

Thus Bacon has no special advantage here.

However, ADs are always mandatory regardless of any inspection program.

Mike C.

I am not an expert on maintenance programs but that's not my understanding as explained by our maintenance shop and by Bacon.

The way this has been explained to me was that if your on Cessna's program as an example and that program has changes or updates you are then obligated to follow that revised program, and if your on that program is not froze, such as with Bacon.

Cessna's program has updates every year and you are obligated to follow those updates if you are operating under the Cessna program.

I may be wrong but that has been the way I have always understood the Cessna maintenance program but I know you analyze to the living end on every scenario.

I don't have the time to analyze every possible scenario in maintenance, so we took what appeared to be a no brainer and elected to join Bacon's program.

Give Dick a call and run you ideas around with him he will give you much better idea on how his program works.

Gary

I'm fairly positive Cessna got rid of the $30-40K 10,000 hour inspection. So, if this is true, it's a GOOD thing to be on the Cessna program and not on the Bacon program if it still has this expensive airframe inspection. Worth looking into as the Bacon may not be so bueno if it still has the 10K hour inspection.

No Cessna still has the 10k hour inspection on the 500 series aircraft. The Bacon program is a modification of the Cessna program not a completely different program. The Bacon locks in the maintenance program that exists on that day the paper work is filed and approved by the FAA, so if there was no 10k inspection required with Cessna at that time, then the Bacon program would also not have the 10k inspection.

Bacon for the most part defers the Phase 1-5 inspections but doesn't eliminate nor defer any of the other 46 or so phase inspections that may apply. Bacon also adds a corrosion inspection on its own.

It makes your head hurt trying to get your head around all costs and options.

Gary