Avionics News May 2015 - 58

VALUE-ADDED REFURBS
Continued from page 57

paint and interior, new avionics and
much more. In the case of the Reimagined 150/152, the result is what Aviat
President Stu Horn called "a great value
for flying clubs, flight schools, partnerships and even some individuals." The
Sporty's pitch is similar, promoting the
"appearance and ramp appeal of a new
airplane" plus the drastically reduced
acquisition and operating costs of its
172LITE when compared to a new 172.
Unobtainium?
That's great if you're looking for an
economical Cessna, but what about other
airplanes, especially high-performance
piston singles? If you're looking for a
new Cessna Centurion, Piper Comanche
or V-tailed Beech Bonanza, you can't

have one - they went out of production
at least 30 years ago. They all still offer
substantial transportation value, though,
especially since those pesky aerodynamic and thermodynamic laws remain
in effect. Sure; a new Cirrus SR22,
Piper Matrix, Beech Model 36 Bonanza
or Cessna 206 Stationair can be had,
but a well-equipped, in-service copy is
substantially less expensive and offers
the same basic transportation value as
the new one.
That's one of the ideas behind the
Triple R Affordable Aircraft Initiative.
Triple R is short for rebuilds, restores
and re-equips and is an organized process to "rebuild and sell GA airplanes
using industry-accepted best practices
at qualified Part 145 and custom repair
shops." Ultimately, Triple R is working
to create new markets and accountability
leading to improving aircraft values, relireli

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58

avionics news

may

2015

ability and ownership economics.
Tom Bliss is Triple R's chairman and
founder. He's a long-time general aviation pilot and aircraft owner who also
serves as AVweb.com's publisher, and
he's definitely bullish on the market for
overall airplane refurbishing projects.
Along the way, he's convinced standardization and high quality are key.
Beyond piecemeal
"This is not a job for the faint of
heart," Bliss said. "This is not a job for
amateurs or first-timers. The rebuild process is complicated, it's extensive and
it's slow. But at the end of the day, typically, a rebuilt airplane can be completely restored with all-new components for
about 50 percent of the cost of a new airplane, or less." That's still a substantial
chunk of change though when compared
to today's typical 20-year-old personal
airplane, which probably isn't worth 25
percent the cost of a new one.
"In my discussions, there are those
who always will buy new airframes, and
those who never will, but the preponderance is those who piecemeal the process,
maybe based on budget," Bliss elaborated, confirming some market realities.
"That's what the majority of owners do
today. But doing it all at once is really
the right way to go." Triple R advocates
completely rebuilding the airplane,
"nose to tail, literally take the airplane
apart, all the avionics, all the wiring,
take all moving parts and inspect them."
That's because rebuilding capital
equipment is cost-effective, Bliss added.
Using a heavy piece of construction
equipment as an example, he pointed
out the basic chassis and design usually
remain sound after thousands of hours
in service, but any complicated machine
will have wear points. Engines, plus
hydraulic, electrical and mechanical systems are common to bulldozers and to
Beechcraft, he noted, and they all need
to be replaced at some point. Doing so at
the same time returns a like-new product
with like-new capability and reliability
at roughly half the cost of new.

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Avionics News May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News May 2015