100-hour inspection

PGT

Well-Known Member
If a rental aircraft is coming up on a 100-hour inspection, may I (as a renter) rent the airplane and overfly the inspection?

I heard instruction cannot be given, or the airplane used for hire, but it may be rented out to customers
 
If a rental aircraft is coming up on a 100-hour inspection, may I (as a renter) rent the airplane and overfly the inspection?

I heard instruction cannot be given, or the airplane used for hire, but it may be rented out to customers
if the place you get it from is a club, yes

if not, you may be SOL
 
An aircraft can be rented beyond its 100 hour inspection. Having an FBO or flying club providing the aircraft has nothing to do with it.

The 100 hour inspection is required for aircraft *carrying people or giving flight instruction for hire*. Rental is not a "for hire" operation.

This is all spelled out in 14 CFR 91.409(b).

The 10 hour rule is only for ferrying the aircraft to a location for the inspection to be performed. It is *not* for, "We're really busy giving instruction and don't want to take the plane offline until tomorrow." Read the 91.409 reg.


Ok, now, all of this being said, if you're going to rent a plane past the 100 hour inspection, make sure there are no recurring Airworthiness Directives. A lot of aircraft have ADs that must be complied with every 100 hours, and that has nothing to do with instruction/rental/private use, that's simply airworthiness, period. If the FBO wants to comply with the recurring ADs, then send it out for rent before performing a full 100 hour inspection, that's legal.
 
Most schools and clubs seem to have more stringent rules about the 100 hour inspection as opposed to the regulations.

Atleast that's been my experience.
 
An aircraft can be rented beyond its 100 hour inspection. Having an FBO or flying club providing the aircraft has nothing to do with it.

The 100 hour inspection is required for aircraft *carrying people or giving flight instruction for hire*. Rental is not a "for hire" operation.

This is all spelled out in 14 CFR 91.409(b).

The 10 hour rule is only for ferrying the aircraft to a location for the inspection to be performed. It is *not* for, "We're really busy giving instruction and don't want to take the plane offline until tomorrow." Read the 91.409 reg.


Ok, now, all of this being said, if you're going to rent a plane past the 100 hour inspection, make sure there are no recurring Airworthiness Directives. A lot of aircraft have ADs that must be complied with every 100 hours, and that has nothing to do with instruction/rental/private use, that's simply airworthiness, period. If the FBO wants to comply with the recurring ADs, then send it out for rent before performing a full 100 hour inspection, that's legal.
100% correct and excellently-phrased explanation!

Subject to merit's note that your FBO's rules may be stricter.
 

Attachments

  • certified-seal.gif
    certified-seal.gif
    3.1 KB · Views: 225
Nah, I can't remember the reg about you may only fly up to 10 for maintenance.

That is correct.
The airplane legally can only be flown for 10 hours if you pass the 100 hour maint. due time in flight.
If the aircraft has already reached the 100 hour maint. time then you should not be allowed to take the aircraft out for a flight.
 
Yep the AD's were complied with the morning before my flight, I watched them do it.

I brought this up to one of my professors and he said it was illegal for me to go fly after the 100-hour.
 
I brought this up to one of my professors and he said it was illegal for me to go fly after the 100-hour.

Whenever you run in to a person like this, ask them to prove it to you. Show you the reg.

No matter what happens, one of you is guaranteed to learn something.
 
Ok, now, all of this being said, if you're going to rent a plane past the 100 hour inspection, make sure there are no recurring Airworthiness Directives.
There's the paper weight gotcha.

Good information JRH.

Edit: You wouldn't believe how many FRs I do that the person talks about the ability to over fly by 10 hours as if there were no caveats
I stumble upon CFIs thinking they are blowing their students minds by saying things like "did you know you can fly over the 100 hour by 10 hours", then say something about "to an airport for MX" and leaving it at that. What does the student take away from that? 'Well, I can over fly the 100 hour'.
They don't take ADs into consideration.

For all intents and purposes of a hobby flier, I tell them the 100 hour is a hard line.
 
For all intents and purposes of a hobby flier, I tell them the 100 hour is a hard line.

What if they get that question on their checkride?

Also, no one has mentioned it yet in so many words, but the airplane is only required to have the 100hr inspection when used for flight instruction if the instructor supplies the airplane. If you're renting it as a student and hiring an instructor then it's not required.

AD's are a hard limit unless the AD itself says you can overfly the inspection, not many do.
 
What if they get that question on their checkride?

Also, no one has mentioned it yet in so many words, but the airplane is only required to have the 100hr inspection when used for flight instruction if the instructor supplies the airplane. If you're renting it as a student and hiring an instructor then it's not required.
Yeah but that's a potentially dangerous technical point. It's usually used by FBOs - "we rent to the student, not the instructor" - to avoid the 100 hr inspection requirement. There are probably situations where the FBO is =really= renting to a brand new student pilot for his first lesson but...

My semi-educated guess is that FBO insurance would not permit an FBO to rent an airplane to a student pilot except for solos. And that there's a pretty good chance that the FAA will look at the operation and say, nope, you were placing the airplane in the control if the CFI and collapse the transaction into what it really is - the FBO providing the airplane to the instructor and the instructor providing it for instruction.

In either case, guess who's holding the bag if something happens? The student? Nah. The FBO? Sorry, there's no FBO certificate for the FAA to go after.
 
Yeah but that's a potentially dangerous technical point. It's usually used by FBOs - "we rent to the student, not the instructor" - to avoid the 100 hr inspection requirement. There are probably situations where the FBO is =really= renting to a brand new student pilot for his first lesson but...

My semi-educated guess is that FBO insurance would not permit an FBO to rent an airplane to a student pilot except for solos. And that there's a pretty good chance that the FAA will look at the operation and say, nope, you were placing the airplane in the control if the CFI and collapse the transaction into what it really is - the FBO providing the airplane to the instructor and the instructor providing it for instruction.

In either case, guess who's holding the bag if something happens? The student? Nah. The FBO? Sorry, there's no FBO certificate for the FAA to go after.


At the school I work at, the instructors are independent, the school doesn't pay them, and it's up to the student who they fly with and what airplane they fly. I think it's pretty clear in that case. We do 100hr inspections because I we think, for safety's sake, that they are necessary, but sometimes they do get overflown by a few hours. Your school may be in a different situation.

At any rate, it's not up to the school to decide what's legal.
 
At the school I work at, the instructors are independent, the school doesn't pay them, and it's up to the student who they fly with and what airplane they fly. I think it's pretty clear in that case. We do 100hr inspections because I we think, for safety's sake, that they are necessary, but sometimes they do get overflown by a few hours. Your school may be in a different situation.

At any rate, it's not up to the school to decide what's legal.
So I guess that the instructors don't need to even be on an approved list and, if a student wanted to fly with Joe Instructor who they never heard it would be okay?
 
So I guess that the instructors don't need to even be on an approved list and, if a student wanted to fly with Joe Instructor who they never heard it would be okay?

There is a list of club members who are instructors. If you want to instruct out of the club you're welcome to join and get checked out in the airplanes you want to instruct in. Normal insurance requirements apply of course, but for all intents & purposes, yes. The club doesn't interview, approve, or control instructors in any way.
 
Back
Top